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Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce

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Homemade Alfredo Sauce recipe – the best pasta sauce made with half and half, Parmesan cheese, garlic and butter. Perfect sauce with fettuccine pasta, chicken or white pizza!

Use this pasta sauce to serve with fettuccine, like my Bacon Mushroom Chicken Alfredo or my Cheesy Chicken Alfredo Pasta Bake.

homemade alfredo sauce A Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce

One of the most popular pasta sauces happens to be super easy to make completely from scratch right in my own kitchen. You can make it right before serving or ahead of time and store in the fridge. Add pasta of your choice, vegetables, meat and you have dinner on the table in under 30 minutes.

If there is one from-scratch recipe that you try this week, it has to be this one! It will make you fall in love with cooking at home and cooking from scratch.  I make this sauce every week and serve with fettuccine, chicken, bacon (and sometimes ham) for a decadent pasta dinner OR mix with penne, broccoli and mozzarella and bake to perfection.

Ingredients

  • butter
  • garlic
  • half and half
  • Parmesan cheese
  • cornstarch
  • Italian seasoning
  • dried oregano
  • salt and pepper

Alfredo sauce C Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Instructions

  • Melt butter in a saucepan. Add garlic and cook until golden and fragrant.
  • Whisk together half and half, cornstarch, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and oregano. Add to garlic. Cook, stirring often until thick. Add Parmesan cheese and stir it in to melt.
  • Remove from heat and use immediately OR cool completely and store in the fridge for up to 3 days.

Storing and freezing

You can store homemade Alfredo sauce in a jar with lid for up to 6 days.

Yes, you can freeze Alfredo sauce. After cooking, cool the sauce completely. Place in freezer-safe bags or containers, date and name it and store in the freezer for up to 6 months. When ready to use, reheat over medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Often times, frozen creamy sauces tend to curdle, so stirring it over lower heat is essential.

Canning

While you can find recipes for canned Alfredo sauce, it is not recommended to can dairy sauces. Besides, this recipe is quick and easy to make ahead of time, up to 6 days.

Alfredo sauce B Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce

Expert tips

  • cornstarch: I’ve been experimenting with this sauce recipe for years and finally settled on the perfect amount of garlic and Parmesan cheese that makes this sauce. I stopped using flour in my sauces years ago, when I learned that cornstarch never clumps and creates the smoothest textures. I highly recommend trying it.
  • garlic: I always saute garlic in butter for this recipe but if you want to skip this step, you can add all of the ingredients into a blender, blend for 20 seconds until smooth and add to chicken in a saucepan and cook until it thickens. If you don’t have fresh garlic on hand, use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder. If you have any questions, please leave them in the comment section below and I will be happy to answer them! 😀
  • Parmesan: try to avoid pre-shredded Parmesan cheese as it is often coated with starch to prevent sticking. I highly recommend buying Parmesan cheese in wedges and grating it at home.

More delicious pasta recipes:

For more recipe, feel free to browse our Dinner recipes.

If you like this recipe and make it, snap a photo and share it on INSTAGRAM! Tag me @crunchycreamysweet so I can check it out! 😀

5 from 3 votes
homemade alfredo sauce A 150x150 Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Print
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Prep Time
5 mins
Cook Time
10 mins
Total Time
15 mins
 

The best pasta sauce made with half and half, Parmesan cheese, garlic and butter. Perfect sauce with fettuccine pasta, chicken or white pizza!

Course: Main Dish
Cuisine: Italian
Keyword: homemade Alfredo sauce
Servings: 2 cups
Calories: 562 kcal
Author: Anna
Ingredients
  • 2 Tablespoons butter
  • 3 cloves garlic minced
  • 2 cups half and half a mixture of milk and cream; available in dairy section
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
  • 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
  • 1/4 teaspoon dried oregano
  • 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
US Customary - Metric
Instructions
  1. In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
  2. Add minced garlic and saute until golden.
  3. In a mixing bowl, whisk together half and half, cornstarch, salt, pepper, Italian seasoning and oregano. Add mixture to sauteing garlic.
  4. Cook, stirring often until thick.
  5. Add Parmesan cheese and stir well.
  6. Remove from heat and use in pasta dish (see notes) OR cool to room temperature, pour into a jar and store in fridge for up to 3 days.

Recipe Video

Recipe Notes
  • Use this sauce with cooked pasta, vegetables and meat for a quick dinner OR add to cooked pasta and veggies, pour into a casserole dish, top with more cheese and bake.
  • If you don't have fresh garlic on hand, use 2 teaspoons of garlic powder.
  • If you don't have time to saute the garlic, place all ingredients in blender and blend until smooth. Cook in pan until thick.
Nutrition Facts
Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Amount Per Serving
Calories 562 Calories from Fat 414
% Daily Value*
Fat 46g71%
Saturated Fat 28g175%
Cholesterol 141mg47%
Sodium 873mg38%
Potassium 363mg10%
Carbohydrates 20g7%
Protein 17g34%
Vitamin A 1425IU29%
Vitamin C 3.5mg4%
Calcium 548mg55%
Iron 0.7mg4%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

This recipe was originally published on August 29th, 2016 and updated on May 25th, 2019.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Denise McCarthy says

    Made today as I needed a small amount of alfredo to top some beef manicotti. So easy & delicious! Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  2. SB says

    Thank you so much for posting this recipe. The sauce tastes amazing – just like restaurant Alfredo. I plan to make chicken Alfredo calzones – pretty sure they’ll be a big hit! Looking forward to checking out your other recipes 🙂

    Reply

  3. Rhonda says

    This is easy and very delicious! I recommend this sauce.
    I did add onion powder and 1 oz. of cream cheese and salad shrimp to go with Farfalle pasta.
    Next time I would try adding small bacon pieces or mushrooms peices and cut in half spinch leaves.

    Reply

  4. Julie says

    Hi. At the beginning of the article you say it can be stored in a jar with a lid for up to six days and then at the end of the recipe you say only three days. Which one is it? I’m hoping it’s the 6 days!

    Reply

  6. Katie says

    AMAZING. Made this tonight and it was so creamy and delicious. I added onion to the garlic. Better than restaurant alfredo for sure!

    Reply

  9. Kevin Posnikoff says

    Have you tried making your sauces in bulk and canning them? This recipe looks great and would like to can a bunch.

    Reply

    • Anna@CrunchyCreamySweet says

      Hi Kevin! I have not tried canning this sauce. So sorry I am no help! I am not good at canning at all. I hope you will get a chance to try this recipe. If so, please let me know how you like it! Have a wonderful day! -Anna

      Reply

  13. Jessica says

    We love alfredo sauce here! I actually made one from scratch this week and used bacon grease instead of butter and chopped up the crispy bacon and tossed it in with the alfredo sauce and chicken. Your sauce looks so thick and creamy and delicious!

    Reply

  17. Justine says

    Homemade alfredo sauce is SOOOO much better than the store-bought stuff, but I’ve only ever made it one time! Definitely saving this recipe!

    Reply

  21. Cookin Canuck says

    Homemade Alfredo sauce beats the store-bought version any day of the week. The ultimate comfort food!

    Reply

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