Classic Alfredo Sauce
A satisfying sauce you can use on any type of pasta - dry or fresh.
A satisfying sauce you can use on any type of pasta - dry or fresh.
I liked this sauce, it had a nice, mild flavor. My guests felt it lacked something, even though I minced and sauteed garlic and added it in. Perhaps I would add a touch of garlic salt or garlic powder the next time. Salt & pepper are definitely in order for this recipe. Remember that anytime you are incorporating egg into a hot liquid, you need to take care that it doesn't immediately cook the egg so that you end up with tiny egg bits. Take a small amount of the hot cheese/cream sauce (1/4 cup or so) and put it in a bowl. Slowly add the egg yolk, stirring constantly. Once you've mixed the egg with that small bit of hot cream sauce, you can add it all back into the pan. *** Update. Recently, I made this recipe and I used all parmesan cheese because that's what I had in the house. What I used was shredded parmesan, rather than the container of grated parmesan (you know it, we all have it in the house). What an amazing difference this made, the sauce was thick, rich, and amazing. I went right out and bought the ingredients to make it a few more times!
Read MoreI like the flavor. I followed the recipe to a T. Ive never understood how you can rate a recipe you changed before trying as written. Anyway, this one was good. No better or worse than any other I've had. The all taste about the same to me.
Read MoreI liked this sauce, it had a nice, mild flavor. My guests felt it lacked something, even though I minced and sauteed garlic and added it in. Perhaps I would add a touch of garlic salt or garlic powder the next time. Salt & pepper are definitely in order for this recipe. Remember that anytime you are incorporating egg into a hot liquid, you need to take care that it doesn't immediately cook the egg so that you end up with tiny egg bits. Take a small amount of the hot cheese/cream sauce (1/4 cup or so) and put it in a bowl. Slowly add the egg yolk, stirring constantly. Once you've mixed the egg with that small bit of hot cream sauce, you can add it all back into the pan. *** Update. Recently, I made this recipe and I used all parmesan cheese because that's what I had in the house. What I used was shredded parmesan, rather than the container of grated parmesan (you know it, we all have it in the house). What an amazing difference this made, the sauce was thick, rich, and amazing. I went right out and bought the ingredients to make it a few more times!
I wish there were more than 5 stars! This is THE BEST alfredo I have EVER made. It is SO easy and SO SO rich. Every person I have served it to has begged me for the recipe. I do not use any romano. It is too strong. Instead I doubled the parmesan and even added a 1/4 cup more! Break up the egg and add it in a slow steady stream. I had no problems with the sauce being too thin. Boil the cream mixture for a few minutes stiring constantly until it thickens up before you add the cheese. Try try try!
I made this sauce one night for a dinner party. The next day I had to promise to send it out in emails to all that had it. It was a hit 7 times over. Very simple - Quick and easy to make. Thanks for helping make my dinner something my friends are still raving about. :)
This is so darned easy to make its unbelievable. I'm a 19 year old male college student. If I can make it - you can. It works well if you use parmesan instead of the romano as well (just double the parmesan). Tastes good too!
How pleased I am to see this recipe online, for it is the 'EGG YOLK' that gives 'Alfredo Sauce' that 'something' that is always missing from other Alfredo Sauce recipes that do not incorporate them. In short, it is the 'EGG YOLK' that gives that 'restaurant' taste one is always looking for. I cook my Sauce a little differently, but in method only. I whip my egg yolks for a minute first, ('plural' becasue I always make a double or triple Alfredo recipe), then, once the cream and butter are hot enough, I pour that mixture into the egg yolks to temper them. Back onto the stove at the lowest heat possible, I immediately add the cheeses just to melt, and then pour the Sauce right over whatever noodles I'm using. Every single 'Alfredo Sacue' online that doesn't incorporate 'EGG YOLKS' cannot call itself a 'true' Alfredo and should, in my opinion, be thrown off the web! *lol* Because 'Alfredo' is such a basic egg/cream sauce, you can tweek it to your heart's content... a little garlic, a little tarragon, a little basil, rosemary, or thyme... whatever is floating your boat at the moment.
This sauce smells so good, I knew this recipe was a winner before I even tasted it! I added some cracked pepper, minced garlic and chopped Italian parsley and I was completely impressed with the flavor! My second time around, I added steamed broccoli and carrots - YUM. Thanks for sharing this one!!
