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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Did You Make This Recipe?
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.
This tastes exactly like Olive Garden & the recipe is so simple! Thank you for sharing!
You’re very welcome Kylea, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! We eat this all the time and it never fails. Thanks so much for the great review!❤️
Instead of heavy cream and milk can you use half and half
Absolutely, I only outlined the two separately because that is how Olive Garden had it on their site back in the day and I wanted to be true to exactly what they had 🙂
Super easy, super fun, and super delicious! It really does taste like Olive Garden’s! Thank you!!
Hi Kayla! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave such great comments! I agree, I think it’s pretty spot on. I’ve actually done a blind taste test with my husband for fun and he couldn’t tell which was which. That’s our idea of fun 🤣
Made this for the first time tonight and it was amazing 🤩
I’m so happy you enjoyed the Alfredo Sauce Peggy! I’ve pulled off so many simple last minute meals with this sauce. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!😍
I have never left a food rating before. It is a 5 star or more if the numbers went higher. This recipe is to die for. I made it as stated and it turned out fabulous. Stephanie, it is amazing. I am so glad I ran across your recipe. I haven’t had time to read your other recipes but will. Thanks for an awesome dinner.
Thanks so much for the awesome comments and review, you’re the best! My family loves this Alfredo sauce so much, and it’s really pretty easy. I can’t wait for you to try other recipes!😍
Great recipe
Thank you for the great review! I’m so happy you enjoyed it!😃
Tasted Yummy. Simple and fast to make. Printed the recipe to use again!
I’m so happy to hear that! Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!😃
Thank you for sharing the great tips for making this recipe I tried it and it turned out delicious I will be making it again.
You’re very welcome Debra! I’m so happy you’ll be making this again! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!😃
I made this today It was the best Alfredo sauce I ever had ! In fact it was so good I had to write this review right after eating it to let yall know this is the bomb doggity . I added pepper as well and extra Parmesan made a huge difference . This recipe tastes better than olive gardens more cheese less oil
The bomb diggity!? Excellent🙌🙌🙌 I’m so happy you like this recipe as much as I do. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!
We make this often … best copy cat recipe for Olive Garden I have found … Simple and delicious! Also the family loves Helping with this one … add some fresh shrimp and scallops 10/10
Shrimp and scallops are so amazing with this sauce!😋 I’m so happy the family is enjoying this one Jess! Thanks so much for the great comments and review!