This creamy cauliflower sauce is a hit. Perfect for pasta, pizza, or anything else you might want to cover in white cauliflower creamy deliciousness.
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Made this tonight and absolutely loved it! The possibilities are endless with this sauce and I love how healthy it is. Thanks so much for sharing.
Katie
This. Sauce. I make it all the time. I use it in tons of recipes. I spoon-feed it to myself straight out of the blender.
So it’s only appropriate that I dedicate an entire post to my all-time favorite, super adaptable, absolutely totally delicious creamy cauliflower sauce. The garlic, butter, creamy cauliflower cooked to perfection all pureed up in that blender (or food processor, because you have a well stocked kitchen unlike me even though I blog about food, say what?) is just life changing.
I honestly have a hard time NOT putting it in every recipe that I make. If something seems to be lacking, this sauce just magically pops into my mind. Bing! Like, hey! maybe a little cauliflower sauce will help this recipe be amazing! Which is a great idea until things start to get out of control as is often the case in my brain, and somehow I find myself wondering if cauliflower sauce would be good in pumpkin bread. Gross. No, it wouldn’t. But maybe…
Too much, Lindsay. Too much.
HOW TO MAKE OUR CREAMY CAULIFLOWER SAUCE:
This sauce is really flexible. It can kinda become anything.
Mostly for me, it becomes Alfredo sauce for my noodles and I call it Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo. (Or if you want the classic Alfredo sauce, I’ve got you right here.)
And it can also become creamy cauliflower garlic rice. Good grief, I love this stuff.
Hey guess what? Coming soon it will become sauce for a white chicken alfredo pizza. Yeahhhh there’s a reason why I want you to have this recipe in your head. A reason that involves thick yummy whole wheat crust, this sauce, white melty cheese, chicken, tomatoes, and on, and on, and on, and on.
Before I launch you into the recipe, I feel like I should say this: this is not made from cream and butter and flour. It’s made from caul-i-flower. Get it? Flour? Flower? While I personally consider this sauce to be magical, it’s not going to taste like it’s made from cream and butter. Well, actually, it kind of does, and MANY of you have said how much your cauliflower-shy families loved this sauce, so who knows. I just want to remind the skeptics that this is indeed cauliflower sauce, so you can expect it to be at least a little bit, um, cauliflowery.
And creamily delicious.
Did I already mention howmuchIlovethisstuff?
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Creamy Cauliflower Sauce
- Total Time: 30 minutes
- Yield: makes about 5 cups 1x
Description
This creamy cauliflower sauce is a hit! Perfect for pasta, pizza, or anything else you might want to cover in white cauliflower creamy deliciousness.
Ingredients
- 8 large cloves garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 5–6 cups cauliflower florets
- 6–7 cups vegetable broth or water
- 1 teaspoon salt (more to taste)
- 1/2 teaspoon pepper (more to taste)
- 1/2 cup milk (more to taste)
Instructions
- Garlic: Saute the minced garlic with the butter in a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Cook for several minutes or until the garlic is soft and fragrant but not browned (browned or burnt garlic will taste bitter). Remove from heat and set aside.
- Cauliflower: Bring the water or vegetable broth to a boil in a large pot. Add the cauliflower and cook, covered, for 7-10 minutes or until cauliflower is fork tender. Do not drain.
- Puree: Use a slotted spoon to transfer the cauliflower pieces to the blender. Add 1 cup vegetable broth or cooking liquid, sauteed garlic/butter, salt, pepper, and milk. Blend or puree for several minutes until the sauce is very smooth, adding more broth or milk depending on how thick you want the sauce. You may have to do this in batches depending on the size of your blender. Serve hot! If the sauce starts to look dry, add a few drops of water, milk, or olive oil.
Notes
I like to add a little bit of olive oil for the flavor and to help keep the sauce really smooth. Several other readers have mentioned that they really liked the addition of Parmesan cheese as well.
- Prep Time: 15 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Category: Sauce
- Cuisine: American
Keywords: creamy cauliflower sauce, cauliflower sauce, alfredo cauliflower sauce
I’m going to try this! Does it freeze well?
Jana, I haven’t frozen it myself but Erin commented on the Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo that she had tried freezing the sauce and it worked out fine. Here’s her comment: “Okay, so I did the freezing experiment and I’m happy to report the sauce thawed and reheated perfectly. It was only frozen for a few days so I don’t know if it would be in a little tougher shape after longer storage, but it was as smooth and luscious tonight as it was fresh on Saturday.” Hopefully that helps! 🙂
I made a batch of this recently (from the healthy alfredo recipe) and I used 1/2 and froze 1/2 in a ziplock bag. I warmed up the sauce a few weeks later and it was just as yummy!
