Alfredo Sauce

Creamy homemade Alfredo Sauce is flavorful and very easy to make. With hints of garlic, nutmeg and lemon, this from-scratch sauce is a simple recipe that has big impact. Elegant enough for romantic dinners or when hosting a dinner party and yet easy enough for cozy nights on the couch. 

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Authentic Alfredo Sauce vs Creamy Alfredo Sauce

In Italy it is very rare to find Italians making Alfredo Sauce with heavy cream. In fact, they will become very passionately frustrated when shown that this recipe is call Alfredo Sauce. 

Why you ask?

Because authentic Alfredo Sauce is made with simply butter, Parmigiano Reggiano and freshly cooked hot pasta as seen in this video. 

However, along the way Americans have put their spin on it and heavy cream was added. Here in the states, we love an extra creamy sauce. 

Ingredients Needed

• Butter– Flavor and a glossy creaminess is what butter contributes to this sauce.
• Heavy Cream– Heavy cream is another key component that brings a luxurious creaminess to the sauce. 
• Garlic Cloves– What would an Italian sauce be without garlic? Adding it brings in amazing flavor. 
• Ground Nutmeg– Adds a warmth and a depth of flavor. 
• Lemon Zest and Juice– Adds a brightness and the acidity brings balance to the cream sauce. Note: It is important to use room temperature lemon juice. Also whisk it in at the very end off of the heat to ensure that the cream does not curdle. 
• Black Pepper and Salt– The type of salt used in this dish can impact the flavor dramatically. I personally adore Maldon’s Sea Salt Flakes. It is an exceptional high quality salt with amazing flavor. 
• Parmigiano Reggiano– A key ingredient in making Alfredo Sauce. Parmigiano Reggiano is a true authentic Italian parmesan. It is an aged hard cheese that has a granular and crumbly texture. Additionally, this version of parmesan has a salty and nutty flavor that makes a world of difference when making Alfredo Sauce. Costco has the best price on authentic Parmigiano Reggiano.

Important Tools Needed

This sauce really is incredibly easy to make. However, the most challenging part is grating the Parmigiano Reggiano. To achieve a smooth and creamy sauce, it is important to grate the parmesan with an ultra fine shred. The best way that I have found to do this is with a microplane or a box grater (using the fine shred side). However, XOXO rotary hand grater makes the job much easier with just a bit larger of a shred size. 

Additional important tools that help in making this sauce with ease are a large frying pan, good quality whisk and a garlic press.  The wide open cooking surface of a frying pan while allow for even cooking and the whisk will help to ensure that the sauce does not separate. 

Secrets To Flavorful Alfredo Sauce

• I can not emphasize this enough, use high quality ingredients such as Parmigiano Reggiano, beautifully fresh lemons and good quality salt. 
• Using plenty of freshly crushed garlic has amazing impact on the flavor of this sauce. 
• Lemon juice, zest and nutmeg absolutely punches up the flavor of this sauce. 
• Last but not least, the low and slow cooking is crucial to infuse the butter with the flavors of garlic, lemon and nutmeg without burning the garlic. Note: The medium-low temperature is important because the smaller the pieces of garlic are, the easier they are to burn. 

How To Make From-Scratch Creamy Alfredo Sauce

1. Using a microplane (or hand rotary grater with a fine shred) grate the Parmigiano Reggiano and then set aside. Note: A microplane will yield an incredibly fine shred that works best when making this sauce. However, it does take more time and effort using a microplane. The XOXO brand rotary grater yields just a bit larger shred but using it makes it much easier to grate the parmesan. 
2. In a large shallow pan melt the butter over medium/low heat. 
3. To the melted butter add the salt, black pepper, nutmeg, lemon zest and garlic. Cook for 1 minute.
4. Slowly whisk in heavy cream. Bring to a simmer over the same medium/low heat for 5 minutes.
5. Add in grated parmesan and continue simmering for another 2-3 minutes over the same heat. 
6. Take off heat and whisk in lemon juice.
7. Add freshly cooked hot al dente pasta to the sauce. Stir Well.
8. Garnish with more freshly grated Parmigiano Reggiano.  

