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Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

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Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce – turn cauliflower into a creamy and delicious sauce with the addition of roasted garlic and Parmesan! Skip the cheese for a vegan option.

One of our favorite pasta dinners is my Bacon Mushroom Alfredo. You can use this cauliflower sauce to make it too! Don’t forget the roasted garlic. It adds delicious flavor!

Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce a 4 ingredient healthy creamy sauce thats great for pasta pizza or dipping @crunchycreamysw Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

This sauce is a combination of two veggies I absolutely love: cauliflower and garlic. I grew up eating a lot of cauliflower. My Mom had a collection of recipes using this veggie and made them a lot. The smell of sauteed garlic is my childhood memory since my grandmother used it in almost every dish. I always have a jar of minced garlic in my fridge and now, roasted garlic cloves too. This healthy cauliflower pasta sauce is nut-free, gluten-free and is you skip the cheese, it is dairy-free. According to MyFitnessPal, one serving of this sauce is 118 calories!

Ingredients needed:

  • 1 head of cauliflower
  • 1 head of garlic
  • water
  • Parmesan cheese or nutritional yeast
  • salt and pepper

How to make this sauce?

  • Start by cutting the cauliflower into florets. Place in a large pot and fill with water or broth or an equal mix of both. Cook the cauliflower until tender. In the meantime, roast garlic.
  • Remove cauliflower from water and place on a large baking sheet. Let cool slightly before blending.
  • Place cauliflower, roasted garlic cloves, half of a cup of the cooking water or broth and cheese in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add more liquid if your sauce is too thick to your likings.
  • Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Use the sauce right away or pour into a jar. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

How to make a healthy pasta sauce from just 4 ingredients @crunchycreamysw Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce

Expert tips

  • cauliflower: make sure not to undercook the cauliflower or your sauce won’t be smooth. Test a piece with a fork. You should be able to easily smash it.
  • garlic: roasting it makes it sweeter and deepens the flavor. Raw garlic will be too strong. I don’t recommend garlic powder or salt.
  • cheese: classic Alfredo is always made with Parmesan but you can skip it and use nutritional yeast for the same flavor and a dairy-free version

Roasted garlic flavor

I love cauliflower. When I don’t turn it into rice or roast the whole head or bake breaded florets – I cook it and blend it into a perfectly creamy sauce. Recently, I was planning on making it for our pasta and the roasted garlic for my focaccia. Then a light bulb went off in my head and few cloves found it’s way into the blender with the cauliflower. Best.decision.ever. Follow my recipe for the best Roasted Garlic ever. I add Parmesan cheese to my sauce because there is no Alfredo without it, but feel free to skip it for a vegan option or if you are currently on a Whole30 program!

Healthy and cheaper than store-bought sauce

This recipe makes 3 cups of sauce, but if you are lucky like me and get a large cauliflower head at Aldi’s for $1.40 – you will end up with 7 cups f florets and make two jars of the sauce! Big score and so much cheaper than a store-bought sauce! Not to mention healthy. If you skip the Parmesan (use nutritional yeast to get the same flavor) is dairy-free and nut-free since there are no cashews needed.

More healthy recipes:

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If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out and leave a comment! 😀

5 from 29 votes
cauliflower pasta sauce A 150x150 Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Print
Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Prep Time
10 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
20 mins
 

This healthy Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce turns cauliflower into creamy and delicious pasta sauce with the addition of roasted garlic and Parmesan! Use nutritional yeast in place of cheese for a vegan option.

Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Keyword: cauliflower Alfredo sauce, cauliflower pasta sauce
Servings: 3 cups of sauce
Calories: 130 kcal
Author: Anna
Ingredients
  • 1 medium cauliflower head 4 cups of florets
  • 7 cloves roasted garlic (see my tutorial link in notes)
  • 1/2 cup broth or water reserved from cooking the cauliflower
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese (see note)
  • dash of salt and pepper to taste
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. Cut cauliflower into florets. Place in a large pot and fill with water or broth or an equal mix of both. Cook the cauliflower until tender.
  2. Remove from water and place on a large baking sheet. Let cool slightly before blending.
  3. Place cauliflower, roasted garlic cloves, half of a cup of the cooking water or broth and cheese in a blender. Blend until smooth. Add more liquid if your sauce is too thick to your likings.
  4. Taste the sauce and add salt and pepper to taste.
  5. Use the sauce right away or pour into a jar. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes
  1. how to roast garlic: https://www.crunchycreamysweet.com/how-to-roast-garlic/
  2. Use nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan cheese for a vegan option.
  3. Please note, that the nutrition value can vary depending on what product you use. The information below is an estimate. Always use calorie counter you are familiar with.
Nutrition Facts
Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 130 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g8%
Saturated Fat 3g19%
Cholesterol 14mg5%
Sodium 315mg14%
Potassium 621mg18%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Fiber 3g13%
Sugar 3g3%
Protein 10g20%
Vitamin A 145IU3%
Vitamin C 94.5mg115%
Calcium 240mg24%
Iron 1.1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe was originally posted on July 13th, 2015 and updated on January 7th, 2020.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Jen says

    Is there anyway I can use minced garlic? I do not have cloves, and am not able to get to the store! If so, could I roast minced garlic?