I like the flavor. I followed the recipe to a T. Ive never understood how you can rate a recipe you changed before trying as written. Anyway, this one was good. No better or worse than any other I've had. The all taste about the same to me.
Great!! Nice, easy sauce. A keeper. There was only enough sauce for 3 adults at my house. Next time I will double the recipe.
I liked the flavor, but would like to find a smoother sauce. Mine was a little watery. Also, be sure to break that yolk and stir it quickly!
Used all parmesan, added lots of garlic and pepper, and doubled the recipe but only used one egg yolk. Turned out perfect! Will try using cheddar & jack cheeses instead of parmesan for a sinful mac & cheese. Some tips if your sauce is runny or grainy: 1. After adding the cream and spices to the melted butter, slowly heat the mixture until it starts to bubble. 2. Whisk it until it thickens slightly. You will start to see lines on the bottom of the pan where the whisk has been. 3. If you are using the egg yolk, stream it in while whisking vigorously now. Turn off the heat. 4. Gradually add the cheese while whisking. If your sauce is lumpy from partially melted cheese, turn the burner back on VERY LOW. Using a low temperature to melt cheese results in a gooey texture instead of a grainy one. 5. Enjoy!
I like the flavor. I followed the recipe to a T. Ive never understood how you can rate a recipe you changed before trying as written. Anyway, this one was good. No better or worse than any other I've had. The all taste about the same to me.
This is the first sauce I have ever made, and I am a new cook -- as in, I had to look up the word "colander." It turned out better than what one gets in most restaurants. I will never buy sauce in a jar again.
I've been making this for years. It's so good and creamy and rich! It's the perfect recipe. On a side note, tonight I made a boo boo. I didn't beat the egg yolks. Just dumped them in without thinking. So I'm stirring and stirring and thinking to myself. Why isn't that cheese melting. So finally I scoop the lump out and realize it's a completely cooked egg yolk. LOL
I've been making alfredo sauce for years, and this is top-notch, just the right amount of cream and a good zip from the cheese. I didn't have Romano so used just Parmesan; would probably have even more of an edge with the added Romano. Great consistency just as it is. Quick to make but with huge flavor. As the others say, definitely put the egg yolk in a small cup, add a few large spoons of sauce to it and blend well prior to mixing with the sauce. The egg WILL be cooked after combining with the sauce, it just won't consist of big yellow flecks! Favorite use for this is with gnocchi, cubed leftover ham and frozen peas & carrots that have been added to the gnocchi pot during the last minute of cooking. You can eat it just then, or place it in a casserole and bake it.
my bf and i made this the other night. we added spinach, some sundried-tomatoe cream cheese, and lots of garlic. we agreed that it was probably one of the best sauces we'd ever had. Amazing. Although - we had a ton leftover and it wasn't as good when reheated. It thickened up a lot too. We spread some of the leftovers onto pita bread (thats how much it thickened in the fridge lol)and baked it - made hot sandwiches - it was still amazing.. very good flavor. This is going into the recipe box! :)
My husband and I have been married for three years and he has never raved about my meals as much as this one. He LOVES meat, but this has become a favorite. I just steamed some broccoli, califlower, carrots, and squash and placed them on the bed of pasta and poured the sauce over it. This recipe has become a regular for this family!
really good with garlic added to butter, saute with butter 1 minute before adding cream, used all parmesan cheese, added cooked shrimp, yum.
Very good and basic recipe. Added just a little bit of pepper to add a little something. Thanks for the post.
I added mushrooms, onions, and bell peppers. Then I used cornstarch to thicken the sauce. I also added shrimp and this is like one of a well known restaurants main dishes.
I loved this sauce and it was so easy to make. I even added some chopped chicken breasts to the sauce and served over noodles. I have made this sauce a couple of times now and it's a definite keeper.
Make it, you won't be sorry. I 2 cloves of garlic and a little garlic powder. Yum!
Made this sauce for a Spinach and Artichoke chicken lasagna, and it was a HUGE HIT with EVERYONE at my Christmas Eve dinner!! I did add some cream cheese to the sauce, and was amazed at the great flavor and texture it gave!! My husband has already asked for me to make another one!!
