Homemade Alfredo Sauce Basics
Discover the basics of homemade Alfredo sauce: a simple white/cream sauce made with butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese. Plus, learn how to add garlic for an extra flavorful twist.
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Traditional Alfredo is a simple white/cream sauce. It is made of THREE ingredients, butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese, as you will see in the recipe.
I also know so many of you LOVE Alfredo Sauce with garlic. So I’m including the option details for that as well.
Don’t get me wrong… while the traditional is great, the addition of garlic, salt, pepper, and Italian seasoning just adds something amazing to the already beautiful Alfredo sauce!
I’m also gonna touch on a little on the dispute about using grated parmesan. I tried it recently and if you scroll down (or use the table of contents) I share what happened and if you really can use freshly shredded vs the “shaker” style container grated cheese.
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Cooking Instructions
These are the Alfredo Sauce cooking instructions with details and explanations on why or how to do things. If you just want the recipe itself and missed the “jump to recipe” button at the top, keep scrolling.
Step one:
Melt the butter (if you’re making the “Garlic Version” add the Italian seasoning and garlic as well) to a large skillet.
Step two:
Add the cream and let simmer over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes just enough time to heat the cream so it will melt the cheese.
Step three:
Whisk in the parmesan cheese until melted fully melted and the sauce has thickened.
Jenn’s Note:
This recipe is NOT a walk away and come back. You do need to stir continuously or you will have scorched cheese or burnt garlic (neither sounds appealing).
Step six:
Check and if needed, add salt and pepper.
Serve immediately with your choice of pasta.
Tip for Successfully Adding Pasta
For either of these techniques, make sure to cook your pasta just under al dente. you will be cooking the pasta a bit in the sauce.
For freshly made Alfredo Sauce: Add about ¼ cup of pasta water to the sauce before adding your pasta to ensure that it covers and coats the pasta properly. Let the pasta cook in the now slightly watered-down sauce until it re-thickens.
For Alfredo Sauce from the fridge. Add about ⅓ cup of pasta water to the sauce and stir to warm up and loosen the sauce. Add the pasta and heat on medium continuously stirring. Let the pasta cook in the now slightly watered-down sauce until it re-thickens.
One of my favorite ways to add the pasta is to simply take a spider and quickly add the pasta (water still draining) into the Ricotta Cheese Alfredo Sauce. you’ll get a good amount of pasta water with the noodles.
Can you Use grated Parmesan to MAke ALfredo?
Short Answer: Yes. I’m sure I’m going to get lots of comments against this, but you can. Is it as good? No. But if you’re looking to make a homemade Alfredo sauce and you can’t afford (Or maybe don’t have on hand) fresh parmesan, you CAN use that canister of parmesan and it will yield a decent and dare I say delicious sauce. Depending on the grated parm used… it could end up a bit grainy, but it will be delish nonetheless.
Below I show how I make it using canister grated parmesan (It’s almost the same, except I actually heat the butter and cream together). But as you can see the results are still rich and creamer, and my whole family can confirm the flavor is still really good (I did skip on the salt more with this version).
Bonus Substitution: Heavy Cream?
If you don’t have heavy cream for THIS recipe, try one of these:
*each one replaces 1 cup of heavy cream*
Cooking with Kids
DISCLOSURE: These tips are generalized, and meant to be suggestive. Everything I’m sharing I do with my kids, and they are all different even within my own five. So please take these as suggestions or ideas and if you think your child needs more or less help, then go with what you and your child are comfortable with. Ultimately, you know your kids, do what YOU think is best.
Storage Details
This Ricotta Cheese Alfredo Sauce is “cream base” so it doesn’t last long in the fridge. But the Yeild is enough to use on 1 lb of pasta, so you can get away with two meals out of it.
- It will last 3-4 days in a food-safe jar/container in the fridge.
Did you try it, have questions?
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Homemade Alfredo Sauce Made Easy
Discover the basics of homemade Alfredo sauce: a simple white/cream sauce made with butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese. Plus, learn how to add garlic for an extra flavorful twist.
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
Ingredients
Traditional version
- 1/4 cup Butter
- 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream (See Notes-Substitutions 1 for substitution options)
- 5 oz (about 2 Cups) Freshly Grated Parmesan Cheese (See Notes-Substitutions 2 for substitution options)
- salt, and pepper to taste
Optional Garlic version
Add all the above plus the following
- 3 Garlic cloves Minced
- 1 teaspoon Italian Seasoning
- 1 tsp lemon juice
Instructions
- Melt the butter (if making the garlic version add the Italian seasoning and garlic as well.) to a large skillet.
- Add the cream and let simmer over medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes
- Whisk in the parmesan cheese until melted fully melted and the sauce has thickened.
- Add salt and freshly cracked pepper if needed.
- Serve immediately or see Notes-Storage details for storing.
Notes
Storage Details
- The Parmesan will thicken this sauce up. If it isn’t quite thick enough, allow the sauce to stand for 2-3 minutes before serving.
- To add your pasta I like to transfer directly from the water to the sauce. It you don’t like to do that, you will need to reserve about ¼ cup of pasta water before draining. Add about the pasta water, then the pasta.
- After either incorporation, allow it to re-thicken on low for about 2-5 minutes. Serve optionally with more parm and some fresh parsley and garlic bread
Substitutions
- If you don’t have heavy cream for THIS recipe, try one of these:
- Use equal amounts for Grated Parmesan.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 15 minutes
- Category: Sauce
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: Italian, Italian American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Looking for more pasta sauces?
Try out some of these
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