Creamy, silky, homemade Alfredo sauce! Perfectly smooth, wonderfully creamy, and paired with twirly pasta.
The Best Alfredo Sauce
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Made this the other night and it was AMAZING. My two year old ate a ton of it as well which was great. Amazing, easy, comforting dish ❤️
Courtney
We Should All Be Making Alfredo Sauce More Often.
My niece came to stay for an overnight a few months ago, and her favorite food is fettuccine alfredo, and it was at that moment that I said to myself, “Lindsay – you need a good back-pocket Alfredo sauce recipe.”
I have some opinions about Alfredo sauce, and here’s why I think this is the best out there:
- There should not be chunks of ANYTHING. This is a silky experience.
- No flecks of minced garlic.
- No flecks of Italian seasoning.
- No cream cheese.
Another hot take: I use heavy cream in this recipe, and yes, I do realize that authentic Italian Alfredo sauce often does not always use heavy cream and this can be a divisive issue.
But I grew up as a kid in the 90s thinking the fettuccine Alfredo from Olive Garden was one of the most beautiful foods in the world. I used jarred Alfredo in all kinds of questionable but beloved food creations in college. How could I not put cream in my alfredo? I want to and I have to. And when my niece asks for fettuccine alfredo, THIS is the kind she wants.
That being said, I find that using JUST cream results in a sauce that is a bit much. (This is where it goes into a weirdly long monologue about all the things I have spent time thinking about related to Alfredo sauce.) I find that thinning a cream-based sauce with a bit of broth, plus then adding the cheese to thicken, gives you the perfect salty, smooth, clingy but not TOO sticky Alfredo sauce is just begging to wrap your favorite pasta in a hug.
The weather is cooling down, the leaves are falling, and in our house, we are loving fettuccine Alfredo night right now. I’ve been making a pan of shrimp and broccoli along with it to make a full, balanced meal. A dunk of sauce here, a silky fork twirl there. The vibes are real good.
How To Make Alfredo Sauce
1
Start With Garlic-Butter Magic.
Melt the butter over low heat, and then let those smashed garlic cloves infuse into the butter for a minute. Pull them out after a few minutes – gives you garlic flavor while preserving a silky-smooth sauce with no chunks!
2
Start the Pasta.
I like the traditional fettuccine, but I’m also a sucker for an egg pappardelle. It tastes *almost* like fresh pasta!
3
Make The Alfredo Sauce.
Cream, broth, and Parmesan are going into the pan. Low heat, lots of whisking.
4
Thicken the Sauce.
Once it coats the back of a spoon, you’re good to go. Usually this is about the same amount of time as it takes to cook the pasta.
5
Toss Noodles In There.
Give it a minute or two for the sauce to start to cling nicely to the noodles. Just be patient – you’ll know when it’s ready (slurrrrp).
Serving Suggestions and Variations
My girls (and myself) love this for what it is – creamy, carby, delicious pasta in a bowl. But if you want to make it more of a meal, here’s how to round it out.
Add Protein
- Chicken: Sear or grill some chicken with salt, pepper, and garlic and add it to the skillet.
- Shrimp: Sauté shrimp in a pan with salt, pepper, and garlic and add to the skillet.
- Steak: Grill your favorite steak and serve it on the side!
Add Veggies
- Broccoli: There’s just something about broccoli alfredo (maybe it’s the broccoli and cheese combo) and I love to steam broccoli and add it in with the noodles.
- Peas: What I love about this is that you can just add frozen peas right to the sauce and let them cook right in it. Easy!
- Mushrooms: This is another good one when it’s bathed in the buttery creamy cheesy goodness! Just sauté them in the pan beforehand and set aside, and then add to the sauce.
- Salad: A Caesar salad or simple green salad on the side is a 10/10. Something crisp and green to offset all the butter and cheese!
Add Other Flavors
- Browned Butter: For some nuttiness, try browning the butter first before adding the garlic.
