Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Wholesome Yum (2024)

Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Wholesome Yum (1)

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Table Of Contents hide

  • Why You’ll Love This Alfredo Sauce Recipe
  • What Is Alfredo Sauce?
  • How To Make Alfredo Sauce
  • Tips For Best Results
  • Ways To Use Homemade Alfredo Sauce
  • More Homemade Sauce Recipes
  • Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!)

This easy homemade alfredo sauce recipe is the best way to satisfy comfort food cravings in minutes! Unlike some store-bought sauces, this one is made with clean ingredients, without starch or thickeners. Serve it over your favorite noodles or vegetables for a quick dinner. This recipe for alfredo sauce is so versatile that I included it in my second cookbook to combine with other dishes the book has. And it tastes way better than the jarred kind!

Why You’ll Love This Alfredo Sauce Recipe

  • Rich and creamy
  • Just 4 simple ingredients
  • Ready in 10 minutes
  • Better than store-bought brands
  • Perfect on ANY pasta!
Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Wholesome Yum (2)

What Is Alfredo Sauce?

Alfredo is a creamy white sauce traditionally made with butter, parmesan cheese, milk or cream, and spices. Store-bought sauces may also contain thickeners (such as flour or cornstarch), vegetable oils, or other added ingredients to keep them shelf stable.

Ingredients & Substitutions

This section explains how to choose the best alfredo sauce ingredients, what each one does in the recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card below.

  • Butter – I use grass-fed butter here, but any unsalted variety will work.
  • Garlic– I prefer to use fresh garlic cloves, but 1 tablespoon of jarred minced garlic or 3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder can be used for convenience.
  • Heavy Cream – Sometimes this is called heavy whipping cream on the carton. I don’t recommend regular milk or almond milk for this alfredo sauce recipe, as using these requires thickeners and the final sauce will be too thin.
  • Grated Parmesan Cheese – Adds flavor and thickens the alfredo sauce without a flour roux or cornstarch. Shredded parm should also work, but might take longer to melt. As an alternative, cream cheese can act as a thickener, but the flavor is completely different, so I don’t really recommend it unless you want a tangier cream sauce.
  • Sea Salt & Black Pepper– You’ll want to add a little more than you think you’ll need, since the sauce will mellow out after mixing with ingredients like pasta or vegetables. If you don’t like the appearance of black pepper in your sauce, use white pepper instead.
  • Nutmeg– It’s a classic ingredient for any easy alfredo sauce recipe, but you can omit it if you like.
Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Wholesome Yum (3)

How To Make Alfredo Sauce

This section shows how to make homemade alfredo sauce, with step-by-step photos and details about the technique, to help you visualize it. For full instructions, including amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card below.

  1. Saute the garlic. Melt the butter in amedium to large saucepanover medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
  2. Add the heavy cream. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer, and continue simmering until sauce thickens and reduces by roughly one third.
Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Wholesome Yum (4)
Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Wholesome Yum (5)
  1. Thicken with parmesan. Reduce the heat and gradually whisk in the parmesan cheese, until smooth.
  2. Add the spices. You can adjust the spices in this alfredo sauce recipe to your taste. Garnish with fresh parsley if you like.
Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Wholesome Yum (6)

Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Wholesome Yum (7)

Tips For Best Results

  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese works best. It melts more smoothly into the sauce than the canned stuff. Pre-grated works okay in a pinch, but may not be as smooth.
  • A large saucepan works best. The larger your pan, the faster the cream will reduce. You can even use a skillet with tall sides!
  • It’s easy to adjust the consistency. For sauce that’s too thick, thin it with more cream. But if you’re wondering how to thicken alfredo sauce, just add extra parmesan to get the right consistency.

Storage & Reheating

  • Store: Pour the alfredo sauce into a covered container and store it in the fridge for up to a week.
  • Reheat: Warm up on the stove over low heat, or in the microwave at low power, stirring occasionally to smooth out lumps. If it’s still not smooth, you can give it a quick blend. This sauce thickens during storage and reheating may cause more moisture to evaporate, so if it’s too thick, add cream to thin out as needed.
  • Freeze: Cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container or freezer bag. Freeze for up to 3 months. You can thaw in the fridge overnight or reheat from frozen. It may separate when thawed, but reheating will smooth it out.
Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Wholesome Yum (8)

