If you are looking for a deliciously rich and creamy homemade Alfredo sauce recipe that comes together quickly and easily – you’ve found it! So much better than store bought, you only need one pan and 10 minutes to make this irresistably cheesy sauce.
Why You’ll Love This Alfredo Sauce
You can make this restaurant quality Alfredo sauce at home in a matter of minutes! Use it to make fettuccine Alfredo, or as an irresistible dipping sauce, once you make this recipe you’ll never buy the jar version again!
What I Love:
- Fresh Flavor – Made with fresh garlic, real butter and freshly grated cheeses, it tastes infinitely better than store bought Alfredo sauce.
- One Pan – This recipe can be made in a single pan, which makes it easy to make and to clean up.
- Just 15 Minutes – This sauce can be on your pasta, and your table, quicker than a door dasher could even pick up your online order.
- Extremely Versatile – Obviously this sauce is perfect for Fettuccine Alfredo, but it has so many other uses – use it as a white pizza sauce, drizzle it on veggies, dip your garlic knots in it or use in Chicken Alfredo Lasagna. There are so many delicious ways to use it!
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Ingredients You’ll Need
This is a discussion about the ingredients. For the actual recipe with amounts, please see the recipe below.
- Parmesan and Romano Cheese – If possible grate your cheese yourself. Pre-grated cheeses have ingredients added to them so that the cheese doesn’t stick together. Unfortunately this makes the cheese a bit more reluctant to melting and blending together.
- Garlic – Fresh garlic is great, but you can absolutely use frozen minced garlic or jarred garlic.
- Butter – Use real butter, no margarine here! You can use salted or unsalted butter. If you use unsalted butter, add 1/8 – 1/4 of a teaspoon of salt, depending on your taste.
- Milk and Cream – Whole milk is ideal. Look for cream labeled heavy cream or heavy whipping cream. In a pinch you can use half and half, but the sauce will not be a rich and creamy as traditional Alfredo sauce is.
- Flour – Use all purpose flour. This helps the sauce thicken.
- Salt and Pepper – Use these to suit your personal tastes.
How To Make Alfredo Sauce
This is a discussion about how this recipe is made. For the actual recipe with full details, please see the recipe below.
Step 1: Melt butter and add garlic.
Step 2: Add flour and whisk until well combined to make the roux.
Step 3: Add milk and cream to the roux whisking well until combined.
Step 4: Add cheeses, salt and pepper. Stir until well combined. Serve hot.
Christi’s Tips For Success!
Ingredients Matter – Freshly grated cheese is really the key to making the best sauce. Using high quality, fresh ingredients will create the most delicious Alfredo sauce.
Don’t Rush The Roux – When you add the flour to the butter, give it a minute to cook together, this helps make sure you don’t have a raw flour taste to your sauce.
Don’t Overheat – While you will want to bring the sauce to a low simmer, you do not want to overheat, use high heat it or bring it to a rolling boil. Doing so can cause the sauce to scorch or separate.
Storage Tips
Leftover Alfredo sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for four days.
While you can freeze Alfredo sauce, because it is dairy heavy, the texture tends to change when thawed, becoming a bit grainy. If you are okay with that, you can store this in an air tight container in the freezer for 2 to 3 months.
Frequently Asked Questions
This can happen for two reasons. The first reason is using pre-shredded cheese which doesn’t melt as smoothly as freshly grated cheese. The second reason this can happen is from turning up the heat two high, causing the sauce to break.
You can give it a little more time on a low simmer, this should thicken it up. Just make sure to not use high heat.
You can add a bit of milk or cream, or pasta water (water that your pasta was cooked in). Just make sure to whisk it in well to combine it with the sauce. Also start with a little, you can always add more.
Recipes You’ll Love
Here are some delicious ways to use this Alfredo sauce recipe!
- Use as a dip with these incredible garlic parmesan Chicken Skewers.
- It makes an amazing Broccoli Chicken Alfredo.
- Top it with Breaded Chicken Parmesan.
- Make sure to serve it with this copycat Olive Garden Salad.
Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoons butter, salted or unsalted (a standard size stick)
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 tablespoons minced garlic
- 2 cups heavy cream (or heavy whipping cream)
- 1 cup milk (whole milk is preferred)
- 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
- 1/2 cup romano cheese (freshly grated)
- fresh chopped parsley (optional)
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, melt 8 tablespoons of butter over medium heat. Add the minced garlic to the melted butter and cook for about one minute or until the garlic begins to sizzle and turns light golden brown.
- Create a roux for the sauce by sprinkling flour into the melted butter and whisking it together until well combined. Stir and cook for about a minute.
- Slowly add the heavy cream and milk, continuously whisking and combining as you pour.
- Bring the alfredo sauce to a low simmer over medium heat, then add the cheese ½ a cup at a time, slowly whisking and melting it down until you have added it all.
- Salt and pepper the Alfredo sauce to taste. Add fresh parsley if desired.
- Add to pasta, drizzle over vegetables or use as a delicious dipping sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutrition facts provided are calculated using a third-party tool and are estimates only. Actual nutritional content may vary based on the ingredients and brands you use, as well as portion sizes. For accurate results, please consult a registered dietitian or nutritionist.
Meet Christi, Love From The Oven
I’m Christi I love sharing easy & delicious recipes that your family & friends will love. I’m a mom, baker, cookbook author and lover of sprinkles.
