Easy Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo
Updated Oct 22, 2025
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This easy creamy Fettuccine Alfredo is pantry pasta at its best. A silky sauce built from whole milk, cream, butter, Parmesan, and a hint of garlic clings to fettuccine and comes together in just the time it takes to boil your noodles. It’s comfort food that actually feels effortless — ot fuss, all flavor.
If you’ve ever needed a no-fail comfort dinner that is as soothing as flannel pajamas and as delicious as it is easy, this creamy fettuccine Alfredo is your answer. The sauce, made with whole milk, a splash of cream, real butter, garlic, and Parmesan, comes together in roughly the time it takes to boil pasta. It tastes indulgent and luxurious, but trust me, it’s easy, straightforward, homey, and feels like a hug in a bowl.
Serve this creamy pasta dish with a crispy green salad topped with a vinaigrette or Italian dressing. You might also want to try a Sicilian Orange Salad for a fun change of pace.
What's In This Post?
Easy Creamy Fettucine Alfredo: Simple and soul-satisfying, with a silky sauce made with cream and milk for its body and richness.
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Ingredients
You may have all of the ingredients for Fettuccine Alfredo on hand! (If not, think about keeping them around!)
- Fettuccine – Or use another long skinny pasta.
- Whole milk – Don’t be tempted to use skim or low-fat here — it would be disappointing!
- Heavy cream – Adds lushness, body, and richness.
- Butter – Ditto!
- Garlic – Finely minced garlic blends perfectly into the creamy sauce.
- Flour – A little bit helps thicken the sauce.
- Parmesan cheese – Adds a nutty flavor and helps thicken the sauce.
- Fresh parsley – Please use fresh — it makes a big difference.
- Red pepper flakes – A little heat is a welcome foil to the creamy richness of the sauce.
Grainy Alfredo Sauce? Here’s Why It Happens and How to Prevent It
Sometimes Alfredo sauce “breaks,” which means it goes from creamy and silky to grainy, curdled, or becomes greasy. Alfredo sauce usually breaks because it got too hot, or the cheese was added too quickly. High heat makes the fat separate from the dairy, leaving you with a greasy, curdled-looking sauce instead of the silky smooth one you’re after.
Take the sauce off the heat right away, then whisk in a splash of warm pasta cooking water (pr warm cream) to help re-emulsify the fat. Whisk vigorously until the sauce smooths out again. Most of the time, it bounces right back.
The two biggest tricks:
– Add the Parmesan cheese off the heat (not while the pan is bubbling away).
– Use freshly grated Parmesan instead of pre-grated, which often contains anti-caking agents that keep it from melting smoothly.
Yes: gently. Reheat over low heat, stirring constantly, and add a spoonful of pasta water or milk to loosen it up. Avoid the microwave if you can, since it tends to heat quickly and unevenly and could cause the sauce to separate.
It’s all about balance and a little bit of patience. Add the butter, cream, and Parmesan in the right proportions, added at the right time. Adding a bit of the starchy pasta cooking water helps the sauce cling to the noodles instead of slipping off. And of course, serving it immediately makes all the difference — Alfredo waits for no one!
How to Make Fettuccine Alfredo
- Cook the pasta: Cook the fettuccine according to package directions.
- Warm the cream: Meanwhile, heat the milk and cream in a saucepan just until warm; don’t let it come to a simmer (you can also do this in a microwave).
- Make the sauce: While the milk is heating, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat, then add the garlic cloves and stir for 1 minute, just until you can smell the garlic and it turns golden. Add the flour and stir for about 3 minutes until the flour is well incorporated and the mixture starts to lightly brown.
- Very slowly, pour the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture, whisking constantly until the sauce is smooth. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture thickens. Remove from the heat and add the Parmesan in a few batches, whisking after each addition until the cheese is melted and smooth.
- Season with salt and pepper, and whisk in the parsley.
- Toss: Add the cooked, drained pasta to the skillet with the sauce. Toss until the pasta is well coated with the sauce.