Note: Before even starting the sauce, put a large pot of water on to boil. To have the sauce and pasta done at the same time add the pasta to the boiling water just before cooking the Alfredo Sauce.

How To Make Extra Saucy Pasta

A key element of cooking from-scratch and having everyone be content with dinner is personalizing the recipe to you and your family’s taste preferences. For those of us who enjoy extra saucy pasta here are two approaches.

1. Add 1/2- 1 cup of pasta water to the Alfredo pan after the noodles have been added. The starchy water helps to expand the sauce and does a wonderful job of emulsifying with the fat and cheese. Just make sure to stir the cooked pasta in the sauce for a least 2 minutes. 
2. Another option is to use 8-12 ounces of pasta rather than a full 16 ounces. 

What to Serve With Alfredo Sauce

This one recipe has endless variations that can make meeting multiple flavor preferences very easy. Here are just a few ideas.

Add Ins 

• All Purpose Chicken Breasts sliced and added at the very end.
• Marinated Grilled Shrimp added at the very end. 
• Broccoli Florets- The easiest way to add broccoli is to prepare them into florets and place in the colander. Once the pasta is done cooking, drain over the top of the broccoli. This is a super quick way to blanch them. 
• Top the Alfredo Pasta with Broiled Seared Scallops. 
• Sautéed mushrooms added at the very end. 
• Sun Dried Tomatoes also added at the end. 

Recipes That Pair Well With This Recipe

• Rosemary Marinated Rib Eye Steaks or Perfectly Cooked Air Fryer Rib Eye Steaks
• Panko Crusted Salmon
• Easy Broiled Pork Chops
• Crispy Baked Pork Chops
• Bacon Wrapped Chicken
• Garden Salad with Simple Herbed Lemon Vinaigrette  

Types of Pasta

It is important to keep in mind that any type of pasta is wonderful for this sauce. Additionally, for lower carb options this sauce is amazing on spaghetti squash or spiralized zucchini, butternut squash or yellow crookneck squash.

Here are a few of my favorite pasta options for this sauce. 

• Buccatini (Buccatini is easy to find in most grocery stores. However, the brand linked is a high quality pasta straight from Italy.)
• Pappardelle
• Tortellini
• Ravioli 
• Fettuccine 
• Tagliatelle

 

Frequently Asked Questions

Can Alfredo Sauce be frozen?

For this particular recipe I do not recommend freezing. This sauce works best when hot pasta is added to the freshly made sauce and tossed well. This approach will yield much better results. 

How do you make Alfredo Sauce without heavy cream? 

To make Alfredo Sauce without heavy cream simply replace with half & half, whole milk or any lower fat milk of your choosing. 

What is the difference between Alfredo Sauce and Carbonara Sauce?

Carbonara sauce is made with egg yolks, cured pork (Guanciale), Pecorino Romano, freshly cooked pasta and hot pasta water. In contrast, authentic Alfredo Sauce is made with butter, Parmigiano Reggiano and hot pasta. 

Does Alfredo Sauce need to be thickened?

Personally I do not believe it is necessary to thicken Alfredo Sauce. The key to having luxuriously thick and creamy Alfredo pasta is to add the hot pasta directly from the boiling water into the hot Alfredo Sauce. As the pasta is tossed, the sauce will thicken and cling to the pasta beautifully. 

How can Alfredo Sauce be made less heavy?

A few ways to make Alfredo Sauce less heavy is to substitute the butter with extra virgin olive oil and the heavy cream with either half and half, whole milk or 2 % milk. 

More Deliciously Simple Pasta Recipes

Sausage Pesto Pasta

Spaghetti alla Puttanesca

Tomato Caper Pasta

Easy Peanut Noodles

Creamy Mac and Cheese

Simple Angel Hair Pasta