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
-
- Copycat Longhorn Parmesan Crusted Chicken
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- Creamy Garlic Chicken
-
- 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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Amazing!! We made this and it is delicious! A success! Living in a small town that is nowhere near any big restaurants or stores has made us big time copy cats. Thank you for this terrific recipe. What a wonderful addition to our “copy cat recipes” folder!
I’m SOOO happy that this made the cut for your copycat folder DanaMae!!!! Thank you!!! 🙂
Hi Stephanie. I’m planning to make this sauce for the first time and just want to make sure I have it right. For 10 servings I could put in 5 cups of half and half and skip the heavy cream and whole milk all together? I have the half and half on hand already but would have to go buy the other two things. Sure would make things simple and also use up what I have. I love it when that happens. Looks fantastic and my oldest is a huge fan of OG fettuccine alfredo.
Hi DanaMae! Yes, you can use all half and half for this recipe instead of using heavy cream and whole milk! Enjoy!! 🙂
Great texture. Using freshly grated parmesan helps! And the flour….thanks! I did use a whole stick of butter mostly bc it was quicker to dump the whole stick in the pan. Lol. Not too buttery, tho! I also used all parm since that’s what i had.
Great job! I’m so happy you liked it, this one never fails. Thanks so much for the great review!💖
Tasted great, we substituted the romano cheese for Asiago and it is soo delicious. My husband, who usually isn’t fond of Alfredo, loves it as well. We are definitely saving this recipe for future meals. Also it is so much cheaper than eating out at Olive garden 🙂
I’m so happy that you loved it Natalie!! Thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review!! 🙂 -Stephanie
Delicious & easy to prepare.
Thanks so much Pat, I’m so happy you enjoyed it!💖
Finally!! Someone that knows how to make smooth Alfredo sauce. The flour is key to keeping it smooth even on day two and all of the tips are spot on. Thank you Cozy Cook!
Thanks so much Andrew!💖
Hi Stephanie,
I can’t thank you enough for this recipe. My family was over the top crazy when I served it to them. Everyone said it was even better than Olive Garden. Each summer we all go to a VRBO and this recipe was the first one mentioned for one of the dinner nights. Thank you again.
I’m flattered Janet! Thanks so much for the great comments and for taking the time to leave a review. I love your summer VRBO tradition!💖
I have only used alfredo sauce from the jar and it is garbage. We went to Olive garden a couple weeks ago and the waiter told me he heard its all about the butter. I decided to try this recipe and it was AWSOME. No more jar for me.
Wahooo! I’m so happy you’re ditching the jar Laura. I’ve been making this for so long and it never fails. Thanks so much for the great comments and review!💖
This turned out Great! I addded chicken and bacon crumbles to mine! I love the sauce, it wasn’t too thick… it was just right☺️
Perfect!! I’m so glad that you loved it JaMesia!! 🙂 Thank you so much for the review!! -Stephanie
I made this recipe and it was excellent. For many years I have used only heavy cream, butter, and parmesan cheese, but it seemed just too heavy. This is perfect. Thx.
I’m so glad that this recipe gives you the perfect consistency Becky!! I had tried many recipes that were too heavy as well, now this is all I make! 🙂 Thank you so much for the review!! -Stephanie