Try Our Easy Alfredo Sauce for Chicken Linguine

I make pasta dishes about once a week, and I like to try to mix it up to keep my family from being bored. Making chicken linguine is one of our favorites!

Pasta is easy to make, inexpensive and loved by everyone. This easy Alfredo sauce is creamy, savory and perfect for serving chicken linguine.

My entire family loves a creamy pasta like this creamy smoked sundried tomato pasta recipe - everyone from my picky five year old to my ravenous teens. 

What Is Alfredo Sauce Made Of?

Alfredo sauce is named after its creator Alfredo di Lelio, whom I would love to meet and personally thank, and it's what I would consider a staple.

I am a huge Alfredo sauce fan. There’s nothing like a a thick, creamy Alfred sauce over pasta to give you those comfort food vibes any time of the year.

Basic Alfredo sauce is composed of butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese - essentially three of the best ingredients you can imagine in my book.

The great thing about this easy Alfredo sauce recipe is how easily you can customize it to fit your palate or the preferences of your family or friends.

Adding spices like garlic, pepper, or parsley will provide a warmth and depth to the sauce, and it’s a great compliment to vegetables like mushrooms, peas, and broccoli, which can be served on the side or mixed in with your pasta.

Adding veggies to pasta dishes, such as in our quick and easy creamy mushroom pasta recipe, is one way I love to add even more flavor and texture.

Alfredo sauce is incredible on pasta all on its own, but Alfredo also works extremely well with seafood, chicken or even steak. You really can't go wrong.

What’s the Difference Between Alfredo Sauce and Cream Sauce?

Pasta made with Alfredo is my idea of adult mac and cheese - not that I wouldn’t eat just about any kind of macaroni and cheese recipe you can imagine.

Making Alfredo sauce from scratch is one of the easiest ways to elevate simple pasta dishes, even when you’re short on time for making dinner.

You can control how thick the sauce is by adding more flour making a thick sauce that tastes great in casseroles like our chicken Alfredo casserole recipe.

So, what's the difference between Alfredo sauce and cream sauce? Alfred sauce is actually a specific kind of cream sauce with Carbonara sauce being another.

Can You Freeze Alfredo Sauce?

Your fresh homemade Alfredo sauce will keep well for up three to four days in the refrigerator and eating it before then is generally no problem at all. 

Sometimes I like to make homemade sauce ahead of time, and like red sauces such as homemade marinara sauce, Alfredo can be successfully frozen.

There are some tricks of the trade (and a few reminders) to keep in mind.

Dairy tends to separate when frozen, due to the water and fat content. It can also appear to discolor, turning slightly yellowish insteady of creamy white.

Make note that this is totally normal and doesn't mean your sauce is bad.

Freezing your sauce as soon as possible will ensure the ultimate freshness so if you plan to do so, set that portion aside once your sauce is prepared.

As soon as it’s cooled to room temperature, stir to keep the ingredients uniform and then transfer the sauce into a freezer-safe, air-tight container or bag.

Remove as much of the air as possible and seal tightly. Don’t forget to label your sauce - it should last about three to six months in a typical freezer.

How to Reheat Alfredo Sauce

When you’re ready to use it, remove your container of sauce from the freezer and allow it to thaw several hours, or overnight, in the refrigerator.

If the sauce has separated, don’t worry. Whisk the Alfredo sauce well to combine and then pour the sauce into a saucepan, set over heat low.

Whisk or stir regularly with a spoon while reheating it to reincorporate ingredients. Add flour or cornstarch in small increments to thicken if needed.

If you're reheating Alfredo sauce from the refrigerator you can simply transfer it to a saucepan and heat in the same way - over low heat, whisking regularly.

Homemade Alfredo Sauce Ingredients 

To make our easy Alfredo sauce recipe, you will need:

• Unsalted butter - Butter lends creaminess and silkiness to Alfredo sauce. Use unsalted butter so you can control the salt quantity.
• Garlic - This is one of those recipes where fresh garlic cloves are absolutely essential for the best taste.
• Flour - All-purpose flour is traditionally used to thicken homemade Alfredo sauce.
• Milk - To make Alfredo sauce you'll want to use whole milk or cream, which is even better and gives a richer texture.
• Black pepper - Don't skip the freshly cracked black pepper when seasoning this easy Alfredo sauce recipe. 
• Salt - Because different butters and cheese have varying levels of salt, salt to taste, adding it a bit at a time.
• Parmesan cheese - Finely ground parmesan cheese will meld with the butter and milk or cream to form a seriously delicious Alfredo sauce.

Get our complete easy Alfredo sauce recipe!

How to Make Easy Alfredo Sauce

• In a saucepan, melt the butter.
• In the meantime, grate or finely mince the fresh garlic.
• Saute the garlic in the melted butter until it’s fragrant, being careful not to let it burn - about 30 seconds.
• Whisk in the flour, and cook until it’s fully incoporated, roughly another 30 seconds.
• Gently whisk in the milk or cream, salt and pepper and bring to a low simmer to thicken for three to four minutes.
• Remove from heat then slowly stir in the cheese a little at a time.
• Once the cheese has been fully incoporated. simmer on low for another five minutes then serve immediately.