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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!

Overhead view of a skillet full of Fettuccine Alfredo with kitchen tongs in the middle.

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.

A skillet with melted butter and minced garlic in it.

Whisk in the flour. Add heavy cream and milk. Gradually whisk in the cheese.

Final steps in making Alfredo sauce by adding cheese to a pot and stirring it into the sauce

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.

A skillet with Fettuccine Alfredo being added to it and mixed into the sauce.

Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo in a skillet with rolls in the background.

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.

A skillet filled with Fettuccine Alfredo with kitchen tongs pulling noodles up.

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Fettuccine Alfredo sprinkled with parsley in a white bowl with rolls in the background.

Did You Make This Recipe?

I would love for you to leave a rating and a comment below! How’d you do?! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

Overhead view of a pan filled with Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo with kitchen tongs.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

4.97 from 401 ratings
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 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

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.

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
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This Olive Garden Alfredo sauce recipe comes straight from the restaurant itself! It takes just 15 minutes to make, and pairs perfectly with fettuccine. | The Cozy Cook | #pasta #italianfood #olivegarden #alfredosauce #comfortfood #fettuccine #copycatrecipe #meatless

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1,027 comments on “Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce”

  1. Is there any way to make this without regular flour? We don’t have any. Can I just omit it (knowing that will affect the thickness) or use arrowroot/tapioca powder to make a roux to add to it?

    • Hi Kate, unfortunately I haven’t tried making this without flour before, however I would imagine that you can omit but as you said, it just won’t be thick.

    • Alfredo sauce is actually just butter, parmesan, and heavy cream. You can totally skip all the rest of the unnecessary ingredients. Melt the butter, add the parmesan, use the heavy cream to bring the sauce to desired thickness. Add garlic powder if desired. Bam. 5 minutes! (Brought to you by someone who used to make this in an italian restaurant. )

    • Use heavy cream. 

  2. Hi Stephanie! This sounds so delicious! Crazy question… where do I buy the parmesan and Romano cheese? I’ve never seen it in walmart….lol, just the grated Kraft ones in a shaker can. Unfortunately that’s our only grocery store in the area.
    Thx in advance!

    Lisa

    • Hey Lisa!! I’m trying to picture Walmart grocery right now- I go there a lot too, I am PRETTY sure you’d find it near the deli, but it could also be near the produce section! Definitely key that you get the blocks and I know they have them! It’s not in the same area as like the shredded cheeses, it’s in a different spot with “fancier” cheese I believe! I know you can track some down! Best of luck!! -Stephanie ❤️

  3. This is amazing. My daughter’s favorite meal is Olive Garden’s Fettuccine Alfredo and she loves this and requests it. I’m impressed at how easy it is to make. LOVE THIS!!

  4. Absolutely fabulous! I made this recipe this afternoon just for fun and because I have a lot of whip cream in the freezer–all those extra cartons and spoonfuls in bowls you don’t use during the holidays and (i don’t know if anyone else has this problem –it’s frustrating) all the cream that won’t whip. I have bought many cartons that are slop after whipping for forever! I didn’t have any Romano cheese or fresh garlic (the produce dept. bin was empty), so I used garlic powder from the big Costco container. Also, my cream had some sugar in it from my attempt to whip it, but I used it anyway not wanting to waste food. I was amazed how good it was! Just like all the restaurants I’ve had. A little sweet (my fault), but still great flavor. I can’t wait to try again! Thanks for your recipe. I’ve given your site link to 2 friends already.

    • Hey Josette! I am so happy that you were able to make use of what you had on hand and that you enjoyed the meal!! Happy that this will now be in your rotation, thank you so much for taking the time to leave a comment with your feedback and for sharing the link with friends! You’re the best! -Stephanie

  5. I made this last week and my family LOVED it!! We all love Olive Garden’s Alfredo sauce and this did not disappoint. It tasted JUST like it. Definitely will be on the meal rotation! Thank you!!

    • Hey Danielle! Soooooo happy that you loved this, we make this a LOT in my house! I’m glad that it will be in your rotation now too! Thank you SO much for taking the time to come back here and leave a comment and a rating, you’re the best!! -Stephanie

  6. This looks so good! Do you think if I just use whole milk in place of heavy cream it will come out okay? I’m trying to avoid going to the store. Thanks!!

    • Hi Laura! Unfortunately it will be very very thin and not the same. 😢 I understand not wanting to go to the store, totally get it! But I don’t want you to waste the ingredients that you have.

  7. This dish was AWESOME! Added fajita meat i had. Didn’t take long at all. Will definitely make this again.

    • Hey Kristie!! I’m so happy to hear that! Sounds amazing, and can’t thank you enough for taking the time to leave a comment and rating! 🙌🏻

  8. I tried this during my last pregnancy, and found that it was absolutely perfect….. and now I am pregnant again…. and I am hungry…so here we go again…. I hope I can make it taste the same! YUMMMMMM!

    PS: I’ve seen your other recipes and must say you are by far my favorite and usually my “go to” food blogger! <3

    • Britttttanyyy!!! First of all, a HUGE congratulations on your pregnancy!! I hope you’re feeling well, and judging from your wonderful decision you’ve made to make this recipe again, I think you’re doing as good as you can be! 😂 Your compliment just made my whole night friend!! Really. Thank you so much. I’m sure this will turn out JUST as well, (if not better), than the first time around! 🙂 You’re the best. Take care!! -Stephanie

  9. It was amazing and delicious. 

    • Hey Julie! I’m SO SO happy to hear that and really appreciate that you took the time to comment and review, thank you so much! Have a wonderful day! -Stephanie

  10. How would you make a double recipe of sauce? Just double your ingredients?

    • Exactly! And if you hover over where it says “6” servings on the top of the recipe card, a slider will appear. You can drag it right until it says 12 and it will automatically double the ingredient quantities for you. Enjoy!! -Stephanie

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