How to Make Alfredo Sauce from Scratch - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

Home » Dips and Sauces » Alfredo Sauce from Scratch

by Stephanie Manley, Last Updated 61 Comments

Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

Have you ever wondered how to makeAlfredo Sauce? Guess what? This pasta sauce is super easy to make!

How to Make Alfredo Sauce from Scratch - CopyKat Recipes (1)

Table of Contents

Easy Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Did you know it’s really easy to make Alfredo sauce? In the time that it takes you to cook the pasta you can make an amazing Alfredo sauce. Don’t buy the sauce from the jar, you can make Alfredo sauce that tastes just like it came out of a restaurant at home.

You can learn how to make this creamy cheese sauce for a very tasty plate of pasta at home.

Ingredients

Here’s what you need to make Alfredo sauce served with pasta:

  • Butter
  • Heavy cream
  • Grated Parmesan cheese
  • Salt, optional
  • Ground white pepper, optional
  • Dried pasta

Ingredient Notes

The key to the best alfredo sauce is good-quality ingredients.

Use heavy cream also known as whipping cream. Do not substitute it with half-and-half.

Make sure you get real butter and not margarine.

Do use good-quality butter and cream. I have found that buying them relatively close to when you make the dish is a good idea. Sometimes butter and cream can pick up flavors from your fridge.

With the Parmesan cheese, be sure to use a quality brand.

Also, a block of Parmesan that you grate is better than anything that comes pre-shredded. Pre-shredded and grated parmesan has anti-caking agents that will keep the sauce from being as smooth as it should be. So take the time to shred it yourself. Do not use the type of cheese that comes in a can.

Please, use fresh Parmesan cheese. You will be rewarded with a flavorful sauce if you do.

How to Make Alfredo Sauce

  1. Melt the butter and heavy cream in a medium saucepan, stirring constantly.
  2. Add half of the Parmesan cheese and cook the sauce over low to medium heat until the cheese melts, stirring constantly.
  3. Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.
  4. Drain the pasta and pour it into a bowl. You do not need to rinse your pasta.
  5. Add Alfredo sauce to the pasta.
  6. Stir to combine the sauce and pasta.
  7. Season it with salt and white pepper if desired.
  8. Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese and serve immediately.

Mixing the sauce with the pasta is an Italian way to serve up this particular dish. It coats the pasta well and gives you a delicious bit of sauce in every bite.

You can make delicious Alfredo sauce at home following these directions.

Easy to Make Pasta Sauce

I often get asked about how to make certain types of food or what recipes are really easy. Here is one that I always pass out to people.

It is simple to make Alfredo Sauce and it turns out very well no matter if you are a highly experienced cook or if you are just a beginner.

If you are in a jam and need dinner in a hurry, you can make this sauce more quickly than you can cook the pasta.

Alfredo sauce is a great way to use leftovers. If you have some cooked chicken, you could add it to this pasta recipe.

How to Make Alfredo Sauce from Scratch - CopyKat Recipes (2)

More Alfredo Recipes

  • Crab Fettuccine Alfredo
  • Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
  • Pasta House Fettuccine Alfredo
  • Seafood Alfredo Recipe
  • Steak Alfredo Pasta

Favorite Italian Recipes

  • Chicken Margherita
  • Olive Garden Lasagna
  • Olive Garden Shrimp Scampi
  • Italian Rice Balls
  • Italian Sausage
  • Shrimp Carbonara
  • Tuscany Soup

Check out more of my easy sauce recipes and the best Italian recipes here on CopyKat!

How to Make Alfredo Sauce from Scratch

Learn how to make Alfredo sauce from scratch and serve it with pasta for a delicious Italian dinner.

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate Add to Collection

Course: Main Course

Cuisine: Italian

Keyword: Alfredo Sauce

Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes minutes

Servings: 4

Calories: 1553kcal

Author: Stephanie Manley

Ingredients

  • 1 pound dried pasta
  • 3/4 pound butter
  • 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
  • 2 cups grated Parmesan cheese
  • salt and ground white pepper optional

Instructions

  • Prepare the pasta according to the package directions.

  • While the pasta is cooking, melt the butter and heavy cream in a medium saucepan. Stir constantly to prevent the sauce from burning.

  • Add 1 cup of the Parmesan and cook over low to medium heat until the cheese melts, stirring constantly.

  • When the pasta is done, drain it and place it into a bowl.

  • Add the Alfredo sauce to the pasta.

  • Stir or toss to combine the sauce and pasta.

  • If you like, you can season it with salt and white pepper.

  • Sprinkle with the remaining Parmesan cheese when serving.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 1553kcal | Carbohydrates: 89g | Protein: 36g | Fat: 118g | Saturated Fat: 73g | Cholesterol: 349mg | Sodium: 1412mg | Potassium: 402mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 3g | Vitamin A: 3870IU | Vitamin C: 0.6mg | Calcium: 657mg | Iron: 1.9mg

About Stephanie Manley

I recreate your favorite restaurant recipes, so you can prepare these dishes at home. I help you cook dinner, and serve up dishes you know your family will love. You can find most of the ingredients for all of the recipes in your local grocery store.

