Our Alfredo Sauce with Cream Cheese is made oh so creamy and flavorful with 6 easy ingredients. Pair with your favorite pasta, and enjoy!
Our Go-To Alfredo Sauce
Bookmark this, cheese lovers! Our Alfredo sauce with cream cheese truly is Alfredo sauce perfection.
Not only is it made extra cheesy with help from cream cheese and parmesan cheese, it also comes together with 6 ingredients, and doesn’t require a roux. Let’s make it together, shall we?!
Homemade Alfredo Sauce in 6 Ingredients
Our homemade Alfredo sauce with cream cheese comes together in 6 ingredients! You’ll need:
- Cream cheese
- Parmesan cheese
- Heavy cream
- Chicken stock
- Butter
- Minced garlic
How to Make Alfredo Sauce with Cream Cheese
This Alfredo sauce with cream cheese is made in 5 easy steps. All you need are the ingredients above and 20 minutes of your day.
Sauté Butter & Garlic
Heat a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until the butter has fully melted — about 2 minutes.
Stir in Cream Cheese
Next, add the cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese has melted — about 2 minutes.
Stir in Heavy Cream & Stock
Slowly add the heavy cream followed by the chicken stock, stirring constantly as you add.
Whisk in Parmesan Cheese
Next, add the parmesan cheese and whisk the sauce until it becomes smooth and creamy — about 1 minute.
Serve & Enjoy!
If serving with pasta, remove the pasta directly from the boiling water and place it into the sauce — don’t drain the pasta water! Toss with the pasta and add ¼ cup of pasta water if the sauce becomes too thick.
Garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy. Want to add a protein to your pasta Alfredo? Check out some of our recommendations below!
Alfredo Sauce Tips & Tricks
Let’s hear it for this recipe’s hero – cream cheese!
Cream cheese makes our Alfredo sauce rich and creamy without having to make a rue, which is traditionally required for many Alfredo sauces.
What if the cream cheese looks clumpy? When you add the cream cheese to the butter, it may start to look curdled but don’t worry — just keep mixing, and it will cream perfectly!
Why use parmesan cheese?
Parmesan cheese adds great saltiness and nuttiness to the Alfredo sauce. It truly is the perfect cheese complement to the cream cheese in this sauce.
Why use butter?
Butter is going to melt and help cook the minced garlic without it burning! It’s also going to add a rich and delicious flavor to this Alfredo sauce.
Fresh Garlic vs. Garlic powder
Minced garlic flavors our Alfredo sauce — but feel free to substitute 1 teaspoon of garlic powder if you don’t have minced garlic on hand.
Is heavy cream necessary?
Heavy cream adds richness to the Alfredo sauce, and because of that, we deem is as absolutely necessary. Make sure to use heavy cream, not milk, or your sauce will become too thin.
Let’s talk stock
Chicken stock adds a ton of flavor to this Alfredo sauce, but also helps thin it! Feel free to swap vegetable stock for a vegetarian option if you’d like.
What Type of Noodles are Best?
A classic Fettuccine Alfredo features, you guessed it, Fettuccine pasta, but you truly can use any pasta your heart desires! Some of our favorite noodle varieties include:
- Rigatoni
- Penne
- Rotini
- Angel hair
- Pappardelle
- Orecchiette
How to Serve Alfredo Sauce
This Alfredo sauce is is the perfect base for any Alfredo dish, like:
- Classic Fettuccine Alfredo
- Jazz up your Fettuccine Alfredo with Crispy Chicken Thighs or Parmesan Crusted Chicken Breasts
- Seafood Alfredo fan? Make this perfect shrimp and pair it with angel hair pasta!
- Make an Alfredo Lasagna
Storing Alfredo Sauce
Let your Alfredo sauce cool completely. Then, transfer it into an air-tight container and seal. Store in the fridge for up to 3-5 days.
To reheat: Transfer chilled Alfredo sauce into a large frying pan. Add a few tablespoons of chicken broth and reheat over medium/low heat until warm. Reheating this Alfredo sauce low and slow will help prevent any changes in texture as you reheat.
Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 8 oz. cream cheese
- ½ cup heavy cream
- ½ cup chicken stock
- 1.5 cups grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- Heat a large high-sided skillet over medium heat. Add the butter and garlic and cook, stirring occasionally until the butter has fully melted (approx. 2 minutes).
- Next, add the cream cheese and stir until the cream cheese has melted (approx. 2 minutes).
- Slowly add the heavy cream followed by the chicken stock, stirring constantly as you add.
- Next, add the parmesan cheese and whisk the sauce until it becomes smooth and creamy (approx. 1 minute.
- If serving with pasta, remove the pasta directly from the boiling water and place pasta into the sauce, making sure to reserve the pasta water. Toss with the pasta and add ¼ cup of pasta water as needed if the sauce becomes too thick. Garnish with fresh parsley, and enjoy.
This is seriously the most perfect Alfredo sauce recipe! The whole family loved it.
YUM. I’d add shallots and reduce the garlic in white wine before adding the cream nbd
Ooo I bet that was delish, Michael!