- Serve: Serve immediately with red pepper flakes, if desired.
Tip for the Silkiest Alfredo Sauce
Heating the milk and cream before adding them to the sauce allows them to incorporate more smoothly. You can either heat the milk and cream in a saucepan just until warm or heat them in the microwave. Either way, don’t let the dairy come to a simmer, or it might curdle or separate.
Storage
Homemade Alfredo is best enjoyed right away since the sauce can tighten up as it cools. If you have leftovers, store them in the fridge for up to 2 days, and reheat gently with a splash of milk to loosen the sauce.
How to Reheat Fettuccine Alfredo
The pasta will definitely thicken up in the fridge, but it should loosen up when you reheat it. If you want to add a few extra tablespoons of whole milk to help thin out the sauce a bit, go for it. Reheat the pasta over low heat, stirring occasionally, or heat it in the microwave in short bursts, stirring in between just until warmed through.
More Fettuccine Alfredo Questions Answered!
Fettuccine Alfredo is named for an Italian restaurateur in Rome, Alfredo di Lelio. He created this recipe in the 1920s, making a sauce out of Parmesan and butter. Traditionally, Alfredo sauce did not contain cream; however, most Italian-American versions include some cream and dairy to smooth out the sauce and add silky richness.
Yes! This recipe uses whole milk plus a bit of cream, so it’s lighter but still rich. You can swap in all whole milk, though the sauce won’t be as decadent.
If your sauce feels too thin, simmer it gently for another couple of minutes to thicken, or whisk in a little more grated Parmesan. The cheese naturally thickens the sauce without extra flour or cornstarch.
Absolutely. While fettuccine is traditional, spaghetti, linguine, penne, or even short chapes like rigatoni all work beautifully. The sauce is a match for pretty much any pasta shape you like.
Grilled chicken, shrimp, broccoli, peas, mushrooms, or spinach are all easy and nutritious add-ins. The sauce is so versatile that it’s basically begging to carry your favorite protein or veggie along for the ride.
What to Serve With Fettuccine Alfredo
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Easy Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo
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Ingredients
- 1 pound dried fettucine
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 2 teaspoons finely minced garlic
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup freshly finely grated Parmesan cheese (plus more for serving)
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper (to taste)
- ¼ cup chopped fresh parsley
- Red pepper flakes (to serve; optional)
Instructions
- Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil. Cook the fettuccine according to package directions.
- Meanwhile heat the milk and cream in a saucepan just until warm; don’t let it come to a simmer (you can also do this in a microwave).
- While the milk is heating, melt the butter in a large, deep skillet over medium heat, then add the garlic cloves and stir for 1 minute, just until you can smell the garlic and it turns golden. Add the flour and stir for about 3 minutes until the flour is well incorporated and the mixture starts to lightly brown. Very slowly, pour the warmed milk mixture into the flour mixture, whisking constantly until all of the milk mixture is added, and the sauce is smooth. Bring to a gentle simmer and continue to cook, whisking frequently, until the mixture thickens.
- Remove from the heat and add the Parmesan in a few batches, whisking after each addition until the cheese is melted and smooth. Season with salt and pepper, and whisk in the parsley.
- When the pasta is cooked, drain it, and then add it to the skillet with the sauce. Turn off the heat and toss (tongs are good for this), until the pasta is well coated with the sauce. Serve immediately with red pepper flakes, if desired.
Notes
Variations
- Add some fresh herbs at the end, such as thyme or basil.
- Add a pinch of ground nutmeg
- Try different-shaped pasta – fettuccine is the classic shape, but you can use any long skinny noodle or a chunky pasta shape – everything works with alfredo sauce!
I would like to add shrimp to this. Can I just sauté a few shrimp in a little butter and add them at the end, after the pasta is added to skillet where the sauce is?
Thank you.
absolutely! delish.
The Fettuccine Alfredo was absolutely divine. Whole family, including Gramma and Grampy, loved it, left nothing for tomorrow…. Thanks!!! xoxoxo