Shop
My
Custom
If I had to pick one favorite sauce, homemade Alfredo sauce would be it, without question. It may not be as popular as, say marinara sauce, but I’m firmly a cream sauce girl when given the choice. And this one? It’s so rich and cheesy, it will make anything you put it on 1000 times better, with instant comfort food factor. Make this easy Alfredo sauce recipe with me, and you might never buy a jar again!
Why You Need My Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
- Super rich and creamy – This is seriously the best Alfredo sauce I’ve ever had, with the perfect creamy texture and cheesy, garlicky flavor. I promise you, the jarred stuff has nothing on making it from scratch.
- Quick and easy – If you’re unsure about making your own sauces, this is a great one to start with. It’s super simple and takes just 10 minutes.
- Simple, clean ingredients – Just 4 of them, plus S&P. And unlike most Alfredo sauce recipes as well as store-bought versions, mine has no flour, starches, or other thickeners. It’s naturally thickened by reducing and melting in the parmesan!
- Versatile – Of course you can toss it with your favorite pasta (or zucchini noodles if you’re like me), but there are so many more ways to enjoy this sauce! I have a whole list of ideas below. I even included it in my second cookbook just so I could add it to other dishes in the book.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here I explain the best Alfredo sauce ingredients, what each one does in my recipe, and substitution options. For measurements, see the recipe card.
- Grated Parmesan Cheese – Not only is this the star flavor, it also thickens the Alfredo sauce without a flour roux or cornstarch! I prefer freshly grated parm, as it melts more smoothly than the kind from the green can. Shredded parm should also work, but might take longer to melt. As an alternative, cream cheese can act as a thickener, but the flavor is completely different, so I don’t really recommend it unless you want a tangier cream sauce.
- Garlic – Use fresh garlic cloves for the best flavor. But if you’re in a rush, a tablespoon of jarred minced garlic or 3/4 teaspoon of garlic powder will work.
- Heavy Cream – Makes the sauce creamy, of course. Sometimes this is called heavy whipping cream on the carton. I don’t recommend regular milk or almond milk for my homemade Alfredo sauce recipe, as the final sauce will be too thin.
- Butter – I use this brand. Any kind is fine, but go for unsalted so you can adjust the salt better separately.
- Sea Salt & Black Pepper – Yes, I forgot them in the ingredient picture below, but I bet you know what they look like. 😉 If you don’t like specks of black pepper in your sauce, use white pepper instead.
- Nutmeg – This is a common spice in Alfredo sauce and I like a little bit in mine, but you can leave it out if you’re not a fan.
FREE 5-Ingredient Recipe EBook
GET IT NOW
How To Make Alfredo Sauce
I have step-by-step photos here to help you visualize the recipe. For full instructions with amounts and temperatures, see the recipe card.
- Saute the garlic. Melt butter in a large saucepan (or a small pot) over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and sauté until fragrant.
- Reduce the heavy cream. Pour it into the pan, then simmer gently until the amount reduces by about 1/3.
- Thicken with parmesan. Reduce the heat and gradually whisk in the parmesan cheese, until smooth and thick.
- Add the salt, pepper, and nutmeg. You can adjust the spices in your homemade Alfredo sauce to your taste.
My Recipe Tips
- Grab your largest saucepan. The larger your pan, the faster the cream will reduce. You can even use a skillet with tall sides!
- Be careful not to scorch the cream. You want a very gentle simmer, not a boil. Stir often, too, to avoid a film from forming on top.
- Make sure the cheese melts completely. This Alfredo sauce recipe is supposed to be smooth, but it can be lumpy if the cheese doesn’t melt fully.
- How to thicken Alfredo sauce if it’s too thin? Just add more parmesan! The amount in my recipe has the perfect thickness for me, but this will also depend on exactly how much you reduced the cream. It’s easy to add more parm if needed.
- What if it turned out too thick? Just stir in a little more cream until it reaches your desired consistency. Easy.
- Homemade Alfredo sauce thickens as it cools from hot to warm. Keep this in mind when deciding how thick you want it! If you store it in the fridge for later, it can even solidify completely, but will get thinner again when you warm it up.
- Add a little more salt and pepper than you think you need. The flavor will mellow out after mixing the sauce with pasta or vegetables.
- Want to double the recipe? My Alfredo sauce recipe makes 1 1/2 cups (6 servings), but you can easily scale it up by adjusting the number of servings on the recipe card below. Just keep in mind it’ll take longer to reduce the cream and melt in the cheese.
Ways To Use It
To say I love this Alfredo sauce on everything is an understatement! Here are my favorite savory dishes to put it on (or in):
- Pasta – Fettuccine Alfredo is the most classic option, but I actually love it on spaghetti squash noodles, cauliflower gnocchi, and zoodles (in my picture above). If you like a chicken Alfredo meal, I usually add my quick pan seared chicken breast.
