Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce is a classic Italian recipe made with butter, cream, parmesan cheese and garlic – a combination that’s sure to make your tastebuds sing.
Perfect for those nights when you just want to recreate that delicious restaurant experience at home, pair it with our Olive Garden Salad, and this copycat sauce will make you feel like a Michelin-star chef.
Table of Contents
- Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Recipe
- Why we love this Olive Garden Alfredo Recipe
- Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe ingredients
- Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe substitutions and additions
- How to make Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
- More ways to use Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
- Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe FAQs
- Olive Garden Alfredo Recipe storage
- How to reheat Olive Garden Alfredo sauce
- More Great Copycat Recipes
- Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Copycat Olive Garden Alfredo Recipe
Pasta is one of our go-to family dinners and fettuccine alfredo sauce is for sure a favorite! Once you try this Copycat Olive Garden Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce, you will never have to go out for pasta again! (See why this has been pinned thousands of times with rave reviews).
Who doesn’t love the bottomless breadsticks and salad from the Olive Garden? Not to mention, their alfredo sauce is totally to die for, but taking a family of five out for dinner can get really expensive. That is why I love this homemade creamy sauce that all of my boys just love (and will actually eat…which is a miracle!)
I am always looking for an easy dinner and this recipe is so easy to make. You can literally have the sauce ready by the time the pasta is done cooking. Just get your pot of boiling water ready for your pasta of choice and start the sauce while the pasta is cooking.
Why we love this Olive Garden Alfredo Recipe
- Simple Recipe using basic pantry staples.
- Quick and easy and ready in under 20 minutes.
- Pairing the sauce with fettuccini noodles seems to make the perfect combination.
- Less expensive than eating at the Olive Garden restaurant.
- Makes a great side dish as well.
- Made with fresh ingredients in the comfort of your own home.
Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup fresh parmesan cheese, shredded
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 16 oz package fettuccine
- Fresh parsley, finely chopped
How to make Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
- In a medium saucepan or skillet melt butter over medium heat. Whisk in the minced garlic and garlic powder.
- Whisk in the flour and then slowly add the heavy cream and milk (while still whisking).
- Let boil, reduce him to low and simmer 2-3 minutes.
- Whisk in the parmesan cheese until the sauce thickens.
- Toss with cooked fettuccini or other pasta.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Pro-Tip: If too thick, add 1/2 cup – 1/4 cup milk.
More ways to use Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
This sauce is very versatile. There are a ton of other recipes that you can incorporate this easy Alfredo sauce.
- Use the sauce on a pizza crust and top it with chicken and cheese and voila – you have Chicken Alfredo Pizza!
- Substitute it for the spaghetti sauce in a lasagna and make an Alfredo Lasagna!
- Mix it with penne pasta and add chicken and make a Cheesy Chicken Alfredo Bake Casserole!
Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe FAQs
Alfredo sauce, also known as ‘white sauce’ or “pasta in blanco”, is a cream-based Italian pasta sauce. Most Alfredo sauces are made with Parmesan cheese, butter, cream, and salt. It is often served on top of fettuccini pasta.
I always prefer using fresh everything, but a jar of pre-minced garlic will work just fine for this recipe. However, I do not recommend using dry garlic.
Yes, you can easily fix separated alfredo sauce! Just throw it in a blender with 1 tablespoon of very hot water and blend until smooth.
Heavy cream has slightly more fat the heavy whipping cream.
Chicken Alfredo is a creamy pasta dish made with chicken, while fettuccine Alfredo is a creamy pasta dish made using fettuccine noodles. The main difference between these two dishes is the type of protein used – chicken or fettuccine – as well as the consistency and flavor of the sauce. Chicken Alfredo usually has a thicker and creamier sauce, while fettuccine Alfredo has a thinner texture and often includes Parmesan cheese.