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Jen! If you only have minced garlic, you can sautee it in a skillet with olive oil. As soon as it’s toasted and golden brown, remove it and add to the sauce. I hope this helps!

      Reply

  2. CIndy says

    Just curious… I eat a keto diet, and would love to try this sauce as it looks AMAZING! However, it says 12 carbs per serving, but there is no serving size listed. Can you please provide the serving size? I don’t want to get kicked out of ketosis. Thank you!

    Reply

    • Anna says

      Hi Cindy! Typically one serving of pasta sauce is 1/2 cup. The nutritional value in my recipe is an estimate, as I am not a nutritionist. I recommend using a calorie counter app that you are familiar with. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  3. Betsy says

    This is AMAZING! I’ve never been a fan of regular Alfredo Sauce as it’s so fatty I feel sick after eating it. After eating this sauce I feel great! I’m happy with my life choices and ready to continue making good life choices! 🙂 Seriously, though, I don’t feel sick after eating this like with regular Alfredo and I’m happy that I can enjoy something that tastes so rich and delicious but is actually healthy!

    Reply

  4. Mel says

    Thank you for the dairy-free alternative. The cauliflower has a gorgeous depth of flavor in this sauce! Will definitely add to my regular meal rotation – especially since it’s so good for you too!

    Reply

  5. Sara Welch says

    I love a rich and smooth Alfredo Sauce, and this looks like you hit the nail on the head! Looking forward to enjoying this with some pasta for dinner tonight!

    Reply

  6. Cricri says

    Hi, i’m wondering if I can freeze this sauce? Did you try? I’m a busy mama and i love to prepare meals in advance.

    Reply

  10. Stacey says

    Hello,

    Trying this tomorrow, as it looks amazing!

    Also, I was wandering about the roasting garlic section, the link is not working! Any chance you know when that will be fixed?

    Thanks!!

    Reply

  11. Luna says

    Hi! I just wanted to say this recipe is so good! I love parmesan but have been vegan for 3.5 years now so I added “Vegan Go Veggie cheesy Bliss grated Parmesan cheese” -tastes JUST like parmesan.. I’m in heaven !!

    Reply

  12. Terry says

    Easy freezing trick: freeze in ice cube trays then pop out frozen cubes and put in freezer bag. I put few frozen cubes on defrost in microwave then use as sauce when making flatbread pizza OR defrost more for alfredo sauce topping for pasta.

    Reply

  13. Stephanie says

    I made this recipe last night and it was absolutely amazing! Just curious, how long does this sauce typically last for?

    Reply

  14. Christe says

    Thanks for the great recipe! I’m not a fan of cauliflower so I was very hesitant, but I’m on a super restrictive diet right now so I figured I’d give it a try. I LOVE IT!! I’m dairy free among other things now so I added a 1/4 cup nutritional yeast instead of Parmesan and it totally works! My cheese loving hubby even liked it! Thank you thank you!

    Reply

  15. Michelle Widman says

    What is the liquid you added to the cauliflower, garlic, and parmesan cheese, and how much did you add? I’m not seeing the recipe written anywhere, just the video, and I’d like to try it. Thank you

    Reply

  16. cyndy says

    Great! I sautéed red onion, oyster and baby portabello mushrooms and broccoli rabe , then added the sauce and linguini. It was delicious ! Even better the next day!

    Reply

  17. Sunny says

    looks absolutely wonderful….will be serving it over edamame pasta…my personal fav!…and a few grilled shrimp with seasonal veggies…be sure to grill the veggies, so much better..

    Reply

  19. Samantha says

    HIIIII!
    So I have celiac disease and this looks like an amazing alternative for me! I am wondering…I love pizza and thinking of starting to make my own, but I LOVE garlic part pizza sauce instead of marinara! Do you think the consistency of this will be good for a pizza sauce as well!?! Can not wait to try it! Thanks so much!!!

