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Fettuccine Alfredo
Fettuccine pasta topped with a homemade rich decadent alfredo sauce
There are certain recipes that are essential to have in your recipe box and one of them has to be a phenomenal Fettuccine alfredo recipe. Years ago, when I was teaching kids’ cooking classes, this was one of the first things I taught them. Almost every single kid around goes crazy for alfredo sauce! It is so easy to make a homemade alfredo sauce that you will never buy the jarred variety again!
This homemade alfredo sauce is made with simple ingredients — butter, parmesan cheese, garlic, heavy cream, and salt. It’s a 5-ingredient alfredo sauce that is beyond easy!
If you are looking for a lighter version, I created a low-fat fettuccine alfredo version called Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo. You can find the recipe HERE.
This homemade alfredo sauce can be tossed with the pasta so the pasta soaks up all of the sauce or it can be spooned over hot, fresh pasta. I love to use fresh refrigerated fettuccine noodles because it tastes that much better. If you want the fettuccine alfredo to be a little more “saucy” toss the sauce with less than one pound of pasta (you may start with 12 ounces of fettuccine).
Tips for making PERFECT FETTUCCINE ALFREDO:
- Start by bringing water to a boil in a large pot. Add salt to the water to season the pasta. Once it is boiling, add pasta and cook according to package instructions.
- Saute the garlic and butter together until softened — about 1 to 2 minutes.
- Add heavy cream and let simmer over medium-high heat for about 5 minutes to thicken. Add salt and pepper to taste. Add half of the parmesan cheese to the mixture and whisk well until smooth.
- Save some pasta water. The pasta water is full of flavor and can be used to thin out the sauce.
- Toss alfredo sauce with fettuccine pasta and add half of the parmesan cheese. Once it is tossed, garnish with the remaining parmesan cheese. Add a little pasta water if it needs to be thinned out.
- Garnish with Italian parsley, if so desired.
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Fettuccine Alfredo
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 lb Fettuccine Pasta
- 6 Tablespoons Butter
- 1 Garlic Clove (minced)
- 1 1/2 cups Heavy Cream
- 1/4 teaspoon Salt
- 1 1/4 cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
- 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
- 2 Tablespoons Italian Parsley (optional)
Instructions
- In a large pot, heat water over high heat until boiling. Add salt to season the water. Once it is boiling, add fettuccine and cook according to package instructions.
- In a large skillet or pan, heat butter over medium heat. Add minced garlic and cook for 1 to 2 minutes. Stir in heavy cream.
- Let heavy cream reduce and cook for 5 to 8 minutes. Add half of the parmesan cheese to the mixture and whisk well until smooth. Keep over heat and whisk well until cheese is melted.
- Save some pasta water. The pasta water is full of flavor and can be used to thin out the sauce.
- Toss alfredo sauce with fettuccine pasta and add half of the parmesan cheese. Once it is tossed, garnish with the remaining parmesan cheese. Add a little pasta water if it needs to be thinned out.
- Garnish with Italian parsley, if so desired.
Video
Notes
- Use real parmesan cheese, which is refrigerated.
- If you like it to be more "saucy", you may use less than 1 lb. of fettuccine pasta.
- Leftover pasta water may be used to thin out pasta sauce.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I hope you love this fettuccine pasta with homemade alfredo sauce. Happy Cooking, my friends!
Made this last night, using the recipe as written. Great tasting sauce and so easy to prepare. I’ve been tasked by wife to make this on a routine basis from now on. Not a problem.
This is amazingly delicious. Even my picky kids cleared their bowls! Thanks for the great recipe!!
I couldn’t get it to thicken for some reason so I just mixed cornstarch with some heavy cream and added that in, worked like a charm.
We’ve made this several times, served over pasta of choice, instead of tossed together. We either grill, bake, or choose a rotisserie chicken to serve with this, and broccoli. This recipe is quick and easy to understand. Portion is correct for 4-5 servings. Thank you.
Fantastic! This is a great recipe! Loved it!
I’ve made fettuccine before and I must say this was the easiest and tastiest one I’ve ever made. I think the minced garlic is the key! Never thought to add it before, but it added a great amount of flavor. I did save some pasta water to thin it out and made some crispy bacon in the air fryer and tossed in some leftover grilled chicken thighs. Can’t wait to make it again and maybe toss in some baby peas or grilled shrimp. This is a keeper
The recipe was awesome and very easy to follow, the only thing I did was to added shrimp. Yummy 😋. Thank you!
I’m on the hunt for an authentic Italian Alfredo recipe that matches the one at Tony’s Town Square Restaurant in Disney World! This one I tried and it turned out a little over the top. It was not like Tony’s which is subtle and refined. It had the similar flavor, but it was way too rich. This recipe calls for a lot of butter and heavy cream, which makes it nice and creamy but way too rich in flavor. I would halve the butter/heavy cream, add milk, and skip the salt. Gonna try it again with these alterations to see if it’s closer to Tony’s!
I considered several recipes I found online, I decided to use this one. I came out great. I only made one dietary adjustment, I used Lactose Free Half and Half, as my wife is sensitive to lactose. She has not tried restaurant Alfredo for several years due to tummy distress, that one change and she loved it. Oh, I also added chicken for protein. The recipe is keeper.
This came out excellent. I followed the recipe exactly and used quality ingredients and I can honestly say it’s the best I’ve had. I prefer it to restaurants for sure which to me taste too salty. The texture is even perfect. It’s going into my weekly rotation for sure.
Yum! I added some butter-garlic sauced shrimp and it was delicious! Thanks for sharing!