Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
Published April 23, 2020
Andrew Purcell for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Carrie Purcell.
- Total Time
- 20 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
Advertisement
Ingredients
FOR THE PASTA
½ teaspoon kosher salt, plus more as needed
12 ounces fettuccine, linguine or another pasta of choice (most dry pastas are vegan, but check the ingredient label to be sure)
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegan butter
2 garlic cloves, thinly sliced
8 ounces vegan cream cheese
2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 teaspoons lemon juice, plus more as needed
⅛ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Black pepper, to taste
Vegan Parmesan (optional)
FOR THE TOPPING (OPTIONAL)
¼ cup nutritional yeast
¼ cup cashews, pine nuts or shelled hemp seeds
Pinch of fine sea salt
Nutritional analysis per serving (4 servings)
80 grams carbs; 630 calories; 5 grams monosaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 7 grams saturated fat; 26 grams fat; 13 grams fiber; 424 milligrams sodium; 28 grams protein; 6 grams sugar
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
- Step 1
Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Add the pasta and cook according to package instructions.
- Step 2
While the pasta boils, heat the oil or butter in a small skillet over medium. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Using a slotted spoon, transfer the cooked garlic to a blender (discard the oil). Add the cream cheese, nutritional yeast, lemon juice, nutmeg, ¾ cup water and ½ teaspoon salt, and blend the ingredients into a creamy sauce. Season to taste with black pepper and salt, then add more lemon juice, if desired.
- Step 3
To prepare the optional topping, add all ingredients to a food processor and pulse until the mixture is finely ground.
- Step 4
When the pasta is ready, drain it and return it to the pot over low heat. Stir in the sauce and heat the pasta until well coated and warmed through. Serve immediately, and sprinkle with vegan Parmesan or the topping, if desired.
Private Notes
Comments
Excellent recipe. Thank you, NYTimes Cooking, for posting more plant-based recipes!
Awesome recipe! If you have vegan lactic acid on hand, that also adds some very nice tartness. I normally add 1/8 tsp to an 8 oz package of cream cheese (I use Tofutti’s, which has nice texture but isn’t very tangy).
Made this with Cracked Black Pepper Kite Hill Cream Cheese (found at Whole Foods) and both myself (a dairy enthusiast), and my husband (lactose intolerant) found this to be flavorful and delicious. I sued the immersion blender for the sauce since it's so much easier to clean, and needed slightly less water than what was called for. Served with roasted asparagus, easy weeknight dinner that will definitely go into rotation!
This was a hit with the vegan family member, who also enjoyed the “Parmesan”. I used Philadelphia brand dairy-free cream cheese and loosened the sauce with pasta water. Optional stir-ins were peas (anyone) and chopped bacon (non-vegans). The sauce sits well at room temperature, so next time I’ll make it first and clean up, before making the pasta, mix-ins, salad, sides etc.
First comment on an NYTimes recipe because this was THAT good. I added heat wherever I could because we love spice and it was very good. I tripled the garlic and softened it in a hot calabrian oil and then added a lot of pepper flakes and it was SOOOO good. Use pasta water for the sauce rather than just regular water. Kite Hill plain vegan cream cheese.
I love this recipe! As a mom with allergies (and kids who thankfully have none), it makes my life so much easier to have recipes that we can all eat together. This one went over super well with my 4 and 6-year-old! Next time I'm going to experiment with adding broccoli or other veggies into the mix.