This rich and creamy Fettuccine Alfredo is one of the quickest and easiest recipes to make! This indulgent restaurant-quality pasta recipe can be made at home in about 20 minutes or less!
Try some of our other favorite Alfredo recipes include our favorite Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo recipe, this cajun-spiced Sausage Alfredo recipe, or Chicken Broccoli Alfredo with bacon.
What Is Fettuccine Alfredo?
It’s a homemade pasta dish made with fettuccine pasta and a creamy Alfredo sauce. We amp up the sauce flavor even more by adding onion, garlic, and Italian seasoning.
Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe
There is plenty of room for jazzed-up Fettuccine Alfredo recipes that add all kinds of veggies, proteins, or a combination of both. But for this recipe, I wanted to share a simple classic Fettuccine Alfredo–completely back to basics. Just fettuccine and a cream sauce.
But don’t be fooled–this is no boring recipe. The simplicity is no indicator of the rich flavor you’ll be rewarded with. This pasta is richly flavored with a wonderful savoriness and notes of garlic, Parmesan, and Italian seasoning. It’s downright delicious and completely indulgent tasting.
The secret to making this recipe taste truly restaurant quality is to use heavy cream. Even though we are using cream, this recipe uses far less cream (about half) than called for in other recipes and that’s because we use an Italian “secret” that essentially stretches the sauce further. That secret is using reserved pasta boiling water in our Alfredo sauce.
Quick Tip
If you are concerned about using cream or looking to cut down on fat/calories, you’ve got to try this lightened up, no-heavy-cream Chicken Alfredo or this healthy Cajun Sausage Pasta. (But for the absolute best Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe, cream is a must!)
Fettuccine Alfredo FAQs
Is heavy cream or milk better for Alfredo?
Heavy cream is a must for great Alfredo sauce. It makes it thick and rich in a way that milk just can’t match.
How do I add more flavor to my Fettuccine Alfredo?
Add in some other ingredients. Here are some of our favorites:
- baby spinach (coarsely chopped), sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil (drain and coarsely chop), sautéed mushrooms, or sautéed peppers
Other ways to add more flavor:
- Just a tiny pinch more of salt and pepper can be a game changer (yes, really!)
- Increase the seasonings–a touch more garlic powder or Italian seasoning can go a long way!
- Use good cheese–the better the cheese, the better the Alfredo is going to taste!
How To Make Fettuccine Alfredo
- Salt the pasta water: Salting the water is the only chance you have to season the actual pasta, so make sure the fettuccine is well salted as it cooks (otherwise this entire Fettuccine Alfredo recipe will taste under-seasoned).
- Toss the sauce together: While the pasta is boiling, prepare the sauce–it takes just minutes to whip together and thicken.
- Emulsify! Now here’s the secret to the best Italian pasta recipes–emulsifying! Tossing the hot pasta with the Alfredo sauce and reserved pasta water is called emulsifying and that’s how you get a wonderfully smooth and flavorful sauce that clings to the pasta instead of falling to the bottom of the pot!
Quick Tip
An emulsified sauce is one where the ingredients are all suspended in a mixture. If it settles into layers (like many salad dressings do), it has lost its emulsification.
Variations
Change Things Up
- Make a Fettuccine Alfredo Shrimp recipe by adding in seasoned and sautéed shrimp. Here’s how to prepare that:
- Add in 1 tablespoon oil and 1 tablespoon butter to a large pan. While the butter melts, add salt to the shrimp (I add 1/4 up to 1/2 teaspoon). Gently toss. As soon as the butter is melted, add shrimp in one even layer so shrimp is not overlapping (it will steam if the pan is too crowded). Cook for 1 minute, then use tongs to flip each shrimp over and cook on the other side for 1 more minute. Transfer cooked shrimp to a clean plate. Return shrimp at the end!
- Prepare this Fettuccine Alfredo with broccoli. This is such an easy ingredient to add! Two minutes before the pasta will be done, add in either fresh or frozen broccoli (cut into bite-sized pieces). Drain alongside the pasta and toss into the sauce.
- Make Chicken Fettuccine Alfredo by adding in seasoned and sautéed chicken. (Follow chicken preparation instructions from this Chicken Pasta recipe.)
- Don’t have fettuccine on hand? Use 16 ounces of whatever pasta you do have!
How Do You Make The Perfect Fettuccine Alfredo?