A very good recipe. Keys to this recipe are to use FRESH cheeses(grate it yourself). I recommend some chopped FRESH parsley over the top.
This recipe is a keeper! I'm anxious to try it again using all of the ingredients listed in the recipe. I made this on the fly and had to improvise with what I had on hand. I also made some changes based on the reviews. My whole family loved this - even my youngest who adamantly HATES alfredo. I was expecting to give him leftover meatloaf, but everyone else was raving about the alfredo so he took a small taste and then filled up his plate! Here are my changes: added 2 cloves of minced garlic, only used pecorino romano as I had no parmesan, used half-and-half in place of heavy cream. I let the half-an-half and cheese cook a while so it would thicken as it was very thin, then spooned some of that into the egg so the egg would not cook. I also added some fresh chopped parsley. The sauce thickened very nicely, so I would hesitate to use heavy cream due to the added calories. We loved this!
I was very disappointed; watery and dull; not rich and creamy. I wouldn't do it again; altho' it was very easy. I would take the time to make a better tasting alfredo sauce.
This sauce was easy to make and very creamy. I definitely recommend adding some cooled off sauce to the yolks before adding them to the whole pot. Get them to warm up slowly or else the yolks will cook too fast and harden. I added some garlic and shallots to kick it up a notch. I also mixed a tablespoon of flour with a 1/3 cup of the sauce and then added it to the pot to thicken it.
This is a rating on the original recipe, no alterations! It was hard to find the romano at the store, but I did, and I followed the directions exactly. It's sooo goood! It's mild like I like it, and tastes just like professional alfredo sauce. Like from a good restaurant, but less greasy. It has that hint of sweetness and the cheese balance is just fantastic. It's not overpowering and it's easy to appreciate. I've tried other recipes for it and it turns out heavy and greasy and makes me feel kind of gross afterwards, so this is great. Yum! Thanks!
This is great in a tuna casserole. Note: The easiest way to make sure the egg doesn't curdle in the hot mixture is to beat the egg yolk slightly and add it when you add the whipping cream. That way the egg cooks along with the cream and butter and will not lump. This is good to remember when you are making puddings, cream pies, creme brulee, and any sauce that requires an egg.
I don't know if we did something wrong, but we found this recipe to be bland and have a powdery consistency-not at all pleasing
This was so easy for a first time sauce maker! The only thing I should've done was made double sure the parmesan was melting because it was a little thick on the bottom. My husband was so impressed I made it, he assumed it was store bought!
The recipe didn't specify how much pasta to use. I guess I used too much because the sauce basically disappeared into the pasta. You should probably start out with a small amount of pasta with this sauce until you figure out on your own how much pasta you're able to coat with the sauce.
I added a tbs of cream cheese - which made it similar to Olive Garden but even better. This is a fantastic, rich alfredo sauce, perfect with grilled garlic shrimp. Very very good.
This was an ok simple alfredo sauce-a good base to add to. one tip though-mix the egg BEFORE adding to sauce (otherwise it will cook a little and be very chunky)
I am not the biggest fan of pasta but my family is. I doubled this recipe. When I was comparing recipes, this one looked the best to me but I did use 1/4 cup butter for the recipe as written and added parsley & garlic. Garlic went in at the start with the butter and the fresh parsley 1 minute prior to serving. I served it with a egg noodle tagitelli ~ absolutely wonderful!! I served it with Spoon Rolls from this site and a thin cut chicken breast breaded in panko and rubbed thyme (dried). I will repeat this meal for company adding a ceasar salad.
This was very good and very easy to make. I served it over spinach pasta - very tasty. One small caution when adding the egg yolk - turn down the heat to low and wisk/mix thoroughly to avoid egg yolk clump.
I accidently spilled 1/2 jar of the Classico four chees sauce and had to make up the difference. This recipe was so good that I threw out the rest of the jar! I added about 2 tbs of Temptee Whipped Cream Cheese,used a cup of milk instead of cream (because that's all I had) and it turned out great. Next time, I will try it with the heavy cream.
Worth every star. Temper the egg. I added garlic powder 'cause that's the way I roll! We are sauce-aholics, so I doubled the recipe--- just perfect!
