Valentina Ablaev
Nothing beats homemade alfredo sauce; this alfredo sauce is the BEST recipe! Not only because of how easy it is, but it just tastes incredible! This alfredo is perfect for all of your pasta needs! Once you get a taste of this classic recipe, you will only want to make your alfredo sauce from scratch!
Have you ever tried to make Alfredo pasta sauce from scratch and ended up with a gritty mess? Was your sauce too thick or too thin and the result was a last-minute pizza delivery for dinner? Well, you are not alone! Alfredo is easy to mess up if you aren’t using the proper techniques, but what if I told you it’s simpler than you would think? I promise you that with our expert tips, you will never have bad Alfredo sauce again!
Alfredo pasta is a recurring dinner favorite at our house! Our easy crockpot alfredo recipe is our all-time favorite for a low-effort meal, and our baked alfredo pasta is the best for an easy oven recipe! You simply can’t go wrong with an alfredo dish.
What Makes Our Alfredo Sauce Different?
We’ve experimented with many variations of alfredo recipes, from traditional alfredo sauce to simple recipes, and we picked this one for a reason! One of the reasons is that it is so easy to make, and it tastes incredible! Many Alfredo recipes call for a roux, which often causes people to get confused and mess it up. This recipe gives you the perfect thick sauce without all that effort, making it the perfect fool-proof alfredo sauce recipe.
Ingredients for Alfredo Sauce From Scratch
- Butter – the base of this alfredo and a must for a flavorful and thick sauce.
Can you use oil instead of butter? Yes, you can absolutely use oil instead of butter! Butter does offer a rich flavor, but if you don’t have it, it’s okay; olive oil will do just fine! - Garlic – some would say that garlic is optional, and to those, I would say you are wrong! Ha, kidding, of course! But seriously, fresh garlic cloves give this dish so much flavor without overpowering the dish.
- Cream – heavy whipping cream is what makes this sauce so delicious, rich, and, yes, calorie-dense, ha!
- Flour – in our recipe, we mix the flour into the cream which helps thicken up the sauce without creating a roux.
- Milk – some recipes call for just cream, but we add a touch of milk to lighten up the sauce a little without compromising the flavor.
- Parmesan cheese – hand-shredded parmesan cheese is a must for a perfect Alfredo sauce. And no, you cannot substitute it with pre-shredded cheese!
Can you use other cheeses? The base of this sauce is a classic base for a variety of cheese sauces. Our mac and cheese casserole sauce uses a simple technique but with a variety of cheeses. The result is a flavorful and complex sauce that goes perfectly in many dishes. However, that is not Alfredo anymore, but a tasty cheese sauce! So, once you master this sauce, the opportunities are endless!
See the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients and quantities.
Easiest Way to Make Alfredo Sauce From Scratch
- Add butter and minced garlic to a warm saucepan. Cook on low-medium heat until the garlic is fragrant.
- Whisk flour into the heavy cream, pour the mixture into the skillet, and add the milk. Whisk the mixture over low heat until nice and smooth, making sure there are no visible clumps.
- Begin to add the parmesan cheese in small portions while whisking. Do this until all the cheese is incorporated. Whisk in the salt and black pepper.
- Bring the sauce to a light simmer, turn the heat low, and cook until the sauce reaches the perfect consistency.
Our Expert Tips for the Best Alfredo Sauce:
- Low and slow. The key to the perfect alfredo sauce is in the technique. Keeping the heat low ensures you won’t burn the butter or scald the milk. Your sauce must never be boiling; otherwise, it will begin to separate and turn gritty. Once that happens, there is no saving the sauce.
- Choosing the right cheese. The cheese is one of the main ingredients in this sauce, so it is important to choose it wisely. The most important part is shredding the cheese. Why, you ask? Well, pre-shredded has a white coating that is simply starch. Not only does this keep the cheese from melting properly, but it will throw off the whole consistency.
- Elevate your alfredo sauce. Add homemade pesto to your alfredo sauce to create a creamy pesto sauce.
Serving Suggestions
- Pasta: This is a classic and obvious way to enjoy homemade alfredo sauce! The best is fettuccine noodles. Our fettuccine alfredo recipe is a classic and delicious version and we show you a way to make this dish with mushrooms! However, you can use your favorite pasta to make the best alfredo pasta!
Bring a whole new variety of Alfredo pasta to your dinner with our Alfredo stuffed shells recipe. Doesn’t that just sound heavenly? - Vegetables: You would be surprised how well alfredo sauce pairs with veggies! That is why we feature broccoli in our favorite chicken and broccoli alfredo pasta.
- Alfredo dip: This sauce is the perfect dip for your homemade breadsticks! Our easy breadsticks reciperequires very little hands-on work, and the result is the tastiest breadsticks from scratch.
- Pizza sauce: This alfredo is the perfect homemade pizza sauce! Our chicken alfredo flatbread is the perfect easy pizza that you can now make entirely from scratch!
Alfredo Sauce FAQ’s
Let’s tackle the most common alfredo sauce questions!
The sauce separating over time is normal because of the fat content; all you have to do is stir it back together.
A gritty sauce can be a result of many things! To prevent a gritty sauce, make sure you aren’t using pre-shredded cheese! Make sure to cook the sauce over low heat, and don’t allow the sauce to boil. This will result in a gritty or grainy cheese.
If you must use storebought, Bertolli alfredo sauce is our favorite.
Our recipe is simple, so it doesn’t use any cream cheese and still has the perfect level of creaminess. However, if you want to add cream cheese, you can!
Chicken alfredo is a classic, and you can’t go wrong with it! However, our favorite protein to pair with alfredo is shrimp! A shrimp alfredo pasta is rich and delicious, the perfect easy dinner.
Store & Reheat Leftover Alfredo Sauce
- Fridge: The sauce will stay fresh in a jar or an airtight container for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Heat over low heat until warmed through. If the sauce is too thick, add more milk.
- Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing the Alfredo Sauce.
More Sauce Recipes
If you enjoyed this alfredo recipe, be sure to try our other popular homemade sauce recipes; here are some of our favorites:
If you tried this easy alfredo sauce recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a star rating and let me know how it went in the comments below – we appreciate it!
Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 3 garlic cloves, minced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy whipping cream
- 1 Tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1/4 cup whole milk (or 2%)
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a skillet to a low/medium heat. Add butter to the pan, and once melted, add garlic and cook until fragrant. Be careful not to burn the garlic.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together creamy and flour. Pour the mixture into the skillet, and add the milk. Whisk the mixture over low heat until nice and smooth.
- Add the parmesan cheese in small portions and continue whisking. Do this until all the cheese is incorporated. Whisk in salt and pepper.
- Bring the sauce up to a light simmer, turn the heat to low, and cook until the sauce is nice and thick.
Notes
- Low and slow. The key to the perfect alfredo sauce is in the technique. Keeping the heat low ensures you won’t burn the butter or scald the milk. Your sauce must never be boiling; otherwise, it will begin to separate and turn gritty. Once that happens, there is no saving the sauce.
- Choosing the right cheese. The cheese is one of the main ingredients in this sauce, so it is important to choose it wisely. The most important part is shredding the cheese. Why, you ask? Well, pre-shredded has a white coating that is simply starch. Not only does this keep the cheese from melting properly, but it will throw off the whole consistency.
- Fridge: The sauce will stay fresh in a jar sealed for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.
- Reheat: Reheat over low heat until hot. You may need to add more milk if the sauce is too thick.
- Freezing: We don’t recommend freezing the Alfredo Sauce.