- Proteins – Slather it over my healthy baked chicken, grilled shrimp skewers, or even pan seared salmon for a cozy vibe.
- Roasted Veggies – This Alfredo sauce recipe is amazing tossed with roasted broccoli or brussels sprouts, or drizzled over roasted asparagus.
- Casseroles – Swap the sauce in my chicken broccoli casserole with this one.
- Pizza – I love a white pizza! Spread this creamy sauce on your favorite crust with grilled chicken, sauteed spinach, red onions, and fresh or sauteed mushrooms. One of my favorite ways to use it is on a chicken crust pizza!
Homemade Alfredo Sauce (4 Ingredients)
By
Make my easy homemade Alfredo sauce recipe with 4 simple ingredients, in just 10 minutes! It's rich, creamy, and perfect on pasta or veggies.
Instructions
[ See step photos See my tips ]Tap on the times in the instructions to start a kitchen timer.
-
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the minced garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, until fragrant.
-
Add the heavy cream. Bring to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer for about 5 minutes, stirring often, until the volume is reduced by about 1/3. (Amount of time will vary depending on the size of your saucepan.)
-
Reduce the heat to low. Gradually whisk in the Parmesan cheese. Keep whisking over low heat, until smooth.
-
Stir in the nutmeg, sea salt, and black pepper, to your taste. If the Alfredo sauce is thicker than you like at this point, you can thin it out with more cream.
Did you make it? Leave a review or tag me @wholesomeyum on Instagram!
Maya’s Recipe Notes
Serving size: 1/4 cup
- Tips: Check out my recipe tips above to help you get the right consistency in your sauce, and how to adjust the thickness if needed.
- Store: Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. It usually turns solid, but will be normal again wheny ou heat it.
- Reheat: Warm up on the stove over very low heat, stirring often to smooth out lumps and prevent separation. I usually find the sauce is thicker the next day, so you can thin it out with more cream as needed.
- Freeze: You can absolutely freeze my homemade Alfredo sauce, for up to 3 months. Since it doesn’t have starches (or other mystery ingredients), it doesn’t freeze quite as well as the store-bought kind. I recommend thawing it in the fridge overnight, and then whisk when heating. If it still isn’t smooth, blitz it in a blender briefly.
📖 Want more recipes like this? Find this one and many more in my Easy Keto Carboholics’ Cookbook here.
I provide nutrition facts as a courtesy. Have questions about calculations or why you got a different result? Please see my nutrition policy.
Add Your Notes Your Notes
Try More Of My Recipes
© Copyright Maya Krampf for Wholesome Yum. Please DO NOT SCREENSHOT OR COPY/PASTE recipes to social media or websites. We’d LOVE for you to share a link with photo instead.
Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
338 Comments
Mari
2My son, who considers himself a connoisseur of Alfredo, tells me this is better then most restaurants he has eaten it at! I also grill some chicken tenderloin & toss them in. Delicious!
Linda D.
1The Alfredo sauce was really good and easy to make. The sauce was thick and tasted cheesy. I also added chicken to the sauce and had it with a salad and garlic bread. So much better than bottled sauce. Will make it again!
Wholesome Yum D
0That sounds wonderful, Linda! I’m happy you enjoyed the Alfredo sauce so much. And I agree, homemade is so much better than bottled!
Rebecca
1This sauce is outstanding! I lightly browned about 8 chicken tenders in a little oil and then added frozen broccoli florets, let them cook on low for about 10 minutes while a made the sauce on the side. When the sauce thickened I poured it over the chicken and broccoli and let it cook on low (covered) for about 5-8 minutes more. Better then a restaurant!
Janice Adams
1This recipe is fantastic!! I double the recipe and put the remainder in a mason jar in the refrigerator. And take out a spoonful at a time and put it over steamed vegetables, baked and air fried chicken. Thank you for all your wonderful recipes!!!
Delilah
0Rebecca, that sounds great. I would’ve never thought to add broccoli. I’ll try this next time.
Susan Cooksey
0I totally LOVE this recipe, so do my non-Keto friends! I do not add the optional nutmeg and use white pepper. I use this sauce on most meats with zoodles, spaghetti squash, broccolli, etc. So delicious!!
Elizabeth
1Just prepared the amazing Chicken Alfredo with Spaghetti Squash for dinner. It was a huge success and totally delicious. The squash was 4lbs, so I made a double recipe of chicken and sauce since my partner is a sauce fan. Did not have fresh parmesan cheese, so I used kraft in a jar.
My first time to bake chicken at 450 degrees. It was juicy, tender and seasoned to perfection.
We have leftovers for tomorrow. (A blessing in disguise.)
