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Home » Recipes

Super Easy Alfredo Sauce

Super Easy Alfredo Sauce with peppers and mushrooms from 100 Days of #RealFood

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In just minutes it's easy to make this restaurant quality Alfredo sauce at home. And let’s not forget, unlike what we’ve been told for many years, we shouldn’t be afraid of these “good fats.”

So don’t waste any time giving this tasty and inexpensive sauce a try over some whole-grain noodles and lots of fresh seasonal veggies. It would also work well in a “white lasagne” or extra creamy macaroni dish. No matter what, you just cannot go wrong when you start with fresh cream and butter! Try this Chicken Broccoli Alfredo too!

What are the Ingredients in Alfredo Sauce?

Homemade alfredo sauce is super easy to make with only a few ingredients! All you need is butter, heavy whipping cream, grated parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. For the best taste don’t make any substitutions in this recipe.

Butter

Any real butter you have on hand is fine. In alfredo sauce, butter not only adds flavor, but helps thicken it too.

Heavy Whipping Cream

This is the base of alfredo sauce and what makes it taste so good! Heavy cream is essential for a rich sauce; if you substitute with milk or half and half, it won’t turn out the same.

Parmesan Cheese

For the best flavor, choose high-quality parmesan cheese and grate it fresh. For convenience, pre-shredded or grated parmesan can also be used, but not dried parmesan or a shaker.

Not all parmesan is the same; for the best flavor, choose authentic Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese imported from Italy.

Seasoning

Alfredo sauce is traditionally seasoned with salt and freshly ground black pepper. You can also season with garlic, Italian seasoning, lemon juice, and parsley.

How to Make Homemade Alfredo Sauce with Milk

If heavy cream isn’t available, you can still make alfredo sauce with milk or lighter cream. Since the biggest difference between heavy cream and milk is the amount of milk fat, you can get a similar taste and consistency by combining milk and melted butter. Keep in mind this isn’t a perfect substitution, but you’ll still end up with great tasting alfredo sauce in a pinch.

To substitute milk for heavy cream, combine ⅓ cup of melted unsalted butter with ⅔ cup of milk. Half and half or table cream can be substituted one for one, with butter added to taste and desired consistency.

Is this an Authentic Italian Alfredo Sauce Recipe?

Alfredo sauce is an Italian restaurant staple, but it’s not actually an authentic Italian dish. So, while you won’t be finding this recipe in any Nonna’s cookbooks, it tastes just like the fettucine alfredo sauce served in restaurants.

Tips and Tricks for Making This Easy Alfredo Sauce Recipe

Homemade alfredo sauce is easy to make, even for beginner cooks. Pair it with your favorite whole grain pasta like fettuccine, penne, or even kid-friendly shaped noodles. Or try alfredo sauce as a topping for veggies; it’s delicious!

To help this recipe turn out perfectly:

  • Use fresh ingredients
  • Don't forget to hold back ⅓ of the cream for end
  • Stir your cream thoroughly so it doesn't stick to the pan and burn
  • Don't simmer your sauce on too high or low heat; it should be hot enough to thicken, but not boiling
  • Thoroughly drain pasta before adding it to the sauce to avoid thinning

What Can you Add to Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo?

Something I love about fettuccine alfredo is how easily the creamy, buttery flavors work with almost anything. Some add-ins will need to be pre-cooked, so make sure to prepare them alongside your homemade alfredo sauce. For protein options, try chicken, beef or pork strips, tofu, or shrimp.

Saucy dishes like fettuccine alfredo are also a great way to get picky eaters to eat vegetables. Some of my favorites to add in are cooked broccoli, peppers, peas, carrots, mushrooms, zucchini, or raw tomatoes or spinach.

How to Thicken Alfredo Sauce

The alfredo sauce in this recipe should thicken on its own when cooking, but small differences in measurements or technique can affect the process.

