Homemade Alfredo Sauce with milk is thick, rich and creamy. It is made with whole milk instead of heavy cream and only takes.
Compared to other homemade alfredo sauce recipes it is a thick and creamy and made without cream or cream cheese but you would never know it. It is one of my favorite Alfredo Sauce recipes.
This recipe was originally shared on October 23, 2011 and has been updated with more helpful information and new photos on February 13, 2022.
Yes, you can make an amazingly delicious homemade Alfredo sauce with milk instead of cream that is thick and creamy!
And you can make homemade fettuccine alfredo in 30 minutes or less.
Alfredo Sauce with Milk
Homemade Alfredo Sauce is very easy to with milk.
And it is the best Alfredo sauce recipe you can make without heavy cream cheese or cream. Once you taste this homemade milk version you will never buy jarred Alfredo sauce again!
How to make homemade Alfredo sauce with milk instead of cream
One day I was in the mood for some Fettuccine Alfredo but didn't have any Alfredo sauce on hand.
I decided to make my own alfredo sauce using a basic cream sauce and fresh parmesan cheese. It turned out so good I have never looked back.
This homemade alfredo sauce recipe made with milk is thick rich and creamy.
And by making it yourself you can season it to your own liking and it tastes so much better homemade.
Easy Alfredo sauce
This recipe will make enough Alfredo sauce to cover 1 pound of pasta.
You can divide it in half with no problem if you need to prepare a smaller amount.
Alfredo Sauce with milk ingredients
You only need 4 ingredients plus salt and pepper to make this homemade alfredo sauce recipe and 1 pound of cooked pasta.
- 1 lb. of fettuccine noodles or pasta of choice, cooked
- 4 tablespoons butter or margarine
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups of whole milk
- ½ to ¾ a cup of grated Parmesan cheese or a parmesan cheese blend
Recipe Prep
- Cook the pasta as directed on the box in the salted water before you start making the sauce. It takes about 10 minutes to cook fettucine noodles el dente.
- You need to have the pasta done at about the same time your sauce will be finished.
Directions to make the Alfredo sauce
- Step 1: Add the butter, salt, and pepper to a heavy bottomed, medium-sized pot or skillet. Heat over a medium heat.
- Step 2: Once the butter has melted add the flour and whisk until smooth, removing all lumps from the flour.
Whisk to combine the flour with the melted butter.
Whisk until the flour and butter are lump free.
- Step 3: Slowly pour the milk in and whisk until smooth again. Turn the heat up a bit to about medium-high.
- Step 4: Add ½ cup of grated Parmesan cheese, whisk until combined. Taste to see if the flavor of Parmesan is strong enough for you. If not, add the remaining Parmesan cheese.
Continue whisking until the sauce has thickened, 5 to 8 minutes.
📌Pro Cooking Tip
The sauce will thicken even further as it cools. If the sauce cools and thickens too much before you mix it with the pasta you add a splash of milk to pasta water to thin it with the sauce.
- Step 5: Pour the Alfredo sauce over the pasta and mix until the pasta is evenly coated. If you have cooked it in a skillet you can add the pasta to the skillet and toss to cover the pasta with the sauce.
Serve immediately with a crusty french bread or a slice of homemade white bread.
This homemade alfredo sauce with milk recipe is very versatile and can be used to make so many different alfredo recipes.
Recipe FAQs
You can make a rich and creamy alfredo sauce using whole milk and flour instead of heavy cream.
The difference between fettuccine and linguine pasta noodles is the shape of the pasta and the ingredients used to make the. Fettuccine pasta noodles is made with egg and are wide flat noodles. While linguine noodles are made with out egg and are a thin, narrow flat noodle.
Recipe Expert Tips
- Pot size: Use at least a 2 quart size sauce pan or a wide skillet. You don't want to use too small of a pot because you will be whisking the sauce as it cooks and thickens. If the pot is too small the sauce could splash and drip over the side of the pot making a big mess.
- Using a skillet: If using a skillet the sauce will thicken even faster.
- Thickened sauce: Alfredo sauce will thicken as it cools. You can thin it by adding a small amount of milk or pasta water.
- What kind of Parmesan cheese to use: Please use real grated Parmesan cheese for the best flavor.
- Leftovers: Leftover alfredo sauce can be refrigerated for up to a week.
- Freezing: Leftover Alfredo sauce can be frozen for up to a month. Thaw and thin with a little milk and reheat before using.
