Why Is This The Best Homemade Alfredo Sauce
This beats store-bought packaged sauce by miles and miles with just a fraction of the sodium and preservatives and only takes a few minutes to make.
I toned down the fat content by using fat-free cream cheese and milk, so I honestly don’t even feel very guilty about this dish overall, especially when compared to traditional Alfredo sauce made with heavy cream.
For growing peanuts out there, especially ones who don’t like to drink a lot of milk straight from a glass, it is a fantastic way to get extra calcium into them.
Once picky eaters discover this, the alfredo sauce is perfect for coating green veggies like peas or chopped broccoli.
How To Make Alfredo Sauce From Scratch
I made this sauce and it was DELICIOUS!!!
Alfredo Sauce Recipe Ingredients
Most Alfredo sauces are made with only Parmesan cheese, butter, cream, and salt. But we took the liberty of adding in some garlic and extra seasonings to make it that much more delicious. This is the only recipe you will ever need! Here’s the breakdown:
- Parmesan cheese: For optimal results, use real Parmigiano-Reggiano right off the block. Avoid those shaker-style containers or tubs filled with pre-shredded cheese. They don’t melt properly, making your sauce grainy. And they simply don’t taste nearly as good as fresh.
- Butter: Either unsalted or salted work great. If using salted butter, I recommended omitting the additional salt until you’ve tasted the sauce and then add extra, if necessary.
- Heavy Cream: We use heavy whipping cream for the ultimate indulgence. This will give you the creamiest, richest results. Go big or go home, right? You certainly can use regular heavy cream, though, and it will still be wonderful!
- Garlic: We use a mix of garlic powder and fresh garlic, which we think is perfect. If you want a more subtle garlic flavor, you could cut back on one or the other.
- Seasonings: Salt, pepper, and dried Italian seasoning. This trio of spices really takes the sauce up a level. Parmesan cheese is already salty, so we’re only adding in a touch more.
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Other Quick Meal Ideas You May Like
Simple Stir Fry Sauce Stir fry is one of the easiest things to throw together for a quick and easy dinner or lunch!
Creamy Orzo with Meatballs and Peas Meatballs, peas and orzo pasta in a creamy cheesy sauce is a great weeknight meal for a family on the go!
Simple Weeknight Meatloaf Simple, home comfort food.
Crustless Quiche Meat and veggie ingredients can be interchanged for whatever you like or what you have on hand.
Crockpot Chicken Chili Colorful and satisfying, this Crockpot Chicken Chili is perfect for a crowd!
Which Other Recipes Can I Use With This Pasta Sauce
This easy recipe makes a very generous portion of Alfredo sauce but uses the entire brick of cream cheese. Even if you don’t think you need all the sauce for one meal, go ahead and make the full recipe.
You can use leftover sauce in:
- Creamy Pesto Chicken Casserole
- Ham and Peas Pasta Alfredo
- Chicken Alfredo Rice Casserole
If youve tried this easy homemade alfredo sauce with cream cheese or any other recipe onPeanutBlossom.com please dont forget to rate the recipe and let me know where you found it in the comments below. I love hearing from you!FOLLOW along on Instagram as well as on and .
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Tips For Making This Instant Pot Chicken Alfredo Pasta:
- You never want to milk, cream, cheese or other dairy products to the Instant Pot before pressurizing. They will clump and foam when you open the valve to release the pressure. You dont want to try it.
- The worst thing you can do is cook the pasta too long. You will want to cook the pasta for roughly half the time listed on package, especially because in this recipe, you are going to turn the Instant Pot to saute when you add the rest of your sauce ingredients. If your pasta is well cooked to begin with, its going to turn into a gross mess when youre cooking and stirring the sauce.
- Feel free to use chicken breasts or chicken thighs, or you can even skip the chicken and opt for a vegetarian meal. You cannot skip sauteeing the chicken in this recipe because the chicken needs a longer cook time than the pasta.
- Feel free to mix up the flavors by adding in different veggies when you mix up the rest of the sauce: broccoli, mushrooms, green beans, or anything that can cook fairly quickly are great.
How To Make Alfredo Sauce With Milk
To get started on this easy recipe, the first thing we do is melt butter in a medium saucepan set over medium low heat along with minced garlic and flour. The garlic will saute as the roux cooks. It is important to keep stirring your flour mixtures so it doesn’t burn. You want to cook it for approximately three minutes to ensure the raw flour taste is cooked out of it.
Next, the milk is added to transform the roux into a sauce. Don’t add all of the milk at once or it will not incorporate into the roux properly. Instead, begin by adding a few splashes of milk at a time and stir them into the roux. Once the milk is blended in more can be added. Repeat this until all of the milk has been added and you have a creamy white sauce.
