This Garlicky Creamy Alfredo Sauce combines cream cheese, heavy cream, and Parmesan cheese to create an irresistibly rich and flavorful sauce that both you and your family will adore.
Table of Contents
There’s nothing quite as indulgent as a plate of pasta alfredo. Rich creamy sauce over tender noodles is truly decadent. This alfredo sauce is easy to prepare with a few basic ingredients, so you can easily be indulging in this simple yet fancy meal at home.
Cream cheese is melted along with fresh garlic, heavy cream and Parmesan cheese to create a super silky and smooth sauce that will coat any pasta shape. Though alfredo sauce is typically served with fettucine you can use any long or short shaped pasta you like. Or try this delicious alfredo sauce on this Stove Top Alfredo Mac and Cheese.
Make a batch to store in the fridge so dinner time prep is a breeze.
Alfredo sauce vs bechamel
Though both of these sauces are white, alfredo is either made with heavy cream or whipping cream and cheese, while bechamel is made with milk and flour.
Ingredients
- Butter: Use a good quality butter, salted or unsalted will both work.
- Garlic: Use fresh garlic cloves, minced for the best garlic flavor.
- Cream cheese: Cream cheese helps thicken up this alfredo sauce for a rich, creamy flavor and texture. Use full-fat cream cheese for the best results. Plant based cream cheese will also work.
- Parmesan cheese: Freshly grated parmesan cheese adds a salty, cheesy flavor to this sauce.
- Heavy cream: Heavy cream helps make the sauce silky smooth with a velvety texture.
- Milk: Any type of milk will help smooth out the sauce.
- Salt and pepper: Add salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste.
How To Make Garlic Alfredo Sauce
- Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan and then add each of the other ingredients, one at at time, stirring in between to prevent the sauce from clumping.
- Simmer the sauce until it is rich and thick.
FAQs
If you don’t have heavy cream you can use half and half though your sauce won’t be as rich.
If you find your sauce is lumpy you can place it in the food processor or blender to smooth it out.
Though parmesan is traditional you can swap it for grana padano, romano or asiago.
If you find your sauce is too thin you can add more milk, cream or save some of the pasta water and use it to thin out the sauce.
Storage
Refrigerate leftover sauce in a jar for up to one week or freeze for up to 1 month. Defrost in the fridge overnight and reheat over the stove. Note the sauce will thicken so give it a good stir before reheating and add more cream or milk to thin it out.
How To Use Alfredo Sauce
Though super tasty over pasta, you can use alfredo sauce in many other ways. Here are a few suggestions:
- Add to your favorite lasagna recipe in addition or instead of a tomato-based sauce.
- Use instead of a bechamel sauce or cream soup in a pot pie.
- Layer on pizza instead of pizza sauce.
- Spoon over your favorite chicken and pasta recipe for a super creamy meal.
RECIPE TIP
For the best flavor and texture use fresh parmesan cheese, not shelf stable.
Garlicky Creamy Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp high quality butter salted or unsalted
- 4 garlic cloves minced
- 6 tbsp cream cheese
- 3 tbsp parmesan cheese grated
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1/2 cup milk
- salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan melt the butter. Add all the remaining ingredients one by one, stirring in between to prevent the sauce from clumping.
- Cook sauce for about 10 minutes. Serve over your favorite pasta. Refrigerate remaining sauce in a jar for up to one week
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Alfredo Sauce is something we don’t really know over here in Belgium! On the other hand when I read about it, it makes me think about the delicious cheese based sauces we have over here and I think I might like this sauce too! As you say garlic makes everything better! No time to waste 🙂
Oh, I t think you would like this! It’s amazing what garlic does… and cheese, no words there. I bet your cheese sauces are fantastic, hmm… Thanks!
Just made it–WE LOVED IT! Thanks!!!
That just made my day 🙂 thanks so much!
I was wondering if you’ve had any luck with freezing this?
Hi Christa! I haven’t tried freezing this recipe yet. It goes so quickly at my house Lol. However I can’t imagine it not freezing well, like most sauces do.
I make a double or triple batch and freeze using an extra large ice cube tray. Then I have individual servings which is perfect for packed lunches in a thermos!
That’s a brilliant idea! Thanks for trying my recipe and taking the time to write your feedback 🙂
I couldn’t resist commenting. Well written!
Thanks so much!
Super easy weeknight meal!
For sure Karly! This is a very tasty one. Thanks so much!
This sauce just goes really well almost everything. And the pictures are beautiful.
Any idea on the nutritional data for this please?
Hi Lisa, unfortunately my recipe plugin does not support the nutrition fact label but you can find a nutrition generator on google. Just copy and pasta the ingredients. Sorry about that
I have been searching for a garlicky Alfredo sauce for a few days. This recipe caught my eye for the amount of garlic it uses and looking fairly simple. I decided to give it a test run in the afternoon in case I screwed it up I’d have time to fix it before dinner 😂. Turns out I did not mess it up and, in fact, it’s soooo delicious that I’m now mad we have to wait for dinner time!!!
That’s really great, I am so happy to hear! I make this sauce all the time for my kids, they literally lick their plates clean 🙂
Do you think this recipe could be canned?
Hi Amber, I have never tried canning this recipe but I have kept it in air-tight jar in the fridge for up to 7 days
Easier than any Alfredo recipe I’ve ever tried and also tastes better! So quick, so easy, and so good! Now if only it were calorie free…
Thank you Miriam, that’s wonderful to hear!! xo