This Spaghetti Alfredo recipe is the ultimate comfort food, featuring a rich alfredo sauce made from just parmesan cheese, heavy cream, garlic, and butter.
During my career as a personal chef, I was always looking for easy recipes with a wow factor. This creamy pasta dish was one I developed and tested with my picky eater kids, and was soon serving for romantic Valentine’s Day dinners for my appreciative clients.
A few tips will help you make sure the alfredo sauce is smooth and not clumpy, and give you ideas for adding on to this recipe once you’ve got the basics down. Read on!
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Why You Should Make This Alfredo Pasta Recipe
I love a creamy pasta sauce like in this Lemon Mascarpone Pasta or this Lobster Ravioli Sauce, but this alfredo sauce is really the O.G. when it comes to creamy sauces. Worth learning to make on your own because it is just so decadent! Here’s why I love it:
- Simple ingredients: Just 4 basic ingredients in this homemade alfredo sauce (so much better than store-bought!)
- Quick and versatile: Ready in under 30 minutes, and you can serve this as a main course, or pair with sautéed chicken breasts for a chicken alfredo. Or try serving with roasted pork tenderloin, grilled shrimp, or even Italian sausage.
- Family-friendly: Speaking as someone who has very picky eaters in the house, this recipe is a crowd-pleaser for everyone!
🥗 Ingredients
- Butter: I recommend unsalted butter so that you can adjust the salt content yourself. But feel free to use salted and just reduce the added salt in the recipe.
- Heavy Cream: This forms the base of this luxurious sauce. For a lighter option, you can substitute half-and-half, but the richness and thickness of the sauce will be reduced.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated parmesan cheese melts the best and gives you the silkiest sauce. If you don’t want to grate the cheese yourself, choose a high-quality pre-grated cheese.
- Spaghetti Noodles: Cooking to al dente and then finishing in the sauce itself gives you perfectly cooked spaghetti.
- White Pepper: This has a slightly more mild flavor than black pepper, and won’t give you black flecks in your sauce. But, you can replace with black pepper and even add some red pepper flakes for more heat.
🥣 Step-by-Step Instructions
Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt generously.
Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Then add 1 large garlic clove, minced, and sauté until fragrant and golden brown (about 3 minutes).
Add 1 ½ cups heavy cream to the skillet, and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens and starts to bubble more slowly, about 10-12 minutes.
The liquid should be reduced to a little over 1 cup. Season sauce by stirring in ¾ teaspoon kosher salt and ¼ teaspoon white pepper.
Meanwhile, add 10 ounces spaghetti noodles to the pot of boiling water. Cook spaghetti noodles to al dente, about 11 minutes. If the sauce and the spaghetti is done at the same time, just use tongs to add spaghetti to the skillet. If the spaghetti is done before the sauce is ready, drain it and reserve ½ cup of the pasta water.
Turn the heat under the sauce to low, and toss spaghetti with the sauce, sprinkling in the parmesan cheese a little at a time. Add a bit of pasta water if the sauce looks at all dry, and continue to toss until sauce, cheese, and noodles are well combined.
Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed. Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and extra parmesan cheese (if desired).
What goes with Alfredo Pasta?
This alfredo pasta is perfect with some crunchy garlic bread and a green salad. Want to up the protein? Serve topped with grilled shrimp or chicken breasts (add a poached lobster tail if you really want to take it over the top). You can also pair it with all kinds of vegetables, from roasted mini peppers or roasted broccoli rapini to sautéed asparagus and mushrooms. In the winter, I love this with a citrusy beet salad on the side as well.
Storage Tips
Spaghetti Alfredo is really best eaten right after it is cooked. The noodles will soak up more of the sauce the longer it sits, drying out the alfredo sauce. If you do have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Saving some starchy pasta water or cream to splash on it as you are reheating it will help bring the sauce back to life.
Alfredo Pasta FAQs
Absolutely! Fettuccine noodles are obviously a classic for this sauce, and you can also use other shapes like shells or penne. Any shape that works well in a creamy sauce will work well here.
Freezing is definitely not recommended. The sauce will split after it has thawed.