  • Add more cheese. This is the most common reason for thin alfredo sauce since grated cheese is hard to measure accurately. Add more cheese until you get the thickness you want.
  • Let it cook for longer. If your sauce isn’t thick yet it may just require more time to reduce.
  • Increase the butter. Butter helps alfredo sauce thicken; if the sauce is too thin you may not have used enough. This is especially true if you’ve substituted the heavy whipping cream for a product with less milk fat.
  • Try pasta water. The starch in pasta water can help thicken a cream sauce. Add a small amount of water, then let your sauce to a boil for about one minute. If you don’t bring it to a boil, pasta water will have the opposite effect and thin your sauce even more.
  • Last resort: add a bit of corn starch. While it’s not supposed to be an ingredient in alfredo sauce, adding corn starch is a sure way to get sauce to thicken.

You May Also Enjoy

  • Creamy Lemon Shrimp Pasta
  • Easy Spaghetti
  • Weeknight Tomato Basil Pasta
  • Spaghetti Squash Carbonara
  • Slow Cooker Spaghetti Bolognese

If you enjoyed this alfredo sauce recipe, please leave a rating and comment! For more inspiration, check out my Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest. For 5 free weekly meal plans and more free resources, sign up to receive my free newsletter! Check out these Dinner Recipes for more healthy and easy family dinner ideas.

Super Easy Alfredo Sauce

In just minutes you can easily make this restaurant-quality Alfredo sauce at home. And let’s not forget, unlike what we’ve been told for many years, we shouldn’t be afraid of these “good fats.” I've adapted this Super Easy Alfredo Sauce from Essentials of Classic Italian Cooking and it's now become our favorite to pour over pasta!
28 Reviews / 5 Average
Prep Time: 10 minutes mins
Cook Time: 10 minutes mins
Total Time: 20 minutes mins
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: Italian
Method: Freezer Friendly
Diet: Egg Free, Peanut/Tree Nut-Free, Vegetarian
Print Recipe
Servings: 4 people
Save Recipe Saved!

Ingredients
  

  • 1 lb whole-wheat pasta (boxed or homemade)
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream
  • ⅔ cup parmesan cheese (freshly grated)
  • salt (to taste)
  • pepper (to taste)

Instructions
 

  • In a large pot, boil the pasta according to package directions
  • Meanwhile melt all the butter and ⅔ of the cream in a large sauté pan over medium heat. Stir with a wooden or other large spoon.
  • Once the cream and butter start to thicken (after a couple minutes) turn the heat off.
  • When the pasta is done drain it thoroughly in a colander and add drained noodles to the cream and butter mixture.
  • Turn the heat back on to medium-low and add the remaining ⅓ cup cream and all of the Parmesan cheese.
  • Toss the pasta around to coat until the sauce thickens slightly. Season with salt and pepper and portion out into pasta bowls. Garnish with extra Parmesan cheese and fresh sautéed vegetables (if desired) and serve immediately.

Notes

We recommend organic ingredients when feasible.
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition Facts
Super Easy Alfredo Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 722 Calories from Fat 306
% Daily Value*
Fat 34g52%
Saturated Fat 20g125%
Cholesterol 111mg37%
Sodium 336mg15%
Potassium 309mg9%
Carbohydrates 87g29%
Sugar 1g1%
Protein 24g48%
Vitamin A 1195IU24%
Vitamin C 0.3mg0%
Calcium 269mg27%
Iron 4.3mg24%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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7.5K shares

About Lisa Leake

Lisa is a wife, mother, foodie, blogger, and #1 New York Times Best-selling author who is on a mission to cut out processed food.

Comments

  1. Agnieszka says

    January 25, 2021 at 2:00 pm

    This is the second time I made it, my son loves it. I added chicken and broccoli, but I don't think chicken is necessary.

    Reply
    • 100 Days Admin says

      January 26, 2021 at 9:03 am

      Love to hear when the kids also enjoy the dish. Those add-ins sound good. - Nicole

      Reply
  2. Jennifer says

    July 21, 2020 at 3:34 pm

    5 stars
    This is our favorite alfredo sauce! We have been making it for years

    Reply
  3. Megan says

    May 29, 2019 at 10:16 am

    5 stars
    This was delicious and very easy! We added peas and broccoli so it was a nice meatless dinner.

