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.

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

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.

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:

• Spaghetti alla Carbonara
• Instant Pot Tuscan Chicken Pasta
• Garlic Butter Mushroom Shrimp Pasta

For more recipe, feel free to browse our Pasta Category.

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 2 votes

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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.