Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce

Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce . . . with just a few simple ingredients, you can have a yummy dinner on the table in minutes!

Pasta is always a favorite at my house. I like serving this homemade fettuccine alfredo with a green salad, parmesan roasted asparagus, or carrots and zucchini.  

I’m a little ashamed to admit this, but after two decades of cooking for my family, I had never made homemade alfredo sauce. I know, how can I call myself a food blogger?

Then one night we had dinner with my cousin Tami and her family. She made alfredo with grilled chicken and sausage on the side. After one bite I was hooked. I have been missing out!

When she told me how easy it was to make, I got her alfredo sauce recipe, and I have made it several times since then. A new favorite last minute dinner recipe!

This alfredo sauce is super simple, and doesn’t take much more time than heating up a jar of alfredo sauce. But trust me, it blows that jarred stuff out of the water!

Tami makes her alfredo sauce with Kraft parmesan cheese in the green jar, and I make mine with freshly grated parmesan. Both are fantastic, so use whichever one you have on hand. (I don’t normally like the canned parmesan, but I thought it was just great in this recipe!)

Traditional homemade alfredo sauce is usually just butter, cream, parmesan, garlic, salt & pepper. This recipe is thickened with a bit of flour, and also has some milk in it. Not only is it lower in fat, it doesn’t separate if you have leftovers. 

Update – I’ve tried alfredo with cream cheese, and some recipes with Italian seasoning. This one is my favorite, because it always turns out smooth and creamy. 

How to Make Alfredo Sauce

Ingredients needed:

• butter
• flour
• milk (I use 2%, but any should work)
• whipping cream (or heavy cream)
• parmesan cheese
• salt
• pepper 
• minced garlic (optional but yummy)

First you are going to melt the butter and add the flour and milk. Cook and stir the mixture over medium low heat till it is thick and bubbly. Then add the remaining ingredients and heat till cheese melts. Serve over your favorite pasta.

PRO TIPS:

– Have the milk and cream ready before you start to cook the alfredo. After the butter and flour have cooked, you want to quickly add the milk. If you have to scramble to gather your ingredients, the butter can burn.

-Make sure you let the roux (butter, flour, and milk) cook for at least a full minute, or you will end up with a raw flour taste.

-Don’t get impatient and turn up the heat. This recipe is easy, but it does take some patience. Cooking over low heat insures that the sauce doesn’t seize up and become a lumpy mess.

Variations on Creamy Alfredo Sauce:

-Feel free to use more or less garlic according to your taste.

-You can stir in about a half teaspoon of Italian Seasoning with the salt and pepper.

-Add a dash or two of nutmeg for a rich nutty flavor. (Don’t overdo it though, you don’t want pasta sauce that tastes like eggnog!)

-I usually serve this as is over hot pasta, but it is even more amazing served with your choice of meat. Grilled chicken, Italian sausage, or shrimp would be delicious.

Enjoy!

A few more outstanding pasta recipes:

Lemon Chicken Pasta

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta

Creamy Chicken Pasta with Bacon and Ranch

MORE EASY DINNER RECIPES:

• Garlic Bread Grilled Cheese
• Sausage Potato Bake
• Creamy Paprika Chicken
• Skillet Stuffed Pepper Rice

Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Quick and Easy Alfredo Sauce

Kara

No fail alfredo sauce - turns out perfectly creamy every time.

4.67 from 24 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 15 minutes mins

Total Time 20 minutes mins

Course Main Dish: Vegetarian

Cuisine Italian

Servings 8 servings

Calories 561 kcal

Equipment

•  Flat Whisk, White
• Farberware Stainless Steel 2-Quart Covered Saucepan 

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ½ cup butter
• 2 Tbsp flour
• ¼ cup milk
• 2 cups whipping cream
• ½ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
• ¾ tsp salt
• ¼ tsp pepper
• 2 cloves garlic minced (optional)
• 1 pound fettuccine noodles cooked in salted water

Instructions

 

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in flour, then milk. Cook and stir for at least one minute.
• Stir in cream, parmesan cheese, salt, pepper, and garlic. Cook and stir until cheese is melted, but don't boil.
• Serve over hot pasta.

Nutrition

Serving: 1gCalories: 561kcalCarbohydrates: 45gProtein: 12gFat: 38gSaturated Fat: 23gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gTrans Fat: 1gCholesterol: 152mgSodium: 450mgPotassium: 227mgFiber: 2gSugar: 3gVitamin A: 1331IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 129mgIron: 1mg

Keyword easy alfredo

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