White sauce, also known as béchamel sauce, is a creamy, white sauce made from butter, flour and milk. It is commonly used as the base for many pasta dishes such as lasagne and macaroni and cheese. Alfredo sauce, on the other hand, is an Italian-style cream sauce that includes butter, Parmesan cheese, cream, and sometimes garlic. Alfredo sauce is much richer than white sauce and is typically served over pasta dishes such as fettuccine. Though both are creamy sauces, they have very different flavor profiles and should not be used interchangeably in recipes.
Olive Garden Alfredo Recipe storage
Store in the Refrigerator: You can store any leftovers in the refrigerator for up to 6 days. I like to store extra sauce separately from the pasta in a jar.
Freezing instructions: You can freeze the sauce for up to 6 months. Just place it in a freezer-safe container and thaw it prior to use in the fridge.
How to reheat Olive Garden Alfredo sauce
Reheating Instructions: Reheat your alfredo sauce by microwaving it (time varies depending on the quantity) and then whisking until smooth. If you’re more of a stovetop kind of person, heat up over low heat until warmed through. To make sure that sauce doesn’t get too thick, add a little splash of milk or chicken broth when reheating for an extra creamy texture.
More Great Copycat Recipes
DoubleTree Chocolate Chip Cookies (Copycat Recipe) | Copycat Starbucks S’mores Bars | Copycat Neiman Marcus Chocolate Chip Cookies | Copycat Cool Whip Recipe | Copycat PF Changs Mongolian Beef | Better Than Takeout Fried Rice | Copycat Harry Potter Butterbeer Recipe
Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 6 tbsp salted butter
- 1 tbsp minced garlic
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cups heavy whipping cream
- 1½ cups whole milk
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese shredded
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 16 oz package fettuccine
- Fresh parsley finely chopped
Instructions
- Cook pasta per package directions, drain and set aside.
- In a large skillet over medium heat add butter and let it melt. Add minced garlic, garlic powder and salt. Whisk together to combine.
- Sprinkle the flour over the butter and garlic mixture. Whisk together and then slowly add the heavy cream and milk while whisking. Let sauce begin to boil and then reduce heat to low and allow it to simmer for 2-3 minutes.
- Add Parmesan cheese and whisk together.
- Add the cooked and drained fettuccine. Use tongs to toss the pasta in the sauce.
- Garnish with fresh parsley and serve.
Jenn’s Notes
2 Tbs Flour
2Tbs Cream Cheese
1 Tsp Garlic Powder
1 Tsp Salt
1 Pint Cream
½ Cup Shredded Italian Cheese Blend In a skillet over medium heat melt butter. Add Flour, cream cheese, garlic powder, salt, and whisk. Add Cream, whisk until thick. Add Italian cheese blend, stir until melted, and serve over bed of pasta. If the sauce is too thick, add ¼ cup milk.
Love this recipe!! Just made it for the 1st time…turned out perfect! I added shrimp and my family loved it..it was super easy, served with fetuccini,breadsticks and salad…
I don’t care if this is authentic or not. It is freaking AMAZING! My husband said I should make it again next week! Thanks for the recipe.
I love the old recipe. I’m afraid to try one. I guess I’m stuck in ways. Is it better?
I made this sauce for the first time about two weeks ago. I will never have to buy sauce in a jar again. Thank you for this recipe, I made it using the new way. My daughter absolutely raved about it and she loves alfredo sauce. I plan on making again and freezing for future use.
I always use this recipe, and it is always amazing! Thanks for creating this recipe!
Very decadent, but delicious! Served with homemade garlic bread. We all enjoyed it.
Can you can this ? Pressure cooker to make large batches.
I loved the house dressing at Carolina Roadhouse. would love the receipt since you can’t buy it in the store. Thank you
We cannot do whipping cream. Is there anything that can be substituted for it in this Alfredo sauce?
We cannot have cream (lactose issue). Can anything be substituted for it in this Alfredo sauce recipe?
common substitutes for cream cheese are cottage cheese or greek yogurt, but I have never tried either for this recipe. It will for sure change the taste and I cannot vouch for it!