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This is the most creamy and delicious homemade alfredo sauce that you will ever make! It’s a tried and true recipe that will take all of your favorite pasta dishes to the next level.
This is my most popular recipe for a good reason! If you love alfredo as much as I do try this Creamy Garlic Shrimp Alfredo Pasta, Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta or Asiago Garlic Alfredo Pasta.
Best-Ever Alfredo Sauce
This is probably one of my favorite recipes here on the blog. (It’s a reader-favorite, too!) If there is one thing I can always count on my family to eat it is my homemade alfredo sauce over pasta. With alfredo sauce this creamy, cheesy, and flavorful, it’s so hard to resist!
We recently had some company over for dinner and I made these Chicken Bacon Garlic Alfredo Roll Ups. They are always are a huge hit! This homemade alfredo sauce really makes any dish shine. It’s thick and creamy, coats pasta perfectly, and the flavor is out of the world. It is restaurant quality that you can make right at home!
Ingredients You Need to Make It
You only need a few simple ingredients to make the BEST alfredo sauce. This sauce just has a smooth, creamy texture that melts in your mouth. For the best possible flavor, using the freshest ingredients is key! Fresh parmesan cheese grated off the block is one of those key ingredients. This will create a smooth textured sauce rather than a grainy one.
- Butter: Both unsalted or salted work for this alfredo sauce recipe. If using salted butter, then just adjust the extra salt you use or omit it entirely.
- Heavy Cream: A must-add so your sauce is rich and creamy.
- Cream Cheese: My secret ingredient! This adds a nice, thick consistency to your alfredo sauce.
- Minced Garlic: For the best flavor, use fresh garlic.
- Garlic Powder: Because you can never go wrong with too much garlic! Add some of this in so your sauce has a little extra savory flavor.
- Italian Seasoning: My favorite blend of herbs! They make the sauce smell and taste amazing.
- Salt and Pepper: Add both to taste.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese: Using freshly grated parmesan cheese is best. Powdered cheese will create a grainy texture and does not melt through when heated. This is because of all the preservatives that are added.
How to Make Alfredo Sauce From Scratch
Not only does this alfredo sauce recipe use super simple ingredients, but it’s so quick and easy to make! Simply combine all of your ingredients in a skillet and achieve creamy, cheesy goodness. It’s so good!
- Whisk Dairy Ingredients Together: In a medium saucepan add butter, heavy whipping cream, and cream cheese. Then cook over medium heat and whisk until melted.
- Add In Seasonings: Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, and salt and pepper. Then continue to whisk until smooth.
- Stir in Cheese: Add the grated parmesan cheese.
- Thicken Your Sauce: Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes until it starts to thicken.
- Toss With Pasta: Toss alfredo sauce with your favorite pasta! I always go for fettuccine noodles to make the best fettuccine alfredo ever!
How Many Cups Does It Yield?
When you are done making your alfredo sauce you will be able to fill a tall canning jar. This is about 14 to 16 ounces (1 pound) of pasta or 2 cups of sauce. I like to reserve a little sauce on the side for dipping breadsticks in.
Alfredo Sauce FAQ
This thick, cheesy, and flavorful sauce is a reader favorite for good reason! These are a few common questions I get asked, I hope they help you create the homemade alfredo sauce of your dreams!
- Can I Make Alfredo Sauce With Milk Instead of Cream? Adding milk is always an option. You will end up with a lighter and less thick consistency but it will work. Half and half is another option you can use. If you need to thicken your sauce up a little more, then add 1 to 2 teaspoons of flour until you reach your desired consistency.
- How Do I Make My Sauce Thicker? When adding cream cheese, slowly cut chunks of cream cheese as you are stirring. This helps create a thicker and creamier sauce. You can also use a roux by using an equal amount of butter to flour, about 1 teaspoon.
- Is This Alfredo Sauce Gluten-Free? This recipe is considered gluten-free! It has an amazing flavor without substitutions.
- Is Alfredo Sauce Made With Cheese? This is a cheese-based pasta sauce that is rich in flavor. It does not harden like cheese though.
- Can I Make it Dairy-Free? There are substitutions to make this dairy-free but I do not recommend it if you are looking for an authentic alfredo sauce. Having dairy in the recipe makes it rich, creamy, and smooth. If you absolutely must, then swap out the heavy cream for a dairy-free creamer or nut milk and use dairy-free or vegan cheese crumbles. Keep in mind that the texture may end up slightly different.
- What Protein Can I Add? Alfredo sauce goes so well with chicken or fish. Try this crispy parmesan chicken or garlic brown sugar salmon!
Tips and Variations
I think this sauce is even better than any restaurant that I have been to and the best part is- you can make it yourself! It’s thick, creamy, and rich. The perfect sauce for your favorite pasta. I know that you will quickly agree that it is the BEST! This will be a recipe that you make again and again, just like I do!
- Use a Whisk: Avoid separating your alfredo sauce when mixing it by whisking it together rather than stirring with a spatula.
- Cook Low and Slow: The most important rule is to not overheat your alfredo sauce. Slowly add ingredients on a low heat and for a short period of time. Melted cheese will break and separate once it gets too hot leaving your cheese clumpy. Do not boil or overheat. Boiling will separate and ruin the alfredo sauce. If you are worried about overheating, then add your parmesan with the heat off. This will also prevent clumping!
- Protein Choices: Grilled chicken, fish, shredded rotisserie chicken, or shrimp are great with this sauce!
- Extra Seasonings: Add in more spices and seasonings like red pepper flakes or paprika so your alfredo has a kick of heat, similar to this One Pot Cajun Chicken Alfredo Pasta.
