Get my Cookbooks! Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce
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
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- Olive Garden Salad
-
- Copycat Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken
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- Creamy Garlic Chicken
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- Bacon Mac and Cheese
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- Mushroom Chicken
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Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
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!
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 a simmer. It will continue to thicken as it simmers.
- Reduce heat to low and slowly stir in the cheese. Taste and season with salt/pepper if desired.
- Drain the pasta and combine it with the sauce until well incorporated. The pasta will absorb the sauce and it will continue to thicken.
- Garnish with parsley and serve!
Notes
Note: You may be tempted to add more cheese to thicken to sauce, but it continues to thicken upon standing and even when added to the pasta.
For Saucier Pasta: Use 3/4 lb. pasta instead of a full pound.
⭐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.
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.
Nutrition
Calories: 624kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Cholesterol: 153mg, Sodium: 399mg, Potassium: 357mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 925IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 347mg, Iron: 2mg
Did you try this recipe?Mention @TheCozyCook on Instagram or tag #thecozycook!
OMG!!!!! This is the best Alfredo sauce EVER!!!!
Hi Karen! I am so happy you think so! (Im a bit biased but I have to agree, lol.) thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a review, I really appreciate it! -Stephanie
Made this for the 2nd time tonight. My kids LOVE it! Looking forward to leftovers! Thanks!
Hey Heather! That’s so wonderful to hear, I’m so happy that your kids love it- that’s always worth gold. Enjoy your leftovers, and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating, I really appreciate it! Take care! -Stephanie
This was a great recipe, never thought flour would work. But oh my gosh it was delicious. Thank you for this post.
Hey Valerie! I’m SO happy that you enjoyed the Alfredo Sauce! It’s amazing how easy it is, isn’t it? It’s the only Alfredo Sauce I’ll make! 🙂 I’m glad that you enjoyed it too! Have a wonderful day and thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment and a rating! -Stephanie
Yummy; nice and creamy – family loved it
So happy to hear that Christy! THANK YOU so much for taking the time to leave a rating too, you’re the best!!
This is by far the best Alfredo I’ve ever made! Thank you for sharing this recipe. I will definitely be making this again!
Hey Tameka! That’s SO great to hear! I’ll never make another Alfredo recipe either, this is the one! THANK YOU for taking the time to leave a review, you’re the best! Take care my friend! -Stephanie
This was excellent, I used about a cup less cheese than the recipe and may even cut the total amount in half. The flavor was great but I just prefer mine less cheesy. I added some grilled chicken and my family was saying that broccoli would be good as well. (I don’t like broccoli but would do for the fam)! 🙂
Hey Tammy! I’m so glad that you enjoyed it and were able to make modifications to suit your taste! 🙂 I LOVE adding chicken to this, and love the broccoli idea too! Hey- it’s a plus that your family will eat broccoli, haha. I can’t always say the same. Thank you for taking the time to leave a rating, I REALLY appreciate it! -Stephanie
Hey! Making this tonight and I have a quick question! I have half and half- do I just combine 3 cups? For the 1.5 milk and 1.5 cream?
Hey Bree!! Exactly, yes thats perfect!
The recipe is pretty good. Personally, I found it to be too thin. I changed the flour to 3 tbsp. and used 3 cups of heavy whipping cream instead of half milk half cream. Be sure to whisk the butter/ flour/ milk for 10 minutes minimum before adding the cheese or it will thin out. Don’t be shy with the salt.
The sauce tastes best if you let it sit, either for a day in the fridge and serve over fresh pasta or 30 minutes with no heat if you’re in a hurry. Overall, a good first Alfredo sauce but, don’t hesitate to make it your own!
Thank you! I found it too thin as well. Your post made me hopeful I can save it by keeping in the fridge a day or two.
Hello, I can’t wait to try this recipe! I’ve failed many times when making homemade Alfredo. It’s always clumpy or glue-like, tastes too much like flour- I always follow the recipes I find, but I’ve always had the same results. Can you give me any guidance on this before I try this recipe?? Thanks!
Hey Katie!! Here are my tips:
1. Prepare all of your ingredients ahead of time so that they’re ready to go. This sauce takes NO time to make.
2. Since the sauce takes no time to make, boil your pasta water ahead of time. When you start making your sauce, toss in the pasta. Aim to have them both ready around the same time.
3. Note that Alfredo sauce isn’t meant to be super thick, although it will thicken upon standing. It’ll be even thicker once you add the pasta.
4. BIG tip here: Add the cheese to the sauce GRADUALLY and over LOW heat, stir constantly and remove from heat immediately. That’ll ensure the sauce is smooth. Cheese clumps up when it’s added to a super hot base.
5. Make sure your cheese is grated at home and not pre-shredded or grated.
If you follow those tips, you’ll be golden!
Wonderful recipe…probably the best alfredo sauce I’ve made at home. The only difference was that I added Chicken and I don’t eat carbs at night so I had Zoodles.
So happy to hear that Lelea! And I love that you added chicken and had zoodles! Yum! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review! 😁 -Stephanie