How to Thicken Pasta Sauce (3 Ways)
Here are three of our favorite ways to thicken pasta sauce. We use a roux, a cornstarch slurry, or starchy pasta water.
Prep Time15 minutes mins
Cook Time3 minutes mins
Total Time18 minutes mins
Course: Pasta
Cuisine: American
Keyword: How to Thicken Pasta Water
Servings: 1
Cornstarch Slurry
- ¼ cup water
- 2 teaspoons cornstarch
Starchy Pasta Water
- ¼ - 1 cup starchy pasta water
Roux
Make a roux in a separate saucepan than your pasta sauce.
Heat a small saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter.
When the butter is melted, add the flour to the saucepan and whisk the two ingredients together.
Cook the roux for 1-2 minutes and then whisk the roux into the pasta sauce (be sure the pasta sauce is warm).
Bring the pasta sauce to a gentle simmer, the pasta sauce should begin to thicken quickly.
If the pasta sauce isn’t as thick as you’d like, repeat steps 1-5.
Cornstarch Slurry
Add ¼ cup water to a small bowl and add cornstarch to the water.
Whisk the two ingredients together until the cornstarch is dissolved.
Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the pasta sauce (be sure the pasta sauce is warm).
Bring the pasta sauce to a gentle simmer, the pasta sauce should thicken quickly.
If the pasta sauce isn’t as thick as you would like, repeat steps 1-4.
Starchy Pasta Water
When cooking pasta for your pasta sauce, remove 1 cup of starchy pasta water from the pot before straining the pasta.
To thicken the pasta sauce, start by adding ¼ cup of pasta water to your pasta sauce.
Whisk the starchy pasta water into the pasta sauce and bring to a gentle simmer.
The pasta sauce should begin to thicken.
If the sauce isn’t as thick as you would like, add 1 tablespoon more of starchy pasta water to the sauce at a time until the pasta sauce is thickened.
- The nutrition information is just for a roux.
Calories: 128kcal | Carbohydrates: 6g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 11g | Fiber: 0g | Sugar: 0g