How to Make Alfredo Sauce Without Cream or Cheese
Homemade Alfredo sauce is one of the easiest, most flavorful sauce recipes I make. Only 4 ingredients needed and ready in just 10 minutes!
Prepare yourself for creamy indulgence that is shockingly easy to make and actually healthy — not usually words to describe homemade Alfredo sauce, am I right? This Alfredo sauce is rich, creamy, cheesy and with just the right amount of garlic. Plus it's HEALTHY. How awesome is that?
I haven't always made it this way though. There was a time when my Alfredo sauce wasn't healthy. Gasp! Heck, I used to buy the canned stuff in the glass jar at some point. Yep, it's true. Unfortunately, it was full of preservatives and added chemicals to keep it stable on the grocery shelf so it was clearly not good for my body or healthy lifestyle.
Not cool. This had to change. I needed homemade Alfredo and I needed it to be healthy! So I made that happen! And I'm gonna share the steps for how to make Alfredo sauce because I want you to enjoy this awesome homemade Alfredo, too.
And I hope you're excited because this is the best Alfredo sauce!
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST HOMEMADE ALFREDO SAUCE
To those of you who don't think it's that big of a deal to just use the canned stuff or the powdered sauce mixes for your Alfredo from time to time, try this recipe and tell me it doesn't change your mind. I dare you. Once you learn how to make Alfredo Sauce, you'll never want to go back. Trust me.
Here are the ingredients for the Alfredo Sauce I used to use (and we bought the more expensive Bertolii brand stuff, too!): Water, Heavy Cream, Butter (Cream, Salt), Parmesan Cheese (Pasteurized Part Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Soybean Oil, Modified Corn Starch, Enzyme Modified Egg Yolk (Egg Yolk, Salt, Enzyme), Romano Cheese made from Cow's Milk (Pasteurized Part-Skim Milk, Cheese Cultures, Salt, Enzymes), Salt, American Sherry Cooking Wine (Wine, Grape Alcohol, Salt, Potassium Metabisulfite [Preservative]), Whey, Yeast Extract, Xanthan Gum, Disodium Phosphate, Garlic Powder, Spices, Natural Flavors.
And before that, we used to use the powdered stuff made by Knorr, which includes: maltodextrin, corn starch, wheat flour (wheat flour, niacin, reduced iron, thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin, folic acid), parmesan, romano, cheddar and blue cheeses (pasteurized milk, cheese cultures, salt, enzymes), salt, whey, whey protein concentrate, hydrolyzed corn protein, palm oil, natural flavor (soy), nonfat milk*, citric acid, lactic acid, sodium caseinate, soybean oil, spice.
And the ingredients for my homemade Alfredo sauce: cottage cheese, parmesan cheese, milk, and garlic powder.
And, BTW, making Alfredo sauce at home is very easy so you have no reason not to try it. To make this easy Alfredo sauce, you have to follow only 3 simple steps:
- add all ingredients for the healthy Alfredo sauce to a blender and blend until very smooth;
- transfer the mixture to a saucepan and heat over medium heat;
- heat through, stirring frequently.
Extra tip –-> make sure you don't overheat because it will begin to separate!
WHAT IS ALFREDO SAUCE?
In case you're unfamiliar with what Alfredo sauce is or you have always wondered, but were never really sure, Alfredo sauce is an Italian white sauce typically used in pasta dishes. I say typically because I like it on pizza and as a topping to baked potatoes, too. YUMMY.
Traditionally, Alfredo sauce is made with butter, heavy cream, and parmesan cheese. I'll explain why I don't use heavy cream or butter in a bit! It's a very dense, thick, and luscious sauce and is absolutely delicious, in my humble opinion.
HOW TO THICKEN ALFREDO SAUCE
If you've tried homemade Alfredo sauce before and the reason you stopped making it at home it's because it never turned out quite right texture wise, blame it on the cheese!
The answer to how to thicken Alfredo sauce is parmesan. I recommend freshly grated parmesan, not the one you can buy already grated. The Alfredo sauce thickens easily with freshly grated parmesan. However, if the homemade Alfredo is still not thick enough for you, allow the sauce to stand for a couple of minutes before serving. Alfredo sauce thickens while it cools.
Also, the fact that this healthy Alfredo sauce recipe requires cottage cheese helps because it's naturally thick, especially when blended.
TIPS FOR MAKING HEALTHY ALFREDO SAUCE
To make this light alfredo sauce happen, I use only 4 simple ingredients. Before my clean eating era, I used to make Alfredo sauce with butter, garlic cloves, cream cheese, milk, parmesan, salt, and pepper.
Nowadays, I…
- replace cream cheese (or heavy cream) with cottage cheese for more protein and less saturated fat;
- use almond milk instead of milk– this is just a preference, you can use cow milk if you want;
- skip salt because parmesan and cottage cheese is salty enough.
Pretty simple substitutions, don't you think? But they make this homemade Alfredo sauce healthy and still so creamy and delicious.
Oh, I almost forgot. I like my Alfredo sauce a little garlicky. So I add a little bit of garlic powder to make it extra special. I use garlic powder, but you can easily sub in whole garlic cloves if you'd prefer.
WHAT TO MAKE WITH ALFREDO SAUCE
The most obvious answer to what to make with Alfredo sauce is fettuccine Alfredo. Because classics are always amazing. But, since this is healthy Alfredo sauce, you can replace the traditional Fettuccine with whole-wheat fettuccine to make a very healthy yet totes delicious dish. Or with zoodles aka zucchini noodles, like I like to do. Because zoodles are amazeballs and a great low-carb alternative for pasta. If you don't know how to make them, check out my How To Make Zucchini Noodles post. Spoiler: they're super easy, too!
