Homemade Alfredo sauce is one of the easiest, most flavorful sauce recipes I make. Only 4 ingredients needed and ready in just 10 minutes!
Prepare yourself for creamy indulgence that is shockingly easy to make and actually healthy -- not usually words to describe homemade Alfredo sauce, am I right? This Alfredo sauce is rich, creamy, cheesy and with just the right amount of garlic. Plus it’s HEALTHY. How awesome is that?
I haven’t always made it this way though. There was a time when my Alfredo sauce wasn’t healthy. Gasp! Heck, I used to buy the canned stuff in the glass jar at some point. Yep, it’s true. Unfortunately, it was full of preservatives and added chemicals to keep it stable on the grocery shelf so it was clearly not good for my body or healthy lifestyle.
Not cool. This had to change. I needed homemade Alfredo and I needed it to be healthy! So I made that happen! And I’m gonna share the steps for how to make Alfredo sauce because I want you to enjoy this awesome homemade Alfredo, too.
And I hope you’re excited because this is the best Alfredo sauce!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HOMEMADE ALFREDO SAUCE
To those of you who don’t think it’s that big of a deal to just use the canned stuff or the powdered sauce mixes for your Alfredo from time to time, try this recipe and tell me it doesn’t change your mind. I dare you. Once you learn how to make Alfredo Sauce, you’ll never want to go back. Trust me.
Here are the ingredients for the Alfredo Sauce I used to use (and we bought the more expensive Bertolii brand stuff, too!): Water, Heavy Cream, Butter (Cream, Salt), Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Part Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Soybean Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Enzyme Modified Egg Yolk (Egg Yolk, Salt, Enzyme), Romano Cheese made from Cow's Milk (Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Salt, American Sherry Cooking Wine (Wine, Grape Alcohol, Salt, Potassium Metabisulfite [Preservative]), Whey, Yeast Extract, Xanthan Gum, Disodium Phosphate, Garlic Powder, Spices, Natural Flavors.
And before that, we used to use the powdered stuff made by Knorr, which includes: maltodextrin, corn starch, wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), parmesan, romano, cheddar and blue cheeses (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), salt, whey, whey protein concentrate, hydrolyzed corn protein, palm oil, natural flavor (soy), nonfat milk*, citric acid, lactic acid, sodium caseinate, soybean oil, spice.
And the ingredients for my homemade Alfredo sauce: cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, and garlic powder.
And, BTW, making Alfredo sauce at home is very easy so you have no reason not to try it. To make this easy Alfredo sauce, you have to follow only 3 simple steps:
- add all ingredients for the healthy Alfredo sauce to a blender and blend until very smooth;
- transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat over medium heat;
- heat through, stirring frequently.
Extra tip –-> make sure you don’t overheat because it will begin to separate!
WHAT IS ALFREDO SAUCE?
In case you're unfamiliar with what Alfredo sauce is or you have always wondered, but were never really sure, Alfredo sauce is an Italian white sauce typically used in pasta dishes. I say typically because I like it on pizza and as a topping to baked potatoes, too. YUMMY.
Traditionally, Alfredo sauce is made with butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. I’ll explain why I don’t use heavy cream or butter in a bit! It's a very dense, thick, and luscious sauce and is absolutely delicious, in my humble opinion.
HOW TO THICKEN ALFREDO SAUCE
If you’ve tried homemade Alfredo sauce before and the reason you stopped making it at home it’s because it never turned out quite right texture wise, blame it on the cheese!
The answer to how to thicken Alfredo sauce is parmesan. I recommend freshly grated parmesan, not the one you can buy already grated. The Alfredo sauce thickens easily with freshly grated parmesan. However, if the homemade Alfredo is still not thick enough for you, allow the sauce to stand for a couple of minutes before serving. Alfredo sauce thickens while it cools.
Also, the fact that this healthy Alfredo sauce recipe requires cottage cheese helps because it's naturally thick, especially when blended.
TIPS FOR MAKING HEALTHY ALFREDO SAUCE
To make this light alfredo sauce happen, I use only 4 simple ingredients. Before my clean eating era, I used to make Alfredo sauce with butter, garlic cloves, cream cheese, milk, parmesan, salt, and pepper.
