Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe
A rich, creamy homemade Alfredo sauce made from scratch with butter, garlic, heavy cream, and freshly grated Parmesan. Smooth, silky, and ready in about 10 minutes.
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter salted
- 2 to 3 cloves garlic minced
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- 1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 1/2 cups Parmesan cheese freshly grated
- salt and pepper to taste
- pinch dried basil or oregano optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Add the minced garlic and cook for about 30 seconds, until fragrant. Do not let it brown.
- Pour in the heavy cream, oregano, basil and optional nutmeg and warm it through, but do not let it boil.
- Take the saucepan off the heat and immediately whisk in the Parmesan gradually, letting each addition melt before adding more.
- Taste, then season with salt and pepper as needed. Let the sauce stand 2 to 3 minutes to thicken before serving. If it gets too thick, add a little more cream or water (pasta water is best if you have it).
Notes
Use freshly grated Parmesan off the block; pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents that can make the sauce gritty. Keep the heat on low when adding the cheese and do not let the sauce boil, or the fat can separate and the cheese can clump. If the sauce gets too thick, whisk in a splash of warm pasta water or cream.
