Alfredo Sauce is a rich, thick, and creamy Italian pasta sauce that is used over Fettuccine Alfredo, Shrimp Alfredo, and Chicken Alfredo. It is one of the popular white sauces made with butter, heavy cream, garlic, parmesan cheese, and basic Italian seasonings. The recipe I have shared here shows you how to make the Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce with easy step-by-step instructions for you to try and enjoy at home.
I have also shared a detailed video of this recipe below to make the cooking process clear. This Homemade Alfredo Sauce is one of the best and easy-to-make sauces that pairs perfectly with pasta, roasted and baked vegetables, chicken, shrimp, or salmon for lunch and dinner.
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What is Alfredo Sauce?
Alfredo Sauce is a thick, creamy, and super-rich Italian white sauce. it is made with butter, heavy cream, Parmesan Cheese, black pepper, and sometime you might find dried Italian herbs for seasoning. This Alfredo Sauce is one of the easy and best-tasting pasta sauces that taste great over any kind of pasta, roasted veggies, chicken, shrimp, or salmon.
Similar to our Parmesan recipes like Chicken Parmesan, Eggplant Parmesan, and Garlic Parmesan Wings this silky smooth Alfredo Sauce also delivers a comforting meal. Whether it's a get-together, family dinner, or to make yourself cozy with a bowl of alfredo pasta on those winter days, this classic sauce never fails to do its job.
It is one of the versatile sauces that goes pretty well on everything. Whether you like it on pasta or to smother it on a chicken, salmon, shrimp, or even as a dipping sauce for your starters. No wonder why it is called one of the best sauces in Italian cuisine! So without further delay let's check out how to make this wonderful sauce.
Ingredients
The ingredients you will need to make this Alfredo Sauce are basic Italian pantry elements and you could easily find them in supermarkets around. So let's see what are they below.
- Butter - unsalted butter that delivers the rich and buttery taste to your sauce
- Heavy Cream - To achieve a thick and smooth sauce. I have added some alternatives in the substitution section if heavy cream is not handy to you
- Garlic - Infusing garlic in butter delivers the garlicky taste and flavor to your sauce
- Parmesan Cheese - To achieve the authentic Italian Alfredo sauce flavor
- Seasoning - I have used dried Italian herbs and black pepper powder here, but we feel free to customize the seasoning that you love
For a detailed ingredients list, please check out the recipe card below.
How to make Alfredo Sauce?
The recipe I have shared here is a Homemade Alfredo Sauce, a popular Italian Pasta Sauce. This recipe yields 2 cups of sauce that is perfect to toss in 16 oz of Fettuccine Pasta. You can also serve up to 4 servings of roasted veggies with this sauce. However, you can always feel free to customize the ingredients according to your family's needs.
Following are the high-level instructions to make this recipe but for detailed step-by-step instructions with photos and video, please check out the recipe card below.
- Saute - In a pan with medium heat, add the butter and allow it to melt. Once it is softened saute the garlic until it turns aromatic
- Cook - Pour 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and mix it well. Simmer the heat and allow it to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure to stir the cream frequently to avoid burning at the bottom
- Season - Now season the cream with salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper powder. Give it a good mix
- Melt - Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until it melts
- Remove - Stir and cook until the sauce turns thick and smooth. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh parsley leaves
- Serve - Serve this Homemade Alfredo Sauce over pasta, baked chicken, roasted asparagus, or as a pizza topping in pizza pinwheels
Substitutions
- Dairy - Even though heavy cream is used for making this Alfredo sauce, you can also replace it with half and half, whole milk, or non-fat milk. But these alternatives do not deliver the same thickness and smooth texture to your sauce as heavy cream does. So I would recommend adding a tbsp of cream cheese, or cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce
- Italian Seasoning - If you don't have dried Italian seasoning handy, feel free to add some fresh basil, parsley, or coriander leaves if that's handy to you
- Butter - Butter delivers the fresh and buttery richness to your sauce, but you can also substitute it with olive oil
Tips
- Heavy Whipping cream - Adding whipping cream gives you the best flavor, taste, thickness, and rich smooth texture to your sauce. However, you can also substitute it with half and half milk if whipping cream is not handy for you
- Parmesan Cheese - Even though using fresh Parmesan cheese adds so much more flavor than aged cheese, feel free to use packaged Parmesan if that's handy for you
- Seasonings - Seasoning the sauce with garlic, Italian herbs, and black pepper gives the perfect Italian flavors to your sauce
- Temperature - Always make sure to prepare the sauce in medium heat to avoid burning the cream and cheese at the bottom of the pan
Storage Suggestions
Even though this Alfredo Sauce stays good in the refrigerator for up to a day, reheating it at a high temperature makes the cheese separate. So I recommend reheating them on a stovetop with low medium heat or in a microwave in the lowest power setting until it warms up. But make sure to stir the sauce in between to avoid cheese separating.