Thank you so much for sharing your recipes.
veronika
0When I need alfredo sauce for any recipe, this is the one I always make. So easy and quick to make in few minutes. This doesn’t compare to the store bought, which is full of additives.
Wholesome Yum D
0Love that this is your go-to, Veronika! And yes… once you make it fresh, the store-bought stuff just doesn’t compare!
emilyjoy1998
0Amazing flavor! Why did I think alfredo was hard to make?! The directions are easy to follow and came out tasting delish! I only had green can parmesan so used that. Can’t imagine the flavor w/ fresh grated.
Wholesome Yum D
0So happy it surprised you in the best way, Emily! Alfredo seems intimidating, but once you actually make it, it’s like… oh wow, that’s it?! And if it tasted that good with the green-can parmesan, fresh grated will blow you away next time. Love hearing it turned out so delicious for you!
Linda D.
0The Alfredo sauce was very good. I used powdered Parmesan cheese and it wasn’t as good as it would have been if I used fresh grated. Great with noodles and broccoli.
Wholesome Yum D
0Thanks for sharing that, Linda! I’m so glad you liked the Alfredo sauce, freshly grated Parmesan makes a big difference. Love the combo with noodles and broccoli!
ldschum1
0I used the “calculator” to reduce servings to 2 (even though cooking for one – sauce lover) and it was perfect over spaghetti squash “noodles”. Awesome flavor – no adjustments except in quantity per calculation for lesser quantity. Very easy, vary good! A definite keeper.
Wholesome Yum D
0So glad it turned out perfectly for you! Love that you used spaghetti squash noodles, such a great low carb option, and I’m totally with you on loving extra sauce.
Sherry Blackwell
0I always thought alfredo was difficult to make, but not so when using your recipe. In fact, I always purchased it in a jar. Your recipe was very easy and was delicious. I added a little more cream, as I added mushrooms to the sauce. Then I sliced leftover chicken breasts. It was perfect to serve over fettuccine. Another delicious meal! Thank you, Maya! When I make it again, I will add more salt, and I would like a buttery taste so I might add a little more. We even enjoyed the leftovers. No more jars for me!
Wholesome Yum D
1That’s so wonderful to hear, Sherry! I love that you gave homemade Alfredo. I’m glad it was easy and delicious and I totally agree, no more jars needed!
lindajean77
0It was awesome!! Leftovers kept well! I will definitely be making this again!!
Wholesome Yum D
0I’m so happy you enjoyed it, Linda! That’s wonderful to know it reheated well too. 🙂
Diane Alise
0I love making this Alfredo sauce, my husband and grandsons enjoy it as much as I do. I do not change a thing, it is awesome as is, thank you
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so happy you, your husband, and grandsons all love it, Diane. Thank you so much!
Paula
0Can half n half be used instead of heavy cream?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Paula, Sorry, I generally don’t recommend this because the sauce will be very thin. It’s possible that you could thicken it with more parmesan cheese, but the flavor would be different.
Kathleen Korzeniecki
0Quick and easy! I made chicken alfredo lasagna. Big hit in our house!
Wholesome Yum D
0So glad to hear that, Kathleen! Chicken alfredo lasagna sounds delicious and I love that it was a big hit at your house!
Kathy
0Hi Maya as I’m lactose intolerant, what can I use instead of heavy cream that would taste good in your recipe for Alfredo sauce?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Kathy, You should be able to use coconut cream or full-fat coconut milk instead of heavy cream, but this recipe still has lactose from the Parmesan cheese. If you’re fine with a little bit, aged Parmesan has less.
Crystal
0I must watch my sodium intake, but this information is not included in the nutrient list.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Hi Crystal, I’m sorry, I don’t have sodium info as it will depend on the brands of ingredients you use, so you’d have to calculate that based on the specific brands you have. You can read more in my nutrition policy. My recipes are not generally low-sodium, and if you need that, I would use less salt in this one.
Jan
0I use this recipe for any creamy sauce I need!!!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thanks, Jan! I’m so glad it’s your go-to.
Karen Merritt
0So easy and delicious! I added Real Good parmesan chicken bites and broccoli for a tasty meal.
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Thank you, Karen! That meal sounds great.
Delilah
0I loved the simplicity of this dish. The Alfredo sauce tasted great. My family loved it! Well make this again very soon! Thank you Maya!
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0I’m so glad you and your family loved this sauce, Delilah! Enjoy!
Kak
0Do you also have a recipe for Alfredo sauce that uses cream cheese?
Maya | Wholesome Yum
0Sorry, I don’t. You could easily replace some of the parmesan with cream cheese if you like.
Emily E
0This is my family’s favorite! We had no idea Alfredo sauce could taste so good and it is so simple! Thank you for sharing it!