Nowadays, I…
- replace cream cheese (or heavy cream) with cottage cheese for more protein and less saturated fat;
- use almond milk instead of milk– this is just a preference, you can use cow milk if you want;
- skip salt because parmesan and cottage cheese is salty enough.
Pretty simple substitutions, don’t you think? But they make this homemade Alfredo sauce healthy and still so creamy and delicious.
Oh, I almost forgot. I like my Alfredo sauce a little garlicky. So I add a little bit of garlic powder to make it extra special. I use garlic powder, but you can easily sub in whole garlic cloves if you'd prefer.
WHAT TO MAKE WITH ALFREDO SAUCE
The most obvious answer to what to make with Alfredo sauce is fettuccine Alfredo. Because classics are always amazing. But, since this is healthy Alfredo sauce, you can replace the traditional Fettuccine with whole-wheat fettuccine to make a very healthy yet totes delicious dish. Or with zoodles aka zucchini noodles, like I like to do. Because zoodles are amazeballs and a great low-carb alternative for pasta. If you don’t know how to make them, check out my How To Make Zucchini Noodles post. Spoiler: they're super easy, too!
You can add chicken to your Alfredo Zucchini Noodles and turn the dish into Chicken Alfredo, another yummy classic.
For pizza night, you can also use Alfredo sauce instead of tomato sauce if you wanna change up the taste of pizza. Make a whole-wheat pizza crust or a cauliflower pizza crust, top the Alfredo sauce with chicken, spinach, and red onions.
HOW LONG DOES ALFREDO SAUCE LAST?
Before answering how long does Alfredo sauce last in the fridge, let me tell you a little story about traditional Alfredo sauce (besides the fact that’s not very healthy). I always had problems when I wanted to reheat the homemade Alfredo sauce when following the traditional recipe. The Alfredo sauce always turned into a garlic butter sauce, as opposed to the rich and creamy Alfredo it was when first prepared. Somehow, all the white creamy goodness that makes an Alfredo an Alfredo would just up and disappear. The good news is this doesn’t happen if you use cottage cheese! Hooray!
So, knowing this, how long does alfredo sauce last in the fridge?
If you store it properly in mason jars or any air-tight containers, homemade Alfredo sauce lasts for 4*5 days in the fridge.
CAN YOU FREEZE ALFREDO SAUCE?
I have more great news, friends - you can freeze Alfredo sauce too! How freaking amazing, right? You can double or even triple my Alfredo recipe and freeze it for later. If you do this, you can make your favorite Alfredo dishes whenever the cravings hit without settling for the canned Alfredo filled with bad ingredients. Alfredo dishes healthy and guilt-free? Yes, please!
To freeze Alfredo sauce…
- allow the sauce to cool;
- transfer the homemade Alfredo to Ziploc bags or freezer-safe airtight containers;
- then place in the freezer.
Frozen Alfredo sauce lasts for 3-4 months. It may not be quite as creamy and smooth when you reheat it, but it will still be creamy and delicious.
HOW TO REHEAT ALFREDO SAUCE
The best thing about this homemade Alfredo is that, when you’ll reheat it, you won’t run into the problems I had in the past. Thank you cottage cheese for making this possible!
However, whether you reheat Alfredo sauce from frozen or from the fridge, make sure you stir well while reheating. And reheat it in a saucepan gradually, stirring frequently, to keep it from burning. This was will also help to prevent the cheese from curdling so the easy Alfredo sauce will be just as good as when you made it.
3 MORE HEALTHY SAUCE RECIPES
This Alfredo recipe is not the only sauce recipe I like to make. In fact, I really love to make my own sauce recipes. Homemade sauce recipes are just the best. You can adjust the taste and you have full control over the ingredients. I am all for that!
PESTO SAUCE
If you have fresh basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan, you gotta make this Healthy Pesto Sauce!
This Pesto Sauce is super quick and easy to make (ready in just 5 minutes!) and it’s delicious and versatile.
CAULIFLOWER CHEESE SAUCE
Check out this Cauliflower Cheese Sauce and be amazed by cauliflower’s awesomeness. Cauliflower can turn many recipes into healthy recipes. Cheese sauce is not an exception.
The sauce is creamy, cheesy, and so yummy. And you won’t even notice the cauliflower.