    Reply

  20. Kathy says

    I made this last night and was pretty surprised. I knew it obviously wouldn’t taste like my homemade Alfredo sauce made with a whole stick of butter and 2 cups of heavy cream and 5 ounces of shredded Parmesan…. but since I’m dieting I thought I would give it a try.
    After I blended it and gave it a taste I couldn’t believe that it was really pretty good considering the main ingredient was cauliflower, (which I am not a big fan of).
    I spooned it over spaghetti squash. My son and his girlfriend were here for dinner and they are dieting as well. I just told them that it was a low calorie version of Alfredo sauce.
    They thought it was good, but couldn’t guess the ingredients. They guessed half and half. They were pretty surprised when I told them the ingredients. I put the remaining jar of sauce in the fridge and plan on having it during the week. I would guess one week is probably as long as it keeps?
    So thanks for a great recipe. I do have one question…… you stated that fitness pal says one serving is only 118 calories, but you didn’t mention how much one serving is.
    Is it a half of cup? One cup?

    Reply

  21. Emma says

    Made this sauce tonight for dinner and it was DELICIOUS! I must say I was hesitant at first, as I find cauliflower doesn’t have much of a taste. The garlic and parmesan cheese gave it so much flavor — wonderful recipe and will be using this again!

    Reply

  23. Kristina says

    Just pinned this and absolutely cannot WAIT to try it! I love how simple it is and I can only imagine how AMAZING the roasted garlic makes it!

    Reply

  28. Sarah says

    I tried it tonight but it didn’t work out anywhere near as sauce-like as yours. Any advice or tips? Maybe I didn’t cook the cauliflower for long enough ? There was no guide so I boiled it for about 10mins. Honestly I don’t know what I did wrong but the “sauce” was grainy like mashed cauliflower and not a smooth sauce even though I blended it for ages.

    The taste was perfect – simply sublime! I added a pinch of nutmeg and fresh parsley on top which complimented it perfectly 🙂

    Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Hi Sarah! Thank you for the comment! Yes, definitely the cauliflower was undercooked. It has to be very soft to turn into a smooth sauce. I am so glad you loved the flavor! I swear, I could add roasted garlic to everything! Love the touch of nutmeg and parsley. 🙂 Thank you for stopping by! I hope you will make the sauce again.

      Reply

  29. Linda says

    Just made this. It was really good. Needed more liquid to thin it down but over all a success. Definitely will make it again.

    Reply

  32. lindsey says

    Made this tonight. I had a pretty large head of cauliflower so needed A LOT more liquid to thin it out, probably around 1.5 cups worth. I also added 1/4 cup half and half and a dash of nutmeg. Pureed it with an immersion blender which worked great. Not only is it a sauce, I may eat a bowl of as soup, as its still pretty thick!

    Reply

  33. Jazmin says

    This looks so incredibly delicious. I am wondering though how close it is to the original alfredo sauce?!

    Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Hi Jazmin! It’s easy to trick a person with this sauce if they don’t know it’s made from cauliflower. It doesn’t have a strong cauliflower taste. The roasted garlic and Parmesan give it the Alfredo sauce flavor. You can always adjust the amount of these ingredients to make it perfect. Hope this helps!

      Reply

  35. Jennie says

    I love sneaking veggies into pasta sauce. This cheesy alfredo sauce sounds amazing and looks positively creamy. Pinned.

    Reply

  37. Karen says

    I love roasted garlic, this sounds PERFECT! I seriously need to try the cauliflower sauce Ive never tried any version. I’m missing out!!

    Reply

  38. Alexandra Caspero says

    Yum! This sauce combines two of my favorite things- creamy sauce and garlic! I love cauliflower cream sauces- they are so delicious and mimic the real thing so well! Looks awesome.

    Reply

  40. Cynthia says

    we’re all about cauliflower here! I love it pureed, mashed and roasted. I’ve never thought to make it into a “sauce”. Great idea!

    Reply

  41. Kimberly says

    I love this!! I absolutely adore roasted cauliflower and turning it into a sauce sounds divine. It’s also the perfect way to fool your kids into eating veggies! 🙂

    Reply

  44. Senika says

    I’m not sure why I STILL haven’t tried cauliflower sauce?! Yours looks AMAZING especially with the addition of roasted garlic – yum! I’ll have to skip the parm 🙁 since I’m currently doing Whole30 but I’m super excited to have something delish to eat!

    Reply

  45. Julie says

    This looks amazing! I never made alfredo sauce because of all the fat and calories. I love cauliflower, and think this would even fool my Italian hubby?

    Reply

  46. Kristi says

    OMGosh Anna, that sauce looks INCREDIBLE. I seriously just want to plant my face in there and drink up. This is so pinned, because I have to try it. I know I’m going to love it!

    Reply

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