Stephanie is the author of CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home, and CopyKat.com's Dining Out in the Home 2.

REVEALED: Copycat Secrets for 2023

free email bonus

Yes, you CAN make it at home!I'll show you how.

We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites.

Previous Post: « Kenny Rogers Barbecue Sauce

Next Post: How to Cook a Brisket »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Dominos

    How to Make Alfredo Sauce from Scratch - CopyKat Recipes (4)
    Oh yum! I want to eat this right now! haha.

    Reply

  2. LLP

    Old school alfredo sauce often uses a mix of egg yolks and a little of heated cream mixture added slowly to the sauce. Clings better to the pasta

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      I do agree you can add it in, I think it is good both ways.

      Reply

    • Pasta Fire

      Old school alfredo uses no egg or cream at all. Just real parm, butter, and a little pasta water. It clings perfectly.

      Reply

  3. James Collard

    Stephanie, What a delightful description .. ¨Please use fresh Parmesan, good quality butter and cream¨. I shall do my best. I have it here with bits of chopped ham in the fetuccini and I think they go nicely. But I´ve wanted to make my own for some time. And on chicken sounds terrific too, with the fetuccini.
    JimC

    • Stephanie

      The right ingredients will make the difference.

      Reply

  4. perryconnie

    I am looking for a copycat recipe for alfredo sauce from cici’s pizza and I can’t find it anywhere, does anyone else know?

    Reply

    • Carson Bryant

      did you ever find a recipe

      Reply

    • A.G.

      I’m looking for this too. My 9 yr old LOVES their sauce.

      Reply

  5. Leigh

    I was taught to use cream cheese… I love this recipe. Thank you

    Reply

    • stephaniemanley

      It is ok to use Alfredo sauce, but you don’t need the cream cheese.

      Reply

  6. renee

    good to make for casseroles to take to a pot luck

    Reply

    • stephaniemanley

      How to Make Alfredo Sauce from Scratch - CopyKat Recipes (5)
      Great idea. I never thought about taking Alfredo Sauce to a pot luck!

      Reply

  7. Austerity Sucks

    3 sticks of butter seems excessive no ???

    Reply

    • stephaniemanley

      This makes a lot of sauce.

      Reply

  8. Gina Cesaro-Riso

    Make that unsalted butter since the Parmesan tends to be very salty. Then you can adjust the salt as needed.

    Reply

    • stephaniemanley

      Great tip. I appreciate you dropping by!

      Reply

  9. Tina

    This turned out really good, it seemed a little thin when it was first finished, but once I added it to my pasta it was fine. Only thing different that I did was add a little bit of garlic. Thanks for the recipe!

    Reply

    • stephaniemanley

      Garlic tastes really good in the Alfredo sauce.

      Reply

  10. Jeff

    Thanks. My daughter became an alfredo sauce fan after eating at a hotel cafeteria in Disney a few months ago (I know. . . I assumed a cafeteria would cook from a can). We picked up a couple different jars of sauce at the store and both were expectantly bland and thin. She was able to do this recipe (8 year old) with some help here and there. Ours had a great flavor and coated the pasta well. I think the “real” cheese was the reason for past failures. We’d buy the standard 2 cup Kraft bagged cheese and it never worked for reasons you point out. I’m a garlic fan so it was added. We ended up using a little cream cheese to thicken it as I think we added too much heavy cream.

    Reply

    • stephaniemanley

      If your sauce isn’t thickening as you would like it, I find if you turn up the heat just a bit more it will help it a great deal.

      Reply

  11. Bonnie

    Offering your video along with the recipe is such an added plus! 🙂

    Reply

  12. Bonnie

    Offering your video along with the recipe is such an added plus! 🙂

    Reply

  13. matahati10

    Thank you for the easy Alfredo Sauce recipe…

    Reply

    • Stephanie

      You are welcome. I hope you enjoy more recipes.

      Reply

« Older Comments

Leave a Reply

How to Make Alfredo Sauce from Scratch - CopyKat Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is homemade Alfredo sauce made of? ›

Alfredo Sauce Ingredients

You'll need just five simple ingredients to make this basic Alfredo sauce recipe: butter, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, garlic, and fresh parsley.

How was Alfredo sauce originally made? ›

Recipes attributed to Di Lelio only include three ingredients: fettuccine, young Parmesan cheese and butter. Yet there are various legends about the "secret" of the original Alfredo recipe: some say oil is added to the pasta dough, others that the noodles are cooked in milk.

What is a good substitute for Alfredo sauce? ›

Greek yogurt: Mixing Greek yogurt with minced garlic, lemon juice, and salt can make a low-calorie and lower-fat alternative to traditional alfredo sauce. Cauliflower puree: Blend cooked cauliflower with chicken or vegetable broth, garlic, and Parmesan cheese to make a creamy and lower-calorie sauce.

Is Olive Garden Alfredo made from scratch? ›

Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce is made daily

The ingredients are simple: a blend of cream, milk, and butter all come together with flour to create the base, then garlic is added along with Parmesan and Romano cheeses to get that hearty Italian flavor that seems to keep customers coming back.

