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    Home » Recipes » Pasta

    Fettuccine Alfredo

    Published: Aug 12, 2018 by Melissa Stadler · This post may contain affiliate links · 131 Comments

    15362 shares
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    Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe. Homemade alfredo sauce made from scratch using heavy cream, butter, parmesan cheese, and a touch of garlic. The BEST Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe! www.modernhoney.com #fettccinealfredo #pasta

    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!

    Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe. Homemade alfredo sauce made from scratch using heavy cream, butter, parmesan cheese, and a touch of garlic. The BEST Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe! www.modernhoney.com #fettccinealfredo #pasta

    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).

    Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe. Homemade alfredo sauce made from scratch using heavy cream, butter, parmesan cheese, and a touch of garlic. The BEST Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe! www.modernhoney.com #fettccinealfredo #pasta

    Tips for making PERFECT FETTUCCINE ALFREDO:

    1. 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.
    2. Saute the garlic and butter together until softened -- about 1 to 2 minutes.
    3. 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.
    4. Save some pasta water. The pasta water is full of flavor and can be used to thin out the sauce.
    5. 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.
    6. Garnish with Italian parsley, if so desired.

    Pin on PINTEREST:

    Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe. Homemade alfredo sauce made from scratch using heavy cream, butter, parmesan cheese, and a touch of garlic. The BEST Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe! www.modernhoney.com #fettccinealfredo #pasta

     

    Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe. Homemade alfredo sauce made from scratch using heavy cream, butter, parmesan cheese, and a touch of garlic. The BEST Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe! www.modernhoney.com #fettccinealfredo #pasta

    Fettuccine Alfredo

    The perfect homemade fettuccine alfredo using heavy cream, butter, parmesan cheese, and a touch of garlic. 
    4.94 from 64 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe Save Saved!
    Prep Time 5 mins
    Cook Time 15 mins
    Total Time 20 mins
    Course Dinner
    Cuisine Italian

    Ingredients
      

    • 1 lb Fettuccine Pasta
    • 6 Tablespoons Butter
    • 1 Garlic Clove (minced)
    • 1 ½ cups Heavy Cream
    • ¼ teaspoon Salt
    • 1 ¼ cup Shredded Parmesan Cheese
    • ¼ 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. 
    Keyword Fettuccine Alfredo
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

    I hope you love this fettuccine pasta with homemade alfredo sauce. Happy Cooking, my friends!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Donna

      December 19, 2022 at 2:58 pm

      5 stars
      What a lovely Pasta recipe. I won't make it for Christmas but for sure I'mm make it the day before or the day after. It looks so delicious and hearty.....

      Reply
    2. Jen

      December 18, 2022 at 12:14 pm

      I need to feed 9 on Christmas. Would I just do strait doubling for the recipe? I know sometimes changing quantity isn’t cut and dry…

      Reply
      • Annalise

        January 28, 2023 at 4:04 pm

        5 stars
        I doubled it and only had one issue with the thickness of the sauce, it was like sticky... it could have most definitely been my own fault for as much pasta as I made. 🙂 It was very good though.

        Reply
    3. Alex

      December 08, 2022 at 8:49 pm

      4 stars
      It was alright. My family liked it but I found it wayyyy too salty. Either way it’s an easy recipe and most really liked it.

      Reply
    4. Herb

      December 03, 2022 at 5:01 pm

      It was delicious.. Didn't change recipe, just added lobster tail and peas.. Definitely a great flavorful recipe without any extras..

      Reply
      • Avery

        December 28, 2022 at 6:22 am

        5 stars
        Delicious! Not sure if you can edit the recipe but just wanted to let you know that I didn’t see “add pepper and salt” to the sauce! It’s common sense, but you might personally want to add it as a recipe developer. (: Thanks for a great recipe!

        Reply
    5. Makenna G. Gordon Krista Gordon

      November 16, 2022 at 10:07 am

      How many calories are in this?

      Reply
      • Sophie Dyer

        December 09, 2022 at 1:42 pm

        Mmmmmm ferry veryy gud pashtA :)) : )

        Reply
        • Jessica

          January 10, 2023 at 11:16 am

          how many does this serve?

          Reply
        • levana

          March 12, 2023 at 12:15 am

          5 stars
          it was really good! i recommend it especially for beginner cooks 🙂

          Reply
      • Brittny

        January 22, 2023 at 4:54 pm

        I made this with shrimp. It’s my favorite dish. My kids love it!!! They all ( I have 4) LOVED it. So easy. I will make this dish all the time.

        Reply
    6. ashley

      October 30, 2022 at 6:24 pm

      5 stars
      This stuff was freaking amazing!!! Wonderful recipe <3 Everyone loved it. I halfed the recipe for my fiance and I, added shrimp, and we still have leftovers!

