December 18, 2022
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 Video Step-by-Step Instructions Recipe Tips and FAQs More Holiday Recipes to TryChristmas Fettuccine
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 Christmas Fettuccine!
What Goes in Christmas Fettuccine
This is basically a classic Fettuccine Alfredo pasta … but veganized … and leveled up a bit! Here’s what you’ll need to make it!
- 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 Christmas Fettuccine
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 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.
2. Cook the Noodles
About 20 minutes before the garlic is done roasting, cook the noodles until al dente according to package directions in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, but do not rinse, and set aside.
3. Blend!
Place the roasted garlic in a high-powered blender along with the non-dairy milk, cashews, nutritional yeast, miso paste and bouillon cube, and pulse until completely smoot. Taste and adjust seasonings, if necessary.
4. Sauce Time!
Melt the butter in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Pour in the creamy cashew sauce and continue to cook, while stirring, until most of the butter melts into the sauce and is thoroughly combine. Working in small batches, sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and continue to stir until the it starts to melt through and thicken. Continue adding the parmesan in batches while stirring until it is all melted into the sauce. If you notice the sauce becomes too thick, feel free to add a couple tablespoons of non-dairy milk in between batches. Add the garlic and 1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh cracked black pepper and continue to cook while stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes.
5. Toss and Enjoy!
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 parsley and a couple more cracks of pepper and enjoy!
Recipe Tips and FAQs
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 (aka Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo)
Ingredients
- 1 head fresh garlic
- 1 teaspoon avocado oil
- Kosher salt
- Fresh cracked black pepper
- 16 ounces fettuccine noodles sub gluten free if needed
- 2 cups unsweetened and unflavored non-dairy milk plus more as needed for the sauce
- 1 cup raw cashews
- 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
- 1 ½ cups vegan shredded parmesan cheese
- 12 cloves fresh minced garlic
- 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.
- About 20 minutes before the garlic is done roasting, cook the noodles until al dente according to package directions in a large pot of boiling salted water. Drain, but do not rinse, and set aside.
- Place the roasted garlic in a high-powered blender along with the non-dairy milk, cashews, 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. Pour in the creamy cashew sauce and continue to cook, while stirring, until most of the butter melts into the sauce and is thoroughly combine. Working in small batches, sprinkle in the parmesan cheese and continue to stir until the it starts to melt through and thicken. Continue adding the parmesan in batches while stirring until it is all melted into the sauce. If you notice the sauce becomes too thick, feel free to add a couple tablespoons of non-dairy milk in between batches. If you want, you can use an immersion blender to quickly pulse the sauce so it’s extra creamy!
- Add the garlic and 1 to 2 teaspoons of fresh cracked black pepper and continue to cook while stirring, for 3 to 5 minutes. 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 parsley and a couple more cracks of pepper 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!!