We will do the same thing with the fresh grated Parmesan cheese. Begin by stirring one handful into the sauce, then add more. Repeat until all of the cheese has been added, then stir in salt and black pepper. I highly recommend using fresh ground black pepper for the best flavor. The sauce is ready to be served over your favorite pasta noodles.
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Lets Hear It For This Recipes Hero Cream Cheese
Cream cheese makes our Alfredo sauce wealthy and creamy with out having to make a rue, which is historically required for a lot of Alfredo sauces.
What if the cream cheese seems clumpy? If you add the cream cheese to the butter, it could begin to look curdled however dont fear simply hold mixing, and itll cream completely!
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VARIATIONS ON ALFREDO SAUCE WITH CREAM CHEESE
- Bacon: Who wouldnt love Bacon Alfredo Sauce? Cook a few bacon slices until crispy, crumble, and stir into sauce with the parmesan or right before serving.
- Veggies: Add veggies like sun-dried tomatoes, roasted red peppers, fresh diced tomatoes , sautéed mushrooms, or thawed frozen peas to your sauce with the parmesan cheese.
- Heavy Cream: For an extra rich and creamy Alfredo Sauce, substitute heavy whipping cream for the whole milk in this recipe. You can also use half and half!
- Spices: Give your Alfredo more flavor with Italian seasoning, red pepper flakes, dried basil, or a pinch of nutmeg. Garnish with fresh chopped Italian parsley.
- Cheese: Make this sauce even more creamy and decadent with more fresh shredded cheese like provolone, mozzarella, or white cheddar stirred in at the end until melted.
- Fettuccini Alfredo: Toss this creamy sauce with fettuccini pasta cooked to al dente, with a little reserved pasta water as needed, and top with Grilled Chicken Breasts or Grilled Lime Shrimp for an easy dinner.
EASY ITALIAN PASTA DISHES
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How To Make A Alfredo Sauce With Cream Cheese
The best homemade Alfredo sauce recipe made from scratch with only a handful of natural ingredients. It’s so easy, comes together in just minutes, and will knock your pasta socks off! Store-bought Alfredo doesn’t even compare.
If you love Alfredo like we do, you won’t want to miss our Chicken Alfredo or Shrimp Alfredo recipes!
Is there anything better than the combination of butter, cream, and cheese? Maybe a warm chocolate chip cookie. Maybe. This homemade Alfredo sauce recipe is rich, creamy, and completely luscious. It’s just begging for some warm pasta to coat.
Serve & Take Pleasure In
If serving with pasta, take away the pasta immediately from the boiling water and place it into the sauce dont drain the pasta water! Toss with the pasta and add ¼ cup of pasta water if the sauce turns into too thick.
Garnish with recent parsley, and luxuriate in. Wish to add a protein to your pasta Alfredo? Take a look at a few of our suggestions under!
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Tips To Make Alfredo Sauce With Cream Cheese
This recipe for Homemade Alfredo Sauce is as quick and easy as I promised! Once you start cooking, it will go really fast, so I am going to walk through a new of my notes on ingredients, substitutions, and tips for making this recipe as delicious as possible. Make sure to scroll to the bottom for the FULL recipe card.
How To Use Alfredo Sauce
There are many ways to use Alfredo sauce in cooking. Alfredo sauce is especially perfect with pasta. It is often used with grilled chicken or seafood pasta. It goes well with cheese in baked potato dishes. It is also preferred in pizza recipes and as a dip sauce. It can be served with boiled vegetables.
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Ingredients For The Best Alfredo Sauce
Butter and Olive Oil This combination gives the dish an amazing taste and flavor!
Cream Cheese Make sure you use whole fat cream cheese, not reduced or fat free, for a creamy, delicious sauce.
Whipping Cream I use heavy whipping cream as it makes a thick and creamy Alfredo sauce.
Stone House Seasoning Adds the seasoning to the sauce that gives it the perfect flavor! I keep this made ahead so its simple to add to this and other recipes. It contains the perfect amount of pepper and garlic to season this recipe perfectly!
Parmesan Cheese Make sure you use real Parmesan cheese the kind in a wedge or block. Shred it yourself right off the block. It only takes a minute and it is so worth it because Parmesan is such an important part of the dish. You definitely do not want to use the powdered cheese in a can because it doesnt melt and it wont give the desired results.
Mozzarella Cheese Use whole fat cheese and not reduced or fat free for the creamiest, best Alfredo.
Four Simple Pantry Ingredients Combine To Make A Restaurant Quality Alfredo Sauce That Compliments Any Pasta A Quick And Easy Dinner The Whole Family Will Love
Alfredo sauce is something that always seems so indulgent when you eat out at a restaurant. I picture a stereotypical chef in full uniform mixing together a zillion ingredients to get the perfect combination just for the perfect pasta dish that is about to be set before me. Truth time Alfredo sauce is EASY. Ridiculously easy. Four simple ingredients and a saucepan. Any pasta, any additions and maybe even garlic toast and you have a restaurant quality meal that is satisfying and delicious!