      Reply
      • Heather

        February 19, 2023 at 7:48 pm

        5 stars
        Excellent! The only change I made was adding a second clove of garlic and cooking a little less pasta. I’m glad I did because that meant more sauce in every bite! I was skeptical about the quantity of butter, but went with the given measurements. Delish!!

        Reply
    7. Claire

      October 15, 2022 at 10:54 am

      5 stars
      This recipe is the best!!

      Reply
    8. Terri M.

      September 08, 2022 at 6:45 pm

      I NEVER leave feedback for any recipes BUT this recipe was so unbelievably amazing that I had to say thank you. My daughter has Celiac Disease and we have been looking for an amazing gluten free fettuccine alfredo recipe and this is the one! I bought gluten free fettuccine from Trader Joe's mixed with this sauce and honestly this is probably the best pasta I've ever eaten. My daughter went nuts over it. This is her favorite meal hands down. Give it a try.. you won't be disappointed! It's honestly addicting it's that good!

      Reply
    9. Ashley

      August 15, 2022 at 11:08 pm

      5 stars
      This was super easy to make and very delicious! I ended up kind of going off on my own instinct and changed/added a few things. 1. I cooked up chicken, mushrooms and peas in white wine and dry Italian salad dressing seasoning 2. I added some red pepper and onion powder to the sauce 3. I used a cavatappi pasta 4. Used freshly grated reggiano parmigiano cheese. Will keep this in rotation for the future!

      Reply
      • Modern Honey

        August 26, 2022 at 8:33 am

        5 stars
        Hi Ashley! I love your creativity -- this sounds amazing! I bet it was so full of flavor. Thank you so much for trying my recipe!

        Reply
    10. Christina Tuccillo

      August 15, 2022 at 9:37 pm

      Hello! I made the Alfredo sauce tonight, and my family loved it. I'm not sure I did all the steps correctly though. Is the quarter teaspoon of salt what you put in the water to cook the pasta, or is that separate and you add salt to the mixture later? When do you add the pepper? Also I'm not sure I understood the several steps of adding parmesan cheese...half of the total amount goes into the cream mixture, then half of the remaining (one-quarter of the total amount) gets mixed into the pasta, and then the last one-quarter is for garnish? Thanks for any clarifications you can offer!

      Reply
      • Modern Honey

        August 26, 2022 at 8:31 am

        5 stars
        Hi Christina! Thank you so much for trying my alfredo sauce recipe. Let me see if I can help! The salt is to be added to the sauce. I like to generously salt my pasta water (much like ocean water) so the salt water flavors the pasta as it cooks. You can add the pepper as you are finishing the alfredo sauce and taste for flavor. It is important to add the parmesan cheese a little at a time to the sauce to avoid clumping. I like to stir a little in at a time. I hope this helps!

        Reply
    11. M

      August 05, 2022 at 1:01 pm

      How much does this recipe make?

      Reply
      • Modern Honey

        August 15, 2022 at 9:13 am

        5 stars
        The fettuccine alfredo could serve 4 as a meal and 6 as a side dish, depending on how much everyone eats. I hope this helps!

        Reply
    12. Robin

      July 18, 2022 at 6:35 pm

      5 stars
      So tasty and super easy. Easily forgivable if, like me, you hate to measure ingredients!

      Reply
      • Modern Honey

        August 15, 2022 at 9:14 am

        5 stars
        I can completely relate! Before Modern Honey, I wouldn't measure and would just go by "feel." I bet you are a great cook! Thank you so much for trying my alfredo recipe.

        Reply
      • Krystle

        August 24, 2022 at 2:17 pm

        5 stars
        I was a little sceptical but it was perfect! I also ate with with shrimp to give it more color, its flavorful and tastes like its from a restaurant (ONLY ADD 3-5 TABLE SPOONS OF BUTTER!) it doesn't need all six and trust me on this because I only used 3 and it came out delicious!

        Reply
        • Kathy

          September 03, 2022 at 2:08 pm

          I've made this sauce two times in the last 3 days. The 1st time I made with fettuccine as directed and served with broccoli Rabe as a side. Tonight I used the leftover broccoli Rabe and halved the alfredo to make a white pizza with spicy Italian sausage. Perfect! Pinned to my pinterest! Thank you!

          Reply
    13. Geo Bev

      July 18, 2022 at 12:49 pm

      So delicious, thank you! When I tried to reheat the next day on the stove it was
      Just basically oily noodles. All the creamy goodness was gone. How do you reheat to maintain the creaminess?

