Our homemade Alfredo Sauce recipe is rich, creamy and so cheesy. It tastes better than any restaurant variety and is totally easy to make!
Alfredo Sauce: A Love Story
Back in his dating days, my brother wanted to impress his date by making her a fancy pasta dinner. He called me up (I was 14 or 15 at the time) and said “Erica, I need to impress this girl, Amber. I told her that I am going to make her a nice dinner tonight.” Of course I knew that he REALLY meant: “Erica, you are going to make a nice dinner for both of us tonight and I will pay for the grocery bill.” Later that evening when the table was set with candles and fine dinnerware, the pasta was al dente, the sauce was simmering, and all the sides were ready to serve, the doorbell rang. I was ushered into the basement and there I sat the rest of the night while Devin and Amber enjoyed their candle-light dinner upstairs.
A Homemade Alfredo Sauce Success!
Amber was so impressed by the dinner that “Devin” made, she later consented to be his wife. Years later, she realized the truth when she asked my sweet brother to make her his “famous” Alfredo sauce. He called upon me, his loving sister to bail him out again. So for all you Devins out there, here’s my foolproof (and matchmaking) Homemade Alfredo Sauce. This is actually the very first recipe I created that I can truly call my own. But I’m happy to share it with my brother, and with all of you.
What Ingredients Do I Need?
Most Alfredo sauce recipes call for heavy cream, or unusual, hard to find ingredients. Not for this easy homemade recipe! All you need are a few kitchen staple items like sour cream, fresh Parmesan cheese, garlic powder and cream cheese. The result is a rich, creamy sauce with a tangy bite of Parmesan cheese. You’ll never miss the heavy cream, I promise!
Ways to Serve Alfredo Sauce
Of course this glorious sauce is perfect with Fettuccine or Linguini noodles, but it also makes the most decadent dip for our favorite bread twists or veggies. It’s also delicious drizzled over chicken, or slathered over pizza crust. (Try our family’s favorite pizza dough recipe for your next pizza night.) The sky’s the limit on how you want to eat this stuff. And nobody will judge you if it’s just you, a bowl of sauce and a spoon.
How to Make Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter
- 8 ounces cream cheese
- 1/2 cup sour cream
- 2 teasooon garlic powder
- 2 cups milk
- 1 cup grated parmesan cheese (use fresh grated, not the powdery kind)
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Add cream cheese, sour cream and and garlic powder, stirring with a wire whisk until smooth.
- Add milk a little at a time while, continue to whisk.
- Stir in Parmesan cheese and salt & pepper. Remove from heat when it gets to the desired consistency. Sauce will thicken rapidly, thin with milk if needed.
- Serve over fettuccine or linguini noodles and garnish with fresh parsley.
marisajbaines says
this was an excellent sauce. We loved it…….!
Meagan says
I used this recipe to make spaghetti squash alfredo, absolutely amazing! It made more than enough for meal prepping for the work week. Will make this again.
Mira says
Just made it…so delicious. I used it with a gluten free pasta for my husband. Thanks for sharing!
Morgan Price says
Absolutely delicious!!!
Sandra algozine says
Should b.. This is the exact recipe for copycat olive garden alfredo sauce my sister gave me 10 yrs ago lol.
Mary says
Your sister was wrong!
https://m.olivegarden.com/recipe/alfredo-sauce/man-imp-reci-prd-69
Sue says
What size cream cheese?
Emily says
An 8 oz. package
Rebekah says
How much does this make
Nicole says
Do we have to use garlic powder or can we use regular garlic?
Favorite Family Recipes says
You can use regular garlic if you would rather 🙂
Shanika says
Will it still work if u don’t have cream cheese
Favorite Family Recipes says
It won’t thicken as well without the cream cheese, it will be quite runny and won’t taste as creamy. Hope this helps!
Ines Di Lelio says
HISTORY OF ALFREDO DI LELIO CREATOR IN 1908 OF “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO” (“FETTUCCINE ALFREDO”), NOW SERVED BY HIS NEPHEW INES DI LELIO, AT THE RESTAURANT “IL VERO ALFREDO” – “ALFREDO DI ROMA” IN ROME, PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE 30
With reference to your article I have the pleasure to tell you the history of my grandfather Alfredo Di Lelio, who is the creator of “Fettuccine all’Alfredo” (“Fettuccine Alfredo”) in 1908 in the “trattoria” run by his mother Angelina in Rome, Piazza Rosa (Piazza disappeared in 1910 following the construction of the Galleria Colonna / Sordi). This “trattoria” of Piazza Rosa has become the “birthplace of fettuccine all’Alfredo”.
More specifically, as is well known to many people who love the “fettuccine all’Alfredo”, this famous dish in the world was invented by Alfredo Di Lelio concerned about the lack of appetite of his wife Ines, who was pregnant with my father Armando (born February 26, 1908).
Alfredo di Lelio opened his restaurant “Alfredo” in 1914 in Rome and in 1943, during the war, he sold the restaurant to others outside his family.
In 1950 Alfredo Di Lelio decided to reopen with his son Armando his restaurant in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 “Il Vero Alfredo” (“Alfredo di Roma”), whose fame in the world has been strengthened by his nephew Alfredo and that now managed by me, with the famous “gold cutlery” (fork and spoon gold) donated in 1927 by two well-known American actors Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks (in gratitude for the hospitality).
