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Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe

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This Homemade Alfredo Sauce recipe is a delicious and quick way to whip up an Italian dinner. You only need three ingredients and 10 minutes to make the best Homemade Alfredo Sauce ever! Or if you’re looking for my healthier version see here -> Healthy Alfredo Sauce.

fettuccine noodles covered in a homemade alfredo sauce all on a white plate

Better Than Store-Bought!

Is there anything better than Homemade Alfredo Sauce? I’ve bought the jarred kind for years because it’s shelf-stable and ready when you are, but this homemade alfredo sauce recipe is SO significantly better than store-bought, only made with three ingredients, and is so easy to make! It is a decadent dinner that I only make once or twice a year because it is so dangerously good. My kids love these “white sauce noodles” and I know you will too.

White Sauce vs Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo Sauce is an Italian sauce traditionally made with heavy cream, butter, parmesan cheese, and occasionally garlic. It’s a decadent sauce that is a huge crowd-pleaser.

White Sauce is a French sauce otherwise known as Béchamel sauce. It is made up of a roux (flour and butter) and cream. It’s more shelf stable than alfredo sauce but is used in a variety of dishes whereas alfredo sauce is mainly used in fettuccine alfredo!

A Note About Parmesan Cheese

Quality matters with parmesan cheese. Use higher-quality kind and freshly grate it yourself. If you can find the real stuff (parmigiano reggiano) use that. After recipe testing this recipe over and over I know that the store-bought pre-shredded kind does not work as well as the real kind.

close up of fettuccine noodles covered in alfredo sauce

How to Make Homemade Alfredo Sauce

How to make Alfredo Sauce is super easy and quick so just follow these steps and you’ll have dinner ready in no time! And if you are looking for a video tutorial, scroll down to the recipe card for a super helpful how-to.

Melt Butter

Melt your butter into a large skillet. I like using salted butter, but unsalted works just fine. Once butter is completely melted reduce heat to medium-low.

If you want to go one step further and brown the butter for another layer of flavor you HAVE to check out my Browned Butter Alfredo Pasta.

Add Cream

Whisk in some heavy cream and heat gently with the butter. Pan may sizzle, but as you stir it will subside.

Melt Parmesan

Slowly melt in the parmesan cheese until a thicker, creamy sauce forms. Add in pepper and taste before adding in salt.

How to Thicken

As the alfredo sauce sits it tends to thicken up. If that’s what you’d like simply wait it out. If you need to thin it out add in a splash of pasta water to keep things loose.

Serve with Pasta

Toss with desired pasta and serve. I used fettuccine because that’s such a classic choice, but any pasta is fine.

fettuccine pasta covered in alfredo sauce all in a white shallow bowl

Uses for Alfredo Sauce

Not only can this sauce be used for pasta but it is also great on pizza, as a dipping sauce for breadsticks, or even over parmesan chicken. This recipe is thick and creamy which makes it perfect for all your carb-loading needs.

Or if you want/need some vegetables in your life, try enjoying alfredo sauce with zoodles (zucchini noodles).

Can I Freeze Alfredo Sauce?

No. I would not recommend freezing this Alfredo Sauce recipe. I know so many of you readers love making foods in advance or making double the recipe and freezing half for a quick weeknight meal later. Alfredo sauce made the traditional way with just butter, cream and cheese isn’t very stable and has a tendency to separate once it starts to cool. (Anyone who has ordered a Fettuccine Alfredo from Olive Garden and brought home the leftovers will know that you have a buttery, sloppy mess the next day when you try to microwave it for lunch the next day.) I would recommend making this sauce fresh, from scratch, every time.

If you make an Alfredo Sauce with a roux (butter and flour), that will make your overall sauce more ‘stable’ and it will become more freezer-friendly. But this recipe, as-is will not freeze well. Sorry!

tongs grabbing fettuccine noodles covered in alfredo sauce

Side Dishes for Fettuccine Alfredo

More Alfredo Recipes!