Ways To Use Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Now that you know how to make alfredo sauce, you need ways to use it! Here are some recipes you can pair with this sauce for a comforting meal:

  • Pasta – For a classic fettuccine alfredo, cook up some fettuccine noodles or your favorite pasta. If you want a lighter option, use spaghetti squash noodles, delicious cauliflower gnocchi, or zucchini noodles (pictured above). Add some quick pan seared chicken breast for a chicken alfredo meal.
  • Proteins – This alfredo sauce recipe actually tastes delicious on meats! Try it on top of healthy baked chicken, grilled shrimp skewers, or even pan seared salmon.
  • Roasted Veggies – Toss roasted broccoli or brussels sprouts in this creamy sauce, or drizzle it on roasted asparagus.
  • Pizza – Alfredo sauce makes a delicious white pizza! Spread it on your favorite crust with toppings like grilled chicken, sauteed spinach, red onions, and fresh or sauteed mushrooms. One of my favorite ways to use it is on a chicken crust pizza!

More Homemade Sauce Recipes

Making your own sauce from scratch is not only healthier, but also super fun and lets you experiment with flavors. Explore some more simple options:

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Recipe Card

Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!) - Wholesome Yum (14)

4.91 from 175 votes☝️ Click stars to rate or click here to leave a review!

Alfredo Sauce Recipe (4 Ingredients!)

This easy homemade alfredo sauce recipe needs just 4 simple ingredients and 10 minutes! It's rich, creamy, and perfect for pasta or veggies.

Cook: 10 minutes

Total: 10 minutes

Author: Maya Krampf from WholesomeYum.com

Servings: 6 (adjust to scale recipe)

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Ingredients

Tap underlined ingredients to see where to get them.

Instructions

Tap on the times in the instructions below to start a kitchen timer while you cook.

  1. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.

  2. Add the heavy cream. Bring to a gentle simmer, then continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, until it begins to thicken and volume is reduced by about 1/3. (Amount of time will vary depending on the size of your saucepan.)

  3. Reduce heat to low. Gradually whisk in the Parmesan cheese. Keep whisking over low heat, until smooth.

  4. Stir in nutmeg, sea salt, and black pepper, to taste. If sauce is thicker than you like, you can thin it out with more cream.

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Recipe Notes

Serving size: 1/4 cup

Recipe from The Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook.

Nutrition Facts

Amount per serving. Serving size in recipe notes above.

Calories261

Fat25.9g

Protein5g

Total Carbs2.9g

Net Carbs2.8g

Fiber0.1g

Sugar1.9g

Nutrition facts are provided as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see our nutrition policy.

Course:Main Course

Cuisine:Italian

Keywords:alfredo sauce, alfredo sauce recipe, easy alfredo sauce, homemade alfredo sauce

Calories: 261 kcal

© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead. 🙂

Alfredo Sauce Recipe

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FAQs

What is the secret to smooth Alfredo sauce? ›

Add heavy whipping cream, a little at a time, whisking to smooth out lumps. Stir in Parmesan and pepper. Remove from heat when sauce reaches desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if cooked too long.

What makes Alfredo sauce taste better? ›

Extra seasonings and spices will go a long way in adding flavor to a boring jar of sauce. Some of my personal favorites include salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, dried basil, oregano, onion powder or seasoned salt. Start with small amounts (1/2 teaspoon at a time) and add as needed, in order to avoid over-spicing.

What makes homemade Alfredo sauce thicker? ›

Starch-Based Thickeners
  1. Roux. The most typical way to make an alfredo sauce is to use a roux. ...
  2. Cornstarch. This works as a great thickening agent. ...
  3. Egg Yolks. Egg yolks are a terrific thickener for many things and pasta sauce is one of them. ...
  4. Heavy Cream. ...
  5. Shredded Cheese. ...
  6. Potato.

What is Alfredo sauce made of? ›

Alfredo sauce is made by melting butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese together. Unlike other pasta sauces that use tomatoes as a base, alfredo omits vegetables altogether and uses dairy products to achieve its mouth-watering flavor.

Why is my Alfredo not creamy? ›

Add more cheese.

This is often the easiest way to make a creamy sauce. Any grated, shredded, or cream cheese will do. Toss in 1 or 2 tbsp of pasta water for best results. The starch from the pasta will bond with the dairy content, creating a nice cream that will improve the texture of the sauce.

