Make Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce Recipe at home in just 20 minutes! Pair it with Fettuccine for an easy dinner idea the whole family will love!
Love Olive Garden Copycat Recipes?! Try these Chicken Gnocchi or Zuppa Toscana Soup recipes next!
I know it’s a restaurant chain, but honestly, Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce recipe is just perfect in my book. Hands-down. Chain or no chain, I love it.
(And you won’t believe how easy it is to make at home!)
PRO Tips For Making Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce:
- Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce recipe is made with Parmesan and Romano Cheeses, however you can also incorporate Mozzarella, Gruyere, Gouda, or Asiago. You can also just use Parmesan.
- You can use half and half instead of half heavy cream/half milk.
- If you only have evaporated milk, just use half the amount of milk and replace the other half with water. You won’t compromise flavor or consistency by doing this in creamy sauces like this one.
- You can even experiment with different pastas. I like fettuccine because the noodles soak up that thick sauce well, and Tortellini Alfredo with Broccoli is delicious as well!
How to Make Alfredo Sauce
Melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Whisk in the flour. Add heavy cream and milk. Gradually whisk in the cheese.
Add cooked Fettuccine. Sauce will continue to thicken upon standing.
Tip: I like to use 3/4 lb. of fettuccine for saucier pasta, but this recipe will satisfy a full pound as well.
Tips for Extra-Creamy Sauce
- Use blocks of (high-quality) cheese and shred it yourself for extra creamy results. Bagged shredded cheese has cellulose added to it to prevent the cheese from sticking together in the bag. Cellulose repels moisture, which makes it melt poorly in comparison to shredding the cheese yourself.
- Let the cheese come down to room temperature before adding it to the sauce.
- Sprinkle in the cheese gradually, the sauce should be warm but not too hot. Otherwise the dairy will separate and the consistency will be grainy.
- High-quality butter is important. I like Land O’ Lakes brand.
⭐Pro Tip: Alfredo sauce continues to thicken upon standing, and thickens even more when it’s added to pasta. Refrain from adding additional cheese to thicken it up.
⭐This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 132!
Making Alfredo Sauce Ahead of Time
- Alfredo sauce is a convenient make-ahead and freezable sauce. Unlike some other cheese sauces, the flour in this recipe helps it to maintain it’s consistency when cooled and reheated.
- It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- It can also be frozen and is best if used within 1-2 months.
How to Reheat Alfredo Sauce
- Alfredo sauce will thicken up and harden as it cools, but can be easily microwaved or slowly reheated on the stove top. Reheating in a makeshift double boiler is the best reheating method to restore it back to it’s original form. (Either by itself or when combined with pasta.)
- Frozen Alfredo sauce should be thawed overnight in the fridge before heating.
- If the sauce is too thick when reheated, add a splash of milk or chicken broth to thin it out.
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I would love for you to leave a rating and a comment below! How’d you do?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter, high quality
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, 1% or 2% can be used if needed
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated and at room temperature
- ½ cup Romano cheese, grated and at room temperature
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 lb. Fettuccine
- Parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Boil the fettuccine according to package instructions. As the water preheats, begin the sauce.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Add the heavy cream in splashes, stirring continuously. Add the milk in the same manner.
- Bring to a gentle bubble, then reduce heat to low to bubble. It will continue to thicken as it simmers.
- Slowly stir in the cheese. Taste and season with salt/pepper if desired.
- Drain the pasta and carefully mix it into the sauce until well incorporated. The pasta will absorb the sauce and it will continue to thicken.
- Garnish with chopped parsley and serve!
Notes
For Saucier Pasta: Use 3/4 lb. pasta instead of a full pound.
Pro Tips for Reheating:
- Alfredo sauce will thicken up and harden as it cools, but can be easily microwaved or slowly reheated on the stove top. Reheating in a makeshift double boiler is the best reheating method to restore it back to it's original form.
- Frozen Alfredo sauce should be thawed overnight in the fridge before heating.
- If the sauce is too thick when reheated, add a splash of milk or chicken broth to thin it out.
