Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe {Video}

Delicious Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce you can make at home! Creamy, rich, and oh so delicious you will love this restaurant favorite.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe

I have been craving Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo for weeks! Since we are not really leaving the house right now I decided it was time to finally perfect making Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce at home.

This easy dinner idea has gone through some tweaking until I found the flavor we love.

Now that we have perfected this easy alfredo sauce recipe it is a family favorite! My husband asks all the time if this is going into the weekly menu plan. I am so thankful it is crazy easy to make and doesn't take long to whip up. Being able to serve our restaurant favorites at home has been such a relief during this crazy time.

Recipe Ingredients

This is a quick overview of the simple ingredients that you'll need to make homemade Alfredo Sauce! Specific measurements and step by step instructions are included in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post.

Unsalted Butter - Use high quality butter for the best results.

Cream Cheese - The addition of cream cheese makes this alfredo sauce super creamy.

Heavy Cream - If you don't have heavy cream you can substitute half and half or use half heavy cream and half milk.

Milk - We use whatever milk we happen to have in the refrigerator.

Grated Parmesan Cheese - We use just parmesan cheese but you can use Romana cheese, or add in Gruyere, Gouda, Asiago or mozzarella cheese to change up the flavor. Freshly grade the cheese for the best results.

Minced Garlic - we use packaged minced garlic.

Garlic Powder - Just a teaspoon garlic powder adds in epic flavor.

Black Pepper - We use black pepper but you can also use white pepper if you don't want it to show in the sauce.

Fettuccine Noodles - You can mix in an entire box of fettuccine noodles if you are trying to spread this Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce out to feed the most people. I find that half to ¾ of a box of noodles works great for fully coating the noodles with sauce. We like to have a thicker sauce so you have extra to soak up with breadsticks. The picture above is the Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce spread over an entire box of fettuccine.

Garnish - Fresh Parsley, Fresh parmesan cheese

Equipment Needed

Saucepan

Whisk

Measuring tools/measuring cups

Kitchen Tongs - We use kitchen tongs to toss the alfredo sauce with the pasta.

Serving dish

How to make Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I've included complete instructions in the printable recipe card at the bottom of the post but here's a quick version.

Cook the pasta per package instructions, drain and set to the side.

Melt the butter, add in garlic, simmer do not boil!

Whisk in heavy cream and milk, stir in cheese gradually

Add cooked fettuccine noodles toss with alfredo sauce, garnish if desired.

Preparation and Storage

Make Ahead – This alfredo sauce can be made a couple of days before you need it. Store it in the refrigerator in an airtight container.

Storage – Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5-6 days.

Freezing/How to freeze – It can be frozen for 1-2 months in airtight freezer containers or freezer bags. Thaw before reheating.

How to reheat – We suggest reheating alfredo sauce on the stovetop over low heat. You want to slowly reheat the sauce so it doesn't separate. We add in just a bit more heavy whipping cream when reheating. We find that microwaving the sauce causes it to separate.

Recipe Variations

Substitutions - For extra flavor, you can add in a bit of Romano cheese while making this recipe.

Additions - You can add in cooked chicken breast if you want to make Olive Garden Chicken Alfredo with this recipe. Other protein ideas include shrimp, steak, or salmon.

Add in broccoli, red peppers, asparagus, or mushrooms for more veggies.

Add in flour to thicken the sauce.

Vegetarian Option - This recipe is vegetarian.

Vegan Option –We have not made this recipe vegan. Almond Milk or Soy Milk, vegan butter, vegan parmesan with cornstarch should make a great sauce.

Gluten-Free - Use gluten free pasta

Smaller Serving Size – The serving size can be changed in the recipe card below.

Make it Spicy – Add in a pinch of red pepper flakes.

Larger Group/More servings – This is a great recipe to feed a crowd. You can easily double or triple the recipe just make sure you have a saucepan big enough to hold all of the liquid.

Skinny Alfredo - To make a skinny alfredo sauce you can use non-fat milk to help with the fat and calorie count.

Recipe Tips

Make sure to cook this over low to medium heat so you don't burn the sauce and have it get a funky flavor. The sauce will thicken as the flavors combine and definitely when you remove from heat.

The cooked pasta can be made while this sauce is being cooked.

This homemade alfredo sauce will thicken after you add the pasta or it sits. If it seems to thin wait until after you add the pasta to decide if it needs to be thickened.

If you love the taste of black pepper you can increase the amount in the recipe. I like the creamy flavor so I tend to do less black pepper.

We love this recipe! Being able to make copycat recipes at home is making it a lot easier to stay at home right now and add in our favorite restaurant meals without leaving the house.

Printable recipe card instructions are below.

Nutrition information, including calories, protein, calcium, carbohydrates, fiber, vitamin c, potassium, cholesterol, sodium, trans fat, monounsaturated fat, polyunsaturated fat, and more, will vary depending on the products used.

What to serve with Fettuccine Alfredo

Bread - Olive Garden Bread Sticks, Cheesy Garlic Bread, Air Fryer Texas Toast, 7 Up Biscuits, Cheddar Bay Biscuits, Garlic cheese muffins

Protein - Grilled chicken, sausage, meatballs, shrimp, chicken tenders, shredded chicken

Sides - Green Beans, mushrooms, broccoli, asparagus, brussel sprouts, mixed vegetables,

Dessert - Tiramisu, Lemon Cheesecake Bars, Olive Garden Lemon Cream Cake, Chocolate melting cake

Great Recipes

Olive Garden Recipes - Check out all of our copycat Olive Garden Recipes

Dump Cake Recipes - Easy dump cakes that can be made with as few as 3 ingredients.

Cool Whip Recipes - From salads to pies you can make so many things with Cool Whip.

Cake Mix Recipes - Grab a cake mix from the pantry and transform it into an epic dessert.

Do you love recipes? Check out our copycat recipes, dessert recipes, and our CrockPot Recipes.

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