Fat free, protein packed , veggie filled and tastes amazing! This roasted garlic alfredo sauce is so light, creamy and incredibly healthy. Pour over pasta or use it in lasagna. Let's just say it's something you need in tour life!
I know, I know...I am supposed to be out of the kitchen and resting up for this baby, using the loads of posts I have backlogged to share with all of you. But I just couldn't resist with this one!
This was a random craving throw together that resulted in a sauce my husband declared to be "a home run out of the park on the first try!" I ended up making it a few different times, playing around with the amounts of each ingredient to find our favorite, but to be honest, every trial was delicious, it just depends on what flavors you want to showcase more.
I absolutely love roasted garlic, so I added even more than I wrote the recipe for. The sweet caramelized flavor of garlic when it roasts is so buttery and creamy and adds awesome dimension to this sauce.
The cauliflower gives it the perfect light and airy cream base and the garbanzo beans give it some strength and substance along with protein. The fresh basil adds an extra pinch of freshness and really complements this sauce well.
Why Garbanzo Beans And Not White Beans Like Are Often Found In Alfredo Sauces?
I actually preferred the taste of the garbanzo here. They have a little more substance in my opinion and because cauliflower is so light, I wanted something more substantial to add to the mix.
I also kept this sauce very simple, just adding some pink salt and veggie broth to enhance flavor because I wanted to allow the natural flavors of the ingredients to be showcased.
Most other Alfredo sauces out there add many other spices and ingredients, and frankly I just don't think it is necessary to achieve the smooth creamy flavor of traditional Alfredo.
Sometimes it's the simple things in life that are the most satisfying and I think this recipe definitely falls into that category. I also avoided using any plant based milk and opted for veggie broth because it kept it lighter and sometimes the flavor of plant based milk overpowers a bit.
Tip: But make sure your veggie broth does not have tomato in it or that will take over in taste. This is one I like best. This sauce is light and won't leave you feeling overly full...plus it's fat free so allows you to save calories and room for some of the amazing desserts I have on the blog! Go ahead and treat yourself, you deserve it!
More Healthy Vegan Pasta Sauces;
- Sharp white cheese sauce
- Ultra creamy vegan cheese sauce
- Easy fresh tomato marinara sauce
- Vegan veggie "meat" sauce
Please let me know if you give this one a try and leave a comment on this post, I love hearing feedback! You can also tag me on Instagram at veggiesdontbite #veggiesdontbite so I don’t miss it! Hope you enjoy this as much as we did!
Fat Free Roasted Garlic Cauliflower Alfredo Sauce with Fresh Basil
Ingredients
- 6 large cloves fresh garlic
- 2 heads cauliflower 5 inches in diameter
- 1 cup garbanzo beans or white beans optional for added protein and creaminess
- 1 cup veggie broth non tomato based, low sodium if needed
- Himalayan pink salt to taste
- 1 cup fresh basil sliced into shreds
Instructions
- Peel garlic and mix with a splash of veggie broth and some salt. Wrap in tin foil, and/or parchment and roast at 400°F (200°C) for 20-25 minutes until garlic is browning and looks caramelized.
- Wash and boil, steam or roast cauliflower until really tender, breaks apart when forked. About 20-30 minutes. Roasting it gives a deeper flavor. If roasting you can use a drizzle of oil or veggie broth.
- When garlic and cauliflower are done, put them in a high speed blender along with the rest of the ingredients, except for the basil. Blend on high until creamy and smooth.
- At this point you can add some of the fresh basil into the blender and pulse it in for that fresh basil layer of flavor. Or you can leave it out and only put some basil on the top. We tried both ways and both were great!
Notes
- Depending on the size of your cauliflower, you may get less or more of the sauce. Make sure you use a veggie broth without tomatoes in it or the creamy Alfredo taste will be overpowered.
- If you want the sauce thinner, then add more broth. You can also add more garlic if you really want the roasted garlic taste to come through, I love it so added more on round two and it was great!
- Note that the garbanzo beans add a touch of fat to this, still very low fat but some is added if you use them.
- Tips to prep ahead: This sauce freezes well so it can be prepped ahead of time and frozen for later use. When defrosting, do so slowly on the counter. You will need to mix or whip again with a whisk to regain the consistency.
Recipe by Veggies Don’t Bite, visit our site for more great plant-based recipes.
