Homemade alfredo sauce is creamy, cheesy, and incredibly easy to make. Check out my tips, watch the video, then make this 15-minute recipe!
Alfredo is a popular sauce with Italian dishes, but it’s actually a secondary French sauce. The base, known in French cuisine as a Mother sauce, is bechamel sauce. By adding cheese and seasonings, it transforms into a velvety smooth, creamy white cheese sauce!
It’s perfect over sautéed chicken or steamed veggies, or as a dipping sauce for soft breadsticks.
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
This classic sauce earned widespread fans via restaurant chains like Cheesecake Factory and Olive Garden.
The Alfredo sauce in those restaurants is not the same as an authentic version though. They include heavy cream in their recipes, while the original recipe does not.
Authentic Italian version
Italian chefs use fresh fettuccine that gets tossed with butter and Parmesan cheese. As the freshly grated cheese melts, it emulsifies the liquids to form a glossy smooth and rich sauce coating the pasta. This is known as Fettuccine al Burro, or Fettuccine Alfredo as we know it!
I’m sharing with you my American-style version of homemade alfredo sauce.
What’s in alfredo sauce
- butter
- garlic
- cream
- parmesan cheese
- salt
- white pepper
- dash of nutmeg
Video: How to make alfredo sauce
To see the process of making the sauce from start to finish, watch the video located in the recipe card at the bottom of this post!
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet (cast iron type) over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- To the skillet, whisk in the heavy cream until combined and simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Add freshly grated cheese, kosher salt, white and black peppers and nutmeg. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Serve immediately, or refrigerate to reheat and serve within 5 days.
Substitutes for heavy cream
- You can substitute Half and Half (equal part milk and cream)
- You can also use evaporated milk
- 3 parts whole milk and 1 part melted butter
- Equal parts whole milk and Greek yogurt, whisked together
Storing homemade alfredo sauce
If you don’t want to serve it immediately and/or you have leftovers, store them in a covered container in the refrigerator and use within 5 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium heat.
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This post, originally published Kevin is Cooking on Apr 27, 2020, was last updated with new content on Oct. 27, 2021.
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Homemade Alfredo Sauce + Video
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream (See Note 1)
- 2.5 oz Parmigiano Reggiano or Parmesan, freshly grated (See Note 2)
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 tsp white pepper
- 1/4 tsp freshly grated nutmeg
- 1/8 tsp black pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large, deep skillet (cast iron type) over medium heat. Add the garlic and sauté until fragrant, about 30 seconds.
- To the skillet, whisk in the heavy cream until combined, then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes.
- Whisk in the freshly grated cheese, kosher salt, white and black peppers and nutmeg. Cook, whisking occasionally, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Serve immediately over pasta of choice or vegetables, or as a dipping sauce for breadsticks.
Notes
- Substitutes for heavy cream
- half and half (equal parts whole milk and cream)
- evaporated milk
- 3 parts whole milk and 1 part melted butter
- Equal parts whole milk and Greek yogurt, whisked together
- For most cheeses, 2 cups shredded cheese = 2.5 oz block.
The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Nutrition
When I add my cheese and simmmer, my sauce started to congeal. What am i doing wrong?
Not sure as sadly I was not there, but if you followed the instructions and watch the video it might show what possibly you did or did not do? I use a whisk vigorously and finely grate my own parmesan cheese. Let me know Alexis.
Absolutely delicious! Thank you for this simple recipe. I added chicken and fresh sliced mushrooms and I doubled the recipe. Yummy for leftovers!
Excellent, sounds delicious Angela!
Kevin, I am new to your site and I am loving your recipes!! This week I made the this recipe with the addition of fresh made pesto. It came out amazing!! Thank you. I have one question. I love when a recipe author includes the weight measurement by cups and the weight by ounces/pounds. I am struggling to get 2.5 ounces of cheese to match the 2 cups. To make 2 cups I need between 6 or 6.5 ounces of cheese. Did I add to much cheese by using 2 cups (the taste was great) measurement?
Trish, so happy you are enjoying the site and THANK YOU! As for the cheese, I use a microplaine grater and it really fluffs up the cheese making it super quick to melt.
My favorite online alfredo sauce recipe yet. My husband LOVED it We’re making it again for some guests coming to dinner tomorrow… with fettucine and smoked salmon. The last few times I’ve bought sauce from a jar, it was awful. Now I have no excuse not to make it from scratch every time.
Thank you for this! I am glad you found this recipe!
I am going to make the sauce to day….going to double the recipe. Can I freeze it?
Yes, store in the freezer for up to 6 months. If you freeze it let me know how it turns out!
This was so much better than jar sauce. It was super yummy and I liked the tutorial. It came out creamy and not gummy. Thanks
I have to agree! I love homemade sauce!
Great tutorial Kevin! It is so easy to just grab a jar at the store, but making from scratch always tastes so much better and you can control the ingredients. Pinning!
Could this sauce be used as a base, with added cheese(s) for Mac n Cheese? If so..would any changes be required?
Definitely Diane and I also have a Cheese Sauce recipe coming out soon, too. It’s quite versatile!