Add grated Romano – now you’re talkin’.
Yeah. Loved this creamy food.
I also froze half the Alfredo sauce and it re-heated really well!
the Alfredo sauce
Just finished making your sauce and it’s amazing!!!! Absolutely delicious! What do you think about using it as a base for a loaded baked potato soup? Weird?
No way! Excellent! 🙂
ALWAYS read labels, which I usually do, but in this case, I bought “store brand” chicken broth to use in this recipe & it was delish, but I suffered so, sick as a pup, not knowing how!! I finally looked at the broth label & there it was~~~~HYDROLYZED WHEAT GLUTEN!!!! Who would have thought gluten would be added to BROTH??? I sure didn’t!!! If anyone else has, please pass along this VERY helpful “look for” on broth labels!!!! I’ll stick to water or even the Cauliflower liquid from now on!!!
I only use gluten free broth base now and I like it much better than the ready made broths. I find mine at Walmart and Crest, it’s about $3 for a jar but it makes 56 cups of broth so is actually a money saver. The brand I happen to use is Orrington Farms and I’ve actually only used the chicken and beef but they offer a vegetable one as well! I’ll have to try it out with some of these recipes! Can’t wait! Thank you!! Also, their website has a coupon if you are interested in trying it. (just 35 cents savings but hey, better than nothing!)
Will this go good on shepherd’s pie in place of mashed potatoes?
para que quieres congelar haz menos cantidad el producto recien hecho es como esta oerfecto de textura y aroma ademas yo e pongo un toque de tomillo campestre o de curry y no queda nada
yes, I like.
Add grated Romano – now you’re talkin’.
I agree with you. This recipe is great. Did you try it ?
I will try, its awesome 🙂
It would be even better for me NON dairy – what can I substitute for the milk?
You could just use a non dairy milk. You could try coconut, almond, or soy milk instead.
I also use almond or coconut milk. However, I do like some dairy and like to add the cheese, but you could use goat cheese or soy cheese instead of cow’s cheese
Cashew milk is the best in my opinion. It’s more creamy than almond milk.
Lol definitely do not use coconut milk, I’ve found soy to work best. Just don’t use anything with a strong flavor.
I used Unsweetened Coconut milk and it was delicious!!!!
It actually is really good without any need for butter or milk.
I know this is an old post but I just found this sauce and wanted to try it without milk. So just omit the butter and milk without replacing it with anything?
You’ll probably need to replace it with some sort of liquid element to get the desired consistency. You could try a non-dairy milk if you are making it dairy-free.
My favorite non-dairy milk is cashew. It’s amazing.
Yes cashew is definitely the best! Just make sure you buy the unsweetened kind!
I never comment on these but I want to say I suffer from Candida overgrowth and nightmares from C-ptsd. I’m close to crying because this recipe is cheap, easy, can be vegan and low energy. There is nothing like that I have found that tastes this good and is THIS healthy (just made my first batch with water, Olivio, and almond milk). This is truly a gift – thank you so, so much.💜💜💜🎁💐
My son is lactose intolerant we substitute milk with almond, cashew or soy milk
Hello, I’m Vanessa and I’m French. Thank you very much for this great recipe I’ve just made. I’m gonna use it as a béchamel sauce for my lasagnes ! It tastes great..
So did I! Yum. A traditional lasagne and a vege one.
I was a bit of a skeptic, but just made a batch and WOW. I can’t believe how much the texture is like an Alfredo. I used chicken stock instead of veg stock in the blender and it tastes great. Can’t wait to add shrimp and pasta. 🙂
Thanks for converting me to the Church of Cauliflower! 🙂
Angela
Thank you for the recipe.
I froze mine for about 2 weeks thawed it out and heated it. It was perfectly fine 🙂 I poured it over veggies and chicken 🙂 selfish!
I made a big batch of this and froze several containers. They defrosted and reheated beautifully! There was a little too much garlic for my liking and I did add Parmesan cheese – delicious. It was fabulous as a pizza sauce as well.
I’d say it would freeze extremely well. It’s almost like making baby food, and it keeps up to 2 months
Hope this helped.
