Homemade Alfredo Sauce

This rich and creamy Homemade Alfredo Sauce is filled with fresh Parmesan and a hint of garlic. It comes together in minutes with a few simple ingredients, perfect for tossing with pasta, drizzling over vegetables, chicken or use it as a pizza sauce.

Ingredients to Make Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Alfredo sauce is the invention of Alfredo Di Lelio in the early 20th century. Alfredo was a restaurateur in Rome Italy, who made a simple dish of noodles, butter and Parmesan cheese for his wife, who was recovering from the birth of their son. This easy pasta dish was created to give her something simple, yet delicious, to eat. It went on to become a regular in the restaurant bearing his name, and it’s now a favorite of pasta lovers worldwide. The original Alfredo sauce didn’t include cream, but this variation most certainly does, and it’s an outstanding addition, if I say so myself. Ingredients to make better-than-copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe from scratch: (Scroll down for full printable recipe card.)

Cream – Three cups of heavy cream or whipping cream. Milk won’t work as well, you need to go for the gold for this recipe.
Butter – Unsalted butter. The Parmesan cheese gives ample salt to the flavor, but you can adjust it to taste.
Cheese – Fresh Parmesan cheese and Asiago cheese. Skip the canned pre-grated cheese for the creamiest alfredo sauce texture. Pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as easily, and can make the sauce grainy.
Seasonings – Salt, 2 garlic cloves, granulated garlic or garlic powder, dash of freshly ground nutmeg plus black pepper or white pepper.

How to Make the BEST Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Melt Butter – In a heavy bottomed medium-size saucepan melt the butter over medium-high heat. Add fresh garlic. Simmer for 1 minute.
Simmer Cream – Add the cream and bring to a gentle boil. Immediately lower the heat to a simmer while stirring constantly.
Allow the Cream to Reduce Slightly – Cook for 7-8 minutes or just until the sauce begins to thicken.
Add Parmesan Cheese – Remove the saucepan from the heat and add the grated Parmesan cheese, nutmeg and white or black to your taste. Stir until the cheese has completely melted.
Serve Drizzled Over Your Favorite Pasta – Serve immediately tossed with cooked fettuccine, penne pasta, angel hair pasta, ziti or any pasta that you enjoy.

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Tips for Making Alfredo Sauce

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need: Medium-size heavy bottomed saucepan or large skillet, measuring cups and measuring spoons, wooden spoon and cheese grater.
Use Freshly Grated Cheese: When making a sauce with so few ingredients, it’s important to use the freshest of ingredients. Grating the cheese yourself ensures a rich and creamy texture.
Save Some of the Pasta Water: After tossing the pasta with the sauce, you can thin it further using small amounts of the pasta water. Add it in small amounts, and stir to fully coat the pasta before adding more.
Garlic: Before adding the granulated garlic or garlic powder, taste the alfredo sauce. If it has enough garlic flavor to suit your taste, you can omit the garlic powder.

How to Serve Easy Alfredo Sauce Recipe

You can turn this sauce into fettuccine alfredo tossed with al dente cooked fettuccine noodles.
Serve it topped with sautéed shrimp or make chicken alfredo using pan seared chicken breasts or chicken tenders.
Use it as a pasta sauce tossing it with angel hair pasta, medium shells, penne pasta or spaghetti.
You can use this cheese sauce to turn any variety of pasta into pasta alfredo.
Use it as a cheese sauce for stuffed shells, vegetables or make a white pizza.

Recipe Variations

Cheese: You can swap out asiago cheese with fontina cheese or romano cheese. You can also use only Parmesan cheese in this recipe.
Spices: You can change the flavor profile adding dry Italian seasoning, Old Bay seasoning or Cajun seasoning for a creamy Cajun alfredo.
Herbs: You can add fresh herbs such as basil, thyme or oregano.
Fresh Garlic or Garlic Powder: I love the combination of both in this Alfredo sauce recipe even though garlic isn’t necessarily a traditional ingredient. You may opt to use one, or both, according to your personal taste.
Use Cream Cheese to Thicken: At the end of cooking, if you’d like to thicken the alfredo sauce, I recommend using softened cream cheese. Begin with one ounce of softened cream cheese whisking it into the sauce until it fully melts. Repeat the process until the alfredo reaches your desired consistency.

Storage and Leftovers

Leftovers: Store leftover Alfredo Sauce in an airtight container chilled in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating: Reheat gently in the microwave or in a saucepan over medium-low heat. You may need to add additional cream or milk to thin.
Freezer: You can freeze leftovers for up to 2 months. Be aware that it should be thawed in the fridge and gently reheated over low heat while stirring constantly to prevent it from separating.

More Italian Inspired Recipes to Make

Tuscan Cheese Tortellini is made on the stovetop for an easy weekday meal.
Serve this recipe alongside this Chicken Scaloppini for an Italian feast.
Rich and hearty Pasta Bolognese.
Scrumptious Eggplant Parmigiana.
You’ll love this creamy Turkey Tetrazzini transforming leftovers into a round two meal.
I serve this Pizza Margherita as an entree and an appetizer.
Crispy breaded and Fried Ravioli.
Start your morning with this Ricotta Spinach Quiche.
Easy Lasagna Pasta Skewers from 365 Days of Baking.

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