👩🍳 Expert Tips
Want to know the key to a smooth sauce? Toss continuously as you are adding in the parmesan cheese, and add it a little bit at a time. Add in a little bit of extra pasta water if the sauce is not coming together smoothly. And keep tossing!
Note that different brands of spaghetti have different cook times—use the cook time on your package for al dente.
Don’t be tempted to turn the heat way up to reduce the sauce faster. The butter in the sauce can cause it to separate if it is heated too aggressively.
Want to add more flavor? Stir fresh thyme leaves, fresh sage, or a pinch or two of Italian seasoning into the sauce. You could also add a spoonful of pesto. Or, try adding veggies. Sauté mushrooms or spinach, and stir those into the sauce when you add the spaghetti noodles. You can even stir in marinara sauce to combine with the creamy alfredo sauce into a pink sauce that is really tasty.
Since pasta with alfredo sauce tends to dry out quickly, it can really help to serve the pasta in warm bowls. You can warm them while you are cooking by putting boiling water in them—then dry out just before serving the pasta.
Want to try another super-comforting pasta recipe? This Creamy Macaroni and Cheese or this classic Cacio e Pepe may be calling your name next. Or maybe check out this easy Boursin Cheese Pasta, of TikTok fame!
Other Delicious Pasta Recipes
I love pasta recipes for weeknight dinners, since most of them can be easily made in under 30 minutes. Here are some other favorites:
If you try this Spaghetti Alfredo recipe, I would love to hear from you! Please rate this recipe and leave a comment below—your feedback is invaluable to me.
And please follow along on Instagram, Pinterest, and Facebook or subscribe to my newsletter. I’d love to inspire you with more delicious, healthy, and seasonal recipes!
More Recipes To Try
📖 Recipe
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Spaghetti Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 large garlic clove minced
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 ½ cups heavy cream
- 10 ounces spaghetti noodles
- ⅓ cup freshly grated parmesan cheese 1.2 ounces, plus more for serving
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon white pepper
- 1 tablespoon chopped parsley to garnish
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of water to boil and salt generously.
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat.
- Add garlic and sauté until fragrant and golden brown (about 3 minutes).
- Add heavy cream to the skillet, and cook over medium heat until sauce thickens and starts to bubble more slowly, about 10-12 minutes. The liquid should be reduced to a little over 1 cup.
- Season sauce by stirring in salt and white pepper.
- Meanwhile, add the spaghetti to the pot of boiling water. Cook spaghetti noodles to al dente, about 11 minutes. If the sauce and the spaghetti is done at the same time, just use tongs to add spaghetti to the skillet. If the spaghetti is done before the sauce is ready, drain it and reserve ½ cup of the starchy pasta water.
- Turn the heat under the sauce to low, and toss spaghetti with the sauce, sprinkling in the parmesan cheese a little at a time. Add a bit of pasta water if the sauce looks at all dry, and continue to toss until sauce, cheese, and noodles are well combined.
- Taste and season with additional salt and pepper as needed.
- Serve immediately, garnished with parsley and extra parmesan cheese (if desired).
Notes
Spaghetti Alfredo is really best eaten right after it is cooked. The noodles will soak up more of the sauce the longer it sits, drying out the alfredo sauce. If you do have leftovers, store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Saving some starchy pasta water or cream to splash on it as you are reheating it will help bring the sauce back to life. Expert Tips:
Note that different brands of spaghetti have different cook times—use the cook time on your package for al dente. Don’t be tempted to turn the heat way up to reduce the sauce faster. The butter in the sauce can cause it to separate if it is heated too aggressively.
Nutrition
Instagram Users: Now that you've made this Spaghetti with Alfredo Sauce recipe, tag me @vanillabeancuisine or #vanillabeancuisine because I’d love to see your results!
More About Molly
Cooking healthy(ish) meals with seasonal ingredients is my passion. Trained as a French pastry chef, I spent over 10 years as a personal chef. Here you'll find well-tested recipes that you and your family will love!
Molly Pisula says
I developed this recipe for my pasta-loving daughter--hope you enjoy it as much as we do!