How do you keep Alfredo sauce from getting gritty? ›

Don't overheat any cheese sauce or it will “break” meaning that the cheese will separate into a thin sauce and bits of cheese which describes the “grainy” nature of your Alfredo sauce. Ideally Alfredo sauce should not be “cooked” at all but combined using the heat from the pasta only.

What seasoning taste good in Alfredo? ›

Butter: This Alfredo sauce starts with two sticks of butter. Cream: The rich sauce calls for almost a cup of heavy cream. Seasonings: The fettuccine Alfredo is simply seasoned with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Cheese: You'll need Romano and Parmesan cheeses.

Can I use half and half instead of heavy cream for Alfredo? ›

Yes, as a matter of fact, using half and half instead of heavy cream results in a sauce that is equally as thick and creamy. How do you thicken half and half for Alfredo? We've added a couple tablespoons of flour to this sauce recipe to make sure the sauce turns out equivalently thick and creamy using half and half.

What makes fettuccine alfredo so good? ›

The original fettuccine Alfredo

The real Alfredo sauce is delicious because of its simplicity. The only ingredients are butter, Parmesan cheese and pepper. That's it! You'll find neither heavy cream nor parsley in the original recipe.

How to keep butter from separating in Alfredo sauce? ›

To prevent the Alfredo sauce from separating, one should:
  1. Use Low Heat: Reheat the sauce on the stove over a low setting. ...
  2. Stir Frequently: Regular stirring is essential in keeping the sauce uniform. ...
  3. Consider Cornstarch: A small amount of cornstarch can act as a stabilizer.
Mar 9, 2024

How to unthicken homemade Alfredo sauce? ›

Luckily, there's a simple fix that will have your creamy sauce back to its perfect, delicious self in no time. The key is to add a little bit of liquid. The most common thinner for any creamy sauce is milk, however, you can also use other liquids like water, broth, or cream.

How to make Alfredo sauce stick to pasta? ›

Once the pasta is in the sauce, add pasta water. This is the most vital step in the process. Starchy pasta water doesn't just help thin the sauce to the right consistency; it also helps it cling to the pasta better and emulsify with the fat and cheese you're going to be adding.

What is authentic Alfredo made of? ›

Real alfredo sauce is made with 3 simple ingredients: butter, Parmesan cheese and fresh fettuccine pasta. There is absolutely no cream in this dish (cream is common in most American-style alfredo sauce recipes). Make this dish with my fresh homemade pasta, fresh sourdough pasta or store-bought fresh pasta.

How to add flavor to Alfredo sauce? ›

15 Ways To Upgrade Store-Bought Alfredo Sauce
  1. Add extra cheese for creaminess and flavor. ...
  2. Stir in a touch of marinara to mimic a vodka sauce. ...
  3. Mix in a bit of pesto for an instant transformation. ...
  4. Add roasted or sauteed garlic for a serious boost in flavor. ...
  5. Simmer with extra herbs and spices for added depth.
Feb 29, 2024

What makes Alfredo taste like Alfredo? ›

Alfredo sauce is a rich, creamy sauce that is typically made with butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese. Some recipes also call for garlic, herbs, or other seasonings. Essentially, the sauce is a combination of butter and cream, with the Parmesan cheese adding a tangy, salty flavour.

How do you get flour lumps out of Alfredo sauce? ›

If the sauce has just a few lumps, use a balloon whisk and whisk vigorously to break the lumps up. Use a food processor, blender or immersion blender to whizz those lumps out of sight. Return to heat and whisk until warmed through.

How do you make Alfredo creamy again? ›

While controlling the heat is what helps the fat (oil) not separate from the sauce in the first place, adding cream to your leftovers is what helps to revive the dish. This leaves the pasta nice and creamy again and makes sure that it's not dried out.

How do you keep Alfredo sauce from getting greasy? ›

One of the simplest ways to avoid greasy, separated Alfredo sauce is to heat it slowly over the stove instead in the microwave. Microwaves heat up food much faster than a stove does, and the faster you reheat your leftover sauce, the more likely it is to separate.

How do you keep Alfredo sauce from getting thick? ›

Add starchy pasta water to thin the sauce, if needed. The starch in the water also helps the sauce coat the pasta instead of clumping up or pooling on the plate. I use the pasta cooking water as the base of my alfredo sauce, as done in the recipe below. Pasta water, butter and Parmesan cheese form the sauce.

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