Kiss the jarred sauce goodbye when you make this incredibly easy and delicious Homemade Alfredo Sauce. It’s an easy addition to some of your favorite types of pasta, including fettuccine, spaghetti, and penne!
What’s in this Alfredo Sauce Recipe?
Who knew it was so simple to make a delicious Homemade Alfredo Sauce? Use fresh ingredients to make something that tastes like it came straight out of a restaurant.
- Butter: Make sure you’re using unsalted butter. If it has salt in it, the sauce may taste a bit too salty to you.
- Garlic: Feel free to use pre-minced garlic if you don’t have fresh garlic cloves available to use for this recipe. It will still work well.
- Heavy Cream: If you don’t have heavy cream, you can make it using whole milk and full-fat butter.
- Parmesan Cheese: It’s best to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese because of the extra flavor it brings to the sauce compared to bottled Parmesan.
- Salt + Pepper: Enhance the flavors of this sauce.
Pro Tip: Add red chili pepper flakes to the blend of seasonings if you’d like to add a slight bit of spice to your sauce.
Variations on Alfredo Sauce
You can easily change up this Alfredo sauce to meet your needs. For a vegan Alfredo sauce, swap the butter, heavy cream, and Parmesan for vegan alternatives. Follow the same advice to make a dairy-free Alfredo sauce. Fortunately for those on the keto diet, this Alfredo sauce is already keto-friendly, so serve it up with your favorite keto noodles for keto Alfredo! For a light Alfredo sauce, swap the heavy cream for milk or half-and-half.
Once you’ve made the sauce, feel free to add extras to your final dish, such as chopped broccoli or mushrooms, to beef up this dish. Cooked chicken, beef, sausage, or bacon crumbles would also be delicious.
Yes, this Alfredo sauce is naturally gluten-free. Simply prepare some of your favorite gluten-free pasta, and you’re good to go!
If cold heavy cream is added, it may separate. Room temperature cream incorporates much more easily with the other warm ingredients.
Yes! Instead of 6.4 ounces of Parmesan cheese, use a combination of freshly grated Parmesan and Pecorino Romano cheeses. For the best-tasting sauce, use high-quality cheese and grate it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese doesn’t melt as well and isn’t a great option for Alfredo sauce.
To thin out the sauce, gradually add a couple tablespoons of warm water (or pasta water) after the cheese is mixed in.
Yes! For a lighter Alfredo sauce, use whole milk or half-and-half instead of heavy cream.
Store any leftover Alfredo sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. When ready to reheat, don’t microwave the sauce! Instead, warm the sauce in a saucepan set over low heat.
I don’t recommend it. Cream-based recipes don’t typically thaw and reheat well.
How to Store and Reheat Easy Alfredo Sauce
Store leftover Alfredo sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat in a pot on the stovetop set over medium-low heat, stirring constantly, until warmed through. I do not recommend freezing this sauce.
What to Serve with Alfredo Sauce from Scratch
Serve this sauce over your favorite pasta. Try making pasta from scratch for the freshest taste! Add diced chicken, steak, or sausage crumbles for a hearty meal. Serve this Alfredo with a side of garlic bread that you can dip into the sauce. You can also prepare a side salad to enjoy with the pasta and sauce.
Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter (¾ stick)
- 1 clove garlic minced
- 1½ cups heavy cream room temperature
- 6.4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
- Kosher salt to taste
- Ground black pepper to taste
- Minced fresh thyme optional
Instructions
For the Alfredo Sauce
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Melt the butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat.6 tablespoons unsalted butter
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Add the garlic and cook until lightly browned and fragrant.1 clove garlic
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Remove the pan from the heat and let it cool for 3-5 minutes.
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Pour in the room temperature heavy cream. Whisk until combined.1½ cups heavy cream
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Once the cream is fully combined, place the pan back on the stove over low heat. Do not let the sauce come to a boil – keep it over low heat.
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Add the grated cheese and continually whisk the sauce together until the cheese is completely melted and evenly combined.6.4 ounces freshly grated Parmesan cheese
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Taste and season with salt, pepper, and thyme.Kosher salt, Ground black pepper, Minced fresh thyme
To Make Fettuccini Alfredo
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Bring water in a large pot to a boil. Add 1 teaspoon of salt.
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Once the water is boiling, cook 16 ounces of fettuccine noodles to al dente according to package instructions.
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Drain, reserving ½ cup of the pasta cooking water.
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Mix the pasta with the sauce, adding cooking water as needed to reach the desired consistency. Serve immediately.
Video
Notes
- Make sure you’re using unsalted butter. If it has salt in it, the sauce may taste a bit too salty to you.
- Feel free to use pre-minced garlic if you don’t have fresh garlic cloves available to use for this recipe. It will still work well.
- If you don’t have heavy cream, you can make it using whole milk and full-fat butter.
- It’s best to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese because of the extra flavor it brings to the sauce compared to bottled Parmesan.
- Fresh thyme is an optional ingredient that adds even more flavor to this sauce. However, you don’t need it. If you can’t find it, don’t worry about adding it because the sauce will still taste amazing.
- Add red chili pepper flakes to the blend of seasonings if you’d like to add a slight bit of spice to your sauce.
- If your sauce appears to be too thick, you can thin it out by using some of the reserved pasta water and adding it to the skillet.
- Nutritional information is for the sauce only, not prepared fettuccini Alfredo.
Nutrition
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