- Cajun: Add a teaspoon or two of cajun seasoning when you add the cream before letting it simmer. Love this especially with chicken, too!
- Lemon: Add a few tablespoons of lemon juice and a little bit of zest at the end to add some brightness!
Video To Make This Recipe
Watch My Favorite Recipes
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
- Total Time: 12 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings (enough sauce for 8 ounces of dried pasta) 1x
Description
Creamy, silky, homemade Alfredo sauce! Perfectly smooth, wonderfully creamy, and paired with twirly pasta.
Ingredients
Units
Scale
Alfredo Sauce
- 1/2 cup butter
- 3 cloves garlic
- 1/2 cup chicken or vegetable broth
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup finely grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper to taste
Serve with:
- Pasta of choice! I love this with DeLallo fettuccine or egg pappardelle – this amount of sauce works well with about 8 ounces of pasta
Instructions
- Sauté Garlic: Melt butter in a large saucepan. Keep the heat very low, and add garlic cloves to butter. Cook until fragrant – about 5 minutes. (If you’re serving this with pasta, start that now! Don’t forget to add a generous pinch of salt to the water!)
- Add Sauce Ingredients and Simmer: Remove garlic cloves from the butter. Add heavy cream and broth, and bring to a very gentle simmer. Whisk to incorporate. Simmer over low heat for 3-5 minutes, or until slightly thickened.
- Add Parmesan: Add Parmesan to the sauce. Whisk in until fully melted and thickened. Taste and add salt and pepper as needed.
- Combine with Pasta: Toss with the pasta and keep over low heat until the sauce is clinging to the pasta the way you want! Or spoon the sauce over a protein and/or veg of choice. SO LUSCIOUS!
Notes
Garlic: Do not brown the garlic or the butter – we just want to infuse the flavor, but as soon as it gets brown it’ll carry some bitterness with it. Keep the heat over low!
Pepper: White pepper (instead of black pepper) will keep the sauce silky and uncluttered! But if you don’t have it, not a big deal.
Other serving ideas: shrimp and broccoli, chicken, other shapes of pasta, layering it into lasagna, GNOCCHI?! I’ve been doing this Alfredo sauce with pumpkin gnocchi and it is a delight.
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Category: Dinner
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Italian
Keywords: Alfredo sauce, fettuccine alfredo, pappardelle, easy Alfredo sauce, homemade Alfredo sauce
Frequently Asked Questions
What are the origins of Alfredo sauce?
Okay, so like I said, this doesn’t exactly follow the most authentic Alfredo sauce recipe, because we’re using cream. The original recipe uses just butter and Parmesan (and pasta water), if you can believe it! And if you’re a pasta history buff (who among us is not?), I’d recommend reading a little more about the history here!
How can I add chicken to this to make it Chicken Alfredo?
I would season thinly-sliced chicken breasts with salt and pepper, and brown them in a sauté pan. Once cooked through (165 degrees), let it rest on a cutting board for a few minutes and then slice it against the grain to add to the top of your pasta bowls.
How long does this last in the fridge?
This is best after 2-3 days!
Can Alfredo sauce be frozen?
The texture isn’t as silky when re-heating, but it can be frozen! I’d let it thaw for a bit (or overnight) in the fridge and then reheat in a pot on the stove.
Can I add veggies to this?
Absolutely! Some roasted broccoli goes really wonderfully with this.
Can you use black pepper instead of white pepper?
Yes! The white pepper just keeps it silky and uncluttered, but black pepper works just fine.
How can I make Alfredo sauce thicker?
You can simmer it longer over low heat with semi-continuous whisking, or add more cream, or add more Parmesan cheese.
How can I make Alfredo sauce thinner?
Once you add the pasta and it sits for a while, it will thicken up and get sticky. I find adding 1/4 cup or so of water, over medium heat, will perfectly loosen the sauce up again and makes it fresh and silky!
Can I use half-and-half instead of heavy cream?
