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Dairy-free Cauliflower Pine Nut Sauce recipe. A creamy dairy-free alfredo-like sauce made of puréed cauliflower, pine nuts, and almond milk.
This Dairy-free Cauliflower Pine Nut sauce is my kind of comfort food. Give me this rich and creamy sauce on top of carbs anytime and I’ll be happy. 🙂
It’s got an alfredo-esque texture and flavor thanks to the mixture of puréed cauliflower and pine nuts.
The flavor also has an extra oomph thanks to the cauliflower being cooked in chicken broth. NOM. Bonus points that it’s naturally dairy-free, Paleo, and Whole30!
I’m so glad that I came up with this recipe. For real.
I’ve always felt like I was missing out on all those creamy dairy-free cashew sauces because I am allergic to cashews.
Don’t get me wrong, I love cauliflower sauces but, I knew there must be a reason everyone loves cashew cream sauces…. I felt like maybe there was that added bit of creaminess missing.
Which brings me to pine nuts!
Why use pine nuts?!
Well, I recently made a pesto sauce and noticed that the pine nuts added a creamy dimension.
There’s a reason pine nuts are used in pesto, after all!
I did some research and found that the reason pine nuts taste so creamy is that they are very high in oil content.
Some even describe pine nuts as having a buttery texture. Which I totally get.
When pine nuts are pureed, they become creamy and sweet.
Which sounds just perfect for making a creamy dairy-free sauce.
FYI- check out my Lemon Alfredo Spaghetti Squash recipe, if you love dairy-free alfredos. 🙂
What do you need to make this Dairy-free Cauliflower Pine Nut Sauce?
- cauliflower
- chicken broth
- salt and pepper
- nutmeg
- garlic powder
- onion powder
- pine nuts
- olive oil
- almond milk
How do you make this Dairy-free Cauliflower Pine Nut Sauce?
Making this sauce is pretty easy.
To start, you have to boil a whole head of cauliflower florets in chicken broth.
Cooking them in chicken broth lets them absorb the chicken broth flavor, which really gives the cauliflower an added delicious flavor.
Then, put the cooked cauliflower florets into a blender, along with some of the chicken broth, salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder, pine nuts, olive oil and almond milk.
Puree everything until the mixture is smooth.
See? That was super easy.
I love putting this Dairy-free Cauliflower Pine Nut Sauce on top of quinoa pasta, baked potatoes, and grilled chicken.
SO. GOOD.
Side note: I know that pine nuts can be expensive BUT I found some at Trader Joes for a great price. 🙂
Dairy-free Cauliflower Pine Nut Sauce (Paleo, Whole30)
Ingredients
- 1 head of cauliflower
- 5 cups chicken broth
- 1 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 tsp onion powder
- ½ cup pine nuts
- 3 Tbs olive oil
- 1/2 cup almond milk
Instructions
- Pour the chicken broth into a large pot and bring it to a boil. Cut the head of cauliflower so that it is broken up into smaller cauliflower florets. Add the cauliflower florets to the pot and cook, covered, for about 10 minutes, until the cauliflower florets are fork tender. Do not drain because you’ll be using the chicken broth in the next step.
- Then, using a slotted spoon, move the cauliflower pieces into your blender. Add 1 cup of the chicken broth from the pot, the salt, pepper, nutmeg, garlic powder, onion powder, pine nuts, olive oil and almond milk to the blender. Blend / puree for several minutes until the sauce is smooth.
- Then add another ½ cup of the chicken broth from the pot and blend again.
- At this point you can season the sauce with more salt and pepper to taste. Also, if you want the sauce to be thinner, add more broth.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I love that it is dairy free, it looks delicious.
Yummmm!!! My sister is dairy free because her 4 month old baby has bad reflux. She is all about the creamy pasta so I have just sent her this recipe. She is super excited, so thanks for sharing this delicious looking dish!
We loooove pine nuts, but I have never made a pine nut sauce. Clearly this is happening ASAP!
What a wonderfully creamy sauce that is perfect for a Whole 30 diet. Looks like I won’t miss my pasta craving while watching my waistline.
WOW I love how creamy and decadent this looks! Plus with the addition of pine nuts it definitely sounds like a huge winner! Definitely saving for later!
Yum! I love a good, creamy white sauce for pasta but sometimes the extra dairy makes me feel sluggish. This is the perfect alternative!
I’ve been wanting to make cauliflower sauce. And this sauce looks so creamy comforting and goes well with any pasta.
Ahh creamy pasta sauces are my weakness! I am sooo over the moon to find a HEALTHY alternative! This looks fantastic…can’t wait to try!
Have never tried this delicious and creamy option. Sounds so very interesting and delicious. Best recipe for this festive weekend.
I can’t wait to try this sauce made from cauliflower! Ironically, I made my first batch of “mashed potatoes” cauliflower (which contain no potatoes at all.) It turned out really delicious and now I am on the cauliflower bandwagon!!! Thanks for another yummy low carb idea to add to my collection.