- Add ins: You can add cooked broccoli and cooked or grilled chicken if you like to make Chicken Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo. Add the heated extras when you mix the sauce with the pasta and serve.
- Spicy alfredo: Add a ½ to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the sauce to make spicy alfredo sauce.
Check out my Alfredo Sauce Recipe page for more delicious homemade Alfredo sauce recipes.
More alfredo recipes you'll love
Check out more delicious homemade alfredo recipes below.
Print the Alfredo Sauce with milk recipe below
Email questions or recipe requests to flouronmyface@gmail.com. Follow me on Pinterest, YouTube, Instagram and Facebook.
Alfredo Sauce with milk
Ingredients
- 1 lb. box of fettuccine noodles (cooked)
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon ground pepper
- 2 cups whole milk
- 1 cup shredded real Parmesan cheese ((plus more for garnish))
Instructions
Prep
- Cook the pasta as directed on the box in the salted water. Start boiling the pasta water about 10 minutes before you start making your sauce. You want to have the pasta ready at about the same time your sauce will be finished.
How to make Alfredo Sauce with milk
- Melt the butter in a heavy saucepan or skillet over medium heat. Add the salt and pepper to the pan and whisk together.
- Add the flour and whisk until smooth, removing all lumps.
- Slowly pour the milk into the pan and whisk until smooth.
- Add the shredded Parmesan cheese to the pan and whisk until melted and combined with the milk. Taste and adjust the amount of Parmesan cheese if needed.
- Continue whisking until the sauce has thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. The sauce will thicken even further as it cools. If it thickens too much before you can add it to your pasta thin it with a little pasta water or milk.
- Drain the cooked pasta and pour into a large serving bowl. Pour the Alfredo sauce over the pasta and toss until the pasta is evenly coated with the Alfredo sauce.
- Serve immediately with a crusty French bread.
- Makes enough sauce to cover one pound of Fettucine pasta noodles. Will make 6 to 8 serving.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- Pot size: Use at least a 2 quart size sauce pan or a wide skillet. You don't want to use too small of a pot because you will be whisking the sauce as it cooks and thickens. If the pot is too small the sauce could splash and drip over the side of the pot making a big mess.
- Using a skillet: If using a skillet the sauce will thicken even faster.
- Thickened sauce: Alfredo sauce will thicken as it cools. You can thin it by adding a small amount of milk or pasta water.
- What kind of Parmesan cheese to use: Please use real grated Parmesan cheese for the best flavor.
- Leftovers: Leftover alfredo sauce can be refrigerated for up to a week.
- Freezing: Leftover Alfredo sauce can be frozen for up to a month. Thaw and thin with a little milk and reheat before using.
- Add ins: You can add cooked broccoli and cooked or grilled chicken if you like to make Chicken Broccoli Fettuccine Alfredo. Add the heated extras when you mix the sauce with the pasta and serve.
- Spicy alfredo: Add a ½ to 1 teaspoon of red pepper flakes to the sauce to make spicy alfredo sauce.
Camille Edwards
I think it's a good "base" Sauce. A bit bland. Once I added a bunch of garlic and some italian seasoning it had more flavor.
Arlene Mobley
Camille
So glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Sabrina
Thank you so much for the alfredo recipe! I didn't have all the ingredients for the kind with cream, and this saved my night... and was REALLY good!!!
Arlene Mobley
Sabrina so glad you found my recipe and love it.It is one of my favorite family recipes!
Alicia
I'm so excited I found this recipe! I made a half batch of the sauce just now and it was SO good! Thrilled to have a recipe that calls for milk instead of heavy cream as I often don't have cream on hand. I chopped some Parmesan off the block and it melted in really nicely. I'm looking forward to seeing how this reheats tomorrow as I'd love to serve it with some fresh ravioli I picked up. Thanks a million for this recipe!
Arlene Mobley
Alicia
So glad to hear you loved the recipe. It is one of my favorite recipes on the blog. It reheats very nicely but may need a little milk to thin it out a bit as it gets very thick when refrigerated.
Zakiyah
Great recipe! I was very nervous to try but I'm so glad that I did. I added shrimp and broccoli and it was delicious!
Arlene Mobley
Zakiyah so glad you tried the recipe. Your shrimp and broccoli version sounds delicious. I can't wait to try it!
