Easy Homemade Fettuccine Alfredo

This 20 minute Easy Fettuccine Alfredo recipe leaves restaurant versions in the dust and will have you skipping the jars forever! Readers agree it’s “Super easy, quick” and “phenomenal, absolutely gourmet restaurant worthy!” The luxurious Alfredo sauce generously swaddles all the pasta (no dry pasta here!), isn’t grainy, doesn’t separate and is easy to customize with blackened chicken or Cajun shrimp!

If you are looking for a lighter version, use this healthy Alfredo recipe.

WATCH: How to Make Fettuccine Alfredo

 

• Butter: use unsalted butter so you can salt to taste.  If you only have salted butter, then use less salt and salt to taste after you add the pasta.
• Garlic: fresh garlic is sautéed over medium-low heat with the garlic to infuse the sauce with garlicky goodness.  I highly suggest fresh garlic as opposed to powder in this recipe.  I use 6 cloves garlic for a real garlic kick, but use more or less depending on your garlic love.  You may substitute with 1 teaspoon garlic powder – but the real stuff is so much better.
• Heavy cream: also known as heavy whipping cream, makes for an ultra-rich, creamy Alfredo sauce.
• Milk + cornstarch:  allows us to make the fettuccine Alfredo “saucier” without adding another cup of cream.  The cornstarch helps thicken the milk so the sauce maintains its coveted lusciously creamy consistency.   
• Parmesan cheese:  infuses the sauce with its fantastic salty, nuttiness. For optimal results, use real Parmigiano-Reggiano right off of the block and not any powdered or pre-shredded cheeses.  Parmigiano-Reggiano is Parmesan produced in Italy in one of the following areas: Bologna, Mantua, Modena, or Parma that has been aged for at least two years.  In the U.S. you can still find tasty “Parmesan,” but it is not regulated, and typically only aged 10 months so it’s not as flavorful/complex. 
• Cream cheese:  is optional but it gives the Alfredo sauce extra body and makes the sauce extra smooth and creamy so it just melts in your mouth.  I also love the slight tanginess it adds.
• Garlic: you can use fresh garlic or garlic powder depending on what you have on hand. For lazy days, I often use garlic powder but for gourmet days, I use fresh garlic.
• Seasoning: without seasonings, all you have is bland, creamy pasta!  Salt, pepper, onion powder, Italian seasonings, red pepper flakes and nutmeg really level up the fettuccine Alfredo.

What fettuccine is best for fettuccine alfredo noodles?

You are welcome to use dried fettuccine noodles or if you really want an elevated dish, splurge on fresh fettuccine! Some grocery stores carry fresh pasta, but many do not.  Whole Foods often has fresh fettuccine in the prepared foods section where you’ll see all the fresh pasta options available that day.

• Step 1: Cook pasta al dente.  Cook the pasta according to package directions in salted water. You always want to salt the water because it’s the one chance to flavor the pasta directly.   Reserve one cup pasta water to use later if needed to thin out the sauce.  Drain and toss the pasta with a drizzle of olive oil if not immediately adding to the sauce to prevent it from clumping.
• Step 2: Sauté the garlic. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat then add the fresh garlic if using and sauté for 30 seconds.
• Step 2:  Whisk all the ingredients but cheese together.  Whisk in the heavy cream, milk whisked with cornstarch, cream cheese and all seasonings. Cook over medium-low until melted and smooth.  This will take a few minutes for the cream cheese to melt completely. 
• Step 3: Stir in the Parmesan.  Add the grated Parmesan cheese a handful at time in 4 batches, whisking until smooth in between each addition.
• Step 4:  Thicken your sauce. Bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and continue to cook for about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken and the Parmesan is completely melted.  If you’re using fresh garlic, don’t confuse the minced garlic for stubborn Parmesan.  
• Step 5:  Combine.  Add the fettuccine to the Alfredo sauce and toss to combine.  Taste and season with additional freshly cracked salt and pepper to taste.

• Cook pasta in salted the water.  You should always salt your pasta water – it is the one chance you have for the flavor to penetrate the pasta and enhance the subtle pasta flavor – you can taste the difference.  Use 1 tablespoon salt for 6 quarts of water.
• Prevent pasta from clumping.  If you’re not adding the cooked pasta to the sauce right away, toss it with a little olive oil.  This will prevent it from sticking together.
• Continue to whisk until cheese is melted.  Your cheese will not magically, instantaneously melt into glossy seduction as soon as it hits the butter/cream which is perfectly okay – it will not stay this way. Your cheese might take more or less than 5 minutes to melt depending on the actual heat of the sauce, quality of cheese and size of pan.  The important thing is to continue to whisk until the cheese has melted – as long or as little time as required.
• Use a large enough pan.  Use a pan that is large enough to eventually hold all of the ingredients, including the pasta, with wiggle room to comfortably twirl and toss without whipping sauce everywhere.
• Don’t make the sauce too thick.  The Alfredo sauce will thicken even more when you stir in the starchy pasta, so refrain from simmering too long or adding additional cheese to thicken it up.
• Adjust to taste. Make this recipe your own! Add salt and plenty of freshly grated cracked pepper, red pepper or Italian seasonings to taste.
• Add the pasta in increments.  It’s easier to stir and coat the fettuccine evenly if you add it a little at a time.
• Make and serve right away.  Fettuccine Alfredo is best served right away because it continues to thicken and becomes less creamy as it comes to room temperature.  If you’re not ready to serve the pasta immediately, wait to add the pasta, then reheat and thin the sauce as needed before adding the fettuccine.  

Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe Tips: Keeping the Alfredo Sauce Creamy

The silkiest, smoothest fettuccine Alfredo is at your fingertips if you follow these easy steps:

• Don’t use oil.   Fettuccine Alfredo requires the high fat content of high-quality butter – more fat is the key to success. Don’t use ANY kind of oil or you’re setting yourself up for a separating disaster.   
• Don’t use low-fat milk.   The higher the fat content, the smoother your cheese will melt/incorporate.  It’s best to use 2% milk, whole milk or evaporated milk, anything less can result in a grainy/gritty sauce.
• Shred the cheese yourself.   Nothing will ruin you homemade fettuccine Alfredo faster than using powdered Parmesan from the green shaker can or any pre-shredded Parmesan.  Pre-shredded cheeses are coated with anti-clumping chemicals which prevent them from melting completely, leaving your sauce grainy no matter how long you cook it.  Plus, these cheeses don’t taste nearly as good!
• Use warm temperature cheese. Leave your shredded Parmesan out for 30 minutes to an hour if you think of it.  Warm cheese melts much easier than cold cheese. If you don’t think of it, no problem!
• Use very soft cream cheese. Soften your cream cheese to the point of almost melting, about 20 seconds in the microwave. This will ensure it melts quickly with the butter without the sauce having to get too hot before you add the Parmesan.
• Don’t simmer the sauce.  If you simmer the cream/cream cheese mixture before adding the stabilizing Parmesan, it can break. You also don’t want the sauce too hot when you add the Parmesan or the emulsifiers and coagulants will break down and the proteins in the cheeses will clump resulting in grainy sauce. 
• Add the cheese slowly. Add your Parmesan in multiple batches – a handful at a time so it has time to start to melt and not clump.
• Cook until completely smooth.  If you’ve followed the above tips and your sauce appears grainy, you see specks of texture after a couple minutes, it’s likely just the garlic, the Parmesan should all be silky smooth by this point, if not, cook on.  Continue to cook until completely melted.

• Use a different pasta: swap in any pasta, either long spaghetti, medium-short sturdy pastas such as penne, fusilli, rotini etc. or ravioli or tortellini.  You can use classic pasta, whole-wheat pasta, gluten free pasta.
• Add chicken:  stir in leftover chicken, rotisserie chicken or blackened chicken.
• Add bacon:  cook the bacon, remove with a slotted spoon and use some of the bacon grease instead of butter if desired.  Add the cooked and crumbled bacon at the end of cooking.
• Add seafood:   sautéed shrimp, blackened shrimp, buttery salmon, or crab pair particularly well with fettuccine Alfredo.
• Add sausage:  ground Italian sausage or andouille sausage are fantastic in the creamy sauce. 
• Add cheese: mix up the flavor profile by using half Parmesan and half Pecorino Romano (this is what they do at Olive Garden) add mozzarella, Gruyere, Gouda, or Asiago.
• Fresh garlic:  sauté 2-4 minced garlic cloves in the butter instead of garlic
• Add flavorings: add a splash of lemon juice or pesto.
• Add sun-dried tomatoes: purchase the sun-dried tomatoes in a jar packed in oil, not water, located near the olives or pickles at your grocery store. Rinse about ½ cup sun-dried tomatoes, pat dry, chop and sauté with the garlic. 
• Add fresh or fire roasted diced tomatoes:  you can sauté chopped fresh Roma tomatoes in the butter or stir in fire roasted diced tomatoes with the cream. 
• Add vegetables:  add any chopped vegetables such as steamed broccoli, zucchini, bell peppers, asparagus, green beans, cherry tomatoes etc. and sauté them in in the butter until crisp tender or stir in frozen, thawed petite peas at the end of cooking.  You can also add roasted vegetables directly to the pasta at the end of cooking. Adding volume in vegetables means you might want to decrease the amount pasta so it’s not spread too thin. 
• Add mushrooms:  pan fry sliced baby Bella mushrooms, remove from the skillet then add back to the sauce at the end of cooking. Check out my mushroom chicken recipe to see exactly how I cook perfectly caramelized mushrooms.
• Add greens:  stir in spinach or kale directly into the pasta to wilt.
• Spice it up: add additional red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper to taste.  You can also swap the Italian seasonings for Cajun seasonings.
• Add lime: add 1-2 tablespoons lime juice for more of a Cajun flair and swap the Italian seasonings for Cajun seasonings.

• Protein:  if you’re serving fettuccine Alfredo as a side, it pairs well with simple grilled or Blackened chicken, Baked Salmon in Lemon Garlic Sauce (one of my favs!), Garlic Butter Pork Tenderloin, Lemon Pepper Chicken, Shrimp Scampi and Spice Rubbed Steaks.
• Salad:  this homemade fettuccine Alfredo recipe is wonderfully creamy so it pairs nicely with a fresh salad such as Caesar Salad, Wedge Salad with Blue Cheese Ranch, Cucumber Tomato Salad, Apple Salad, Fall Salad or Italian Green Bean Salad.
• Veggies: this pasta pairs well with roasted or sautéed veggies such as Roasted Parmesan Broccoli, Roasted Parmesan Asparagus or Sautéed Brussels Sprouts with Garlic, Lemon, Butter
• Fruit:  go simple with grapes or melon or we love Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Vinaigrette in the summer or Winter Fruit Salad with Honey Lime Poppy Seed Vinaigrette in the fall/winter.
• Bread:  this recipe is begging for bread to mop up the delectable sauce!  Try it with Garlic Bread, Garlic Parmesan Butter Breadsticks or Soft and Fluffy Dinner Rolls.

Fettuccine Alfredo Noodles Storage

Best Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe FAQs

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