Creamy Lemon Pappardelle Pasta (Pasta al Limone)
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This is my version of pasta al limone — wide pappardelle noodles tangled up in a creamy lemon sauce that takes about 15 minutes and zero stovetop fussing. The sauce is mixed cold in a bowl with egg yolk, heavy cream, Parmesan, and the zest and juice of one lemon. The moment hot pasta hits it, everything comes together.
Some nights I just want a bowl of pasta that feels special without actually being complicated. This is that pasta — ready in 15 minutes. Pair it with my herb-roasted whole chicken and the easiest broccolini for a simple dinner.
A few good ingredients, plus notes
- Lemon: One lemon does double duty here — zest and juice. The oils in the zest are intensely fragrant in a way that juice alone can’t replicate, and the juice adds brightness and acidity that cuts through the richness of the cream. I use juice from just half the lemon (1–2 tablespoons), because a full lemon can make the sauce too sharp — and lemons vary a lot in how juicy they are. Always use a Microplane rasp grater to zest. Box graters removes too much pith, which turns bitter in the sauce.
- Cream. Heavy cream (not whipping cream) is non-negotiable here. Heavy cream has a butterfat content around 36–38%, while whipping cream is 30–35% — that gap matters because this sauce relies on the fat to bind with the egg yolk and cheese without using heat. When I tested this with whipping cream, the sauce was noticeably thinner and separated slightly after a few minutes. Heavy cream holds the emulsion together. Shake the container well before measuring — thick cream settles at the top.
Butter. I add cubed butter at the end, directly onto the drained pasta before you toss. This isn’t decorative — it’s the final layer of fat that loosens the sauce and gives it a glossy finish. European-style butter (like Kerrygold or Plugrá) has a higher butterfat percentage than standard American butter, which means more richness and a silkier sauce. I’ve made this with both and the difference is noticeable, especially since there are so few ingredients here. - Egg: Just one yolk — not the whole egg — is what keeps this sauce silky instead of scrambled. The fat in the yolk emulsifies with the cream and Parmesan so the sauce clings to every strand rather than pooling at the bottom of the bowl. If you accidentally add the white, the sauce can turn kind of gluey. I tested both and the yolk-only version was the clear winner every single time.
How to make creamy lemon pasta
The trick to this recipe is understanding that the hot pasta is what ‘cooks’ the sauce. You whisk everything in a bowl: Heavy cream, egg yolk, Parmesan, lemon — then drain the pasta and immediately toss it into the bowl. The residual heat thickens the cream, melts the cheese, and sets the yolk into an emulsion. Cover and rest for 5 minutes before serving — this is the step most people skip, and it makes a noticeable difference to the final texture.
1. Zest one lemon over a large bowl. 
3. Add an egg yolk, fresh lemon juice, and cream. 4. Whisk the cream mixture until smooth, then toss with the hot pasta.
Creamy Lemon Pasta (Pasta al Limone)
Recipe Video
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- 1 large or extra-large egg yolk
- ½ cup (125 ml) heavy cream, well shaken – see note below
- ½ cup (125 g) freshly grated Parmesan cheese, plus more for serving
- 1 lemon
- 8 ounces (223 g) dried pappardelle pasta, or your favorite dried pasta
- 2 tablespoons (30 g) butter, cut into chunks
- 2 tablespoons chopped parsley
Instructions
- Bring a large pot (5-6 quarts) of water to a boil and add 2 tablespoons salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk together 1 large or extra-large egg yolk, ½ cup heavy cream, ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan cheeseand ½ teaspoon salt. Grate the zest from the lemon with a rasp grater (a Microplane is my top pick) over the bowl, then slice the lemon in half and squeeze in the juice from one half. Whisk to combine.
- Cook 8 ounces dried pappardelle pasta until al dente, usually 8-10 minutes. Be sure to taste and test!
- Drain the pasta and immediately add to the bowl with the lemon cream. Top with 2 tablespoons butter, cut into chunks, then use 2 forks or a pair of tongs to gently toss the pasta until it's coated with the sauce. Cover the bowl and let it sit 5 minutes to thicken.
- Serve hot, sprinkled 2 tablespoons chopped parsley, additional grated Parmesan and lemon zest.
Karen’s Notes and Tips
- Depending on the brand of heavy cream you have, a layer of thick cream can form a cap on top of the liquid cream. Be sure to shake the container heavy cream well to blend it before measuring it.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container 1-2 days in the refrigerator. Add a teaspoon or two of water or cream before reheating as the pasta sauce will thicken.