Chérie Lee
I am Vegan so no butter used olive oil and nut milk I could drink this it’s that yummy
The Entire. Family. Raved! A few tweaks to use ingredients on hand, dairy has been causing tummy issues so we’ve been on a recent search. I used no milk at all, set some of the florets aside to stir into the our rigatoni with the sauce. Yum
I will try it, looks yummy. It will taste good in pasta. Thanks
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I’m pumped to try your sauce! Recently I’ve been eating a lot of roasted cauliflower but this will go much better with pasta. 🙂
Ooooooh yum!! The sauce, the rice, the everything cauliflower looks so amazing!!! I can’t wait to try this!! I’m not much of a cook but I’m trying to get healthy so I will attempt, fail and attemp this again! Thank you Lindsay! 🙂
That rice looks incredible! I. want. it. now!
This looks really good. I can just taste the creaminess. Another one to try.
I love this! What a fabulous way to sneak some more veggies into your life. I love how versatile cauliflower has become! (I recently used it for pizza crust – yum!)
Can I get the pizza crust recipe from you…..we need more veggies in our diet.
We LOVE this crust. The first time I made it my (then) 6 year old son kept saying, “This is SOOO good.”
Oh gosh, yes please and thank you!
I have made this sauce and can say that is really is awesome! So smooth and creamy!
Looks delicious! I have a feeling my boyfriend will love this.
I’m not a fan of cauliflower but this recipe and you beautiful pics intrigue me a lot so I’ve decided to give it a try!
was it good?
I just made cauliflower Alfredo sauce and it was awesome i could not believe how good it was and i will make that again it is a copy of the real Alfredo sauce for now on i will made my own that is sooooooooooooo good
Wow! What a delicious and versatile recipe! Not only is it great on pasta, but incredible as an alternative to tomato sauce on cauliflower crust pizza (I know, thats a lot of cauliflower, but it rocked the free world in taste … I added lactose free Parmesan, nutritional yeast and ground flax seeds to thicken the sauce for pizza). Used LF butter and unsweetened almond milk in the main recipe. Also froze a few portions for 2 weeks and it was just as fab. Thank you for your many great recipes!
Thanks for sharing, Sue!
Hi! My blender isn’t all that big, and I know you said I could do it in batches.. but I also recently purchased an immersion blender and haven’t used it yet.. wondering if I could use the immersion blender instead of a regular one??
Ooh, I’m not sure, I’ve never used an immersion blender! Is it pretty powerful? If it is, I think it would work fine, you would just have to be okay holding it for a few minutes! You want it to be really powerful so you can get the sauce as smooth as possible. 🙂
OK, Thanks so much!!
I haven’t made this recipe yet (it looks delicious!), bur it looks like it would be completely easy to use an immersion blender with it. I use mine for soups, sauces, and smoothies every day – and it works like a charm.
I use my immersion blender all the time. Most recently for brocolli soup with potatoes. I blended it too long and it became too smooth (for that particular recipe) so my plan is to use my immersion blender with this recipe. No way I’m going to risk burning myself when I have a way of avoiding it.
Pam,
Does the immersion blender peel the skin off of Lemons by chance?
Immersion blenders are the BEST!!! 🙂 You should definitely invest in one. I use mine all the time for soups, sauces & my refried beans (I hate whole beans). Can’t wait to try this recipe though!
The Emmulsion blender worked great!!! Just used it for my sauce and it was perfect!!! I also added some roasted tomatoes to it and it is sooo yummy!!! Hope my kids like it tonight on their pasta!!!!
I made this with my immersion blender and I have a relatively cheap one (sharper image) so I’m sure yours will be fine. It worked perfectly! You’ve probably figured this out by now, but make sure you hold the blender closer to the surface. It will try to pull itself down but if you want things really smooth you have to be firm with it and blend for a few seconds at the top!
Btw – this sauce is awesome!
I found the new love of my life: this. sauce.
I already have this on my list to make… and have bought cauliflower TWICE to do so… and it gets eaten before I can plan it. *sigh*
soon. SOON. this is my reminder!
I made your cauliflower rice a couple weeks ago and it was delicious. So this sauce is officially in my brain and I will be making it to schmear on all kinds of things. Although, not pumpkin bread. 🙂
I LOVE white pizza so I will be counting the seconds until you post that recipe!
Oh I am so going to feed this stuff to my kids soon! and feel like the smartest sneakiest mom ever, fingers crossed that it works… but I’d be totally ok if it doesn’t… more for me and hubby!
I think I’d like to eat this straight from the pan with just a spoon! It looks so creamy and delicious. Can’t wait for the pizza recipe, I bet it makes a fantastic sauce.