So, if you’re in the mood for pasta tonight, be sure to try this simple and delicious Alfredo Sauce recipe. Grab the printable recipe below to save because it’s a special one you won’t want to lose. And don’t forget to check out the video for how to make this recipe! Have a great day, friends!

Homemade Alfredo Sauce

This homemade Alfredo Sauce recipe is a delicious and quick way to whip up an Italian dinner! You only need three ingredients and 10 minutes.
servings 6 servings
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 10 mins
Total Time 15 mins

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup salted butter
  • 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups parmesan cheese use the real stuff
  • salt & ground black pepper to taste

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a heavy-bottomed deep skillet over medium heat. Once butter is completely melted reduce heat to medium-low.
  • Immediately pour in the cream. Pan may sizzle, but as you stir it will subside.
  • Whisk in cheese and continue stirring until cheese is completely melted and sauce is smooth. Taste and add in salt and lots of pepper, as desired.
  • Use sauce immediately by tossing with hot pasta and serving right away. If it sits, the sauce tends to thicken up, so add in a splash of pasta water to keep things loose.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 380kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 11g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Cholesterol: 117mg | Sodium: 532mg | Potassium: 61mg | Sugar: 1g | Vitamin A: 1270IU | Vitamin C: 0.2mg | Calcium: 308mg | Iron: 0.2mg
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: alfredo sauce, alfredo sauce recipe, homemade alfredo sauce

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Recipe Rating




27 Responses
  1. Vince Tomassi

    This is an American Version of Alfredo, and true Alfredo is pasta water, parmesan & maybe pepper.
    It is good, but it is not what they do in Italy:)

  2. D

    3 stars
    Not a salty person here so instead 1 1/2 cup parmesan, I would recommend only 1/2 and add mozzarella and / or Romano. Definitely would not recommend the salted butter. So for our first try, we thought to double the ingredients to use up all the heavy whipping cream and glad to use the unsalted butter. We ended up adding at least a cup of buttermilk since we didn’t have anymore heavy whipping cream. Still better than the jarred alfredo sauce.

  3. Cristyn

    5 stars
    This was easy, I had all the ingredients and it tastes great! I added some veggies and chicken and there was plenty of sauce to do that. I’ll definitely make again and I’ll never buy the jar stuff again.

  4. Julie Cortes

    5 stars
    This is post I chose to comment on to enter your giveaway. I chose this because I have made this recipe time and time again and it’s always a family favorite. I love that it’s only three simple ingredients for fresh homemade sauce that even my picky child will eat!

  5. Courtney Coon

    5 stars
    I LOVE this recipe . I make it quite often and my family won’t eat the jarred stuff anymore 😉.
    They say it tastes like Olive Garden. Love your recipes !

  6. Shellby

    5 stars
    Absolutely love this recipe!!! So delicious. It was a hit for my whole family, my husband who doesn’t even like alfredo went back for seconds!!!!

  7. Esther Lord

    5 stars
    This here is my go to recipe for Alfredo Sauce. It is a family favorite. And ever since you put this out for us to enjoy I can’t even tell you how many times I have made it. I am asked for the recipe every time someone tastes it. I smile and send them the link !! Thank you for sharing all of your wonderful recipes with us !!!

  8. jeanette west

    5 stars
    I do understand how it breaks when you try to reheat. I have a freeze dryer, I think I will see how it freeze drys then reconstitutes. Might be an interesting experiment! As always, thanks for such great recipes!!!

  9. Melissa Whittaker

    5 stars
    We LOVE this Homemade Alfredo Sauce! It’s super creamy and simple to make. Being a young married couple, this recipe is perfect for us. Not complicated at all and we usually have all the ingredients already on hand. The only warning I would give to others is to use high-quality parmesan, otherwise, the sauce won’t turn out as it does in the video. Thanks for the AMAZING recipe!

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