I thought this was great! I added some minced garlic to the butter as it was melting, threw in extra parmesan because I didn't have romano, and a touch of flour. Super easy and yummy! Thanks for sharing
I thought this was excellent. I did use some minced garlic in the butter as well as salt and pepper. I used about 3/4 cups fresh grated Parmesan cheese (no Romano) and added a couple tablespoons of cream cheese, as others had suggested. Made sure to temper the egg white before adding it to the sauce. I didn't check the servings until after I made it, so I made another batch using 1/2 & 1/2 and then mixed the two batches. I served over fettuccine with chicken and broccoli.
Awesome! I was skeptical about the egg, however it turned out so well- deffinatly temper it first those as suggested by another reveiwer. I only wish this recipe were low cal! I sauted sliced baby bella mushrooms and shrimp in garlic and butter and tossed that with fresh fettuccine and the alfredo sauce. I also used 4 oz. Buttoni Brand pre shredded Parmesan cheese (no Romano)! It was muy bueno! Thank you for the newest addition to my favorites list.
I love this sauce. I never liked alfredo until my husband made this for us one night and I was hooked. The flavor is incredible and the consistency has always been just right. Sometimes we just add a little shredded cooked chicken and that helps with consistency. My husband often doubles the recipe and he stresses that heavy whipping cream be used rather than regular whiping cream. Also, beat the egg before adding and stir it immediately after adding so that there are no egg chunks. It's definitely not for those watching their calories or waistline but it is worth the indulgence once in a while. In all honesty, I haven't found a restaurant, canned, or alternative alfredo that can match this one.
I'm an average cook & found this recipe suited my style & family well: easy, fast, and tastey. I added smoked salmon & steamed broccoli just before serving.
This sauce is AMAZING! I stay away from any recipe that is compaired to Olive Garden's alfredo as I think theirs is horrible. The other reviewers are spot on egg yolk and nutmeg do make this recipe top noch! If you are substituting milk for the heavy cream you will need to add some cornstarch to thicken it. I added garlic as well and did a mixture of odds and end cheeses that I needed to use up and it still was amazing. This is the only alfredo recipe I will use from now on. Do make sure to beat the yolks in a seperate bowl and add some of the cream mixture to them before you add into the pot to ensure a smooth texture. Enjoy!
OMG so good! I would def. say this is better than Olive Garden. It took me no time to make and I even subbed the heavy cream with whole milk so I didn't have to make a trip to the store. I started with 1 tbl of flour and 1 tbl of butter to account for the substitution as another reviewer recommended. This will become a bi-weekly favorite for sure.
This recipe was fabulous. It tasted really good. For those that said it tasted bland, add the garlic like someone previously recommended about a tsp of sugar and a dash of white pepper.
fantasic recipe. added 3 cloves garlic, and other than that, followed exactly. I used fresh grated romano and parm, and whisked the yolk in at the end. It thickened beautifully. Will most definately make again. Make sure you use the nutmeg though, as I almost omitted it thinking it was weird, but it really made the sauce!
Absolutely perfect EVERY time. The bottled stuff makes me want to hurl. This is the real deal with none of the junk the bottled artificial stuff has in it. so easy, why would you not make it homemade?
I like a little more flavor, so I added some minced garlic and pasta seasoning, but other than that it was awesome! the smell is just heavenly! AND you can make it over a lunch break!
DELICIUOS! I loved this recipe. I will never buy alfredo sauce again. I have pasta at least once a week, so I made a HUGE batch and bottled it in mason jars so that they will last a long time, and I just have to grab a jar and heat it. I will be giving it to my friends, as they love my pasta and the sauce. I already have to give 5 away! Thank you for the awesome recipe!
this sauce absolutely rocks! i used about a cup of freshly grated fontinella cheese, with 1/4 c parm... this is restuarant quality. served it over my homemade fresh fettucinni and shrimp!
The egg yolk is the key to the richness. This is how the chefs made the alfredo in the private country club restaurant where I used to work... so good and so easy. They used to just put the egg yolks right into the carton of cream and shake it up. I did that and whisked it straight into the pan of butter/garlic. I also used only parm. My husband, who hates parm, and son, who has never been a fan of alfredo both love, love, loved it!
Sauce tastes great, but use fresh cheeses, not the kind in the shaker can you get off the shelf.