    Reply
  4. Mommy of triplets and little sister too says

    August 13, 2017 at 5:34 pm

    5 stars
    This dish was simple and yet very delicious. Even my pickiest eaters gobbled it up. Thank you!

    Reply
  5. alianora says

    June 08, 2017 at 10:47 pm

    I'm going to toss this on some zoodles tomorrow night, and top it all off with chicken. Yum!

    Reply
  6. Liz Post says

    June 06, 2017 at 4:22 pm

    5 stars
    This sauce is amazing and tastes so good...my kids love it!! I threw in some frozen mixed veggies and added a side of broccoli. A much healthier alternative to the store bought stuff in a jar!

    Reply
  7. Carol Cooper says

    March 23, 2017 at 9:04 am

    I have been on a low carb diet since last April and fell off some around the holidays and a cruise in Feb. I wanted to ask you if you have tried the Dayfield pasta and is it really better for you since it is suppose to have some type carb blocker. then the regular wheat pasta which I also like very much.
    Thanks,
    Carol

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      April 07, 2017 at 9:36 am

      Hi Carol. Sorry, not at all familiar with that brand or its claims. We try to stick with 100% whole grains.

      Reply
  8. Susan says

    October 07, 2016 at 2:10 pm

    Can I make this the day before for 100 ladies and reheat in convection oven?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      October 13, 2016 at 1:16 pm

      Hi there. This will help: https://www.leaf.tv/articles/how-to-reheat-alfredo/.

      Reply
  9. Jan St says

    February 11, 2016 at 7:10 am

    5 stars
    I love the Alfredo sauce taste, and also the fact that it is so easy to make... which just stressed the fact that I am hungry right now :D

    Reply
  10. Steve says

    January 23, 2016 at 5:24 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious! We add fresh crushed garlic in step 2 and fresh quartered mushrooms in step 3. Kids scarf this!

    BTW, this is very close to delicious alfredo I had in Italy.

    Reply
  11. Karen says

    January 17, 2016 at 11:24 am

    I have tried making Alfredo sauce myself before and I can't find anything in our grocery store called "Parmesan Cheese" other than the stuff in the shaker - which doesn't melt well. Are you guys finding "Parmesan Cheese" or are you using another kind of cheese?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      January 27, 2016 at 8:24 am

      Hi Karen. We use freshly grated Parmesan. I've also used Romano. This bit of info might help: http://www.delcofoods.com/our-products/tips/parmesan-vs-romano-cheese/.

      Reply
    • Diane says

      February 19, 2016 at 11:15 am

      The real Parmesan cheese is usually located in the specialty cheese case, try close to the deli.

      Reply
  12. Nicole says

    August 25, 2015 at 7:45 pm

    5 stars
    Loved it and kids did too!

    Reply
  13. Lea says

    July 30, 2015 at 9:18 pm

    Try adding a 1/4 tsp of nutmeg.... Makes a huge difference!

    Reply
  14. Traci says

    July 30, 2015 at 8:03 pm

    What brand of pasta do you typically use ?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      August 04, 2015 at 11:22 am

      Hi Traci. Various organic brands. Just make sure they are 100% whole grain.

      Reply
  15. Abbey says

    July 17, 2015 at 10:52 am

    Hi! Thanks for this recipe! Any ideas on how to make it non-dairy?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      July 31, 2015 at 9:27 am

      Hi Abbey. That's not something we've tried but Silk has a recipe that you might give a shot: https://silk.com/recipes/fast-easy-fettuccine-alfredo. You could make your own almond milk, too: https://silk.com/recipes/fast-easy-fettuccine-alfredo.