- You can use either fresh or dried pappardelle or fettuccine noodles or any type of dried pasta.
Nutrition per serving
Nutrition facts are calculated by third-party software. If you have specific dietary needs, please refer to your favorite calculator.
Hey, I’m Karen
Creator of Familystyle Food
I’m a food obsessed super-taster and professionally trained cook ALL about creating elevated dinners with everyday ingredients. Find simplified recipes made from scratch and enjoy incredibly tasty food! Read more about me here.
Leave a comment and star rating
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
So good! So easy! Husband loved it and wants it put on our “Make Often” list. So glad I found this. I put it on Rotini. I’m sending it to all my friends and family. Thank You!!!
Wow! Your recipe is a taste sensation! Tried it yesterday, and it’s an instant favorite. Thanks for sharing this culinary delight. Love your content! For more delicious recipes, check out https://ricettaitaliano.com/ for guaranteed culinary inspiration! Thanks
I love everything about this recipe. It is so incredibly easy, and so incredibly delicious. Even with the cream it is a light dish, and the lemon adds brightness to it. Pappardelle is my new favorite pasta, but this could be made with whatever your favorite pasta may be. I double the recipe so there is plenty for leftovers the next day, tastes even better. It will definitely be a go-to meal in this house, especially on busy nights.
Amazing ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️🤩🤩🤩🤩🤩
easy and delicious to my skeptical family!
This was fabulous and so easy—it’s a big hit with family and friends with everyone asking for the recipe. Your website’s recipes look delicious—gonna try lots more of them. Thank you!
Delicious. I subbed ricotta for parmesan (I didn’t have any parm).. and it was amazing!!
Thank you!
Thank you, was delicious and easy to follow. I made it after coming home from work for my wife who was craving lemon pasta. She’s been looking after our 4 month old and has been super tired and I surprised her with this and she loved it. Thank you
That is wonderful!! So glad she enjoyed it:)) xo
This is one of our absolute favorites and fight for the leftovers the next day. We do not change a thing except we don’t always have fresh parsley. Thank you for such a delicious recipe!
So happy you enjoy it Judy!
Ok, I made this and added a pan of well carmelized onions (maybe 1 onion per recipe? I think I used a full pound of pasta and probably 2 onions cooked down with olive oil) to this and it was *fantastic*, recipe requested by all. Made it multiple times, sometimes with a protein on top.
Super quick and easy, and delicious! A perfect weeknight pasta.
Hello, this dish sounds amazing!! I’ve never made a sauce before that has egg in it and isn’t at least heated up. Is it safe to eat raw egg yolk? I’m still going to try it tomorrow night, but I was just curious. Thank you.
Hi Mandy – In this recipe the yolk is slightly “cooked” by combining it with the hot pasta. If you have any concerns about eating raw egg, you can definitely use a pasteurized egg, which can be found in your grocery store. Hope you enjoy!
I added a sliced onion, braised in olive oil and a little salt long and slow until sweet and medium brown. It was really good, guests loved it.
Delicious and so very easy to put together. A nice light meal.
Really nice and easy recipe. I used high quality ingredients and it tasted like Italian summer. I added a small amount of ground black pepper to it as well. Will make again!!
So glad you liked it!
This was amazing!! I love anything lemon! Where is the cheese grater from?
Yay! I found the grater at a flea market!
Are you supposed to put the sauce una pan?
No, the sauce does not need to cook in a pan – just toss the hot pasta with it in bowl.
Do I use cream fraise or heavy whipping cream? Thanks
Hi – I use heavy cream in this recipe, but you can substitute creme fraiche if you prefer.
First time trying it with cream, fantastic texture. I usually do a cold version of this , but this is a very good warm pasta recipe. You can add different vegetables for color or some peppers
Thank you keep up the good cooking
I emulsified the parmesan over heat in a small saucepan to make it into a thicker sauce and added sweet peas to the recipe. It was great! 🙂 Thanks.
Very quick and easy to make! I didn’t have heavy cream, so used half & half. Also, I added grated garlic and added cherry tomatoes. Delicious!! Thanks for this great recipe!
Pasta with cream and lemon, what’s better than that? Nothing if someone asked me that. Amazing recipe especially the steps and the choice of ingredients.