Skip the store-bought sauce and make this rich and creamy Alfredo Sauce Recipe for dinner tonight! It’s made with heavy whipping cream for the perfect creamy texture and indulgent flavor in just one pan. The perfect sauce for your favorite pasta on its own or with some chicken or broccoli added.
I love pasta Alfredo! It’s always a hit in my house, whether it’s served with chicken and broccoli or on its own. It’s so simple to make but really this Parmesan cream sauce makes a satisfying dish that I know everyone loves.
For other homemade sauces, try this one-pan turkey gravy next!
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Why You Will Love This Recipe
- Better Than Store Bought: Making homemade Alfredo sauce simply tastes better thanks to simple whole foods and no preservatives.
- Affordable: With just a handful of simple ingredients this easy cream sauce for pasta makes an affordable option over jarred sauces.
- Customizable: Making homemade Alfredo sauce means you can adjust to your own tastes. Add in extra spices, make it lighter, or add extra cheese for more flavor. The choice is yours.
- Make Ahead: Worried that making your own garlic Alfredo sauce will make meal time more difficult? This sauce is great to make ahead of time and store in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat it and serve it up for fettuccine Alfredo or another favorite dish.
Ingredients
- Dairy: It all starts with butter and heavy cream for the richest Alfredo flavors. Use salted or unsalted but if you use salted butter, you might not need to use any additional salt in the recipe but always taste for seasoning. Stick with heavy cream for the best flavor.
- Seasonings: Simple pantry spices are all you need. A bit of garlic gives it that savory flavor while salt and pepper bring the flavors all together.
- Cheeses: I love using a combination of Parmesan and mozzarella cheese. Parmesan gives that robust tangy and nutty flavor while mozzarella makes it extra cheesy, providing more texture than flavor. Pecorino romano cheese works well in place of the Parmesan cheese.
- Olive oil: When it comes to Italian flavored sauce, olive oil is always a good choice but feel free to use any cooking oil you have.
Be sure to scroll down to the full recipe card for the complete list of ingredients along with their quantities.
Variations
This Alfredo sauce recipe is like a blank slate! You can serve it as it is (and it’s great) or you can try one of these variations below!
- Cajun spice: Looking to add some spice or Cajun flavors to your sauce, add some blackening seasoning or any Cajun spice for added flavor. This variation is especially great paired with seafood or chicken!
- Herbs and Seasonings: Add fresh or dried herbs. Basil, oregano, Italian seasoning, thyme, and rosemary are just a few that would work well. You might also try a pinch of nutmeg too!
- Lighter: If you’re looking to lighten things up you can replace half of the heavy cream with milk or use half and half instead.
How to Make Alfredo Sauce From Scratch
Storing Directions
- Leftovers: Store leftovers in the refrigerator for up to four days. You can store it in the freezer for up to three months, but I wouldn't recommend keeping it longer than that. Keep in mind that freezing high fat dairy products sometimes cause the fat and oil to separate so it may have a grainy texture.
- Reheat: If the sauce is frozen, allow it to thaw in the refrigerator overnight. Return the sauce to your skillet and reheat over medium heat. Add more cheese to thicken the sauce or more dairy if it needs to be thinned out.
Serving Suggestions
Serve the sauce over your favorite noodles! In my house, it’s always fettuccine or another long noodle such as spaghetti or angel hair pasta. But really any type of Alfredo pasta is great.
If you want to bulk up your Alfredo sauce, add in some cooked chicken, sauteed shrimp, or blanched broccoli! You can even combine chicken and broccoli together or experiment with zucchini, peas, carrots, and Brussels sprouts.
Spoon the sauce over these skillet braised chicken thighs, breaded chicken cutlets, or some grilled chicken breasts.
Add a simple side dish along with Alfredo noodles to complete your meal like these asparagus and peas or Dutch oven summer squash. Enjoy your steamed artichoke hearts with Alfredo sauce served up for dipping instead of butter.
Expert Tips
Get creative. Feel free to change up the flavor with your own personal combination or using one listed above. You can also use your Alfredo sauce in any dish that calls for jarred sauce, as a pizza sauce, or even for a baked pasta dish.
Shred your own cheese. Buying block cheese and grating it yourself makes a creamier consistency. Quickly grate it in your food processor to save some time. And be sure to skip the grated Parmesan cheese in the green shaker – you will not have good results with it for a creamy pasta sauce.
Watch the heat. Dairy scalds very easily so make sure your sauce doesn’t get to hot and be sure to stir frequently.
Recipe FAQs
This often happens when the sauce gets to hot or you’ve cooked it for too long. Make sure you keep the heat stable, stir frequently, and remove it from the heat as soon as the cheese melts and the sauce thickens.
For a thicker sauce, add more mozzarella cheese and stir to melt. Another option is to add some cream cheese to thicken it up but it will change the flavor. In a pinch, you can also make a cornstarch slurry with one tablespoon of cornstarch and two tablespoons of water and stir it into the sauce. Let it cook until it thickens.
If you prefer the sauce a bit thinner, add a tablespoon of warm pasta water until the sauce reaches its desired consistency.
More Dutch Oven and Skillet Sauce Recipes
If you tried this Easy Creamy Alfredo Sauce or any other recipe on my blog, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how it went in the 📝 comments below. Thanks for visiting!
Get the Recipe
Easy Creamy Alfredo Sauce
Equipment
- 10" cast iron skillet
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon butter
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 2 cups heavy whipping cream
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese grated
- ¾ cup mozzarella cheese shredded
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Add butter and olive oil to 10″ skillet and melt on medium high heat.
- Add pepper, garlic powder and heavy cream cook until it begins to simmer.
- Slowly incorporate the cheeses by the handful, taking care to stir them in completely. add additional salt and pepper to taste.
- Once the cheese has been added and melted, taste for salt, adding some if needed.
- Serve over prepared pasta and enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Dutch Oven Daddy is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is only an estimate. We recommend running the ingredients through an online nutritional calculator if you need to verify any information.
Greta Adams
I really like the flavor, and the texture, when I put it on my pasta. I’m a very picky eater, and I LOVE this recipe.
Ned Adams
I’m glad you like this one so much! Thanks for sharing!
D
Great for after the game!!!
Chris Wallace
This is my go to Alfredo recipe. Ive made it 20 plus times and my family never gets tired of it.
Ned Adams
Oh we are so glad you are enjoying it with your family! Family and food, doesn't get much better than that. Thank you for sharing!
Cami
So much better than alfredo sauce to of a jar! We did it with some ravioli and the kids loved it!