The Cozy Cookbook is here! 
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.
Try These Next!
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- Chicken Pot Pie
-
- Olive Garden Salad
-
- Copycat Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken
-
- Creamy Garlic Chicken
-
- Bacon Mac and Cheese
-
- Mushroom Chicken
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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 looks really yummy! To make ahead of time, would you freeze the sauce without the noodles?
Hi Michelle, yes, you would want to leave out the noodles! Making the sauce fresh will produce a better outcome, but freezing is an option! 🙂
Can I use corn starch instead of flour?
Hi Nicole, I haven’t tested this Alfredo sauce recipe with corn starch instead of flour, I personally feel like the roux (the butter/flour), is a big part of what makes this recipe. It also ensures that it stays thick and doesn’t thin out.
OMG!! Thank you so much for sharing! I LOVE this sauce so much! I didn’t have the Romano cheese, but it was still great!
You’re very welcome! I’m so happy you enjoyed the sauce, it’s a guilty pleasure of mine. Thanks so much for the great review!
The best Alfredo sauce! Thank you so much for the recipe. My daughter says it tastes better than the Olive’s Garden 😊
I am so happy to hear that you enjoyed it! I agree with your daughter, it’s even better!! 😉 Thank you so much for the review!
Easy, quick, delicious! Best alfredo sauce recipe I have tried so far (I’ve tried a lot). I always add extra garlic because that’s my preference, but that is the only thing I altered. My favorite part about this recipe is that it actually made enough sauce. 100% recommend.
Thanks so much for the great comments Marhia, I’m so happy you enjoyed it! My family loves this one!😃
This recipe was delicious! Just like olive garden. I read one of the comments by a former Olive Garden chef who said they didn’t use romano cheese, so I substituted for 1 cup of parmesan cheese total.
I’m so happy you liked it, thanks so much for the great review!❤️
I’ve worked at Olive Garden for 20 years and we have never used romano cheese only Parmesan cheese, also we never substituted half and half for heavy cream, first we melt butter then sauté garlic in the butter we then add heavy cream and a little bit of whole milk, bring that up to 185 degrees then finally add grated Parmesan salt pepper, and a proprietary corn starch blend to help hold the sauce, the last part you can omit when making at home
I totally get it Ryan! 🙂 I got this recipe from the Olive Garden website, (back when it was something that they shared). There are several comments from former long-term Olive Garden cooks who all have a slightly different spin on how it’s made. I believe all of these people, including you! I think it depends on location and availability of products to determine how each individual location actually makes it, that’s the best conclusion I can come up with. 😊 (The recipe card also doesn’t call for half and half, it calls for equal parts heavy cream and milk. Which, is half and half- that’s just a pro tip for people who may only have half and half on hand.)
that is why theirs will be more yummier, however, for me I like the half n half to lower the calorie count. but thanks for adding the background
How do you first cook the chicken before adding to the Alfredo sauce
I would seat it in olive oil a skillet over medium high heat for 4-5 minutes per side, or until cooked through. Set aside and let it rest for 10 minutes while you prepare the Alfredo sauce and the pasta. Then slice up the chicken and add it to the finished pasta. If you are using a large chicken breast, I would recommend slicing it in half length wise to create two thinner slices! I would also season each side with salt and pepper. 😊
Perfect!!
Whoooo! That makes me so happy, thanks so much for the great review!❤️
Exquisita !
La Salsa Alfrefo de Olive Garden es la mejor.