I don’t think I’ve ever seen a cauliflower sauce before! Most interesting. All that garlic sounds just about perfect with a mild veg like cauliflower!
I’m thinking of a macaroni and cheese recipe using this as a substitute!!
Genius! Simply genius. Go. Make it. Sneak some ham or prosciutto in there while you’re at it.
Don’t forget the nutmeg…or, for a different twist, maybe some smoked paprika.
You have to let us know if you try it.
I am always on the lookout for healthier recipes and this fits the description. Looking forward to trying it. I am a cauliflower lover too.
thank you mother participation.
Oh man this sauce looks good! I could see this being put on so many things–pasta, rice, chicken!
thank you in advance for my new go to sauce! I can’t wait to whip this up tonight and serve with some roasted veggies! yum!
What kind of milk do you use? We usually have almond on hand.
Just low fat milk. But any kind would work! It just helps add a little creaminess.
Do you think the consistency or flavor would change if I used a nonDairy milk? Would one type work better than another?
Nope – I think just about anything will work. It’s a pretty forgiving recipe!
I used Lactaid (lactose free milk) to make this…..works super well
Lindsay, This looks so delicious and I want to try it NOW ~ but, I must be off dairy for a while (maybe forever) UGH! Is there anything that you’d recommend to replace the butter -?- and milk – almond milk perhaps? Thanks !!!
Olive oil for the butter, and you could omit the milk entirely and just sub vegetable broth if you need to add more liquid. The milk helps the color a little bit and helps add creaminess, but it’s not a big deal to omit or replace it with another type of milk. 🙂
Perfect! Lindsay ~ Thank you so much for all your wonderful creations!!!
There is also Vegan butter sold at Whole Foods and other specialty stores. I can’t tell the difference and use it all the time.
Great, thanks Maggie!
I’d think any of the soy or nut milks would substitute just as well, though probably not ccconut milk. I plan to try it with soymilk.
Soooo, I have a dairy allergy and have to sub anything dairy as well. Here’s a sneaky tip: use a non dairy coffee creamer!! I use silk brand; it’s thicker than regular soy milk with less of the soy taste. I haven’t used it in this recipe yet, but plan on trying it this week… Thanks so much for sharing such a unique and delicious looking recipe!!!
Eww DO NOT sub non-dairy creamer for ANYTHING. Ever. Have you read the ingredients on that stuff? It’s usually made of corn syrup, corn/soy/canola oil, and “flavorings”. Yuck.
I believe she means a different kind of “non-dairy” coffee creamer. Not International Delight/Coffee-Mate type creamer but a soy-based creamer alternative, seeing as how the brand referenced was Silk. I know my sister had to be dairy free while nursing due to her daughter’s milk protein allergy, and she did a lot of cooking with the So Delicious brand of soy based coffee creamer.
I used coconut milk. Perfect. If you want to stay away from dairy, gluten, soy and any roaming carcinogens (that are found in regular coffee creamers such as silk, coffee mate, so delicious, etc.), use Mimic Creme- found at WF. I use it for my coffee and have used it in cooking. It’s a cashew/almond based cream but low in fat and calories.
FYI, non-dairy creamer is not safe for dairy allergic people. Non-dairy means “lactose free” but may still contain dairy proteins. Be careful. I would use coconut milk or rice milk (we are soy, dairy, and nut free).
Just made this w/ olive oil & soy milk for my daughter who has a dairy allergy. She is 2 & eating it like its candy!
Also, per a post above, I use my immersion blender & blend it right in the pot (if its not non-stick).
Thanks for the recipe !!!
Hello! My fiance and I are vegan. Instead of milk, soy, or even almond milk, we puree cashews that have been soaked in water overnight. We make tzatziki sauce this way! We have found that using cashews make sauces much thicker and savory whereas nut milks can make it thinner.
Great idea Sara!
I’m so glad people have left comments about a dairy free version of this recipe! Thank you, I can’t wait to try.
Sara, how much water do you add to the cashews?
Hi sara,
i like your idea, i will try for my guest specially! thanks dear 🙂
I love the idea of Cauliflower and Pumpkin to the point that I made a soup of just that.. Check it out :
https://colleengee.wordpress.com/?s=Pumpkin+%26+Cauliflower+Soup
Love your blog by the way Lindsay, I have only just recently started mine and will be using lots of your suggestions to develop further. Thank You 🙂
Thanks Colleen! 🙂
This is sheer brilliance. I’m never making anything else again. Thank you so much for being a genius.