This thick and creamy tasting alfredo sauce is made with real cream cheese, giving us a great texture and richness in every bite.
Homemade alfredo sauce with cream cheese
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.
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.
Top your chicken, pizza, or lasagna with this sauce and you will definitely be in for a good time!
Cream cheese alfredo ingredients
- Butter
- Garlic
- Flour
- Milk or heavy cream
- Cream cheese
- Garlic powder
- Italian seasoning
- Black pepper
- Parmesan cheese
- Salt
What you’ll need to make this recipe
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- Measuring cups
- Measurings spoons
- Whisk
- Medium sized pot
Tips for making easy alfredo sauce with cream cheese
Everyone likes their alfredo sauce at a different consistency, some like runny and others like thick. I personally prefer thick which is why I enjoy this recipe as-is, but there’s an easy way to thin it down and stretch it out into even more servings.
If using this alfredo sauce with pasta, reserve water from the boiled noodles and whisk it into the prepared alfredo sauce 1/2 cup at a time until desired consistency has been reached. Or, you can use very warm water or milk to add to the sauce.
You can use the cream cheese while it’s still cold, but keep in mind that the texture will be different than if using softened cream cheese. When cream cheese is cold it doesn’t fully incorporate into sauces and leaves behind very tiny white ball-looking pieces. Visually, they are noticeable, texturally, they are not.
FAQ’s about alfredo sauce using cream cheese
I do not recommend freezing this alfredo sauce unless you plan on using it for a baked recipe later. For example, a meal prepped with lasagna, casserole, or smothered baked chicken breasts would be okay examples whereas a jar of leftover sauce is not. The difference is that when frozen the mixture will separate and not come back together in the same texture and appearance as it was before being frozen. When baked it’s much less noticeable because it blends in better than if it sat on top of a pile of noodles.
This alfredo sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
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.
How to make cream cheese alfredo sauce
Melt your butter in a medium sized pot over medium heat.
Whisk in the minced garlic and stir for 30 seconds until fragrant.
Whisk in flour, black pepper, Italian seasoning, and garlic powder.
Slowly whisk in the milk until smooth.
Add in the cream cheese and stir occasionally until melted and the sauce begins to thicken.
Add parmesan cheese and whisk until blended.
Serve sauce as desired or whisk in reserved pasta water 1/2 cup at a time until sauce reaches thinner desired consistency.
More great recipes to try
- 3 Ingredient Spinach Artichoke Mac and Cheese
- Instant Pot Hot Chocolate
- Baked French Bread Pizzas
- Captain Crunch Cookies
- Pineapple Teriyaki Yakisoba Noodles
- Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp butter
- 1/2 tsp minced garlic
- 2 Tbsp flour
- 2 cups milk or heavy cream
- 4 oz cream cheese softened & cubed
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1 tsp Italian seasoning
- 1/4 tsp black pepper
- 2 cups parmesan cheese, shredded
- 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 1/2 cup at a time to thin down the sauce if desired.