I didn't use freshly grated cheese but still came out amazing. Rich, flavorful, creamy...the best alfredo sauce I've ever had or made. The nutmeg addition gave a wonderful flavor.
Best sauce i have ever made the only things i did different was i tripled it i used one whole stick of butter then used 3 small cloves of garlic diced added a 16 oz heavy cream and a half quart of fat free half and half added a bag of parmeasan cheese from Walmart i think its 1 and 2/3's cups and salt no nutmeg three egg yolks i tempered the egg yolks so it wouldn't scramble better sauce than any restaurant i have ever been too love it
Best Alfredo sauce ever---just skip the nuitmeg--and use only Parmesan (fresh grated)!!!!!!!!
This was great. I also added some garlic and cream cheese, which gave it great texture. No need to try another alfredo recipe!
This is a really nice recipe. The only thing I would do differently is to maybe add a little black pepper to it. It made up easily, although I did have a couple of moments when I was not sure. The first was that my cheese formed a huge lump, which did eventually dissolve, as I kept stirring. The other is that I was leery of putting the egg yolk in whole, so I did beat it lightly and made sure I was stirring as I poured it in, since eggs tend to curdle when put into hot mixtures. I did do one thing different - I decided to double the recipe after I realized it made only two servings, and had to use milk for the other half of the liquid. The sauce still came out very nice, and I may do that next time, too. Actually, for our tastes, doubling the sauce made enough for 6 servings. My husband and I both like this sauce better than the one I used to make which was from my favorite chef! I made the sauce for linguine, to go with the baked garlic-parmesan chicken from this site. A perfect combination. Thanks for a great recipe. We will be making it again.
Great taste! I added 2 tbsp.crushed garlic and 1 tsp.dry parsley. Thanks for the wonderful recipe.
Made this for my husband on the weekend - he loved it. It is very rich so he could only eat half as much as usual. Much better than ready made!
OhMyGawd. If I could, I'd rate this 1,000 starts. It's absolutely amazing. I did add garlic and used only Parmesean cheese {no Romano}. I wanted to drink this sauce straight! LOL
Very good sauce. served over medium shells and then garnished with chopped chives. I'll make this again
I made this one night while nine months pregnant because I had a craving for fettucine alfredo. I had to alter the recipe a little bit. Since I did not have heavy whipping cream I substitued half & half and added 1 teaspoon of cornstarch to make it thicker since I was afraid the sauce might come out too soupy otherwise. I also put in 1/2 cup of parmesean since I had no romano but from reading the other reviews others did the same to suit their tastes. I added one clove of garlic, a dash of black pepper, and some parsley (I didn't measure it but I would say it was approx. 1/2 teaspoon). This I believe made it taste really good. When I first took a bite of my fettucine alfredo my first thought was that I was glad I added in the garlic, it gave it just the right amount of extra flavor and seemed to complemented the other seasonings well. The sauce came out thick, which is what I like, and was creamy. Very yummy and I would definately make this again, as a matter of fact it will probably be my lunch tomorrow. Very easy to make too, it took more time to cook the pasta than to make the sauce.
I read the reviews. 1 never, ever add salt to taste to Alfredo Sauce. The cheese already has a lot of salt in it. 2. Always use unsalted butter, and egg yolk in Alfredo? I use 1/8 garlic powder, pinch nutmeg and 1/8 white pepper only. Increase the butter to 1/2 cup and use a wisk, always stirring. 3. When you add the cheese turn off the heat and keep wisking until smooth no lumps. Sauce is thin, add little more cheese. I use 1 cup of freshly grated parmigiano. Maybe that is why I don't use an egg yolk.
I added 2 cloves of garlic, sundried tomatoes, and tempered the egg as suggested and it was fantastic.
This recipe didnt work very well for me :( Not sure what I did wrong!
This was a great, basic alfredo recipe, much better than others I have tried. I altered it slightly, adding three cloves of minced garlic to the butter for about 2 minutes, before stirring in the cream, cheese, etc. I also threw in some chopped fresh spinach towards the end. I had earlier diced fresh chicken and cooked it up in a little garlic, salt, and pepper, and then added this in right at the end to warm it back up again. It was wonderful! My husband, who isn't a huge pasta fan, asked for seconds and even took it for lunch the next day!