Serving Suggestions
Serve this Homemade Alfredo Sauce over your favorite pasta, but typically served over Fettuccine Alfredo. You can also enjoy it with chicken, shrimp, salmon, and roasted vegetables like roasted asparagus, roasted green beans, or roasted broccoli. If you are a pizza lover, then feel free to top your pizza or pizza pinwheels with Alfredo Sauce instead of classic pizza sauce.
Related Recipes
You could also find similar sauce recipes below and more at Italian recipes.
- Garlic Parmesan Sauce
- Bechamel Sauce (White Sauce)
- Pasta Sauce
- Marinara Sauce
- Basil Pesto Sauce
- Garlic Butter Sauce
More pasta recipes.
- Fettuccine Alfredo
- Chicken Alfredo
- Shrimp Alfredo
- White Sauce Pasta
- Garlic Parmesan Pasta
- Salmon Pasta
- Garlic Butter Shrimp Pasta
- Masala Pasta
Alfredo Sauce Recipe Video
I have also shared a detailed video of this Alfredo Sauce Recipe below that I hope will help you make a delicious pasta sauce at home. You could also find this recipe in a story format.
📖 Recipe
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup Butter
- 2 tsp Garlic , finely chopped
- 2 cup Heavy Whipping Cream
- ½ tsp Salt
- ½ tsp Pepper Powder, black
- ½ tsp Italian Seasoning, mixed
- 1½ cups Parmesan Cheese
- Parsley Leaves, to garnish
Instructions
To make Alfredo Sauce
- In a pan with medium heat, add the butter and allow it to melt. Once it is melted saute the garlic until it turns aromatic
- Pour 2 cups of heavy whipping cream and give it a good mix. Simmer the heat and allow it to cook for 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure to stir the cream frequently to avoid burning at the bottom
- Now season the cream with salt, Italian seasoning, and black pepper powder. Give it a good mix
- Add the Parmesan cheese and stir until it melts
- Stir and cook until the sauce turns thick and smooth. Remove from heat and garnish with fresh parsley leaves
To Serve
- Use this Sauce to make Fettuccine Alfredo, or serve this Homemade Alfredo Sauce over pasta, baked chicken, roasted asparagus, or as a pizza topping in pizza pinwheels
Video
Notes
- Heavy Whipping cream - Adding whipping cream gives you the best flavor, taste, thickness, and rich smooth texture to your sauce. However, you can also substitute it with half and half milk if whipping cream is not handy for you
- Parmesan Cheese - Even though using fresh Parmesan cheese adds so much more flavor than aged cheese, feel free to use packaged Parmesan if that's handy for you
- Seasonings - Seasoning the sauce with garlic, Italian herbs, and black pepper gives the perfect Italian flavors to your sauce
- Temperature - Always make sure to prepare the sauce in medium heat to avoid burning the cream and cheese at the bottom of the pan
Nutrition
FAQ
Alfredo Sauce is a thick, creamy, and super-rich Italian white sauce. it is made with butter, heavy cream, Parmesan Cheese, black pepper, and sometime you might find dried Italian herbs for seasoning. This Alfredo Sauce is one of the easy and best-tasting pasta sauces that taste great over any kind of pasta, roasted veggies, chicken, shrimp, or salmon.
Even though heavy cream is used for making this Alfredo sauce, you can also replace it with half and half, whole milk, or non-fat milk. But these alternatives do not deliver the same thickness and smooth texture to your sauce as heavy cream does. So I would recommend adding a tbsp of cream cheese, or cornstarch slurry to thicken the sauce
Reheating it at a high temperature makes the cheese separate. So I recommend reheating them on a stovetop with low medium heat or in a microwave in the lowest power setting until it warms up. But make sure to stir the sauce in between to avoid cheese separating.
Yes, you can thin out the sauce with a few tbsp of pasta-cooked water.
I hope you enjoyed the recipe I shared here and I would love to hear from you about how it turned out for you. Please let me know.
If you have any other questions, feel free to post them in the comment section below and I will try to get back to you as soon as possible.
Happy Cooking!
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