Made with real cream, garlic, and lots of parmesan cheese, this homemade Alfredo Sauce recipe is rich, flavorful, and lusciously creamy. Ready in just 10 minutes, you’ll never buy store-bought again!
If you’ve wondered how to make homemade Alfredo sauce from scratch that turns out better than the one from your local Italian restaurant, this is the recipe you’ve been looking for! Quick to make with just 5 simple ingredients, it’s always thick enough to cling perfectly to your favorite pasta.
“We make this easy Alfredo sauce recipe almost weekly as it’s my husband’s favorite dinner. He always says he wants this to be his last meal before he goes to heaven. Be sure to try it with nutmeg, it really makes the flavors pop!” — Victoria, home cook with a love for comfort food.
How to Make Alfredo Sauce
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You’ll need butter, heavy cream, fresh garlic (for the best robust flavor), grated Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. A pinch of nutmeg is optional, but recommended as it balances the richness. It’s very important to use freshly grated parmesan cheese, the kind you grate yourself or buy in the refrigerated section, not the green shaker can kind. Otherwise your sauce can turn out grainy or overly thick.
Start by melting your butter over medium-low heat and adding the heavy cream. Let it simmer gently for a full 5 minutes — this step is what gives the sauce its body, so don’t rush it. Then you add the garlic, cook for one minute, and slowly whisk in the Parmesan in batches until the sauce is thick and silky.
How To Serve Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Fettuccine or linguine pastas are best as the large, flat noodles can act like a “mop,” for the sauce to cling to. However, it’s just as tasty with penne, spaghetti, ravioli, white lasagna, stuffed shells, or any pasta you have on hand. Serve it with grilled sliced chicken for Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo, or sautéed shrimp for Shrimp Alfredo. For those that love spice, use it to make this Cajun Chicken Alfredo.
Alfredo sauce also makes a great white pizza sauce topped with white cheeses, like mozzarella and fontina. My kids also love dipping everything from breadsticks to veggies, like steamed or roasted broccoli, into this sauce. You truly can’t go wrong!
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Is this a Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce recipe?
Kind of, but they are a little different — with this version being way better! Olive Garden uses a roux (flour + butter) and Romano cheese. This version skips the flour for a silkier texture and uses all Parmesan for a more intense cheesy flavor. If you want a heavier sauce, whisk 1 tablespoon of flour into the melted butter to make a roux. Cook for 30 second, then slowly stir in the cream. For a tangier twist, try making Alfredo sauce with cream cheese as it adds a subtle richness and a slightly thicker texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
No! Traditional Italian Alfredo uses only butter, Parmesan, and pasta water. This is the richer American-style version made with heavy cream and garlic, which is what most people think of as Alfredo sauce.
Yes, you can, but making your homemade alfredo sauce with heavy cream will create the richest and creamiest results. If you prefer a lighter sauce, use half and half or a 50/50 mix of whole milk and heavy cream.
Grainy Alfredo sauce is caused by two things: using shelf-stable shaker Parmesan instead of freshly grated Parmesan, or adding the cheese too quickly over high heat. Always add cheese gradually over low heat while whisking.
If your Alfredo sauce is too thin, the most likely cause is that the cream wasn’t simmered long enough before adding the cheese. Make sure you cook the butter and cream together for the full 5 minutes until it just starts to thicken before adding your Parmesan. You can also fix a thin sauce by adding more freshly grated Parmesan a little at a time while whisking over low heat.
Homemade Alfredo sauce lasts for about 3 to 4 days refrigerated in an airtight container. Reheat gently over low heat with a splash of cream or pasta water to restore the creamy texture. Do not microwave at high power as this causes the sauce to break and become grainy.
I do not recommend freezing homemade Alfredo sauce, as it may separate or turn grainy when thawed since it’s a cream-based sauce.
Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 cup heavy cream, or half and half for a lighter sauce
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 ½ cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese, the refrigerated kind!
- Salt and freshly cracked pepper, to taste
- fresh grated nutmeg, optional, to taste
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Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low to medium heat. Add cream and bring to a simmer (lightly bubbling, not a full boil). Cook, whisking often, for 5 minutes until it starts to thicken slightly.
- Then add garlic, cook for 1 minute more. Add the cheese slowly (I recommend doing it in two to three batches) and whisk constantly until melted. Add salt and pepper, and optional freshly grated nutmeg, to taste. If adding nutmeg, I recommend starting with 1/4 teaspoon.
- If your sauce becomes too thick, you can thin it out with a little extra cream or pasta water. Toss in your favorite pasta and dinner is served!
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More Creamy Pasta Dinner Ideas To Try
- Homemade Hamburger Helper: It puts the boxed version to shame.
- Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo: Dump, pressure cook, and stir.
- Cajun Chicken Pasta: A weekly staple in our house.