Sarah Spencer
This is so super easy to make and it is so so delicious! Thank you for sharing this! I made this sauce with half of the flour and used corn starch for the other half. Made shrimp alfredo and it was outstanding!!!!
Arlene Mobley
Sarah
So glad to hear you enjoyed the recipe!
Nicome
I followed this recipe to the letter and I recommend highly to not use 1 tsp salt. It was completely inedible with that much salt. I've made this sauce twice since the first disaster and have used maybe 1/4 tsp salt and the results are much better.
Arlene Mobley
Nicome
I'm glad you enjoyed the recipe enough to give it another shot with your salt adjustments. I'm sure it depended on the parmesan cheese you used and your salt preferences. Different brands of parm can be much more salty.
Shelby
My husband ate three servings of this alfredo! He said he would not eat store bought ever again. Found this recipe because I didn't have cream! Thanks
Arlene Mobley
Shelby
So glad to hear it. It is the best alfredo sauce!
krystine
this is the best alfredo recipe ever!!!! I always add more parm cheese because I love it! making this tonight for dinner! i could eat this at least once a week.
Arlene Mobley
Krystine
Thank you! I am so glad you love the recipe. My 17-year-old daughter makes it about every two weeks. She sautes chicken in garlic and olive oil and makes chicken alfredo fettucini. She also adds ground red pepper to the sauce to make it spicy.
tami
You took the words right out of my mouth. THIS IS THE BEST AND CHEAPEST ALFREDO SAUCE EVER - BAR NONE! Thank you from my entire family - we are very satisfied. We just got done eating it for the first time - and we all just love it- it's a keeper!
Arlene Mobley
Tami
I'm so happy to hear you loved the recipe. It is one of my families favorite recipes!
tami
🙂 Were making it again tonight. I have been craving it ever since I made it last time. I came back to see the recipe - this time I'm writing it down . Thanks Again. 🙂
Arlene Mobley
Tami
I love to hear from my happy readers! Thank you!
Kayla Bryson
So, I really wanted to make this, but needed it to be gluten free. I had some tapioca flour on hand and used it and it worked! The sauce is AMAZING! I also sauteed some garlic cloves in olive oil and added them in—drool..... 😀
Arlene Mobley
Kayla
That is great. I hope some of my other gluten free readers see your comment and can also enjoy the recipe. What type of noodles did you use?
Shari
This was really easy and really tasty! I will definitely be making this again.
Eddie Flores
That was quick and simple. My 13 year daughter is very picky and she said that it tasted better then the store brand. I poured it over tilapia fish and bowtie noodles. Thanks for such an easy recipe.
Arlene Mobley
Eddie
So glad to hear you & your daughter enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for stopping by.
ToriM
I have to tell you my husband has been craving fettuchini Alfredo but we didn't want to use the jar kind. He found this and we tried it last night with on hand ingredients. SO GOOD! As good as or better than olive garden because it also didn't make me regret eating it later lol!
We didn't half it for the two of us so we have left over. what is your suggestion for reheating?
Arlene Mobley
Tori
So glad you enjoyed the recipe. When I reheat it I add a little milk and heat it up in the microwave adding more milk until I get the consistency that I want.
Chloe
Found & made this recipe last night and it was a huge hit!! So easy and so delicious. My picky kids (and husband) inhaled it 🙂 Will make it again many times I'm sure! Thank-you
Arlene Mobley
Chloe
Thank you for stopping by and telling me you and your family loved the recipe! Have a safe and Happy Holiday weekend!
Krista
I made this sauce tonight to toss with chicken and bacon filled ravioli and it was perfect! Cut the recipe in half, since it was a meal for two, and it still turned out lovely. Thank you!
Arlene Mobley
Krista
Thank you! I bet this sauce tasted awesome with your ravioli!
Damalis Martinez
I tried this recipe for the 1st time in December 2013. I have had Alfredo sauce in every way... cream cheese, heavy cream, half and half, in the jar. However, since this recipe this is the way I make it now and prefer it. Thanks a billion.
Arlene Mobley
Damalis I am so happy you enjoy the recipe. I made chicken alfredo for dinner the other night. It is one of my favorite recipes.
Rachel
We are trying this today. I cant wait. Every other recipe requires so much more and you have great reviews. I have been looking for a good Alfredo recipe.
Arlene Mobley
Rachel I hope you and your family enjoy the recipe!