Homemade Alfredo sauce is much better than store bought. Quick, easy to make, fresh, plus you can adjust it to your own taste. With few ingredients: butter, cream, parmesan and seasoning. It has so many uses; pasta, vegetables, chicken, shrimp, and even as a sauce for pizza! Once you learn how to make it, you will never go back to buying it.
Alfredo Sauce
Authentic Alfredo sauce originated in Italy. It does not have cream, only butter and Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese. “Fettuccine Alfredo” was invented in a restaurant owned by Italian Alfredo di Lelio. That’s where the name “Alfredo Sauce” comes from.
There are countless Alfredo sauce versions. In the U.S., the popular version has cream, in addition to cheese and butter.
You can find Alfredo Sauce sold in jars in almost every supermarket. Making your own is so quick and easy with no additives. Best of all, you can tweak the taste to your own liking.
Alfredo sauce ingredients :
- Unsalted butter
- Heavy cream
- Parmesan cheese: If possible, use freshly grated parmesan
- Fresh garlic
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- Grated nutmeg, optional
- Aromatic herbs, fresh or dried, optional
Parmesan Cheese:
If possible, it’s better to grate the parmesan cheese yourself and not use store bought that’s already grated.
Store bought, grated parmesan cheese (pictured below on right) is drier and does not melt as well in the sauce. However, it will still work for this sauce, you just need to keep it on low heat for a longer duration.
How do you make Alfredo Sauce?
Step 1: start by grating parmesan cheese. Use the finest grid of the grater. This way, the cheese will melt faster in the cream and butter. If you have a zester, it works very well with this type of cheese.
Step 2: Melt the butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Step 3: Add cream and stir. Bring to a boil then lower the heat.
Step 4: (Add seasoning) Minced garlic, spices, aromatic herbs and salt. Stir and let it cook on low heat for about 2 minutes.
Step 5: Add the cheese and stir so it melts evenly. If you are using a lot of parmesan, add it in two separate portions (half, then the other half).
Note: The sauce thickens more as it cools.
How to keep Homemade Alfredo Sauce?
If you have leftover sauce or if you want to make it in advance for a quick, easy dinner. Store your fresh sauce in an airtight jar or container. It keeps well in the fridge for up to 5 days and a little longer if you use a very fresh cream.
Can you freeze Homemade Alfredo sauce?
Yes! Use an airtight container safe for freezing or a zip-lock freezer bag (lay the freezer bag flat for quicker thawing later).
To thaw frozen Alfredo sauce, take it out of the freezer the day before and place it in the fridge. This method is safer than thawing out at room temperatures.
Defrosted, before using, reheat in a saucepan on a very low heat.
How to use Alfredo Sauce?
Alfredo Sauce is mainly used for pasta (think fettuccine Alfredo!). It also has many other delicious uses.
Here are some ideas:
- Proteins: Chicken breast, shrimp and other seafood
- Veggies: Cauliflower, broccoli, brussel sprouts, spinach, asparagus, potatoes, yams… any veggies you like!
- You can also use it as a white sauce for pizza, vegetable and pasta casseroles and gratins.
Some Alfredo sauce versions:
You can tweak the recipe to make different variations of your Alfredo sauce:
- Don’t use cream and you will get the authentic Alfredo sauce.
- Replace some of the parmesan with other cheeses: Blue cheese, cream cheese, these are also very popular.
- Substitute some or all of the cream with whole milk for a lighter version. If your sauce is too thin for your taste, add a little cornstarch to thicken. This version is similar to the French, Mornay Sauce (French, Béchamel with cheese).
Other Pasta Sauces
- Classic Tomato Sauce
- Marinara sauce
- Quick tomato sauce with cherry tomatoes (5 minutes)
- Mornay Sauce (Béchamel white sauce with cheese)
- Creamy sauce with shrimp and mushrooms
- Creamy sauce with chicken and mushrooms
Other creamy sauces
- Parmesan and mushroom sauce
- Cheese and cream sauce for French tacos
- Mustard sauce
Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
This easy homemade Alfredo sauce is great with pasta, veggies, chicken, gratins... You can adjust quantities to your taste. For example, more cheese for a thicker sauce. Keep in mind the sauce thickens more as it cools.
This is enough for 1 pound of dried pasta (454 g) and 1 1/4 pounds (565 g) of fresh pasta.
Ingredients
- | ½ Cups Unsalted butter
- 1 Cup Heavy cream
- 1 ¼ Cups Grated parmesan cheese up to 2 cups, see notes
- 1 Minced garlic clove (or 2 garlic cloves)
- Salt and pepper to taste
- 1/8 Tsp Grated nutmeg optional
- Fresh or dried aromatic herbs optional
Instructions
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Melt butter in a small saucepan, over medium heat.
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Add cream, stir and bring to a boil.
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Reduce heat, add garlic, spices and dried herbs if using (if you're using fresh herbs like parsley, it's better to add them in at the end).
Stir and cook on low heat, about 2 minutes.
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Add cheese and let it melt on low heat, stirring so it doesn't burn. If you want to add 2 cups of cheese, first add half let it melt in. Then add the other half of cheese.
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That's all! Your Alfredo sauce is ready to use! 🙂 Bon appetit.
Recipe Notes
GARLIC:
You can melt the butter with the garlic before adding cream. But to prevent burning it (burned garlic is awful), it's better to add it with the cream.
You can substitute the garlic with 1 minced shallot if you like it better.
PARMESAN CHEESE:
If possible, use parmesan cheese that you grate yourself.
And for the grated cheese to melt faster in the sauce, use the finest grid of your grater. A zester is perfect with this kind of cheese if you have one.
Your Alfredo sauce thickness depends on how much cheese you use. With a 2:1 cheese to cream ratio, your sauce is thicker.
CREAM :
When you use cream, even if you only add 1 cup of cheese, your sauce will still be thick. For a lighter version, substitute some of the cream with whole milk. If your sauce is too thin for your taste, add a little cornstarch to thicken it.
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