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Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

294 reviews / 4.8 average

This creamy cauliflower sauce is a hit. Perfect for pasta, pizza, or anything else you might want to cover in white cauliflower creamy deliciousness.

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:

Cauliflower sauce pouring into a skillet in two photos.

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.

Alfredo with cauliflower sauce in a skillet with wooden spoons.

And it can also become creamy cauliflower garlic rice. Good grief, I love this stuff.

Creamy cauliflower sauce over grains in a skillet on a wooden spoon.

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.

Cauliflower sauce in a skillet with a wooden spoon.

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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A picture of Creamy Cauliflower Sauce

Creamy Cauliflower Sauce


  • Author: Pinch of Yum
  • 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

Scale
  • 8 large cloves garlic, minced
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 56 cups cauliflower florets
  • 67 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

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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

 
Creamy Cauliflower Sauce - a healthy version of an Alfredo or cream sauce recipe. EXTREMELY popular - 4.8 stars from 150 reviews! | pinchofyum.com

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980 Comments

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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! 🙂

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        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!

      2. Pinch of Yum Logo

        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?

          1. Pinch of Yum Logo

            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!!!

          2. Pinch of Yum Logo

            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!)

      3. Pinch of Yum Logo

        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

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        You could just use a non dairy milk. You could try coconut, almond, or soy milk instead.

        1. Pinch of Yum Logo

          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

        2. Pinch of Yum Logo

          Lol definitely do not use coconut milk, I’ve found soy to work best. Just don’t use anything with a strong flavor.

        1. Pinch of Yum Logo

          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?

          1. Pinch of Yum Logo

            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.

          2. Pinch of Yum Logo

            Yes cashew is definitely the best! Just make sure you buy the unsweetened kind!

          3. Pinch of Yum Logo

            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.💜💜💜🎁💐

    2. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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..

    3. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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

    4. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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!

    5. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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.

    6. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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

    7. Pinch of Yum Logo

      I am Vegan so no butter used olive oil and nut milk I could drink this it’s that yummy

    8. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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! 🙂

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      Can I get the pizza crust recipe from you…..we need more veggies in our diet.

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        We LOVE this crust. The first time I made it my (then) 6 year old son kept saying, “This is SOOO good.”

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        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

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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!

  1. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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??

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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. 🙂

        1. Pinch of Yum Logo

          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.

        2. Pinch of Yum Logo

          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.

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        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!

      2. Pinch of Yum Logo

        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!!!!

    2. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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!

  2. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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!

  3. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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. 🙂

  4. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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!

  5. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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.

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        Do you think the consistency or flavor would change if I used a nonDairy milk? Would one type work better than another?

  6. Pinch of Yum Logo

    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 !!!

    1. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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. 🙂

        1. Pinch of Yum Logo

          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.

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        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.

        1. Pinch of Yum Logo

          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!!!

          1. Pinch of Yum Logo

            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.

          2. Pinch of Yum Logo

            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.

          3. Pinch of Yum Logo

            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.

          4. Pinch of Yum Logo

            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).

    2. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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 !!!

    3. Pinch of Yum Logo

      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.

      1. Pinch of Yum Logo

        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?

  7. Pinch of Yum Logo

    This is sheer brilliance. I’m never making anything else again. Thank you so much for being a genius.