See the website of “Il Vero Alfredo” (also about franchising news).
I must clarify that other restaurants “Alfredo” in Rome do not belong and are out of my brand “Il Vero Alfredo – Alfredo di Roma”.
I inform you that the restaurant “Il Vero Alfredo –Alfredo di Roma” is in the registry of “Historic Shops of Excellence” of the City of Rome Capitale.
Best regards Ines Di Lelio
IN ITALIANO
STORIA DI ALFREDO DI LELIO, CREATORE DELLE “FETTUCCINE ALL’ALFREDO” (“FETTUCCINE ALFREDO”), E DELLA SUA TRADIZIONE FAMILIARE PRESSO IL RISTORANTE “IL VERO ALFREDO” (“ALFREDO DI ROMA”) IN PIAZZA AUGUSTO IMPERATORE A ROMA
Con riferimento al Vostro articolo ho il piacere di raccontarVi la storia di mio nonno Alfredo Di Lelio, inventore delle note “fettuccine all’Alfredo” (“Fettuccine Alfredo”).
Alfredo Di Lelio, nato nel settembre del 1883 a Roma in Vicolo di Santa Maria in Trastevere, cominciò a lavorare fin da ragazzo nella piccola trattoria aperta da sua madre Angelina in Piazza Rosa, un piccolo slargo (scomparso intorno al 1910) che esisteva prima della costruzione della Galleria Colonna (ora Galleria Sordi).
Il 1908 fu un anno indimenticabile per Alfredo Di Lelio: nacque, infatti, suo figlio Armando e videro contemporaneamente la luce in tale trattoria di Piazza Rosa le sue “fettuccine”, divenute poi famose in tutto il mondo. Questa trattoria è “the birthplace of fettuccine all’Alfredo”.
Alfredo Di Lelio inventò le sue “fettuccine” per dare un ricostituente naturale, a base di burro e parmigiano, a sua moglie (e mia nonna) Ines, prostrata in seguito al parto del suo primogenito (mio padre Armando). Il piatto delle “fettuccine” fu un successo familiare prima ancora di diventare il piatto che rese noto e popolare Alfredo Di Lelio, personaggio con “i baffi all’Umberto” ed i calli alle mani a forza di mischiare le sue “fettuccine” davanti ai clienti sempre più numerosi.
Nel 1914, a seguito della chiusura di detta trattoria per la scomparsa di Piazza Rosa dovuta alla costruzione della Galleria Colonna, Alfredo Di Lelio decise di aprire a Roma il suo ristorante “Alfredo” che gestì fino al 1943, per poi cedere l’attività a terzi estranei alla sua famiglia.
Ma l’assenza dalla scena gastronomica di Alfredo Di Lelio fu del tutto transitoria. Infatti nel 1950 riprese il controllo della sua tradizione familiare ed aprì, insieme al figlio Armando, il ristorante “Il Vero Alfredo” (noto all’estero anche come “Alfredo di Roma”) in Piazza Augusto Imperatore n.30 (cfr. il sito web di Il Vero Alfredo).
Con l’avvio del nuovo ristorante Alfredo Di Lelio ottenne un forte successo di pubblico e di clienti negli anni della “dolce vita”. Successo, che, tuttora, richiama nel ristorante un flusso continuo di turisti da ogni parte del mondo per assaggiare le famose “fettuccine all’Alfredo” al doppio burro da me servite, con l’impegno di continuare nel tempo la tradizione familiare dei miei cari maestri, nonno Alfredo, mio padre Armando e mio fratello Alfredo. In particolare le fettuccine sono servite ai clienti con 2 “posate d’oro”: una forchetta ed un cucchiaio d’oro regalati nel 1927 ad Alfredo dai due noti attori americani M. Pickford e D. Fairbanks (in segno di gratitudine per l’ospitalità).
Desidero precisare che altri ristoranti “Alfredo” a Roma non appartengono e sono fuori dal mio brand di famiglia.
Vi informo che il Ristorante “Il Vero Alfredo” è presente nell’Albo dei “Negozi Storici di Eccellenza – sezione Attività Storiche di Eccellenza” del Comune di Roma Capitale.
Grata per la Vostra attenzione ed ospitalità nel Vostro interessante blog, cordiali saluti
Ines Di Lelio
Favorite Family Recipes says
Wow! Thank you so much for sharing this information with us. What a gift your grandfather gave to the world. Our family LOVES Fettuccine Alfredo!
Sarah says
So cool!! I loveeee Alfredo. Thank you to your grandfather!
Cas says
I don’t normally comment, but this was excellent! Thanks for such a great recipe!!!
Erica Walker says
So glad you liked it! Thanks for the 5-stars!
Jaz says
Can you use store bought shredded cheese?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Yes, you can. The note about the cheese is referring to the grated, powdery kind that comes in a can.
Aimy says
If I made a large batch , how long would it keep in the fridge?
Favorite Family Recipes says
Probably 2-3 days. You may have to add a little milk or cream to thin it out when you’re ready to eat it because it will thicken in the fridge.
Phyllis Kirchdoerffer says
Delicious!
robert says
I’m sorry I meant can you use heavy whipping cream in place of milk?
Favorite Family Recipes says
It will be very thick, but you can!
Renee Machurski says
This recipe was amazing! I made it last night and it was simple and tasty. Thank you!