      Reply
      • Cheryl

        August 14, 2022 at 11:52 am

        It does break down when reheating, I just add more cheese and a bit of cream..still tasty

        Reply
    14. Kris

      July 17, 2022 at 12:59 pm

      5 stars
      My 15 year old and I just made this for her friend's birthday party/Italian-themed potluck. It is DELICIOUS! I used 2 boxes of fettuccine and tripled the sauce. And of course added an obscene amount of garlic. 😂 We will definitely make this again.

      Reply
      • Modern Honey

        August 15, 2022 at 9:15 am

        5 stars
        I love that your 15-year old made this for a party! That's seriously amazing. I am so happy that it turned out so well and you loved it.

        Reply
        • Kris

          September 30, 2022 at 3:09 pm

          5 stars
          It was a huge hit. It was the first and only dish to to be absolutely demolished. Everyone loved it. Several parents asked for the recipe.

          Reply
    15. Ashley

      July 13, 2022 at 12:58 pm

      Is the butter salted or unsalted?
      Thank you so much, I am going to make this dish this week.

      Reply
    16. Lupe

      June 27, 2022 at 4:10 am

      5 stars
      I’m such a pasta lover and I had recently tried this so i had to learn how to make it, 10/10 for sure!

      Reply
      • Alayna

        September 15, 2022 at 5:34 pm

        Delicious! Will definitely make it again. Thanks!

        Reply
    17. Nikki

      June 07, 2022 at 5:34 pm

      5 stars
      If you're looking for that restaurant quality Alfredo recipe, this is it! I have tried many different recipes and they never quite got the flavor I wanted. This is so yummy!

      Reply
    18. Sherry

      May 01, 2022 at 2:19 pm

      The directions say to add the first half of the parmasan cheese in step 3 and step 5, I think, the way I'm understanding it?

      Reply
    19. Beth

      April 25, 2022 at 11:13 am

      5 stars
      This was so good! I did 5 tablespoons of butter instead of 6 and used half and half. It was perfectly creamy and thickened up quickly- foolproof. I topped it with toasted Panko breadcrumbs and some broccoli for some crunch and color. I prefer this recipe to other Alfredo sauce recipes which always seem way too rich or not rich enough.

      Reply
      • Victoria

        November 07, 2022 at 7:32 pm

        Could you make this sauce a few hours ahead of time and let it sit in on warm in a crock pot?

        Reply
    20. TH

      April 23, 2022 at 8:03 pm

      I am sure this is a great recipe but I am a purest when it comes to Alfredo sauce. Garlic is not an ingredient in Alfredo it is cheese, butter, cream and pepper clean and simple just the way I like it.

      Reply
      • Kris

        July 17, 2022 at 12:40 pm

        Cream is not an ingredient in authentic alfredo sauce either.

        Reply
        • Ryan

          September 03, 2022 at 10:16 am

          I honestly was not aware cream wasn't part of an authentic Alfredo sauce. If not cream, what should I be using instead?

          Reply
          • Danielle

            September 11, 2022 at 2:19 pm

            Butter and Parmesan tossed with the pasta.

            Reply
          • Marian Heine

            September 30, 2022 at 2:42 pm

            5 stars
            Love it with garlic added shrimp delicious!

            Reply
          • Kris

            September 30, 2022 at 3:11 pm

            5 stars
            Search up Vincenzo's Plate Fettucine Alfredo for an authentic recipe. It's fabulous. But, I am partial to this recipe though. I love the creaminess.

            Reply
            • Marco

              October 31, 2022 at 2:41 pm

              I’m a chef of 25 years. although these are not authentic to a t, it’s an absolutely fantastic recipe that i myself have served in my restaurant and have had outstanding feedback.

        • Abigail

          September 26, 2022 at 2:51 pm

          That’s right!

          Reply
        • Mik

          October 02, 2022 at 4:17 pm

          5 stars
          Then f*** off Kris and make “authentic Alfredo”. I thought your personal recipe for Alfredo was fantastic! Thanks for sharing.

          Reply
          • Kris

            October 03, 2022 at 9:34 am

            Lol. Calm down there lil' buddy. Everyone's fettuccine alfredo is delicious in their own special way.🤣

            Reply
            • Angela

              November 12, 2022 at 7:23 am

              5 stars
              I'm living for this thread...haha. And I can't wait to make this!

        • Jess

          January 27, 2023 at 3:22 pm

          Yes its an ingredient. Heavy whipping cream

          Reply
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    Melissa Stadler Modern Honey

    Hi, I'm Melissa Stadler! I am an Award-Winning Recipe Creator. Cover of Food Network Magazine. Two-Time Pillsbury Bake-Off Finalist. I am passionate about sharing the best recipes so you have success in the kitchen!

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