Get my Cookbooks! Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce
Make Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce Recipe at home in just 20 minutes! Pair it with Fettuccine for an easy dinner idea the whole family will love!
Love Olive Garden Copycat Recipes?! Try these Chicken Gnocchi or Zuppa Toscana Soup recipes next!
I know it’s a restaurant chain, but honestly, Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce recipe is just perfect in my book. Hands-down. Chain or no chain, I love it.
(And you won’t believe how easy it is to make at home!)
PRO Tips For Making Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce:
- Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce recipe is made with Parmesan and Romano Cheeses, however you can also incorporate Mozzarella, Gruyere, Gouda, or Asiago. You can also just use Parmesan.
- You can use half and half instead of half heavy cream/half milk.
- If you only have evaporated milk, just use half the amount of milk and replace the other half with water. You won’t compromise flavor or consistency by doing this in creamy sauces like this one.
- You can even experiment with different pastas. I like fettuccine because the noodles soak up that thick sauce well, and Tortellini Alfredo with Broccoli is delicious as well!
How to Make Alfredo Sauce
Melt the butter. Add the garlic and cook for 1 minute.
Whisk in the flour. Add heavy cream and milk. Gradually whisk in the cheese.
Add cooked Fettuccine. Sauce will continue to thicken upon standing.
Tip: I like to use 3/4 lb. of fettuccine for saucier pasta, but this recipe will satisfy a full pound as well.
Tips for Extra-Creamy Sauce
- Use blocks of (high-quality) cheese and shred it yourself for extra creamy results. Bagged shredded cheese has cellulose added to it to prevent the cheese from sticking together in the bag. Cellulose repels moisture, which makes it melt poorly in comparison to shredding the cheese yourself.
- Let the cheese come down to room temperature before adding it to the sauce.
- Sprinkle in the cheese gradually, the sauce should be warm but not too hot. Otherwise the dairy will separate and the consistency will be grainy.
- High-quality butter is important. I like Land O’ Lakes brand.
⭐Pro Tip: Alfredo sauce continues to thicken upon standing, and thickens even more when it’s added to pasta. Refrain from adding additional cheese to thicken it up.
⭐This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 132!
Making Alfredo Sauce Ahead of Time
- Alfredo sauce is a convenient make-ahead and freezable sauce. Unlike some other cheese sauces, the flour in this recipe helps it to maintain it’s consistency when cooled and reheated.
- It can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- It can also be frozen and is best if used within 1-2 months.
How to Reheat Alfredo Sauce
- Alfredo sauce will thicken up and harden as it cools, but can be easily microwaved or slowly reheated on the stove top. Reheating in a makeshift double boiler is the best reheating method to restore it back to it’s original form. (Either by itself or when combined with pasta.)
- Frozen Alfredo sauce should be thawed overnight in the fridge before heating.
- If the sauce is too thick when reheated, add a splash of milk or chicken broth to thin it out.
Try These Next!
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- Chicken Pot Pie
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- Olive Garden Salad
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- Copycat Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken
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- Creamy Garlic Chicken
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- Bacon Mac and Cheese
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- Mushroom Chicken
More Restaurant Copycats
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Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
Make Olive Garden's Alfredo Sauce Recipe at home in just 20 minutes! Pair it with Fettuccine for an easy dinner idea the whole family will love!
Ingredients
- 6 Tablespoons salted butter, high quality
- 1 Tablespoon garlic, minced
- 2 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 1 ½ cups whole milk, 1% or 2% can be used if needed
- ½ cup Parmesan cheese, grated and at room temperature
- ½ cup Romano cheese, grated and at room temperature
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 lb. Fettuccine
- Parsley, to garnish
Instructions
- Boil the fettuccine according to package instructions. As the water preheats, begin the sauce.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic and cook for one minute.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring continuously.
- Add the heavy cream in splashes, stirring continuously. Add the milk in the same manner.
- Bring to a gentle bubble, then reduce heat to a simmer. It will continue to thicken as it simmers.
- Reduce heat to low and slowly stir in the cheese. Taste and season with salt/pepper if desired.
- Drain the pasta and combine it with the sauce until well incorporated. The pasta will absorb the sauce and it will continue to thicken.
- Garnish with parsley and serve!
Notes
Note: You may be tempted to add more cheese to thicken to sauce, but it continues to thicken upon standing and even when added to the pasta.
For Saucier Pasta: Use 3/4 lb. pasta instead of a full pound.
⭐This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 132!
The nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
For Saucier Pasta: Use 3/4 lb. pasta instead of a full pound.
