You’re only 15 minutes and 5 pantry ingredients away from homemade Alfredo sauce infused with yummy garlic, butter, heavy cream, cream cheese, and Parmesan.
For as long as I can remember, our family receives laughs and scoffs for keeping a large 3-lb block of cream cheese in our fridge. The reason why: to make this amazing homemade Alfredo sauce whenever we want! Inevitably, once they try this homemade Alfredo sauce recipe, they stop laughing. Because it is so tasty!
It takes just 15 minutes to make, and it’s way better than Olive Garden and the store-bought Alfredo sauces. This sauce was one of the first things I learned to make.
When you don’t know what to make for dinner, this is such an easy recipe to go to. It can be tossed with pasta for fettuccine Alfredo. Or it can be used in a myriad of other ways. See the post below for more ideas!
Alfredo Sauce Ingredients
This is such a simple recipe, and it only requires 7 ingredients (only 5 if you don’t count salt and pepper)! For this homemade Alfredo sauce, you’ll need:
- Cream Cheese
- Salted Butter
- Heavy Whipping Cream
- Garlic Powder
- Parmesan Cheese
- Salt and Pepper
In my opinion, one of the reasons this sauce is so rich and creamy is because of the cream cheese! Hence, why our family always has big bricks of it on hand.
TIP: Instead of buying a 3-lb block of cream cheese, buy smaller 8 oz packages. They can stay fresh for several months in your fridge. Unopened, they can still be used up to a month past the sell by date.
As a word of caution, don’t use fresh garlic. It has a different flavor profile, and it can be overwhelming in the Alfredo sauce. Instead, opt for a milder flavor with garlic powder. Feel free to increase the amount of garlic powder used if you really love garlic.
Normally, I use heavy cream in this recipe, but half and half, whole milk, or unsweetened almond milk can be substituted to reduce the calorie count.
When it comes to Parmesan cheese, I use the pre-grated kind. It doesn’t have to be fancy. In fact, I really like the flavor of it. Although, feel free to use fresh if you have that on hand.
Is This Alfredo Sauce Low-Carb?
If you use a low-carb heavy cream, half-n-half, or almond milk this sauce is low-carb friendly. However, using regular dairy milk will significantly increase the number of carbs. So, be sure to check your food labels.
Note: if you use almond milk, you may need to simmer the sauce longer for it to thicken completely.
Alfredo Sauce Preparation
The first step to making Alfredo sauce is to warm butter and cream cheese in a large saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter and cream cheese are softened, slowly add heavy cream and whisk until smooth. Next, add in your garlic powder and seasonings. Lastly, add Parmesan cheese and simmer for 5-10 minutes to allow all the flavors to combine and intensify.
Serving Suggestions
This homemade Alfredo sauce recipe is perfect for tossing with fettuccine noodles and chicken. It’s also yummy as a pizza sauce. Try adding it to your lasagna for a rich and creamy sauce. Or use as a dipping sauce for chicken nuggets.
Or use it my recipe for Copycat Johnny Carino’s Italian Nachos. It’s seriously one of my favorite (and most popular) recipes.
Really you can’t go wrong! Let me know how you like to use it!
Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 8 oz Cream Cheese
- 8 tbsp Butter, Salted
- 2 cups Heavy Whipping Cream*
- 1 tsp Garlic Powder
- 1 tsp Black Pepper
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1/2 cup Parmesan Cheese Grated
Instructions
- In a large saucepan, add cream cheese and butter. Heat over medium heat whisking continuously until butter melts and cream cheese is softened. (Mixture may appear curdled.)
- Slowly, add heavy whipping cream while whisking continuously. Add garlic powder, black pepper, and salt. Taste and add more seasoning as desired. Simmer sauce for 5-10 minutes whisking occasionally.
