Authentic 4-Ingredient Fettuccine Alfredo (NO CREAM!) - CJ Eats Recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is authentic Alfredo made of? ›

Real alfredo sauce is made with 3 simple ingredients: butter, Parmesan cheese and fresh fettuccine pasta. There is absolutely no cream in this dish (cream is common in most American-style alfredo sauce recipes). Make this dish with my fresh homemade pasta, fresh sourdough pasta or store-bought fresh pasta.

Add Cheese

The key ingredient in Alfredo sauce is cheese—generally Parmigiano Reggiano—and lots of it. To thicken Alfredo sauce, simply add more cheese than the amount called for in a recipe until you achieve the consistency you want.

THE BEST SUBSTITUTE FOR HEAVY CREAM IN ALFREDO SAUCE

Milk + Flour + Butter: Whisk together 1 cup of whole milk (make sure it's COLD), 2 tablespoons of flour, and 2-3 tablespoons of melted butter (cooled). Whisk until smooth. Once you heat this mixture it will begin to thicken like heavy cream.

Flavor Boosters

Nutmeg: A pinch of freshly grated nutmeg can elevate the flavors in your Alfredo sauce. However, use it sparingly; a little goes a long way. White Wine: A splash of a good-quality white wine can add depth and complexity. Make sure to cook off the alcohol by simmering the sauce for a few extra minutes.

To each their own, but no authentic fettuccine Alfredo recipe should include cream (because it dulls the flavor of the cheese).

Fettuccine Alfredo, it turns out, is 100% Italian. To be fair, the original recipe is quite different from whatever you may find in the States. Italians have been eating Fettuccine Alfredo for over a century… They just didn't know that's what it was called!

One of the key components to making a thick and creamy Alfredo sauce is the cream. That being said, I think you could get away with using half and half or if in a real pinch, whole milk. Keep in mind that the less fat content in the dairy the thinner and less appealing the Alfredo Sauce will be.

Heartier herbs like thyme or oregano can be added in to simmer with the sauce. Add delicate herbs like parsley, basil, or chervil at the end to maintain their delicate, aromatic flavor. Quick tip: Swirl in a bit of leftover pesto to add another herbaceous twist to your Alfredo sauce.

You can make a stand-in for the heavy cream called for in a recipe where it will be mixed with other ingredients. Melt 1/4 cup unsalted butter in a large glass bowl and gradually whisk in 3/4 cup whole milk or half and half. You'll end up with 1 cup of a cream substitute.

Can I use evaporated milk instead of heavy cream? ›

Evaporated milk can be used as a substitute in recipes in which heavy cream is used as a liquid ingredient, such as in baked goods, but it doesn't whip well. Substitute the heavy cream in your recipes with an equal amount of evaporated milk.

Heavy cream and heavy whipping cream are essentially the same thing—they both have over 36% milk fat, and the name just depends on the brand. Whipping cream, however, is slightly different—it contains 30% to 35% milk fat, so it's slightly lighter (it's sometimes labeled light whipping cream).

You could just add garlic powder, sure, but quickly sautéeing fresh garlic while your pasta cooks is a great way to layer flavor. Resnick likes to add spinach as a way to cut the richness of the sauce. Add a tablespoon or so of olive oil and a few cloves of minced garlic in a sautée pan over medium heat.

The Foolproof Way to Make Alfredo Sauce at Home

You'll start by lightly toasting garlic in a bit of butter, cooking just until fragrant. You'll then add the cream before the garlic browns, since burnt garlic can turn the sauce bitter in an instant.

The reason behind this is simple; cream sauces tend to lack flavor and feel a bit heavy due to the fat content. Nutmeg is a simple way to warm up the sauce with a subtle, spice flavor that won't overpower it. Like with béchamel, you only need a pinch of nutmeg in your alfredo to improve its flavor.

Alfredo Sauce Recipe Ingredients

Most Alfredo sauces are made with only Parmesan cheese, butter, cream, and salt. But we took the liberty of adding in some garlic and extra seasonings to make it that much more delicious.

Heavy Cream, Milk, Skim Milk, Canola Oil, Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Water, Butter (Sweet Cream, Lactic Acid), Palm Oil, Food Starch - Modified, Salt, Lactose, Parmesan Cheese Flavor (Enzyme Modified Parmesan Cheese [Cultured Milk, Water, Salt, Enzymes], Soy Lecithin, Water, ...

Water, Cream, Parmesan Cheese (milk), Enzyme Modified Egg Yolk, Modified Cornstarch, Salt, Roasted Garlic, Butter, Sugar, Whey Protein Concentrate, Natural Flavour, Xanthan Gum, Gum Arabic, Lactic Acid, Sodium Phosphate.

Runner-Up: Rao's Homemade Creamy Alfredo Sauce

It was just a tad thinner than the winner, but still rich in flavor, which we can credit to the three main ingredients: milk, cream, and Parmesan cheese.