Pro Tips for Reheating:
- Alfredo sauce will thicken up and harden as it cools, but can be easily microwaved or slowly reheated on the stove top. Reheating in a makeshift double boiler is the best reheating method to restore it back to it's original form.
- Frozen Alfredo sauce should be thawed overnight in the fridge before heating.
- If the sauce is too thick when reheated, add a splash of milk or chicken broth to thin it out.
- Be sure to serve this with my Olive Garden Salad!
⭐This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 132!
The nutritional information is an estimate and is per serving. There are 6 servings in this recipe.
Nutrition
Calories: 624kcal, Carbohydrates: 62g, Protein: 20g, Fat: 33g, Saturated Fat: 20g, Cholesterol: 153mg, Sodium: 399mg, Potassium: 357mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 925IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 347mg, Iron: 2mg
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SO GOOD! What would you recommend for adding the chicken to it as far as seasoning and cooking time?
Hi Tina, I’m going to take instructions from another pasta post where I recommend searing chicken and adding it to the pasta. I would season your chicken with salt, pepper, and some Italian seasoning! Instructions:
In a large cast-iron skillet, heat 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil on medium-high heat.
Butterfly the chicken breast and cut the seam to create 2 thinner slices, each about an inch thick. Season each side generously with Italian seasoning and desired amounts of salt and pepper.
Sear the chicken in the hot skillet on each side. Refrain from moving the chicken around as it sizzles, it will hinder the nice golden sear color. If the pan gets too hot, reduce the heat to medium. Each side will take 3-5 minutes. Once each side is a nice, golden brown and the middle is cooked, set the chicken aside.
Thank you!!
As a fast food junkie trying to transition to homemade meals, this recipe answered all my questions about the bare-bones one available on Olive Garden’s website! It’s one of my favorite to make and reheats perfectly. Thank you!!
Hey Chandler! I am so happy to hear this!! I was JUST writing myself a note to make this again this week, it’s so good! 🙌🏻
My husband orders chicken Alfredo every time he goes to Olive Garden. He said your recipe is better than Olive garden’s!!! Thanks!
Hey Shao!!!! HOLY MOLY that’s amazing!!!! Sooo happy to hear it, totally makes my day!!! ❤️❤️❤️
The recipe for the fettuccine alfredo sauce was excellent. Thanks.
Hi Lori! I am so happy that you enjoyed the Alfredo sauce!! It’s amazing to me how easy it is to make, I wish I discovered it years ago! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to let me know what you thought of it! Have a wonderful day!
Yumm!! I’m so going to make this. My other half is not a fan of most Alfredo’s but he loooves olive gardens. I’d love to recreate it at home. But I’m curious! Could I make a large batch of this and freeze it!? Then just heat it up when we want to use it. Making it each time seems inconvenient, that’s why we usually get stuck with the store jars…. My questions would be how exactly would I alter ingredients to make a larger batch? And how long would it last in a Tupperware in the freezer??
Hi Mandy! Here is some information about freezing Alfredo sauce- I would recommend using it within about 3 months or so after freezing! 🙂 I wouldn’t alter anything about the recipe except double or tripling the recipe as it’s written to make larger batches. There is a serving size listed at the top of my recipes cards, you can change this and it will automatically update the ingredient amounts!
I made this recipe for Christmas everyone loved it. You got 15 people the give it 10 stars.
Hey James! I’m sooo happy that your family loved this Alredo Sauce, it’s always nerve racking to cook for that many people, (for me at least), so I love that it was a hit! 🙂 Thank you for taking the time to let me know and rate the recipe!
My only variation on the recipe was that I used a shredded cheese blend of parmesan, romano and asiago. I didn’t know how much salt to add, so I had to keep adding and tasting (which isn’t all bad, but would’ve been easier if I knew).
My husband doesn’t like fettuccine alfredo (and has tried olive garden’s), but he tried mine and said it’s BETTER than olive garden’s, yay!
It’s a lot of work, but it’s wayyyyyyyy better than what they have in a jar at the store.
Thanks for the recipe. 🙂
The real olive garden recipe uses Asiago cheese. Wish I could find that recipe again.
Here’s the link right on the Olive Garden website, no Asiago here!
LOVE! LOVE! LOVE! your videos! Keep ’em coming….fun, easy to follow and you are the cutest!!!
Hi Sue!!!! Oh my gosh this made my ENTIRE week, honestly. They take me quite a while to put together believe it or not so that feedback makes me so happy! You’re the sweetest!!!!
You can practically open up your own Olive Garden at this rate! 😀 You’ve got their recipes down packed and they all look amazing!!