10-Minute Alfredo Sauce with Heavy Cream
This homemade Alfredo sauce recipe is the real deal — a creamy, cheesy, buttery sauce made in minutes with just three ingredients: heavy cream, butter and Parmesan cheese. It's one of the easiest pasta sauce recipes you can make from scratch! Treat your family to the ultimate comfort food, and serve it as a sauce for pasta or vegetables.
Equipment
Ingredients
Yield: 2 cups sauce (enough for 1 pound of pasta)
- 8 tablespoons (113 g) butter (1 stick)
- 1 ½ cups (350 ml) heavy cream or heavy whipping cream
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ cup (77 g) finely grated Parmesan cheese *see note below
Instructions
- Put the butter in a 3-4 quart saucepan and place over medium-high heat. Swirl the pan occasionally until the butter is melted.
- Pour in the cream and heat until it comes to a boil — the cream will foam and rise to the top of the pan. Immediately lower the heat to medium or medium-low to maintain a gentle simmer. Give it a whisk, and continue simmering 8-10 minutes, until the cream is slightly reduced. Keep your eye on the pan and adjust the heat as needed to prevent the sauce from boiling over.
- Add the salt and cheese to the cream and whisk. Remove the pan from the heat, continue to whisk until the sauce has a thick, smooth consistency.
- Serve right away with cooked pasta, or pour into a glass storage container and store in the refrigerator for up to one week. Shake or stir the sauce before reheating (note below).
Video
Notes
- Be sure to use finely grated Parmesan for the best texture. Shredded Parmesan doesn't melt as smoothly.
-
- Fresh herbs: Toss in a tablespoon or so of fresh chopped parsley, sage, or basil or 1/2 teaspoon of your favorite dried herb.
- Lemon: Turn your sauce into pasta al limone! Add in freshly grated lemon zest and a squeeze of fresh lemon juice to the finished sauce.
- Pepper: Freshly ground black pepper, crushed red pepper or a dash of nutmeg pair beautifully with cream sauce.
- Garlic: If you enjoy garlic, try adding 1 teaspoon finely chopped fresh garlic, 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder or granulated garlic to the melted butter before adding the cream.
- How to store: The sauce keeps up to a week in the refrigerator. Store it in a secure covered container, such as a Mason jar. Reheat on low heat in a saucepan until the sauce smooth, warm and creamy.
Nutrition
Serving: 30gCalories: 292kcalCarbohydrates: 2gProtein: 4gFat: 30gSodium: 411mgSugar: 1g