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Tips For The Best Sauce
Like I mentioned, this is the best Alfredo Ive tastedeven better than the version I adored from my favorite Italian restaurant. Here are a few tips that help make it so delicious and such a simple, much loved recipe!
- Fresh is best. Use fresh Parmesan cheese for the best results. It makes the sauce rich, thick and creamy. Grate it yourself or find authentic freshly grated Parmesan. Powdered, canned versions of the cheese are not recommended as it doesnt give desired results.
- Low and slow for the best results. Add the ingredients slowly and whisk into the sauce until cheeses melt and there is a thick smooth, creamy consistency
- Do not overheat and do not boil. Whisking and cooking slowing over low heat helps it to be smooth and avoids separating.
How To Make Alfredo Sauce
This sauce is so easy to make in only a few simple steps.*Don’t miss the complete printable recipe card and video tutorial below.
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Homemade Alfredo Sauce With Cream Cheese
There is nothing better than a decadent, cream cheese Alfredo sauce when it comes down to dinner. I must admit however, that while my sisters recipe calls for milk instead of whipping creamI use whipping cream instead. When I am craving Alfredo sauce, it may as well be the worst-for-your-health-ever Alfredo sauce out there.
I am not sure how the cream cheese Alfredo sauce came to be but the point is that it shaves a bazillion calories off of the recipe. You use the cream cheese to add the richness that whipping cream brings to the recipe and it actually works like a charm! Yes, you are still using butter, milk and Parmesan cheese but you are removing a cup of whipping cream and replacing it with & frac13 package of cream cheese instead.
Alfredo Sauce That Perfectly Reheats
The real magic of this easy Alfredo sauce is that it reheats so well. So many cheese sauces are prone to separating into gritty cheese and puddles of greasy liquid when reheated, but not this sauce. The flour in the roux makes this a very stable, very reliable, and a very forgiving sauce.
The Alfredo sauce will harden into a thick paste once it cools in the fridge, but give it a few minutes of gentle heat on the stovetop or in the microwave, and it will once again become silky and creamy. If you see a few little beads of fat starting to form, just whisk vigorously to blend them back in.
You can also freeze this Alfredo sauce for up to one month. Let it thaw overnight in the fridge before reheating on the stovetop or in the microwave.
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Quick Tips For Best Results
- Higher fat ingredients will result in a thicker creamier sauce, BUT you can use low fat or lighter ingredients. Just know the sauce might have a slightly different taste and consistency.
- Add the milk very slowly to the pan so that your sauce doesnt get clumpy.
- Good quality Parmesan cheese can make a huge difference. It can be kind of pricey but so worth it if you can get it. Grate it yourself at home right before making the sauce.
- Cut the cream cheese into small cubes so it melts quicker. It may bake a little time to melt, but just be patient. It will smooth out.
- Serve the sauce immediately after making it. It doesnt generally store or reheat well.
Why Add Cream Cheese To Alfredo Sauce
Using cream cheese in your Alfredo sauce is a no brainer! Its ridiculously easy, ultra creamy, and doesnt do that thing that Alfredo sauces sometimes doyou know, when they separate or gets way too thick. Adding cream cheese is almost like a shortcut way to add creaminess and flavor!
Of course, the longer this Alfredo sauce simmers or sits off the heat, the thicker it will get, but it always stays creamy and pourable, which is fantastic for serving over tortellini, which my kids love.
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Alfredo Sauce With Cream Cheese Ingredients
- ButterUnsalted preferably. If you want to use salted, just adjust the amount of salt you add if any. The Parmesan is also fairly salty.
- Garlic Just a couple of cloves or you could add more. Be sure to mince or use a garlic press so you dont get large chunks.
- Cream Cheese Whole fat cream cheese will melt better and be thicker. However, if youre looking to eat a bit more healthy, you can use low fat cream cheese. Cut the cheese into small cubes to help it melt quicker.
- Milk The higher fat milk you use the thicker and creamier the sauce will be, but you can use any kind such as skim, 2%, whole, half & half, or heavy cream. I would heat the milk a little if you can before adding it to the pan.
- Parmesan Cheese Good quality freshly grated Parmesan will melt and work best, but again, if you want o use a low fat option, it should be ok.
- Salt Just a tiny bit since the Parmesan is salty.
- Black Pepper I added just a little, but do like the alfredo sauce with a lot more freshly ground black pepper.
- Nutmeg Just a dash of freshly grated nutmeg is great in this sauce but totally optional.