Here are our top “secrets” for the perfect Fettuccine Alfredo recipe:
- Use good cheese. The Parmesan makes the biggest difference to the overall flavor in this recipe. And while this recipe is designed to be quick and easy, don’t try to shortcut the cheese. Don’t use canned or pre-shredded/grated Parmesan–the sauce won’t work (cheese doesn’t melt smoothly and you’ll be left with a big clump). Instead, go for a block of cheese to finely grate on the small sides of a grater or microplane. See “quick tip” box below!
- Use a large pot. To be able to emulsify the pasta, you’ll need a very large skillet or pot– otherwise tossing things can be tricky (and take longer to emulsify).
- Add more pasta water if needed. The Alfredo sauce should be silky smooth and cling to the pasta. If at any point it gets stodgy, thick, or grainy just drizzle in some more pasta water and toss again. This should smooth it out nicely!
- Dice the onion very finely. Be sure to chop it in the smallest possible pieces so it sautés quickly and integrates into the dish well. If there are big pieces of onion it will be overpowering (and crunchy) in this recipe. Not a fan of onion? Leave it out!
Quick Tip
If you’re looking to really up your Alfredo game, try Parmigiano Reggiano–it’s incredible in this dish. This cheese is only made in Italy (authentic Parmigiano Reggiano is labeled “made in” or “from” Italy.) It has a stronger/deeper flavor with a very subtle sweetness. It’s more expensive than Parmesan cheese, but once you try it in this recipe, you may never go back!
Storage
How To Reheat Fettuccine Alfredo
This homemade Fettuccine Alfredo recipe is at its peak the minute the sauce is emulsified. In fact, this is when all pasta dishes taste their best!
You can certainly store leftovers, but you’ll need to add some more heavy cream or chicken broth to loosen the sauce again as you reheat the pasta. Leftover pasta will be softer, but still plenty flavorful. Because of the pasta and dairy in this dish, it isn’t a great candidate for freezing and thawing.
Serve This Pasta Alongside:
- An Italian appetizer like this tomato Bruschetta
- A big green salad–this Olive Garden Salad, Italian Salad, or easy Winter Salad
- Some fresh fruit–try our favorite Fruit Salad Recipe or Creamy Fruit Salad
- With roasted veggies—Roasted Brussels Sprouts, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, Roasted Broccoli
- Whip up some blackened chicken to serve in or on the side
Fettuccine Alfredo
Equipment
- Large, heavy bottomed skillet or pot (Note 1)
Ingredients
- 1 pkg. (16 oz.) fettuccine
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons
- heaping 1/2 cup very finely minced onion (or use 1 tsp onion powder--Note 2)
- 1-1/2 teaspoon minced garlic (or use 1 tsp garlic powder)
- 1/2 teaspoon Italian seasoning
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1-1/2 cups freshly grated Parmesan cheese or Parmigiano Reggiano (Note 3)
- Fine sea salt & pepper
- Optional: fresh parsley, for garnish
Instructions
- PASTA: Heads-up: you'll need to save some pasta water before draining! Bring a large pot of water to boil. Once boiling, add in 1 tablespoon fine sea salt. Add in all the fettuccine and boil, stirring occasionally, until pasta is "al dente" according to package directions (use the lowest time indicated on package, since the pasta cooks more in the sauce later). Before draining, remove and reserve 1 cup of pasta water. Drain, but do not rinse in cold water.
- SAUCE: Meanwhile, melt the cut pieces of butter in a very large cast iron or heavy bottom pan/pot (big enough to hold all the pasta later) over medium-high heat. Once melted, add in onion and garlic and sauté for 2-3 minutes or until golden/tender. Pour in the cream, Italian seasoning, plus salt & pepper (I add 1/4 tsp of each). As soon as mixture boils, turn heat down to medium low. Simmer until thickened, about 1-3 minutes (See Note 4).
- SAUCE, CONT.: Once thickened, remove the pan from the heat. Stir in the grated Parmesan cheese until melted and sauce is mostly smooth. Dump drained pasta right on top of the sauce plus 1/2 cup of the reserved pasta water. Return pan to heat. Turn to medium and toss gently with tongs until the pasta and sauce emulsify nicely. This takes about 1 minute. Add more pasta water if needed (if it's looking dry/stodgy--See Note 5!).
- ENJOY: Remove from heat and serve right away! Garnish plates with fresh parsley plus a sprinkle more of cheese and pepper if desired.
Video
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