- Different Cheese: To switch up the flavor, use half Romano cheese or asiago cheese instead of parmesan cheese.
Storing Leftover Alfredo Sauce
Alfredo sauce is a favorite at our house and I know that it won’t last long, even if I double it! Here’s how to store any leftovers so you can enjoy it again and again.
- Storing in the Refrigerator: I like to store my alfredo sauce in an airtight jar in the refrigerator. It will stay good for about 5 days. The ingredients may separate as it sits, so give it a quick stir before you use it.
- Reheating: Slowly is key! Use low temperatures and stir often. If it starts to separate, slowly whisk it back together over low heat on the stovetop. It is best not to microwave this sauce. It becomes more oily and separates just as easily, if not more.
More Amazing Alfredo Recipes
If you love everything alfredo, here are a few more great dishes to try. They’re easy, cheesy, and picky eater approved! What could be better than that? So go ahead, try them out with that tasty batch of alfredo sauce you just made!
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The Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce Ever!
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- 1 pint heavy whipping cream or 2 cups
- 4 ounces cream cheese
- ½ teaspoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon italian seasoning
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan add butter, heavy whipping cream, and cream cheese. Cook over medium heat and whisk until melted.
- Add the minced garlic, garlic powder, italian seasoning, salt and pepper. Continue to whisk until smooth. Add the grated parmesan cheese.
- Bring to a simmer and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken. Toss it with your favorite pasta!
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Just made this tonight & it was delicious! My 17 year old thinks he’s Gordon Ramsay and critiques any new recipe I make but he liked this one. Best part is that it doesn’t take long to whip up! Thank you for sharing!
That is awesome to hear! I love your 17 year old! I am glad it passed his test:)! Thanks for sharing! XOXO
Such a great recipe Alyssa! Quick and easy, but so rich and decadent! I made a batch of sauce on Saturday, froze it for a week, then let it defrost overnight and re-warmed it on the stop top the following weekend – it came back together with typical whisking and tasted just as it did when I first made it – no loss of quality. I served it with a pound of fettucine and some chicken and bacon tossed in to four hungry golfers and it was a smashing success. I’ll never use jarred sauce again –
this is too good and easy to pass up. Thanks so much!
That is great to hear! I am so glad you made ahead and it stayed so well. I will note that and remember that for me when I make it next. Thanks so much for sharing this! XOXO
I didn’t have enough whipping cream so I changed it up a little. I sautéed the garlic in the butter then added a little white wine and continued with recipe as instructed this is the best by far of any alfredo I’ve attempted and I’ve tried my fair share. It’s so creamy and smooth. Thank you!
That is SO great to hear! I love your substitutions and think you are very creative!! Way to go! I am so glad it turned out and you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing! XOxO
This sauce was amazing
YAY! Happy dance! So glad you loved it! XOXO
This Alfredo sauce is amazing! It’s thick, creamy and very flavorful. I have the recipe saved to make again!
That is great to hear! We LOVE this sauce! You described it perfectly! XOXO
If you’re like me and don’t really care for cream cheese all that much, never fear! I just left the cream cheese out and added about 1/4 cup more parm and it was the best Alfredo we have ever had!
I just made the alfredo sauce,and OMG it was so delicious!!!! Thank you for sharing this amazing recipe.
SO GOOD, RIGHT!?!?! I LOVE it and we make it weekly. I am so glad you love this as much as I do! Thanks for sharing! XOXO
Salted or unsalted butter?
I usually like unsalted butter but if you prefer one over the other it won’t change the sauce. Hope that helps!! XOXO
I see some were freezing it. Can you “can” it in jars? I would think you can “can” anything but wanted to see if anyone has?
I have heard both yes and no answers for it. I would not recommend it since there is cream cheese and heavy cream in it. Hope that helps! XOXO
Thanks for the recipe. It was easy to make, with nearly all of the ingredients already in my pantry. (I just happened to have some cream cheese on hand). It was full of flavor, and even my 12-year-old son loved it. Thanks again.
It is so simple and delicious!! We make this on a weekly basis! Glad your son enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing! XOXO
This was friggin excellent. I sautéed some chicken and broccoli and poured the sauce on top. Low-carb friendly and simple to make!
That is SO good to hear! I am so happy that you enjoyed it! Thanks so much for sharing! XOXO
Thought it was a bit salty. Followed it to the directions, but I used salted butter and salted my water before making the noodles. I think without the salted butter and not salting the noodles, then the sauce could be seasoned to taste. I agree that the parm should be fresh ground and not Kraft or other manufactured “stuff”.
Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipe. I followed it exactly as you have it written and used it tonight to make a quick and easy chicken alfredo with a rotisserie chicken, baby spinach, and spaghetti squash. You really do have the perfect recipe.
AWE! Thank you SO much! I really appreciate that! We actually made this for our family tonight too! I am so glad you were enjoying the same rich and creamy meal we were! XOXO
This was so amazing ! ! I’m never going back to the alfredo sauce in the jar. I was a little skeptical on trying a recipe like this but now this will be my go to !
AWE!! YES! I am so happy you love it as much as I do!! I make this weekly! Thank you so much for sharing! XOXO
YUM! Making this tonight. I follow a low carb diet so I am glad I found your recipe with no thickeners! I will serve mine over broccoli 😛 Thank you!!
Made this for lunch today, put it over my spaghetti squash and chicken. I’m on the ketone lifestyle change so everything it was allowable. I have to tell you it was amazing. Thank you so very much.
That sounds delicious! I love this idea! Thank you for sharing! XOXO