September 7, 2024
Christmas Fettuccine (aka Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo)
Inspired by the movie, The Holiday, this Christmas Fettuccine is exactly as I’d imagine it to be in the film – perfectly creamy, rich, restaurant-worthy Fettuccine Alfredo. Loaded with garlic and lots of vegan parmesan cheese, this Christmas Fettuccine is classic comfort food at its finest – AKA the perfect Holiday meal!
Table of Contents
Ingredients Jump to Recipe Video Step-by-Step Instructions Recipe Tips and FAQs More Holiday Recipes to TryChristmas Fettuccine (Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo)
If you’re like me, and you watch the movie, The Holiday at least 4 to 5 times (maybe more) every holiday season, then you know exactly what the Christmas Fettuccine is.
You know the scene: Miles (Jack Black) just finds out that his girlfriend Maggie has been seeing someone else behind his back. So, in an effort to cheer him up, Iris (Kate Winslet), decides to make him Christmas Fettuccine (I’m assuming she calls it this because it’s Christmas Eve).
And while they never actually show us this illusive Christmas Fettuccine (or even give us an idea of how it’s prepared), I’ve been captivated by it since the very first time I watched the movie … so I’m sure many of y’all have been, too! So here I am, sharing my version of what I think the Christmas Fettuccine from The Holiday would taste like, and to be honest, I think Iris and Miles would be pretty damned impressed!
So grab a glass of bubbly and let’s get to cookin’ some vegan fettuccine Alfredo!
What Goes in Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
- Garlic: roasted and fresh, which requires a bit more time, but not much more work! If you want to split up the work, feel free to roast the garlic a day ahead of time!
- Fettuccine Noodles: if you’re making this for a special occasion and you’re able to splurge on some really good noodles, do it! I really like this brand, but often times find specialty brands of pasta at my local Whole Foods!
- For the Sauce:
- Cashews: for the base of the sauce. If you have a nut allergy, feel free to omit the cashews and use an extra creamy non-dairy milk such as Silk Extra Creamy Almond Milk or Chobani Extra Creamy Oat Milk when blending all the ingredients together.
- White Miso Paste: for an extra kick of umami!
- Nutritional Yeast: we want the base of the sauce to have all those cheesy Fettuccine Alfredo vibes, and the nutritional yeast adds just that!
- Vegan Chick’n Bouillon: this can be in cube, paste, or powder form! I tend to use the brands Edward & Sons and Better Than Bouillon the most, but use whatever you’re able to find! Additionally, if you can’t get vegan chick’n bouillon, then vegetable bouillon works great as a sub! I would still recommend those brands stated above for veggie bouillon, too!
- Vegan Butter
- Vegan Parmesan Cheese
- Fresh Garlic
- Parsley, for garnish
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper
How to Make Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo
For a meal that’s delicious, and savory, and rich, you’d be surprised how simple it is to prepare Christmas Fettuccine! Here’s how to make it:
1. Roast the Garlic
Preheat your oven to 400°F. Cut off the top of the garlic head, drizzle with olive oil, and roast until golden brown and soft — about 40 to 45 minutes.
2. Prepare the Cashews:
While the garlic roasts, soak the cashews in hot water to soften them. This step ensures your sauce is perfectly smooth and creamy.
3. Cook the Fettuccine
Cook your fettuccine noodles in salted water until al dente. Don’t forget to reserve some pasta water — it helps thin out the sauce later if needed.
4. Blend!
In a blender, combine the roasted garlic, soaked cashews, non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, white miso, vegan bouillon, and nutmeg. Blend until completely smooth and creamy.
5. Create the Base:
Melt the vegan butter in a sauté pan and add thinly sliced garlic. Sauté until fragrant, then pour in the cashew Alfredo sauce.
6. Add the Parmesan:
Slowly stir in vegan shredded parmesan cheese, allowing it to melt into the sauce. If the sauce gets too thick, add pasta water until you reach your desired consistency.
7. Toss, Serve, and Enjoy!
Toss the fettuccine noodles in the creamy Alfredo sauce, garnish with extra vegan parmesan and fresh parsley, serve immediately, and enjoy!
Recipe Tips and FAQs
- Use Extra-Creamy Non-Dairy Milk: For the best results, use a rich, unsweetened, and unflavored non-dairy milk, like almond or oat milk.
- Blending the Sauce: Use an immersion blender to smooth out the sauce once it’s combined with the cheese for an extra-silky texture.
- Adjust Seasonings: Don’t be afraid to adjust the salt, pepper, or garlic to suit your taste.Garnish with Love: A sprinkle of fresh parsley and extra vegan parmesan makes the dish look restaurant-worthy!
Should I Soak the Cashews Before Blending?
I have a high-powered blender, so there’s no need to soak the cashews before blending them. To ensure a creamy and smooth sauce, you can soak the cashews in boiling hot water for 20 minutes before draining and blending them with the rest of the ingredients. The longer you soak the cashews, the easier it’ll be to blend them into a smooth sauce.
What if I Can’t Find Vegan Chick’n Bouillon?
That’s okay! Veggie bouillon works just fine!