You could, it will just be thinner. You could add a little more parmesan if you want to thicken it up, or just let it simmer a little longer!
Three More Delightful Silky Pastas
Filed Under: 5 Ingredients All Recipes Dinner Kid-Friendly Pasta Quick and Easy Recipes Sauces SOS Series Stovetop Vegetarian
October 15, 2024
Nice to meet you!
I’m Lindsay and I ♡ FOOD. I used to be a teacher, and now making food and writing about it online is my full-time job. I love talking with people about food, and I'm so glad you're here.
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Lemon. Several years ago I came across a recipe for an “authentic” Alfredo and it had a squeeze of lemon juice. Life changing. This looks like a great new version (but I’ll be adding lemon!).
That looks delicious but unfortunately, I can’t digest heavy cream very well. Do you think it would work with half and half, and then add some cornstarch to thicken?
Linda, I don’t do heavy cream well either, and have been known to use a little bit of wondra superfine flour and half and half, sometimes even with a splash of milk to thin that down. i just don’t digest any fats well.
POY – i can’t wait to try this version! as above, i can’t eat it often but twice a year or so is good for the soul!
Yes, I think that would work (and/or some additional cheese too)!
I too thought lovingly of the Olive Garden Alfredo growing up and this version will probably be very nostalgic to that! Thank you!
I just love alfredo sauce, and this looks easy and wonderful. But I just can’t justify the fat, sodium, and cholesterol. How I wish it could be healthier for you!
(Still, I’m going to try it–at least once!)
This is the perfect comfort food, and so simple. Broccoli/Cauliflower is my go-to veggies for Alfredo. Thank you for this recipe, will be making it again soon. Enjoy your videos, you make all the recipes look so easy and tasty, love your blog.
I made this and it was delicious. I did add a small slurry of cornstarch at the end to thicken it up, but otherwise the recipe was great!
Glad you enjoyed it, Corie!
Made this the other night and it was AMAZING. My two year old ate a ton of it as well which was great. Amazing, easy, comforting dish ❤️
Your post confirms I need to make alfredo again soon.
You won’t regret it! 🙂
This is absolutely delicious!! It is easy to bring together. It smooth and sticks well to the noodles. We added rotisserie chicken after the cheese. My whole family wants it added to our recipes to keep and make often!
We use the store bought “homemade” egg noodles. So. Good.
Yum! So good. We made it super easy with frozen crispy chicken and broccoli. Very comforting.
This is the best alfredo sauce I have ever had, hands down. Thank you!!
This was SO good!! The flavor reminds me of Olive Garden, but better and not as heavy! This will be my go-to Alfredo sauce from now on! Thank you for the amazing recipes!!
Glad to hear you enjoyed the sauce, Sara!
Thank you.
After a long day of carpet cleaning and organizing my kids toys over, and over, and over again. It’s nice to give the kids to my husband and focus on dinner. I am so excited to make homemade Alfredo sauce tonight.
We hope you enjoyed it, Jane!
Hi does it matter if the butter is salted or not?
Hi Jenn! We usually use salted butter, but unsalted works too. Just salt to taste at the end!
Thank you for sharing! I can’t wait to try this!
PUT THE GARLIC BACK IN!!!! I followed these steps, but saved and chopped the garlic and added it back in the sauce right before I mixed in the pasta. Not too much garlic in my opinion!!
This was easy and delicious! I served it with AF chicken and everyone loved it.
Love this recipe! The whole family went crazy for it, and the Pinch of Yum air fryer chicken is PERFECT with this!!
This was SOOOO good and super easy! I’ll definitely be making it again. I didn’t read through the directions before I started and added jarred minced garlic to the sauce. When I realized my mistake, after infusing the sauce, I just poured the sauce through a mesh strainer and discarded the garlic. It worked like a charm.
very nice
I just made this but mine is looming like it’s not smooth and gritty. What did I do wrong !!
Excellent! I had to make dairy free for a family member but I just used plant cream and dairy free butter and everything was delicious!