- Chicken Broccoli Alfredo Bake: Picky eaters will clean their plate!
- Spaghetti Carbonara: You can’t go wrong with this classic.
- Million Dollar Spaghetti: Trust me, it’s better than lasagna.
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It was delicious! Used it for chicken Alfredo and I can’t get enough of the flavor.
Tastes just like Olive Garden. Don’t be shy with your parmesan! This is my new “goto” sauce, my family loves it!
Great in steamed fresh broccoli!
The best I have ever had!
This is so incredibly delicious! The family raved about it! Very easy and quick sauce. We added shrimp and broccoli!
Very delicious and easy. Just the right amount of garlic. I love garlic but not if it overpowers. It did get super thick once the cheese was added a little pasta water worked well but I might try half|half next time. Definitely a keeper. One of the picky grandkids even loved it. I’d post a pic but I didn’t get one before it was all gone.
Tried it tonight because my 7 year old demanded chicken Alfredo homemade… it’s amazing! May make a bigger batch and can it for winter!
I tried this recipe for the first time tonight for chicken Alfredo, and it was delicious! I’ll be using this for future meals for sure.
This recipe was absolutely delicious and so easy to make. I’ve always been too intimidated to try making Alfredo sauce but now it’s my go to. I’m making it tonight and adding Cajun seasoning to make a Cajun Alfredo sauce.
I didn’t have any heavy cream so I used chocolate milk instead and it was absolutely disgusting! 1 star to this terrible recipe
Oh Mildred, you made an error. It happens. You really should take your one star back.
Hi Mildred, of course it was awful, you used chocolate milk to make alfredo sauce. 😳
I’ve never made Alfredo sauce, partly because I thought it was some complex recipe; but I made this recipe quickly and it was delicious! And I even had to make it with container Parmesan because I didn’t have fresh and I was doing it on a whim. So next time I’ll make it with fresh Parmesan and can only imagine how much more amazing it will taste! Thank you!
Delicious but the pasta absorbed the sauce too much.
I’ve been craving Tortellini Alfredo, this was delicious! The sauce was cheesy and the right consistency. I’ll definitely be making this again.
I made this sauce for the first time and chose this recipe. The sauce turned out delicious, nothing extra, I did everything according to the recipe, and the result was 1 cup of ready sauce.
Delicious- the wife says “I want this to be my last meal before I go to heaven”.
Now that is *quite* the compliment!!
This is my go-to alfredo sauce! It’s quick, easy, and delicious. I do use the garlic in a jar that you just keep in the fridge because I’m way too lazy to mince my own, but I just double the amount ( because it’s less potent). But seriously amazing!!
I love the flavor of this sauce but I must be doing something wrong after seeing everyone’s pictures. The consistency goes from normal after it’s done, to almost cottage cheese textured once I mix in the pasta. Any ideas why the consistency changes? Thanks!
Mine did the same thing! Did you use half and half or did you use heavy cream? I used half and half, I don’t think it mixed well together, it was that or maybe I tried heating it up too quickly.
Hmm! That is definitely a new one – you have me stumped! What kind of pasta are you adding it too? It’s just a normal cooked pasta that you are tossing in the sauce and then it turns into a cottage cheese texture?
Sounds like the pasta is absorbing your liquid. If it’s cooked only to al dente, it could be the culprit. To me that’s the most likely reason, but there are
I followed the recipe as written and it was easy and so delicious! A keeper for sure. I used penne pasta, and added some shredded rotisserie chicken and broccoli.
Easy delicious meal!
Perfect Alfredo sauce! Thank you for this recipe!
Delicious and easy, it turned out perfect.
This recipe is wrong, you don’t simmer cream for 5 min unless you want cheese. Cook the garlic first until aromatic, then add cream and cheese until melted and thick. Learn how to cook
Why do you have to be such a rag? Are you one of those women who’s so miserable with their life that they have to be nasty to others in order to make themselves feel better? A little kindness and class goes a long way. Try it please! 🙂
Hi Jesse, have you even tried it before saying it’s wrong?
I love this recipe! I had no parm so I used some camembere instead. It turned out absolutely delicious. Such an easy recipe too. My husband loved it.
Servings? How many people does this serve. Wanting to make for 6-7 adults and 2 kids. Would I double or triple this recipe?
Hi Sam! This Alfredo recipe makes enough sauce to coat 8 oz of fettuccine pasta. Which usually serves 2 or 3 people, depending on how hungry they are. Hope this helps! 🙂
Awesome! We loved it! Will definitely make again! Thank you for sharing!
This is by far our favorite recipe for alfredo! Tonight, we added some rosemary and crushed red pepper and backed a bit off on the garlic. YUM!
I will be making this tonight with shrimp. Excited to try it out.
Delicious! My teenager loves alfredo, but I don’t love the things in the jar stuff at the store. This was super easy, and he LOVED it!!