Easy & Delicious Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
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Once you learn how easy it is to make homemade Alfredo sauce, you may never want to go back to the jarred version!
This simple Alfredo sauce is creamy, rich, cheesy, and comes together with just a handful of basic ingredients. It’s one of my favorite sauces for those nights when I need an easy dinner but still want something homemade.
Toss it with your favorite pasta (or make homemade pasta noodles) for a simple meal, add grilled or shredded chicken for some extra protein, or serve it alongside vegetables and homemade bread.
And the best part? Homemade Alfredo sauce comes together quickly enough to make on a busy weeknight.
Why You’ll Love This Homemade Alfredo Sauce
There are certain recipes that are just worth knowing how to make from scratch, and Alfredo sauce is one of them.
It’s:
- Quick and easy to make
- Rich, creamy, and cheesy
- Made with simple ingredients
- Ready in about the time it takes to cook your pasta
- Easy to pair with chicken, vegetables, or your favorite pasta
- A simple alternative to store-bought Alfredo sauce
It’s also an easy recipe to adjust depending on what you’re serving. Keep it simple for fettuccine Alfredo or use it as the base for an entire meal.
Ingredients for Homemade Alfredo Sauce
You only need a few simple ingredients to make a delicious Alfredo sauce from scratch.
Butter – Creates the rich base of the sauce and adds plenty of flavor.
Flour – Helps thicken the sauce
Half and Half – Gives Alfredo sauce its smooth, rich, and creamy consistency.
Salt – Enhances all of the flavors in the sauce. Parmesan is naturally salty, so I recommend tasting before adding too much.
Garlic and Onion Powder – Adds a savory flavor that pairs perfectly with the cream.
Optional: Parmesan Cheese and Black Pepper
The Easiest Pasta Strainer to use with one hand (for those who always have a baby on the hip!)
How to Make Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Homemade Alfredo sauce comes together pretty quickly, so I like to have everything ready before I start.
1. Melt the Butter
Add the butter to a large skillet or saucepan and melt it over medium-low heat.
Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour and whisk for a couple minutes, until lumps are gone.
Affordable Stainless Steal Skillet
2. Add the Half & Half and Season
Pour in the half and half, add in the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and optional pepper. Stir it together with the butter/flour mixture.
Allow the mixture to gently warm and simmer. Keep the heat relatively low—you don’t need a hard boil to make a creamy Alfredo sauce. (Although if I am in a hurry, I turn the temp up and watch it closely, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.)
Once it gets hot, and you notice it is thickened, you can remove it from the heat. It will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.
3. Taste and Season
Taste you sauce and see how the salt level is. You can add more salt and pepper to taste and if you add too much salt, you can add a little more half and half.
4. Pour Over Pasta
You have the option to pour over pasta noodles on the plate or to mix it all up before you serve it. In our house, we prefer to pour it over individual servings to accommodate for those who want chicken, pepper etc.
I usually make the base sauce without pepper and add it to those plates that want it.
Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese and black pepper on top.
The Secret to Smooth and Creamy Alfredo Sauce
We tested out lots of Alfredo sauce recipes trying to get it perfectly creamy and smooth with a good rich flavor and of course to figure out what way was the easiest fool-proof method.
We found the key was to use half and half instead of milk and to leave out the cheese until added to the top. Heat can affect the cheese and cause it to separate or become grainy. It can also matter if you use pre-shredded because of the anti-caking agent they put on the outside.
So we prefer to leave out any cheese, get a good flavor with the seasonings and then add parmesan to the top at the end!
What Kind of Parmesan Is Best for Alfredo Sauce?
For the smoothest sauce and best flavor, I like using a block of Parmesan and grating it myself, but you can also use pre-shredded or even the dried “shaker” parmesan cheese, since it is just being added to the top and not heated up with the sauce.
This is also one of those little kitchen tasks where having a good grater makes cooking from scratch so much easier.
What Pasta Goes Best With Alfredo Sauce?
Fettuccine is the classic choice, but you definitely don’t have to limit yourself to it.
You can use spaghetti, linguine, penne, rigatoni, bow tie pasta, or whatever you already have in the pantry.
For a family dinner, I usually don’t worry too much about using the “right” pasta. Use what your family likes and what you have on hand!
You can even make your own pasta noodles, with my simple tutorial here! This is my kids FAVORITE pasta and they love helping make it!
What Can I Add to Alfredo Pasta?
This sauce is delicious on its own, but it’s also an easy base for a more filling meal.
Try adding grilled chicken, shredded chicken, shrimp, broccoli, peas, mushrooms, spinach, or roasted vegetables.
This is also a great recipe for those “I forgot to plan dinner” nights because you can start with pasta and Alfredo sauce and add whatever protein or vegetables you already have available.
You can also elevate the flavor by sautéing fresh garlic in right after melting the butter. Just make sure to use a low heat to prevent the garlic from burning.
What to Serve With Alfredo Pasta
Since Alfredo is rich and creamy, I love pairing it with something simple.
Serve it with a green salad, roasted broccoli, asparagus, green beans, or homemade bread.
And if you have sourdough starter, this would be especially good alongside homemade sourdough discard dinner rolls.
Sourdough Discard Dinner Rolls
How to Store Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Store leftover Alfredo sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
Because cream-based sauces can thicken considerably as they cool, your Alfredo will probably be much thicker when you take it out of the refrigerator.
Reheat it gently over low heat, stirring frequently. You can add a small splash of cream or milk as needed to loosen the sauce.
Avoid reheating it too aggressively, which can cause the sauce to separate.
Can You Make Alfredo Sauce Ahead of Time?
You can, although Alfredo sauce is at its absolute best when it’s freshly made.
Thankfully, it’s quick enough that I usually prefer making it right before we’re ready to eat.
If you do make it ahead, store it in the refrigerator and reheat it slowly over low heat.
An Easy Dinner to Make From Scratch
Cooking from scratch doesn’t have to mean spending hours in the kitchen.
Sometimes it’s simply learning how to make the everyday foods you would normally buy already prepared.
Homemade Alfredo sauce is one of those recipes.
It’s simple, uses just a handful of ingredients, and can turn a box of pasta into a cozy homemade dinner in very little time.
Pair it with chicken and vegetables when you want a complete meal, or keep it simple with pasta, Parmesan, and a side of homemade bread.
Either way, this is one of those easy recipes that’s worth keeping around for the nights when you don’t have much planned for dinner.
Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
Method
- Add the butter to a large skillet or saucepan and melt it over medium-low heat.
- Once the butter is melted, stir in the flour and whisk for a couple minutes, until lumps are gone.
- Pour in the half and half, add in the salt, garlic powder, onion powder, and optional pepper. Stir it together with the butter/flour mixture.
- Allow the mixture to gently warm and simmer. Keep the heat relatively low—you don’t need a hard boil to make a creamy Alfredo sauce. (Although if I am in a hurry, I turn the temp up and watch it closely, stirring constantly so it doesn’t burn.)
- Once it gets hot, and you notice it is thickened, you can remove it from the heat. It will continue to thicken slightly as it cools.
- Taste you sauce and see how the salt level is. You can add more salt and pepper to taste and if you add too much salt, you can add a little more half and half.
- You have the option to pour over pasta noodles on the plate or to mix it all up before you serve it. In our house, we prefer to pour it over individual servings to accommodate for those who want chicken, pepper etc.
- I usually make the base sauce without pepper and add it to those plates that want it.
- Serve immediately with Parmesan cheese and black pepper on top.