You can add chicken to your Alfredo Zucchini Noodles and turn the dish into Chicken Alfredo, another yummy classic.
For pizza night, you can also use Alfredo sauce instead of tomato sauce if you wanna change up the taste of pizza. Make a whole-wheat pizza crust or a cauliflower pizza crust, top the Alfredo sauce with chicken, spinach, and red onions.
HOW LONG DOES ALFREDO SAUCE LAST?
Before answering how long does Alfredo sauce last in the fridge, let me tell you a little story about traditional Alfredo sauce (besides the fact that's not very healthy). I always had problems when I wanted to reheat the homemade Alfredo sauce when following the traditional recipe. The Alfredo sauce always turned into a garlic butter sauce, as opposed to the rich and creamy Alfredo it was when first prepared. Somehow, all the white creamy goodness that makes an Alfredo an Alfredo would just up and disappear. The good news is this doesn't happen if you use cottage cheese! Hooray!
So, knowing this, how long does alfredo sauce last in the fridge?
If you store it properly in mason jars or any air-tight containers, homemade Alfredo sauce lasts for 4*5 days in the fridge.
CAN YOU FREEZE ALFREDO SAUCE?
I have more great news, friends – you can freeze Alfredo sauce too! How freaking amazing, right? You can double or even triple my Alfredo recipe and freeze it for later. If you do this, you can make your favorite Alfredo dishes whenever the cravings hit without settling for the canned Alfredo filled with bad ingredients. Alfredo dishes healthy and guilt-free? Yes, please!
To freeze Alfredo sauce…
- allow the sauce to cool;
- transfer the homemade Alfredo to Ziploc bags or freezer-safe airtight containers;
- then place in the freezer.
Frozen Alfredo sauce lasts for 3-4 months. It may not be quite as creamy and smooth when you reheat it, but it will still be creamy and delicious.
HOW TO REHEAT ALFREDO SAUCE
The best thing about this homemade Alfredo is that, when you'll reheat it, you won't run into the problems I had in the past. Thank you cottage cheese for making this possible!
However, whether you reheat Alfredo sauce from frozen or from the fridge, make sure you stir well while reheating. And reheat it in a saucepan gradually, stirring frequently, to keep it from burning. This was will also help to prevent the cheese from curdling so the easy Alfredo sauce will be just as good as when you made it.
3 MORE HEALTHY SAUCE RECIPES
This Alfredo recipe is not the only sauce recipe I like to make. In fact, I really love to make my own sauce recipes. Homemade sauce recipes are just the best. You can adjust the taste and you have full control over the ingredients. I am all for that!
PESTO SAUCE
If you have fresh basil, pine nuts, olive oil, and parmesan, you gotta make this Pesto Sauce!
This Pesto Sauce is super quick and easy to make (ready in just 5 minutes!) and it's delicious and versatile. Get the recipe.
CAULIFLOWER CHEESE SAUCE
Check out this Cauliflower Cheese Sauce and be amazed by cauliflower's awesomeness. Cauliflower can turn many recipes into healthy recipes. Cheese sauce is not an exception.
The sauce is creamy, cheesy, and so yummy. And you won't even notice the cauliflower. Get the recipe.
HOW TO MAKE ROASTED TOMATO SAUCE
Learn How to Make Roasted Tomato Sauce and enjoy the amazing flavors of tomatoes all year long.
This Roasted Tomato Sauce doesn't compare to the canned one. It's deep, vibrant, and at least 100 times more delicious. Get the recipe.
Homemade Alfredo sauce is one of the easiest, most flavorful sauce recipes I make. Only 4 ingredients needed and ready in just 10 minutes!
Categories: Clean Eating, Healthy Recipe, Make It Healthy, Sauce
Difficulty: Easy
Keyword: alfredo, alfredo sauce recipe, homemade alfredo sauce
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 104 kcal
- 24 oz (3 cups) full fat cottage cheese
- 1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
- 1 tsp garlic powder
- 1/2 cup almond milk (or milk of choice), plus more, as needed, to thin
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Add all ingredients to a blender and blend until very smooth.
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Add to a saucepan and heat over medium heat.
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Heat through, but take care not to overheat because it will begin to separate.
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Toss with noodles and parsley.
This homemade alfredo sauce is serious goodness, and is very versatile, too. I like to use it on pizza as a sauce, noodles, baked potatoes, with shrimp. It's just so dang good and always shocks me how easy it is every time I make it. My kids can't even tell the difference when they try it.
If you're worried about the saturated fat in the full fat dairy, check out this post so you understand why it' not a big deal to enjoy this sauce, as long as it's part of a healthy, well-balanced diet.
I also appreciate how this sauce stores well. If, for some reason it starts to separate, you can also just re-blend it and you should be good to go!
Nutrition Facts
4 Ingredient Homemade Alfredo Sauce
Amount Per Serving (0.3 cup)
Calories 104 Calories from Fat 45
% Daily Value*
Fat 5g 8%
Saturated Fat 2g 10%
Cholesterol 18mg 6%
Sodium 393mg 16%
Potassium 98mg 3%
Carbohydrates 3g 1%
Sugar 2g 2%
Protein 11g 22%
Vitamin A 155IU 3%
Calcium 136mg 14%
Iron 0.1mg 1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This post contains affiliate links for products I use often and highly recommend.
How to Make Alfredo Sauce Without Cream or Cheese
Source: https://www.asweetpeachef.com/homemade-alfredo-sauce-recipe/