      Reply
  16. Karly says

    May 18, 2015 at 8:54 pm

    I made this tonight and it was pretty good. I grilled up some chicken and boiled some broccoli to add in. I also added a couple tablespoons of cream cheese. I panicked at first thinking it was too runny but turning off the heat and stirring for a few minutes thickened it right up. I will definitely make this again!

    Reply
  17. Dee Handa says

    April 27, 2015 at 11:26 pm

    This was very tasty and super easy. I made some sautéed onions and organic chicken sausage to top it off. Delish!

    Reply
  18. Kim says

    April 24, 2015 at 7:49 pm

    This was so delicious. My family had one complaint...not enough! I will definitely double recipe when I serve as a main meal to my track-running and hockey-playing teens! They did end up having seconds on salad because they were still hungry, so I'm not complaining!

    Reply
  19. Shannon says

    April 17, 2015 at 8:33 pm

    I have made this several times while under pressure (first night arriving on vacation, kids complaining that they're hungry, etc). It's so easy and my 2 and 4 year old gobble it up every time. If I want to make it a bit more decadent, I make 1.5 the amount of sauce for the same amount of pasta. Either way, it's delish!

    Reply
  20. Christy says

    March 26, 2015 at 11:07 pm

    5 stars
    This meal was amazing!! My whole family loved it!! I added in 2 cups of cooked and shredded chicken. The chicken came from the freezer so this meal was ready in no time! I just set the chicken and it's container in bowl with warm to hot water so it could loosen up enough for me to toss into the noodles and sauce mixture. I just had to stir and break up the chicken pieces since it was still frozen. I added 1 tsp. salt and 1/2 tsp. pepper and that seemed to be the perfect amount. I only added about 13 ounces of spaghetti noodles. This meal is a keeper!! Thank you!!

    Reply
  21. Rachel Hill says

    February 23, 2015 at 2:18 pm

    I made this today for lunch and added bell peppers, onions, mushrooms and tomatoes. It was delicious and super easy. I was done in 30 minutes and everyone loved it!

    Reply
  22. Rachel says

    February 04, 2015 at 8:59 am

    5 stars
    This sauce was amazing and so easy to make. My kids absolutely loved it.

    Reply
  23. Carole says

    February 03, 2015 at 10:23 am

    This sounds yummy but very fattening. Is this really healthy?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      February 04, 2015 at 11:04 am

      Hi Carole. This post might help with some 100 Days perspective: https://www.100daysofrealfood.com/2013/01/04/healthy-eating-defined/.

      Reply
    • Anne says

      January 20, 2023 at 3:43 pm

      Carole, NO! Of course it is not healthy to eat all that saturated fat and dairy. But if you are going to eat Alfredo Sauce come hell or high water, better it be this homemade recipe than the crap from the grocery store jar. It is definitely a "once in while" treat, if you eat this on the regular make sure you have great healthcare available and a notarized will.

      Reply
  24. Anna says

    January 14, 2015 at 10:09 am

    Is this a recipe that can be canned or would it go bad?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      January 14, 2015 at 3:09 pm

      Hi Anna. I would freeze it.

      Reply
  25. julie says

    January 01, 2015 at 3:24 pm

    Can I use gluten free pasta? or even substitute gluten free for any recipes? I just found out I am Celiac and learning how to cook and eat all over again. I am excited to try this for the first time

    Reply
  26. Stefanie Kushner says

    December 01, 2014 at 5:57 pm

    Do you think I can make this sauce and freeze it?

    Reply
    • Amy Taylor (comment moderator) says

      December 16, 2014 at 7:46 am

      Hi there. You can freeze it but the texture does change somewhat.

      Reply
  27. Jen says

    December 01, 2014 at 5:55 pm

    if you want to make a sauce that's a little more rich, add 2 egg yolks. Make sure to keep the heat low and stir so the yolks don't start to scramble. Once heated through and almost boiling it's ready to eat.

    Reply
    • Ellen says

      January 07, 2015 at 3:39 pm

      That sounds yummy.

      Reply
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