Making your own Alfredo sauce is easy and requires less than 10 minutes! Use this method as the base for a huge variety of pasta recipes.

If you are after a lighter version, take a look at our Creamy Pasta Sauce Recipe. Or for a plant-based option, try Vegan Alfredo Sauce!

fettuccine alfredo in a bowl sprinkled with fresh parsley

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I still remember the days when I used to buy jarred Alfredo sauce thinking I could use shortcuts in the kitchen to get dinner on the table quicker.

Little did I know that homemade sauce takes almost as long to make from scratch as it is to heat up the store bought variety. All you need is 10 minutes! And good quality ingredients.

There are many stories on the internet that trace the original Alfredo sauce recipe to a restaurant in Rome. I am not sure how much of that story to trust. From what I can tell the famous Alfredo sauce is an American invention.

The original Alfredo sauce was simply an emulsion of grated Parmesan cheese and hot pasta water. Many Alfredo recipes that are circulating that have additional and unnecessary ingredients.

Garlic, chicken stock, flour, milk. None of them are really needed to make a full flavour cream sauce for any types of pasta.

Three Ingredients

People put all sorts of things in their Alfredo sauce and it is their personal choice. I however believe that only 3 ingredients are truly needed for an amazing tasting cream sauce for your fettuccine.

Butter, heavy cream and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Okay, 4 if you like to add a whisper of freshly grated nutmeg.

This of course, is the classic recipe. Once you get the basic recipe down, it’s easy to add twists like I did with Cajun Chicken Alfredo or Blackened Chicken Alfredo!

Recipe Tips and Notes

I am sure you noticed I use “freshly grated” quite often but I truly believe that fresh ingredients are where the flavour is at.
If you use fresh Parmesan cheese instead of pre-grated you will need less of it to get the flavour.
Grating your own Parmesan also improves the texture of the sauce. Pre-grated cheeses are packed with anti-caking ingredient mixed in to prevent the cheese clumping up. They are no doubt convenient but sauces made with pre-grated cheeses tend to be less smooth because of it.
Use heavy cream with at least 35% fat content for the right consistency. Using lower fat cream such as half and half or light cream will result in a thinner sauce.
Finally, my main tip would be to combine all ingredients at very low heat while stirring the sauce. This will allow the cheese to melt and incorporate slowly into the cream while creating a silky smooth sauce.
At the very end, grate the nutmeg over the sauce on a very fine grater. Just a few gratings will infuse the sauce with the most beautiful aroma without overpowering it. If you use pre-grated nutmeg, add a tiny pinch.

Serving Suggestions

The most famous and favourite pairing for this luscious sauce is fettuccine pasta. Of course, you can use any pasta you like or have on hand.

I’ve used it as the base for all sorts of alfredo recipes. Try Chicken Broccoli Alfredo, Cajun Chicken Alfredo and Prosciutto Wrapped Chicken Alfredo for reader favourites!

Since the cream sauce is quite rich I recommend to keep the rest of the dishes lighter. Lemon Garlic Green Beans with Parmesan or Roasted Broccoli with Sun-Dried Tomatoes and Chillies will be excellent side dishes. Both are inspired by Italian flavours, so they will pair well with your pasta course.

Favourite Pasta Recipes with Cream Sauces: