Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce is a thick and creamy tasting alfredo sauce made with real cream cheese, giving us a great texture and richness in every bite.
Recipe: $3.41 | Per Serving: $0.28 | Servings: 12
Making sauces from scratch is always fun because there are so many ways to make it unique and delicious. I love making my own homemade alfredo sauce here and there, but my favorite version includes cream cheese. I always have a block or more in the fridge for baking purposes, so adding it to my sauce is easy.
With its luxurious texture and mild tang, cream cheese blends seamlessly with the traditional Alfredo ingredients, taking the creaminess to a whole new level.
This sauce is the epitome of comfort, and the addition of cream cheese brings a delightful richness that's hard to resist. See it in action with my Blackened Chicken Alfredo.
If you enjoy making sauces, don't forget to check out my Ragu Spaghetti Sauce Recipe too!
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🍯 Why This Recipe Works
- It holds onto the noodles! This alfredo sauce recipe gives you a thick and luxuriously creamy alfredo sauce that clings to cooked noodles or works great in alfredo-baked casseroles and recipes as well.
- It's versatile. Use the homemade alfredo sauce with cream cheese to top your chicken, pizza, or lasagna with this sauce, and you will definitely be in for a good time! Try it with our Pizza Dough In a Bag or French Bread Pepperoni Pizza and see for yourself!
- You can adapt the flavors to your own tastebuds! Add in a pinch of nutmeg, reduce the pepper, swap out seasonings or add in some Creole. There's no limit to your creativity.
🥘 Ingredients
Ingredient Notes:
Butter- No sauce is really complete without a little butter. Add some richness to your dish by adding in some unsalted butter. If using salted butter, omit the salt in the recipe card.
Milk or heavy cream- I've used unsweetened plain almond milk, whole milk, evaporated milk, and heavy cream. All taste delicious, but the fattier milk options do produce a more velvety texture.
Cream cheese- Using cream cheese will give us a thicker consistency with a pleasant tanginess in every bite. Make sure to soften and cube the cheese beforehand so it blends more easily!
Parmesan cheese- I recommend freshly shredded parmesan cheese, not the grated stuff in a green jar. Note that I have tried the green jar cheese, and it will work in a pinch, but the consistency will be different.
If you have more fresh parmesan on hand try our Tilapia with Spinach and Tomatoes and Air Fryer Garlic Parmesan Wings.
For specific ingredients and measurements, please see the recipe card below.
🔪 Instructions for Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce
Step 1: Melt your butter in a medium sized pot over medium heat. Whisk in the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Step 2: Whisk in flour, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
Step 3: Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth.
Step 4: Add in the cream cheese and occasionally stir until melted and the sauce begins to thicken.
Step 5: Add parmesan cheese and whisk until blended.
Step 6: Once the sauce is smooth you can serve it as-is or you can add in up to ½ cup of reserved pasta water from your cooked pasta to help thin it down a little bit.
Serve and use as desired.
Enjoy!
🍴 Recipe Tips
- Important Consideration: Avoid using cold cream cheese as it may not fully incorporate into the sauce, leaving behind small white pieces. For best results, use softened cream cheese.
- How to Thin Alfredo Sauce: Reserve water from boiled noodles and whisk it into the prepared alfredo sauce ½ cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. Alternatively, use warm water or milk to thin out the sauce.
- How to Thicken Alfredo Sauce: Make a cornstarch slurry by whisking together 1 tablespoon of cornstarch and 2 tablespoons of water until smooth. Stir the slurry into the sauce and repeat until desired thickness is achieved.
👩🏻🍳 Storage
Storage: Refrigerate any leftover alfredo sauce in a closed container for up to one week. For optimal taste, consume within 3 or 4 days. Avoid leaving the sauce at room temperature for more than 2 hours for safety.
Freezing: It's not recommended to freeze alfredo sauce unless it's intended for a baked recipe. Examples include lasagna, casserole, or smothered baked chicken breasts.
Freezing causes the mixture to separate, altering its texture and appearance. When used in baked dishes, the texture change is less noticeable compared to serving it over noodles.
💭 Recipe FAQs
Yes! You can choose to use regular milk, heavy cream, or even half and half to give this sauce the liquid needed for that flavorful creamy end result.
Try making the sauce using Light Cream Cheese and Skim Milk for a reduced fat content. The sauce should still taste incredible!
This sauce yields about 3 ½ cups of homemade sauce when finished. This should be plenty for a family pasta night, a few pizzas, a casserole, or whatever plans you may have in store for it!
❤️ More Delicious Pasta Recipes
If you tried this Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce, please leave a ⭐️ star rating and share your feedback in the 📝 comments section below. I would truly appreciate it!
📖 Recipe
Alfredo Sauce With Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons butter ($0.37)
- ½ teaspoons minced garlic ($0.03)
- 2 Tablespoons all purpose flour ($0.02)
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper ($0.02)
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning ($0.08)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder ($0.08)
- 2 cups whole milk ($0.40)
- 4 ounces cream cheese, softened & cubed ($0.93)
- 1 cup Parmesan cheese, shredded ($1.48)
- salt to taste
Instructions
- In a medium sized pot over medium heat on the stove, melt your butter.
- Whisk in the minced garlic and stir about 30 seconds until fragrant. Whisk in the flour, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder, until well mixed.
- Slowly add in the milk, while whisking until smooth. Add in cream cheese and stir occasionally until melted into the mixture and it begins to thicken.
- Whisk in the parmesan cheese until blended.
- Serve the sauce as desired or whisk in hot reserved pasta water ½ cup at a time to thin down the sauce if desired.
Notes
- Use milk, heavy cream, or half and half for the sauce.
- Reserve pasta water to adjust sauce consistency.
- Cold cream cheese may leave small white pieces.
- Freezing not recommended; use in baked recipes if needed.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
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