HOW TO MAKE ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE
Learn How to Make Roasted Tomato Sauce and enjoy the amazing flavors of tomatoes all year long.
This Roasted Tomato Sauce doesn’t compare to the canned one. It’s deep, vibrant, and at least 100 times more delicious.
4 Ingredient Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Equipment
- Saucepan
*This post may contain affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Ingredients
- 24 oz (3 cups) full fat cottage cheese
- ⅓ cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup almond milk (or milk of choice), plus more, as needed, to thin
Instructions
Video
Notes
Nutrition
This post contains affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
Linda
This recipe is fantastic! I was never really a fan of canned alfredo sauce, but I never knew how to make my own. I decided to make this with whole grain pasta and chicken, and it came out superb. I actually made it with skim milk and fat free cream cheese, and it was way better than any can, but with way fewer calories. Thanks!
Lacey Baier
Yay -- so glad you enjoyed the alfredo recipe, Linda 🙂
mel dunn-mathes
another jar family converted 🙂 i honostly got sick of paying $4-$8 for some tiny bottle. so i pulled up yours. absolutly fantastic!! very very yummy, plus it is much cheaper. and you can make more if you happen to need more. last night i just make a simple seafood alfredo with crab meat (imitation works too), shrimp(i find sam's extra large bags work great), some scalloups and added some fresh mushrooms. i picked egg noodles (our toddler has less problems eating with egg noodles LOL)and the whole family loves it (even our very picky 6yo)no left overs (wish i did i wanted to see how it froze)... next time i will be "reinveting" my chicken alfredo pizza 🙂
Lacey Baier
Yay -- another family converted! LOVE it! 🙂 Thanks so much for sharing.
erin
well I can't say I've ever bought the jar stuff. but I wanted a white sauce for pizza tonight so I googled it and sounds JUST PERFECT!!! I just hope it turns out alright. I live on an island so our milk is ultra pasteurized and I use jarred garlic cause the fresh is not slways good. hope that doesn't sacrifice flavor!
Lacey Baier
I'd love to know how it turns out, Erin!
Carla
WOW!! My daughter encouraged me to make some alfredo sauce from scratch,and what drew me to your recipe is the ingredients, sounds nice and rich!! I doubled the recipe and added a cup of heavy cream because I had only low fat milk and I wanted it to be rich and creamy...and it is!! I will never buy alfredo sauce again. Thank you so much for your recipe. Blessings.
Lacey Baier
You are SO very welcome, Carla. Thanks for sharing 🙂 (And....yay for never going back to the store-bought stuff!!)
Jrojas
Hi Lacey!! Your sauce is amazing!! I can't cook anything more than eggs, but your recipe was so easy to follow!!! Thank you!! I will now be serving My boyfriend ( who is a cook) a nice little meal of fettuchini alfredo with shrimp, instead of it being him cooking for me!! thank you again, I will deft be back!!!
Lacey Baier
I'm so happy you were able to make the alfredo sauce and that it all turned out well! See? It's not so hard! 😉
Thanks so much for sharing -- I just love hearing that! 🙂
adam
Howdy,
I was wondering how you manage to have from staying gritty, I keep having it taste grit, is it cause of the fact I don use fresh parmesan??? thank you
Lacey Baier
Hi Adam. I'm sorry the sauce is turning out gritty.
Hmmm...When you add the cream cheese and parmesan, do you continue to stir until they completely dissolve? Sometimes, it can feel like it takes too long too long to dissolve, but it will -- I promise! Also, do you slowly add the milk after the cream cheese is fully melted? Not doing so I'd bet would leave the texture un-smooth.
I've never tried making it without fresh parmesan, so that may also be the culprit (though I doubt it)...what kind of parmesan are you using?
adam
its the bulk Parmesan cheese similar to the stuff in the jar, for I cant afford the good stuff. maybe I'm adding too much too soon? hmm I guess I still don't have a good eye for slowly adding ingredients together!
Lacey Baier
Then, yes, the parmesan you're using may be the culprit. If you try it again with a different method or parmesan, let me know how it turns out!
Craig
The jarred stuff doesn't dissolve and will make it gritty.
