Real Alfredo Sauce (No Cream!) - The Clever Carrot (2024)

Looking for an easy, authentic alfredo sauce recipe without cream? This is it. Made with 3 simple ingredients in 30 minutes or less, serve with fresh homemade fettuccine pasta for the ultimate Italian dinner.

Pasta alfredo, and I’m talking about real authentic alfredo sauce hailing from Rome, is a creamy 3-ingredient pasta dish made from butter, Parmesan cheese and fresh egg fettuccini. There’s absolutely no cream in this dish! The rich and silky “cream” sauce is created by simmering starchy pasta cooking water with butter and Parmesan cheese to create a unique, ultra-creamy pasta sauce.

With that said, Alfredo sauce is all about technique; it’s not just a bowl of buttered noodles with Parm. Success is determined by ingredient quality, having the right tools AND cooking the pasta in small batches, ideally for 2 people, so you master the art and craft of the Italian pan sauce with ease.

Just So You Know… If you google “alfredo sauce” you’ll get a bunch of recipes with cream and garlic. That’s “American-style” alfredo sauce, which is completely different than authentic Italian alfredo sauce. Don’t get confused! Just treat them as 2 completely different pasta sauce recipes.

Real Alfredo Sauce Ingredients: You Will Need

• Unsalted butter (I use Kerry Gold butter)
• Parmigiano Reggiano cheese (block)
• Fresh fettuccine pasta(homemade pasta, sourdough pasta or good quality store-bought)
• Salt, to taste

Tools:

• 10-inch skillet (for tossing the pasta directly in the sauce)
• Tongs
• 1/4 measuring cup or small ladle

Alfredo Sauce Tips:

• Use high-fat butter. According to Epicurious, most American butter is defined at 80% fat, whereas European-style butter has between 82-90% fat. A higher fat content and less water makes for a better, richer alfredo sauce in my opinion. I recommend Kerry Gold (least expensive at Trader Joe’s, Costco & Target), Pulgrá (this is what we use at Sfoglia) and Beurre d’Isigny (splurge, but soooo good especially on sourdough bread).
• Buy block cheese. You need real Parmigiano Reggiano cheese. Do not skimp! Buy block Parmesan and give it a whirl in the food processor until finely ground. Or, purchase pre-ground Parmesan cheese without anti-caking agents or preservatives. Pre-ground cheese is more expensive, but readily available in most grocery stores and Italian specialty markets.
• Serve on warm plates. Alfredo sauce will eventually seize up and get clumpy when served on a cold plate. This is probably something you’d never think of until you see it happen. Warm the dishes in a low oven while you make the pasta.
• Do Not Double This Recipe. As mentioned earlier, pasta alfredo is best made in small batches. Do not scale up until you understand what the sauce should look and feel like.

Understanding Alfredo Sauce: Before you begin, imagine the process while reading the instructions below. It’s like making risotto. There’s a lot of stirring and tossing (in a good way) to develop its signature creaminess. Everything is done in batches (a little bit of water…toss… a little bit of cheese…toss again etc.). Embrace the dance and you’ll get THE MOST decadent alfredo sauce without any cream at all. And it’s wickedly good.

How To Make Pasta Alfredo Sauce {Step-By-Step Recipe}

• Preheat your oven to the lowest setting. Place 2 oven-safe bowls inside to warm up.
• Cut the Parmesan cheese into small chunks. Process until finely ground in a food processor; transfer to a small bowl. Keep it handy.
• Arrange the butter in a 10-inch skillet. Melt over medium-low heat.
• Meanwhile, bring 1 1/2 quarts of water to a boil. Add the pasta + 1 heaping teaspoon of salt. Cook for 3-4 minutes (taste for doneness); do not drain. Note: while the pasta is cooking, add 1/4 cup of the starchy pasta cooking water to the melted butter and simmer until emulsified and slightly foamy.
• When the pasta is cooked: transfer with tongs to the skillet. Increase the heat to medium, and toss several times to coat all of the pasta strands in the melted butter. Keep tossing until the sauce starts to thicken and becomes less “watery”, about 30+ seconds.
• Then add a small handful of the cheese, while continuing to toss. Once the cheese is absorbed and the sauce becomes creamier, add 1/4 cup more of pasta water. Keep tossing until it thickens again. Add more cheese. Toss again. This is how you create the signature alfredo “cream” sauce. If at any point the consistency becomes too dry, or it thickens/absorbs too quickly, lower the heat and add more water, as needed, up to 3/4- 1 full cup.
• To finish, taste a pasta strand and add salt if the flavor needs to pop.
• To serve: remove the warm plates from the oven. Portion out the pasta, spooning some of the sauce on top. Garnish with extra Parmesan. Serve immediately!

More Pasta Sauce Recipes To Try!

• Ragù Bolognese Sauce
• Aglio e Olio (Garlic and Oil)
• 20-Minute Arrabbiata Sauce
• Quick Sicilian-Style Tomato Sauce
• Authentic Pomodoro Sauce (Fresh or Canned)
• Homemade Italian Sausage Ragù
• Classic Italian Basil Pesto (Pesto alla Genovese)
• Easy Pesto alla Trapanese (Sicilian Pesto)
• 6-Ingredient Sun Dried Tomato Pesto

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