Storing and Reheating
If you plan on having leftovers, I recommend only tossing the amount of noodles that you want to eat with the Alfredo sauce. To store, place the noodles and the sauce in separate airtight containers and store in the refrigerator up to 5 days. To reheat, place the leftover sauce in a sauté pan over medium heat, stirring occasionally. If you find it’s gotten too thick, feel free to add more non-dairy milk. Once heated through, toss in the noodles to coat and continue to cook until the noodles are heated through as well. Serve and enjoy!
More Recipes to Try This Holiday Season
- Crispy Parmesan Crusted Eggplant Milanese
- Rosemary Cream Cheese Fried Stuffed Olives
- Classic Baked Mac ‘N’ Cheese
- Mushroom Pot Pie
- French Onion Soup
If This Christmas Fettuccine Were a Melody, I Used Only the Good Notes
I hope you love my rendition of Christmas Fettuccine as much as I do! If you try this dish and enjoy it, I wanna know! Snap a photo, take a video, or make a story and post it to Instagram or TikTok, and tag me at @eat_figs_not_pigsand #EatFigsNotPigs. I love seeing your recreations of my recipes!
Til next time, friends!
xo!
Christmas Fettuccine (Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo)
Ingredients
- 1 head fresh garlic
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 1 teaspoon olive oil
- Kosher salt, to taste
- Fresh cracked black pepper, to taste
- 16 ounces fettuccine noodles
- 2 cups unsweetened and unflavored extra creamy non-dairy milk
- ¼ cup nutritional yeast
- 2 teaspoons white miso paste
- 1 vegan chicken bouillon cube or 2 teaspoons vegan bouillon paste
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ cup vegan butter
- 8 cloves fresh garlic, thinly sliced or minced
- 1 ½ cups vegan shredded parmesan cheese, plus more for garnish
- Fresh parsley for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400°F. Cut off about ¼ – inch of the garlic head to expose the top of the clove. Place the head on a piece of foil cut side up. Drizzle on the avocado oil, followed by a sprinkle of the kosher salt and pepper. Wrap the garlic loosely with foil and roast on the middle rack of the oven until soft and golden brown, 40 to 45 minutes.
- Next, soak the cashews in boiling hot water while the garlic is roasting. Drain, rinse, and set aside.
- Cook the noodles until in a large pot of salted water until al dente, according to package directions. Before draining, reserve ½ cup of the pasta water. Drain and set aside.
- Place the roasted garlic in a high-powered blender along with the cashews, non-dairy milk, nutritional yeast, miso paste, bouillon cube and nutmeg, and pulse until completely smoot. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Once the butter is melted, add the garlic and season with a pinch of salt and pepper. Cook, stirring often, until garlic is fragrant, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to medium low and pour in the creamy cashew sauce. Working in small batches, sprinkle in the parmesan cheese while stirring until it starts to melt throughout. Continue adding the parmesan in batches while stirring until it is melted into the sauce. If you notice the sauce becomes too thick, feel free to add a couple tablespoons of pasta water until you reach your desired consistency (I use about 4 to 6 tablespoons) If you want, you can use an immersion blender to quickly pulse the sauce so it’s extra creamy!
- Reduce the heat to low and add the pasta noodles, tossing well to ensure they’re coated in the sauce. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary. Serve immediately with fresh parmesan and fresh parsley, and enjoy!
Made this for Christmas Eve dinner. So good!
I’m pretty boastful about my homemade vegan alfredo, so when I saw this recipe, I knew i had to try it, and (unsurprisingly) it blows mine out of the water. What’s so amazing about this recipe is the depth of flavor. The nutritional yeast, miso paste and bouillon really elevate the sauce. I use cashews in a lot of my home cooking (sauces, dressings, etc.) and what’s nice about this sauce is that it doesn’t actually taste like cashews. The cashews provide creaminess and fattiness, but don’t overwhelm the flavor. We added Field Roast sausage and mushrooms to our alfredo and it was just so delicious. Thank you, Ashley!
Jeeeeze, I forgot to add stars to my review. 5/5!!!
I’m sorry to be callous, but this is the best f***ing vegan alfredo recipe out there. I’ve tried dozens of alfredo recipes in all the years I’ve been vegan, and nothing even comes close to this. No other recipe exists in the same stratosphere as this one.
It captures everything that’s luxurious and special about alfredo, and it isn’t just another cashew cream sauce poorly masquerading as true, rich alfredo. The 1/2 cup of butter, 2 full heads of garlic, and the miso paste tang capture the complete and utter essence of true alfredo sauce. I’d go as far as saying this is my favorite vegan recipe I’ve ever made. You don’t need to go anywhere else, this is it.
I’ve passed this recipe along to friends, hosted dinner parties built around this alfredo sauce alone, and have participated in entire reddit threads dedicated to celebrating this recipe. I love it. You will love it. Stop reading this comment and go make this right now.
By far the best vegan fettuccine we’ve had! Total hit with our kids too. Will make regularly for sure!
Wowza!! Took it to a Christmas party and it was a hit everyone loved it and I couldn’t get enough of it either
Thanks for this incredible recipe
Every time I tell myself that I’m going to branch out and try a new recipe of yours, I come back to this recipe because it’s SO good! Making this again tonight. 🙂
Thank you, Adriana!! This is definitely one of my top 3 favorites as well!!