Adam, a fresh block of parmesan seems to be more expensive, but it's really not. It has a much more concentrated flavor, so you actually use a lot less. Think about how many shakes of the Kraft stuff you put on pasta and still never feel it's enough.... a sprinkle of fresh grated really hits the spot.
I'd really suggest you give it a try. Also, a trick when adding cheese is to do it off the heat. No idea why but it works wonders...
Also, Romano is similar to parmesan but has a slightly more intense flavor. I substitute it for parm all the time, and really can use less normally because it packs so much flavor. Just my 2 cents
Lacey Baier
Thanks for sharing, Craig 🙂
Kat
Do you think coconut milk would do good in this? I don't cook/drink cow milk! Thanks!
Lacey Baier
Hi Kat! I would try using a plain soymilk or almond milk rather than coconut milk, as I think the coconut flavor in the coconut milk, though mild, wouldn't go well with the sauce. I'd love to know how it goes!
Amanda
How much alfredo sauce does this recipe make?
Lacey Baier
Amanda, depending on how much you let it cook down to reach the thickness you prefer, it'll make about 1 to 1 1/2 cups sauce.
Thalia
Thank you so much for this recipe! A friend and I tried it the other night with chicken and noodles and it was amazing. Going to surprise my parents with dinner tonight and I'm sure they will love it too. I will definitely be making my own sauce from now on and not going back to the bottled stuff!
Lacey Baier
Yay, Thalia! Another bottled alfredo convert! So glad you enjoyed the alfredo recipe 🙂 How nice of you to cook for your parents!
Amber Louchart
just fantastic!!!! Thanks for sharing.
Lacey Baier
You're so welcome, Amber 🙂
Kimberly
I have been looking for the perfect alfredo recipie for a very long time.. I am ridiculously picky about alfredo sauce.. but yours just blew me away. I made it about 20 minutes ago with some garden penne pasta.. oh my, out of this world!!! Thank you so much!!
Lacey Baier
Wow, what a compliment! That makes me so happy that you liked the alfredo sauce, Kimberly. Thank you for sharing. You are SO very welcome 🙂
Vivian
Does it spoil easily? How long do you think the sauce will last? xD
Lacey Baier
Hi Vivian! The beauty of this sauce is it won't turn to a buttery-garlic sauce once your refrigerate it. Instead, it stays thick and creamy even when reheated. I wouldn't recommend waiting longer than 5 days to a week for any sauce after refrigerating, so I guess that's my best answer for you. Hope that helps!
Christina @ Sweet Pea's Kitchen
This is awesome! I have never made my own Alfredo sauce, this looks so super easy I think I have no excuse not too anymore! 😉 Thanks so much for sharing!
Lacey Baier
Hi Christina! You're welcome. You're right...it is so super easy to make and comes out great every time. Thanks for stopping by!
Stefanie
Fantastic! I have been looking for a recipe that would change my boys' opinions about Alfredo sauce and I think this is it! Easy too! Now, would you mind telling me about your adorable skillet? 🙂 Is it Le Creuset?
Lacey Baier
Well Stephanie, I hope to help change your boys' opinions. Thank you for noticing my new addition to my kitchen. Yes, it is a Le Creuset. 🙂 It was an awesome gift from my mother-in-law. Perfect for making sauces and even braising, searing and baking. Heehee!
polwig
This is great. I have never made my own Alfredo Sauce. I make Marinara all the time and refuse to buy it anymore, therefore I totally understand about never going back. Does this sauce freeze well?
Lacey Baier
Ooh, very good question! You know...I'm not sure I have ever tried freezing this sauce. I'm sorry I can't answer that for you. If you do try freezing it, I'd love to know how it turns out so I can let other know as well. Good luck!
wannabe1987
it freezes well, and thaws well and you can't even tell it was frozen! So happy to find that tidbit out...I bought more cream cheese just in case it didn't freeze/thaw well, but it did!
THANK YOU so much for this recipe!!!!
Lacey Baier
VERY good to know! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Michelle
I've frozen it before, mixed with chicken and vermicelli, and it reheats well. I vacuum seal the container , then thaw before reheating.
A question I have, should the ingredients be at room temperature? I just tried it again, and this time the butter and cream cheese did not mix. Too low or high of heat?
Lacey Baier
definitely room temperature is what you want to make sure they are easy to mix