Our Homemade Alfredo Sauce is a quick and easy recipe for making a rich, creamy Alfredo sauce in less than 30 minutes in your own kitchen! It is full of that classic creamy, parmesan, garlic, and Italian seasoning flavors. Perfect for a quick weeknight meal or a classic Christmas Eve dinner (we love serving it with our Blackened Chicken)!
The Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce
For years, we were buying a store-bought jar of Alfredo sauce from our local grocery store not realizing that it is so easy to make your own Alfredo pasta sauce right on your stovetop! It can literally be made while your pasta of choice is cooking alongside it on the stove. Serve this easy Alfredo sauce recipe over fettuccine noodles, linguine noodles, or even spaghetti squash for a delicious dinner that the whole family will love! And if you are looking for a dairy-free version, try our Vegan Alfredo Sauce!
Looking for More Alfredo Recipes?
If you love those alfredo flavors as much as we do, you definitely need to try our Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Bake!
What You Will Need
- pasta noodles – we love using classic fettuccine noodles, but pappardelle noodles or linguine noodles are also great options! Looking to keep it gluten-free? Just use your favorite gluten-free noodles or learn the best way to cook spaghetti squash.
- butter – the perfect way to start this rich, creamy sauce!
- fresh garlic – everything is better with fresh garlic cloves and this is a classic ingredient for the best alfredo sauce recipe.
- heavy whipping cream – option to substitute this main ingredient with an unsweetened, dairy-free cream, like NutPods Dairy Free creamer. You could also use half & half or regular milk, but they might require more simmering to thicken your sauce.
- kosher salt & ground black pepper – just a pinch of each for the perfect simple seasoning.
- parmesan cheese – it takes some extra time but, for best results, we love to freshly grate parmesan cheese for this instead of pre-shredded cheese!
- reserved pasta water – place a bowl under your colander when straining your noodles to reserve some pasta water that can be used to thin out your sauce, if it gets a little too thick.
How To Make Homemade Alfredo Sauce
This easy recipe cooks up quickly, so it is best to gather all the simple ingredients before you begin cooking.
Now bring a large cast iron skillet or medium saucepan to a medium heat and let butter melt. Then add the garlic to the melted butter and move around until fragrant, about 30 seconds. Next, whisk in your cream of choice along with the seasonings. Continue whisking for about 10 minutes while the sauce reaches your desired thickness.
Then remove the simmering sauce from the heat and mix in the fresh parmesan cheese. After the parmesan has fully melted, you can add in a bit of reserved pasta water if you need to thin out the sauce at all. Just add and whisk the cream sauce until it reaches your desired consistency and then add the al dente noodles to the pan. Mix to coat and serve immediately!
Best Ways To Serve Homemade Alfredo Sauce
You can keep this delicious Alfredo sauce simple and serve over your favorite noodles with a garnish of fresh parsley and parmesan or you can dress it up with your favorite vegetables or protein. We love adding some grilled chicken breasts or pan fried shrimp to this classic fettuccine alfredo for some added protein. Or use it to make the most amazing Chicken Alfredo Sheet Pan Lasagna for the whole family! For a side dish, toss in some fresh vegetables, like steamed broccoli or roasted broccolini for a pop of color and added nutrition!
Storage & Freezer
Any leftover sauce or pasta can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It is not recommended to freeze homemade alfredo sauce. The creamy base doesn’t reheat very well. You end up with more of a grainy texture.
Recipe FAQ
- What is Alfredo sauce? It is an easy and flavorful pasta sauce that has a rich, creamy texture. It traditionally has buttery, parmesan, and garlic flavors that perfectly coat any of your favorite noodles! Many people love enjoying this amazing pasta during the colder, winter months for Christmas dinner or special occasions.
- How to thicken Alfredo sauce? this can easily be done by simmering your sauce for a longer time. The longer you simmer the sauce, the more liquid cooks off resulting in a thicker sauce.
- How to thin Alfredo sauce? simply add in a bit of reserved pasta water or more cream to thin out the sauce to your desired thickness.
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Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 4 servings 1x
- Category: Dinner/Entree
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian-Inspired
Description
A quick and easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce recipe that is perfect for busy weeknights or dress it up and serve at your holiday table!
Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccine noodles (regular or gluten-free) (pappardelle works too)
- 1/2 cup butter
- 2–3 teaspoons garlic, minced
- 1 cup dairy free, unsweetened creamer OR heavy cream*
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
- pinch of kosher salt
- 2 cup parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 1/2 cup reserved pasta water
- garnish: fresh parsley and additional grated parmesan
Instructions
- Cook Pasta: Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook the noodles to al dente, according to package instructions – reserve approx. 1/2 cup of pasta water! Drain cooked noodles after reserving the pasta water.
- Sauté: Bring a large cast iron skillet to medium-high heat. Add butter to pan and let melt. Add garlic to the hot pan and and move around until fragrant, approx. 30 seconds.
- Make Sauce: Gradually add heavy cream (or dairy-free alternative) along with Italian seasoning, pepper and pinch of salt. Whisk together and let simmer and reduce for about 10 minutes, whisking fairly constantly.
- Add Cheese: Once mixture has thickened, remove from heat and gently whisk in parmesan cheese until it has melted. Add cooked noodles to the large skillet and toss to combine. Add splashes of reserved pasta water to thin, as-needed. Taste and add any additional salt, as desired.
- Serve: Enjoy immediately and garnish with fresh parsley and more grated parmesan, if desired.
Notes
- *Dairy-Free Cream: if you are more sensitive to dairy (but can handle butter and cheese), I like to swap the heavy cream for Nutpods original, unsweetened/unflavored. It worked wonderfully and tasted amazing! Of course, if you prefer heavy cream then go for it!
- Butter/Kosher Salt: if using salted butter you might not need to add any salt. If you use unsalted butter just give things a taste and add salt, as needed. The parmesan cheese adds quite a bit of salt.
- Serving: serve with some blackened chicken and steamed broccoli (or roasted broccolini).
- Storage: store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days – add a splash of water to help revive the sauce.
- Nutrition Info is calculated with fettuccine noodles, if you use another option it will be different.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 6oz
- Calories: 459
- Sugar: 2 g
- Sodium: 464.4 mg
- Fat: 20.8 g
- Carbohydrates: 49.8 g
- Protein: 17.5 g
- Cholesterol: 51.3 mg
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