Nutrition
Nutrition and metric information should be considered an estimate.
Susan
Thank you 🙂 , this was a really great recipe <3 !
I ended up using chicken bone broth since I couldn't find a veggie broth with no tomato, still turned out great!
I also ended up using a whole head of roasted garlic sooo yummy :)) (broth, salt, and spray oil)
I roasted fresh and frozen cauliflower, frozen seemed to caramelize easier (with no added oil, just salt; if anyone was wondering).
Thanks again <3 !
Sophia DeSantis
Awesome! So happy you liked it and made it work for your family!
Emily Kemp
Wow I love how thick and creamy this is and it's HEALTHY. Can't wait to try it!
sig
Here because of the HHVK giveaway! I love your clean, simple layout. Flashing, scrolling messes give me a headache. I'll be coming back for sure.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you for the kind complement Sig! Simple and clean is my preference as well, in all parts of my life. Thank you for being here and I look forward to seeing you come back!
Theresa
Yum!
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much Theresa!!
Kristen
I'm not generally a fan of cauliflower....but this sounds incredible!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks Kristen! The cauliflower just gives it a creamy taste. It doesn't really taste like cauliflower. I never liked cauliflower either until I started using it in different ways!
Greg Wostrel
Sophia!
This is a must try for sure. We just got our morning coffee and I saw your instagram post. We have everything but the cauliflower already. Looks like I'm stopping at the market on the way home from work!
🙂
Love your site, too.
Little babe is adorable (thanks for posting the occasional photo on IG.
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much for your kind words Greg!! So glad to follow you as well! This is my husband's new favorite sauce. He loves that it tastes like a heavy creamy Alfredo but doesn't make you feel like it. Let me know how it turns out! Thank you for following!
Jasmin
Lovely recipe... I always loved cauliflower and roasted garlic combination, and I'll simply have to try this one...
And yes, you should be resting - it's the best thing to do when you can 😉
veggiesdontbite
Thank you so much! Let me know how you like it. I'm definitely resting now!
Suj
This looks amazing. Do I use the measurement for 1 cup garbanzo beans cooked or uncooked? Thank yiou
veggiesdontbite
Thank you Suj! The one cup is cooked garbanzos. Hope you enjoy!
Linda @ Veganosity
There's nothing like roasted garlic. This Alfredo sauce looks delicious, you have me craving it for breakfast. 🙂
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Linda! I agree, roasted garlic is amazing!!
Yum Girl
Thank you so much for posting such a lovely recipe on YG! It is gorgeous. As the new co-owners, we hope you will continue to submit - we are expanding and upgrading everything and even have a new mobile app for android! Kelli at Yum Goggle
veggiesdontbite
Thanks for your kind words! I will submit as often as I can!
The Vegan 8
So weird, I somehow missed this post this morning! I'll have to double check my email but don't think it came through. Anyways, it looks so delicious! I figured your other ingredient was beans based on the texture and I love hummus so much, so this is a great sub! I've seen hummus salad dressings but haven't tried them yet. I can totally see how the cauliflower might be faint in this, because it looks really smooth...yum yum!! I bet this would be yummy as a pizza sauce too, that's what i do with my garlic alfredo sauce. Looks so perfect girl and I love fresh basil!!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Brandi! Yes, it's so smooth and creamy! I liked the garbanzos better than the white beans, just for taste and texture. But white could work too. And yes for pizza! We loved it in our lasagna too. Honestly it could be used in SO much because it's so light that it would pair well with a lot. Let me know about the email. If not just register again through my site or I can add you too!
Suzanne@frugalorganicmama.com
Oh my goodness, I can't believe you are still doing posts. Go lie down!!! 🙂 This does look delicious, I think I'm going to give it a try next week.
Love the new site by the way!! Good luck with baby #3!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Suzanne!! Yeah, lying down is not my thing. Lol. I have a few more Im working on while I wait! Let me know what you think!!
Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
Love this -- will be trying it out as soon as I lay my hands on some cauliflower 🙂 Now go rest up, you! 😉
veggiesdontbite
Thank so much Audrey!! Let me know what you think! Rest up....hmmmm, what's that? Lol!
Ana @ Ana's Rocket Ship
Oh this looks so yummy!!!
veggiesdontbite
Thanks so much Ana!! It's a new favorite!