Creamy Vegan Cauliflower Alfredo Pasta

This creamy vegan cauliflower alfredo pasta turned an alfredo hater into an alfredo lover. Cauliflower is truly a magical ingredient. Creamy plant-based comfort food without the usual cashews or coconut milk? Sign me up.

I grew up thinking creamy pasta meant Olive Garden or those pastaroni boxes. And I know lots of kids loved that stuff, but it was not my style. Perhaps it’s because I distinctly remember throwing up after the first time I had it ate the ripe young age of 6, but that’s a story nobody really needs to hear. Anyways, a lot has changed since I was 6, but mostly the fact that this beauty of a bowl entered my life and we’ve been hanging out ever since.

You always hear about cauliflower being turned into everything–pizza crusts, rice, wings…so obviously it makes sense for it to be blended up into a creamy sauce that takes you back to childhood bliss. Even if I was never exposed to this creamy goodness before, this recipe makes me feel nostalgic. It reminds me of the days I’d come home from school and my mom would give me my second lunch of the day.

So that’s enough about the absence of creamy pasta from my childhood. Let’s talk about this vegan cauliflower alfredo pasta that is literally SO good. The flavor profile is insane: miso, nutritional yeast, red chili flakes, nutmeg, and black pepper. Simple, but it does the trick. Add some mushrooms and kale, or whatever veggies you’d like. Now that’s a flavor I’m down for.

The Rundown

1. Cook cauliflower on the stove with some garlic and onions for 12-15 minutes. Add some water to soften it–you might not want to eat soft cauliflower right off the stove, but for this sauce, the mushier the better.

2. Cook pasta al dente in salted water, reserve some pasta water (important in my opinion!), and toss pasta with a little olive oil so the noodles don’t stick together.

3. Blend that alfredo sauce! I used oat milk, but basically any plant-based milk will work. My second choice would be almond milk.

4. Add that umami goodness in the form of miso and nutritional yeast. It can probably work if you have only one of the two, but you’ll have to play with it to see what you like. I also added red chili flakes, pepper, and nutmeg for some simple flavor complexity!

5. Cook mushrooms and kale on the stove. Add a splash of tamari if you want. Pour the sauce over and stir in the pasta! Top with some more red chili flakes.

For more comforting pasta dishes, try out some of these favorites!

Miso Tahini Pasta with Shiitake Bacon

Herby Lemon Broccoli Spaghetti

Broccoli Pesto Pasta with Lemon Sage Walnuts