This was great. I used the advice of another reviewer and added spinache sauteed with garlic . . . yum!! My family loved it.
So simple, so good, ate the leftovers out of the pot with a spoon! Served it over fresh asparagus this time, going to make it again soon!
This is delicious! Didn't change a thing. My family love it!
Great recipe, mine didn't come out exactly the same but it tasted great..!!
The flavor was great, the texture wasn't. I think because I used the cheap bottled grated cheese, it was very gritty! The fresh shredded Parmesan I added melted smooth. I used half and half and added probably another 1/3 cup of real shredded Parmesan, which made for a decent thickness. Edited to add: Tried this again with fresh grated cheeses, and still gritty. Must be the Romano. I'd skip it next time to achieve a smooth sauce.
This is my go-to recipe for alfredo sauce. I make it as writtten every time with two exceptions. I use all parmesan because I never have romano on hand. Second, I think it's sinful to make alfredo without some minced garlic and a little pepper, but that's just personal taste ;). The egg yolks can be left out altogether if you're really having trouble with egg yolk bits in your sauce. I usually have my hubby either pour or stir really fast when I add mine.
I have made this several times with both chicken and shrimp, always a success! I don't usually measure carefully & added more nutmeg then called for, yummy!
This is great sauce!!! My son and his friend loved it and I am waiting for my DH to get home so I can try it out with him...I put it over the pasta and then stirred in some chicken...they loved it...next time I'll add some scallions for a little more flavor...it was great though...great consistency and tasted just like the restaurants...thanks a million
Super fabulous! While I was tasting it, I was afraid the sauce was too salty. However, I mixed it in with some cheese ravioli and veggies, and it balanced out very nicely! Well done with this recipe. Definitely a staple for my recipe books.
WOW!!! EXCELLENT!!! Licked the pot clean! This is beyond restaurant quality--- it's amazing! I used whole milk and added flour to make a roux and this sauce was super amazing! Thank you!!!!
I've made several alfredo sauces and this is by far the best! I did not have Romano, so I doubled the amount of Parmesan. I think garlic is a must for alfredo, so I added a clove of chopped garlic. Delicious!!!
This recipe is excellent but it you chop some chicken into chunks and lightly cook them with a teaspoon of garlic and then add it to the simmering sauce when there's 2 minutes left on the timer it adds more flavor.
It was simple and great tasting. I didn't have heavy cream so I used a reviewer idea about using the milk I had on hand with a tablespoon of butter and flour. I did add one glove of garlic and a tablespoon of onion as a made the milk mixture to add more flavor! I know people hate when people add or change, but those suggestions have helped me out in the past so oh well...
Awesome recipe! The only thing I added was a couple cloves of garlic. As another reviewer suggested, I took out 1/4 cup of the cream mixture and mixed it with the egg yolk before dumping it all back together.
I gave it 4 stars because I added 1 table spoon of garlic powder and sprinkled black pepper.
This sauce is nice. It was too rich with some of the suggestions so I am going to continue to test to get it right. But overall...wonderful.
I tried this recipe out with my boyfriend, and I found it very easy to make and a delicious meal. I work in a restaurant, and this alfredo sauce was easily better than the one they serve there. I used milk instead of heavy cream though, and started with a roux of 1Tbs butter/1Tbs flour. Mostly because I didn't have cream.
This is an easy recipe with wonderful flavor. I will never buy jarred again.
This was my husbands favorite version of Alfredo so far. I only used Parmesan and added a bit of pepper and a tiny pinch of cayanne.
Wow, soooo good!! My family loved it. I did add some minced garlic while melting the butter. I threw out all my other alfredo recipes!
I would give this recipe 5 stars with the addition of sauteed garlic. I mean, how can you make a classic italian sauce without garlic? So, changes I made were: added 3 cloves garlic (I know, that's a lot but I love it), used only parmesan cheese, and added 2 oz cream cheese to make the sauce a little creamier. In my humble opinion, a perfect recipe. As other reviewers mentioned I made sure to slowly add some of the warm sauce to my egg before adding it to the sauce. Next time, I'll add some fresh parsley as well. This will be our standard alfredo sauce from now on.
A little plain, but will add more garlic and cheese next time for more flavor.
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