- Be sure to serve this with my Olive Garden Salad!
⭐This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 132!
The nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
I find Olive Garden’s alfredo sauce to be way too thick and heavy. But my 11-year-old daughter is obsessed with it. Made the recipe as printed. With no mention by me of specifically what alfredo recipe I used, she took one bite and immediately declared, “Oh my gosh, it tastes exactly like Olive Garden’s alfredo!” So I guess that’s a glowing review from an OG connoisseur.
Then, upon finishing it, she announced, “That was so amazing and I feel like I’m gonna throw up, which means it was perfect!.” …11-year-old girls are weird.
🤣🤣🤣 that just made me lol. Let me just say your 11 year old daughter has great taste! I think her and I have a lot in common!🤣 Thanks so much for sharing!
I can’t find Romano cheese anywhere near me, could I just double Parmesan cheese instead?
Yes, absolutely!
Thank you so much for this quick, easy and delicious recipe. I’ve always used the copykat recipe and liked it. Didn’t have cream cheese last night so searched and landed here. What a happy landing.
You’re very welcome Janet! I’m happy you landed here too!😃 Thanks so much for the review!
This recipe is so easy and delicious. I pair my fettuccine with shirmp and its delicious. I used the craft parmesan and romano grated cheese blend since I couldn’t find grated Romano cheese alone.
I think I got it close but I dont think I got it salty enough ( I think it has a bit of a salt taste that isn’t overbearing but its what makes it a bit sweeter/saltier than bland) any recommendation on if I should add more of salt or cheese to it to keep the taste? Im afraid I go too much with the salt then its bad but then if I go too much with the cheese then it becomes too gooey and such.
Hi Koda! I would have added more salt in this case if you felt like that is what was lacking. I agree with your choice to refrain from adding additional cheese as that would compromise the consistency.
This is simple easy and delicious. Really great for a beginner or the next level of cooker! Only reason I gave it a 4 start rating is because we like a little more seasoning so salt was a must but no problem to add at the end! Thank you for this recipe!!!
You’re very welcome Brenda!😀 I recommend adding salt and pepper to taste in the post, I agree people have different preferences when it comes to seasoning.
Recipe was very easy to follow and delicious
Hi Maria, Thanks for the comment! I’m happy to hear you found this recipe easy to follow and delicious!😄 I make this a lot for some of my Olive Garden loving friends!
My butter didn’t attach to anything. I don’t know how to even describe what just happened. The butter and the cheese/flour/milk did not mix at all it’s a puddle of butter on top of cheese? I’m heartbroken
Hi Megan, this recipe starts with a roux, so the butter should have combined with the flour. Did you omit the flour?
I made this tonight and while it tastes fantastic, the texture is kind of off. It’s not smooth and creamy. Any idea what I did wrong?
Hi Danielle- there are a few reasons that this could have happened. If your base was too hot before you sprinkled the cheese in, that can cause the dairy in the cheese to separate and become grainy instead of smooth. You don’t want it to be bubbling hot, just warm. Also, did you grate the cheese into a fine powder yourself from a block? Cheese that is already grated and put into a bag or container at the store has cellulose added to it, which prevents it from clumping together but also prevents it from melting well. I hope this provides some insight for you! Take care! -Stephanie
I think the base must have been too hot when I added the cheese. Thanks for the info…I’ll have to give it another try!
I am a super picky eater and all I eat from Olive Garden is the Alfredo pasta. I was scared to try this recipe because of how picky I am.. but Im SO HAPPY that i tried this one out! My new go to when I’m having those cravings. So delicious. Tastes like Olive Garden or better to be honest. Thank you for my new dish!!
Hey Sarah! That is SO great to hear, I am so glad that you decided to try it and that you loved it! I LOVE this recipe too, it’s the only way I’ll ever make Alfredo. Thanks so much for sharing what you thought of it, I really appreciate it!! -Stephanie
This looks Amazing! I am going to try this👍🏾
I can’t wait for you to try it Fred! This one is always a big hit at our house, I think you’ll enjoy it too! 😀