Mozzarella:
I used Miyoko's Mozzarella- other cheeses might melt differently. Whisk the sauce as it melts (or use an immersion blender) to blend other cheeses like Violife, Daiya, or your preferred brand. You don't want chunks of cheese in the sauce- you want everything to blend into one nice cream
Parmesan:
I used Violife parmesan- please try it out with your favorite homemade parmesan or another brand if you'd like. A nut parmesan will result in a less creamy result but will have extra health benefits
Butter:
I used a plant based butter from my local produce box- Earth Balance is a great tasting plant based butter, or you can try using a homemade version.
You could swap out the butter with refined coconut oil with a tsp of nutritional yeast flakes.
Wine:
Many wines are not vegan, but I used Beringer Pinot Grigio. Any dry, white wine will work.
Use the app Barnivore to make sure your choice of white wine is vegan
A white wine reduction could replace the wine
Starch:
You can easily sub the Tapioca Starch with Corn or Potato Starch. The purpose is to help keep this nice and thick. The benefit of Tapioca Starch is that it is more gooey and stretchy than Corn or Potato Starch
Truffle Oil:
The White Truffle Oil is optional- it adds a nice umami with light notes and enhances seafood and wine flavors. Black Truffle Oil will be more deep earthy and also enhances umami. There isn't a substitute but this alfredo will still taste great without it.
Lobster Mushroom Substitutes:
If you aren't able to get lobster mushrooms you could swap them out with shrimp of the woods, king oyster mushrooms, wild puffballs, or lionsmane. It won't taste like lobster but it is the closest sub that will still give it a seafood quality.
Do not sub it for shiitake, portabella, button, or cremili mushrooms- those earthy, nutty, metallic flavors do not work for seafood.
Another great option is to use plant based shrimp! All Vegetarian Inc is one of my soy-free favorites made from Konjac but many Asian grocery stores will have tasty soy based shrimp. Skip the marinating steps and pan fry it with the garlic as you would with the lobster mushroom.