Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce

Name: Olive Garden’s Alfredo Sauce
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 1 h 10 min
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

Essy October 21, 2024

Jump To Recipe Print Recipe

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!

Overhead view of a skillet full of Fettuccine Alfredo with kitchen tongs in the middle.

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.

A skillet with melted butter and minced garlic in it.

Whisk in the flour. Add heavy cream and milk. Gradually whisk in the cheese.

Final steps in making Alfredo sauce by adding cheese to a pot and stirring it into the sauce

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.

A skillet with Fettuccine Alfredo being added to it and mixed into the sauce.

Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo in a skillet with rolls in the background.

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.

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.

A skillet filled with Fettuccine Alfredo with kitchen tongs pulling noodles up.

Print Recipe