What makes Alfredo taste like Alfredo? ›

What Makes Alfredo Taste Alfredo? The key to Alfredo sauce's unique flavour is the combination of butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese. The butter and cream create a rich, velvety base, while the Parmesan cheese adds a tangy, salty flavour.

Is Alfredo sauce made of milk? ›

This Alfredo sauce with milk, Parmesan cheese, and garlic is a quick and easy recipe that your family will love! You may add more Parmesan, garlic, and salt to taste. You can easily add anything you like, such as grilled shrimp, chicken, etc.

What mother sauce does Alfredo come from? ›

The five mother sauces are: Bechamel, Espangnole, Tomato, Hollandaise, and Veloute. Each take some practice and skill to master, and some are easier than others to perfect. Bechamel is a white sauce, made of flour, butter and milk. It's typically the base for Alfredo sauce or white country gravy.

What is an interesting fact about Alfredo sauce? ›

Alfredo Di Lelio created the recipe in 1908 because his wife, pregnant with their first child, was not eating well and losing weight. Alfredo wanted to feed her something simple, healthy, tasty and very nutritious at the same time. So he concocted a luscious but simple combination of pasta, cheese and butter.

Is Alfredo sauce actually Italian? ›

Fettuccine Alfredo, it turns out, is 100% Italian. To be fair, the original recipe is quite different from whatever you may find in the States. Italians have been eating Fettuccine Alfredo for over a century… They just didn't know that's what it was called!

What makes Alfredo sauce taste better? ›

Flavor Boosters

Nutmeg: A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg can elevate the flavors in your Alfredo sauce. However, use it sparingly; a little goes a long way. White Wine: A splash of a good-quality white wine can add depth and complexity. Make sure to cook off the alcohol by simmering the sauce for a few extra minutes.

What is a substitute for heavy cream in Alfredo sauce? ›

The best part? No heavy whipping cream! Just use regular milk (whole milk, skim milk, or 2%–it doesn't matter) for this creamy white sauce that goes perfectly with bow tie or fettuccine noodles. Add some chicken and broccoli for a quick and easy dinner!

What can I add to a jar of Alfredo sauce to make it taste better? ›

Heartier herbs like thyme or oregano can be added in to simmer with the sauce. Add delicate herbs like parsley, basil, or chervil at the end to maintain their delicate, aromatic flavor. Quick tip: Swirl in a bit of leftover pesto to add another herbaceous twist to your Alfredo sauce.

What's the difference between Italian Alfredo and American Alfredo? ›

The alfredo sauce, which now catered to American tastes rather than Italian, evolved to include ingredients like flour, cream, milk, and shrimp or chicken. To this day, di Lelio's original recipe only contains three ingredients: fettuccine, young Parmesan cheese, and butter.

Can I use mozzarella instead of Parmesan in Alfredo? ›

Parmesan is the signature flavor in Alfredo sauce but you can also combine it with other cheeses for additional flavor. You can also make a a completely different sauce/different flavor profile by swapping the Parmesan for another melting cheese such as mozzarella, Asiago, Gouda, smoked cheddar, Monterrey, etc.

How do you thicken Alfredo sauce? ›

The easiest way to accomplish this is to mix about a spoonful of cornstarch to 2 spoonfuls of liquid – it could be water or chicken stock or even milk. You will add this mixture, also called a slurry to the sauce and as it starts to cook, the sauce will thicken.

What's the difference between white sauce and Alfredo sauce? ›

The answer to this question is that white sauce and alfredo sauce are not the same things. Alfredo sauce is an Italian sauce that is produced with butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. White sauce, which is also known as béchamel, is a creamy French sauce that is made by combining roux and milk.

What mother sauce is Alfredo made from? ›

The five mother sauces are: Bechamel, Espangnole, Tomato, Hollandaise, and Veloute. Each take some practice and skill to master, and some are easier than others to perfect. Bechamel is a white sauce, made of flour, butter and milk. It's typically the base for Alfredo sauce or white country gravy.

How does homemade Alfredo sauce thicken? ›

The key ingredient in Alfredo sauce is cheese—generally Parmigiano Reggiano—and lots of it. To thicken Alfredo sauce, simply add more cheese than the amount called for in a recipe until you achieve the consistency you want.

What is heavy cream made of? ›

Heavy cream is made by skimming or separating the fattest layer of liquid off the top of whole milk in a processing plant. Commercial heavy cream also often contains added vitamins, stabilizers, and thickeners like carrageenan, polysorbate, and mono and diglycerides.

References

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Cheryll Lueilwitz

Last Updated:

Views: 5732

Rating: 4.3 / 5 (54 voted)

Reviews: 85% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Cheryll Lueilwitz

Birthday: 1997-12-23

Address: 4653 O'Kon Hill, Lake Juanstad, AR 65469

Phone: +494124489301

Job: Marketing Representative

Hobby: Reading, Ice skating, Foraging, BASE jumping, Hiking, Skateboarding, Kayaking

Introduction: My name is Cheryll Lueilwitz, I am a sparkling, clean, super, lucky, joyous, outstanding, lucky person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.