This Pioneer Woman Alfredo Sauce recipe is created from scratch using only a handful of natural ingredients. It is really simple to make, it is ready in just a few minutes, and it will blow your pasta socks off! The Alfredo sauce you buy in the store is just not even comparable.

What Is Alfredo Sauce?

Served over cooked pasta, Alfredo Sauce is a velvety white sauce known for its richness, smoothness, and creaminess. Parmesan cheese, butter, part of the warm pasta boiling water, and salt are the traditional ingredients of a traditional Italian Alfredo sauce. Heavy cream was eventually added to the recipe, a change I attribute to American influence.

Pioneer Woman Alfredo Sauce Ingredients

• Parmesan Cheese. Use only freshly-shaved Parmigiano-Reggiano for best results. Don’t buy pre-shredded cheese in a shaker-style container or a tub. You’ll end up with a gritty sauce since they won’t melt correctly. As a result, they are not nearly as appetizing as the original.
• Butter. Both unsalted and salted versions are equally good. If you’re already using salted butter, hold off on seasoning the sauce with any more salt until after you’ve given it a taste.
• Heavy Cream. For maximum decadence, we use heavy whipping cream. Doing so will yield the creamiest, richest end product. It’s all or nothing, right? Yet, normal heavy cream will work just well. (for lower-calorie alternatives, check the footnote.)
• Garlic. In our opinion, the best results come from combining garlic powder with raw garlic. You can reduce the amount of garlic powder or the amount of garlic salt if you like a milder garlic flavor.
• Seasonings. Dry Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper. The sauce is elevated by this triad of spices. Due to the saltiness of the Parmesan cheese, we are just using a small amount.

Can I Use Milk Instead Of Cream To Make Alfredo Sauce?

Yep! We like to go all out with heavy whipping cream because this sauce is designed to be decadent, but if you’d like to lighten it up and cut back on calories a bit, that’s totally cool with us! Whole milk, half-and-half, or regular heavy cream can all be used well. Remember that the thinner the sauce, the lower the fat content may be.

Is This Alfredo Sauce Gluten Free?

Yep! This is a gluten-free dish because there is no flour roux. Although this Alfredo sauce has fewer carbohydrates than others, don’t let that fool you into believing it’s better for you.

How To Make Pioneer Woman Alfredo Sauce

• In a large nonstick skillet over medium-low heat, combine the butter and cream; whisk until the butter is melted.
• Whisk in the minced garlic, garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, and pepper until smooth.
• Bring to a low simmer (do not boil) and continue to stir for 3-4 minutes or until it begins to thicken.
• Stir in the parmesan cheese until it is completely melted and the sauce is smooth.
• Remove from the heat and throw in the cooked fettuccine noodles (or your favorite pasta.)
• Allow the sauce to rest for 2-3 minutes before mixing it with the spaghetti if it isn’t thick enough.

What To Serve With Alfredo Sauce?

• Meatballs
• Broccoli
• Salad
• Bread
• Bacon
• Grilled Shrimp
• Asparagus

Recipe Variations

• Toss In Some Chicken. Chicken and alfredo sauce is the perfect match. You may use leftover chicken, chicken from a rotisserie, shredded chicken, chicken that has been roasted or poached, or my gourmet lemon basil chicken.
• Pasta Primavera With Bacon. Cook some thick-cut bacon until it’s crispy, then drain the fat and use it to sauté some veggies. After the pasta has finished cooking, stir in the diced bacon.
• Substitute Cheeses. While Parmesan is the quintessential ingredient in alfredo sauce, other cheeses can be used to enhance the sauce’s flavor. Any other melting cheese, such as mozzarella, asiago, gouda, smoked cheddar, Monterrey, etc., can be substituted for Parmesan to create a sauce with an entirely new flavor profile.
• Mix With Some Fresh Vegetables. A healthier alternative to traditional alfredo sauce! Mini peas, bell peppers, zucchini, asparagus, mushrooms, spinach, and any other vegetable you can think of can be included. To incorporate vegetables, just sauté them in olive oil until crisp-tender before adding the garlic and continuing with the dish.
• Toss In Some Sun-Dried Tomatoes. If you want sun-dried tomatoes, get the ones in oil. You can often find them in the condiments section of the supermarket, close to the olives and pickles. You may substitute the oil from the container for the olive oil. Tomatoes should be washed, dried, chopped, and then sautéed for 2 minutes before the garlic is added.

How To Thicken Alfredo Sauce?

We found this recipe to be plenty thick, but if you want it thicker, you have a few choices.

• Start by making a roux. To thicken the sauce, melt some butter in a skillet over medium heat and whisk in an equal quantity of flour; whisk continually until blended and smooth.
• A slurry can also be made. Combine a little amount of cornstarch and some cold water in a bowl and whisk until smooth. Gradually incorporate the slurry into the sauce while it is boiling, and continue to stir until the sauce reaches the desired thickness.

How To Store Alfredo Sauce?

• In The Fridge. If you want to make this alfredo sauce ahead of time or if you simply happen to have some leftovers, you should pour the sauce into a jar, allow it to cool fully, and then secure the top on the jar as securely as you can. When stored in the refrigerator, it can stay fresh for up to 4 days.
• In The Freezer. Although it is possible to freeze cream, butter, and cheese and then thaw them out, the texture will change and become gritty. I do not advocate doing this.
• To Reheat. On the burner, at a low and steady simmer, reheat Alfredo Sauce, adjust the heat so that it is lower and gradually bring it back up to temperature while stirring it often. Stay away from the microwave since it will turn the sauce into a greasy mess. In addition to that, this sauce may be reheated once. After that, you are going to have to throw it away.

Recipe Tips

• As was already established, fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano is crucial. This sauce will turn up gritty since the pre-shredded Parmesan won’t melt correctly.
• You should whisk, but not stir, the ingredients. Keeping your sauce from separating by whisking it. The sauce requires neither a wooden spoon nor a spatula.
• Do not allow the sauce to boil. The heat is kept at a moderate simmer for a short period of time. The sauce will split into chunks if the heat is too high, and it will boil over if it is allowed to reach that point. Really bad!
• It’s preferable to serve this sauce as soon as possible after creating it, so if you’re planning on having it with pasta, schedule the cooking so that both are done at the same time.

Try More Recipes:

• Instant Pot Fettuccine Alfredo and Meatballs
• Creamy Alfredo Chorizo Pasta
• Chicken Alfredo Bubble Up

Pioneer Woman Alfredo Sauce Nutrition Facts

Amount Per Serving

• Calories 1075
• Total Fat 102g
• Saturated Fat 63g
• Trans Fat 3.7g
• Cholesterol 298mg
• Sodium 2423mg
• Potassium 311mg
• Total Carbohydrate 16g
• Dietary Fiber 0.4g
• Sugars 3.2g
• Protein 28g
• Vitamin A 83%
• Vitamin C 16%
• Calcium 83%

Nutrition Facts Source: Source