Have you ever wondered how to make Alfredo Sauce? Guess what? This pasta sauce is super easy to make!
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Easy Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Did you know it’s really easy to make Alfredo sauce? In the time that it takes you to cook the pasta you can make an amazing Alfredo sauce. Don’t buy the sauce from the jar, you can make Alfredo sauce that tastes just like it came out of a restaurant at home.
You can learn how to make this creamy cheese sauce for a very tasty plate of pasta at home.
Ingredients
Here’s what you need to make Alfredo sauce served with pasta:
- Butter
- Heavy cream
- Grated Parmesan cheese
- Salt, optional
- Ground white pepper, optional
- Dried pasta
Ingredient Notes
The key to the best alfredo sauce is good-quality ingredients.
Use heavy cream also known as whipping cream. Do not substitute it with half-and-half.
Make sure you get real butter and not margarine.
Do use good-quality butter and cream. I have found that buying them relatively close to when you make the dish is a good idea. Sometimes butter and cream can pick up flavors from your fridge.
With the Parmesan cheese, be sure to use a quality brand.
Also, a block of Parmesan that you grate is better than anything that comes pre-shredded. Pre-shredded and grated parmesan has anti-caking agents that will keep the sauce from being as smooth as it should be. So take the time to shred it yourself. Do not use the type of cheese that comes in a can.
Please, use fresh Parmesan cheese. You will be rewarded with a flavorful sauce if you do.
How to Make Alfredo Sauce
- Melt the butter and heavy cream in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly.
- Add half of the Parmesan cheese and cook the sauce over low to medium heat until the cheese melts, stirring constantly.
- Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
- Drain the pasta and pour it into a bowl. You do not need to rinse your pasta.
- Add Alfredo sauce to the pasta.
- Stir to combine the sauce and pasta.
- Season it with salt and white pepper if desired.
- Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.
Mixing the sauce with the pasta is an Italian way to serve up this particular dish. It coats the pasta well and gives you a delicious bit of sauce in every bite.
You can make delicious Alfredo sauce at home following these directions.
Easy to Make Pasta Sauce
I often get asked about how to make certain types of food or what recipes are really easy. Here is one that I always pass out to people.
It is simple to make Alfredo Sauce and it turns out very well no matter if you are a highly experienced cook or if you are just a beginner.
If you are in a jam and need dinner in a hurry, you can make this sauce more quickly than you can cook the pasta.
Alfredo sauce is a great way to use leftovers. If you have some cooked chicken, you could add it to this pasta recipe.
More Alfredo Recipes
- Crab Fettuccine Alfredo
- Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
- Pasta House Fettuccine Alfredo
- Seafood Alfredo Recipe
- Steak Alfredo Pasta
Favorite Italian Recipes
- Chicken Margherita
- Olive Garden Lasagna
- Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi
- Italian Rice Balls
- Italian Sausage
- Shrimp Carbonara
- Tuscany Soup
Check out more of my easy sauce recipes and the best Italian recipes here on CopyKat!
How to Make Alfredo Sauce from Scratch
Ingredients
- 1 pound dried pasta
- 3/4 pound butter
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
- salt and ground white pepper optional
Instructions
- Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.
- While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Stir constantly to prevent the sauce from burning.
- Add 1 cup of the Parmesan and cook over low to medium heat until the cheese melts, stirring constantly.
- When the pasta is done, drain it and place it into a bowl.
- Add the Alfredo sauce to the pasta.
- Stir or toss to combine the sauce and pasta.
- If you like, you can season it with salt and white pepper.
- Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese when serving.
Rhonda
well done Stephanie…I know my family is going to love this when they get home. I just hope it keeps well in a casserole dish until then
Ashlea
amazing, family said it tasted just like restaurant…if not better….easy too. I spray pam to keep noodles from sticking (a drop of veg oil works too) and add a little salt to flavor noodles while cooking
msantaigo24
Thanks got home and needed something quick
For dinner and this recepi hits the spot added a little twist of
My owen other than that yummmmmmmmmmmmmmm
Teresa
Can you freeze left over sauce?
stephaniemanley
I wouldn’t, but you can make smaller batches of the sauce.
psykpyrate
the music is freaking irritating. TURN IT OFF.
terri
what size pan do I need for the alfredo sauce?
Stephanie Manley
I would use a medium sized pan.
Luckyfishies
Just so you know olive garden uses a white powder and water to make their Alfredo sauce Oo
ametarasu
I work at Olive garden and that’s not true. This is almost exactly how they make it only real garlic and other spices
Harleyguy1973
I add garlic and a dash of nutmeg but please folks follow stephs recipe !!!
stephaniemanley
I like garlic in most everything!
Rolyon85
This is like eating poop
Poopybutt
You only have ten fingers, Stephanie.
Akoyibo
yuummmmmmmmmmmmy
Rachel
can we had olive spread instead of butter?
Stephanie Manley
I would not try it,
thegrrrr8est
I’ve used coconut oil — tasted great, way better for you.
Stephanie Manley
I wouldn’t use it, your sauce won’t thicken well. Using a spread will mean if you want thick sauce you need to compensate for that in another way. I would suggest if you do that you need to add a little cream cheese to the recipe to get it to thicken.
Amynjesse
this is my first time making alfredo sauce, im hoping it will turn out good i added cream cheese to this reciepe.. idont know i figured it would taste good!!!
Anonymous
It will help make it creamy.
South Africa
PING!!!
Mary
I cheat with this recipe. I use light sour cream instead of tje heavy cream.. So much lighter & taste great.
Mary
stephaniemanley
Good to know. Thanks!
Sue Coleman
Thank you Stephanie! I’ll give this a try and hope. Your the best!
Christina Laiche
This has been my favorite recipe for decades, thanks STEPH! I have learned to cook this fast lol because it is a big demand of family and friends. I use this sauce on alot of meals….The best results come from cooking it in a crock pot! Melt Butter first, then pour in Heavy Whipping Cream and Cream Cheese and Parmesan Cheese…whip this as you would in making, whipping cream and sugar fluff lol. Remember this will thickin fast the longer you whip! Add garlic powder at the end 😉 Also I add Chopped Tomatoes, Cilantro, and Onions in this recipe on occasions especially when cooking fish, this is amazing tasting and a favorite at the Laiche Home!
stephaniemanley
I think you have an amazing suggestion, I want to give this one a try soon. I think I should try it for a big pasta night!
renee white
i like to add a little nutmeg and a few dashes of hot sauce to my alfredo it gives it a little kick
Stephanie
I love a little freshly grated nutmeg in my Alfredo sauce too!
Danielle
what makes alfredo sauce really good is using cream cheese instead of the heavy cream and then adding some milk to thin it out a little
Cindy
The only problem with using the cream cheese is that it doesn’t work well for leftovers. Tastes wonderful the night of, though!
Stephanie
This is one dish, that I never try to have left overs for. It is never as good the second day.
Blaine Isaacs
steph i dig the song in the background… what song is that?
Wes
Try substituting the fresh grated Parmesan cheese with a 5 or 6 cheese Italian blend (Mozzarella, Provolone, Asiago, Parmesan, Romano and Fontina). This really enhances the flavor even more.
stephaniemanley
That is a great way to make the sauce too. It can add a lot more depth to the flavor.
PohTayToez
Alfredo sauce is delicious and easy to make. I like to add pesto to mine, with a bit of Worcestershire sauce and a dash of Tabasco.