Lemon Alfredo Sauce
Creamy, thick and rich homemade Lemon Alfredo Sauce is easy to make. Much easier to make than you might think.
How To Make Lemon Alfredo Sauce
Homemade Lemon Alfredo sauce is a one-pot wonder. Do you think it is too difficult to make your favorite lemon pasta sauce at home?
I am about to show you just how easy it is to make this restaurant-style lemony alfredo dish at home.
I love making homemade Alfredo sauce.
One of my most popular recipes is my homemade Alfredo Sauce with milk recipe. It is the best alfredo sauce made with milk you will ever taste. Thick, rich, and packed full of flavor.
Check out one of the comments on that recipe. You can go read the hundreds of other comments just like it on the recipe.
Tori says
My husband & I are Alfredo freaks. This recipe was so EASY and so DELICIOUS! Even my 1 year old son loves it! We will be using this from now on, thank you!
Easy Pasta Recipe for dinner
I was craving a pasta dish with a bright lemony flavor. I wanted a quick meal that was easy to make and this pasta dish fit the bill.
You just whisk all of the sauce ingredients together in a pan and add some pasta! And like that in about 20 minutes you have a deliciously creamy pasta dish with a bright lemon flavor.
You can't get much easier than that and you never had to leave the house!
When to add lemon juice to cream
Adding lemon juice to the cream sauce can be a little tricky. The acid from the lemon juice can cause the cream to curdle.
It is important to completely whisk the lemon juice into the cream sauce to prevent it from curdling.
Once all of the alfredo sauce ingredients are incorporated remove the skillet from the heat source and mix the pasta in.
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You can make this lemony Fettucine Alfredo sauce in one skillet, add the cooked pasta and serve straight from the skillet for dinner.
This recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of lemon zest. The lemon zest and lemon juice gives the pasta sauce two different layers of lemon flavor.
Add the zest to the sauce as it is cooking and then add more as a garnish if you like a really lemony flavored dish.
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Check out my Alfredo Recipe page for many more delicious and easy to make pasta recipes made with rich and creamy alfredo sauce.
Prep
- Boil the pasta following the directions on the box. While the pasta is cooking use a lemon zester to zest the fresh lemons into long thin pieces.
- Rinse the cooked pasta under cold running water and drain well in a colander.
- Finely shred the fresh Parmesan cheese using a cheese grater. 2 ½ cups will be used to make the lemon alfredo sauce. The remaining ½ cup will be used as a garnish.
- Measure the heavy cream into a spouted glass measuring cup. Prevents splashes while pouring into the skillet.
Ingredients
- 16 oz linguine or fettuccine pasta, cooked
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 cups heavy cream (no substitution)
- zest from 2 medium lemons, divided
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice (2 medium lemons)
- 3 cups finely shredded Parmesan cheese, divided
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt, to taste
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
Directions
- Melt the stick of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the heavy cream. Immediately use a whisk to combine until all the melted butter is mixed into the cream.
- Add the salt and pepper and mix it in. Slowly pour the lemon juice into the skillet whisking it quickly into the cream to prevent curdling.
- Add the 2 ½ cups of shredded Parmesan cheese and whisk until it melts into the cream and butter.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest (save the rest for garnish) and the parsley to the skillet and mix in.
- Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss.
- Remove the pan from the heat and serve the pasta covered with the thick and rich lemon alfredo sauce.
- Top each serving with a pinch of the remaining lemon zest, a pinch of fresh minced parsley, and a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Makes 6 servings.
More Alfredo Sauce recipes
Print the recipe
Lemon Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 16 oz linguine or fettuccine pasta (cooked)
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 2 cups heavy cream (no substitution)
- 2 whole medium lemons (zest and juice, divided)
- ½ cup fresh lemon juice (2 medium lemons)
- 3 cups finely shredded Parmesan cheese (divided)
- 1 tablespoon fresh or dried parsley flakes
- 1 teaspoon salt (to taste)
- 1 teaspoon ground pepper
Instructions
Prep
- Boil the pasta following the directions on the box. While the pasta is cooking use a lemon zester to zest the lemons into long thin pieces.
- Rinse the cooked pasta under cold running water and drain well in a colander.
- Finely shred the fresh Parmesan cheese using a cheese grater. 2 ½ cups will be used to make the lemon alfredo sauce. ½ cup will be used as a garnish.
- Measure the heavy cream into a spouted glass measuring cup. Prevents splashes while pouring into the skillet.
How to make Lemon Alfredo
- Melt the stick of butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat and add the heavy cream. Immediately use a whisk to combine until all the melted butter is mixed into the cream.
- Add the salt and pepper and mix it in. Slowly pour the lemon juice into the skillet whisking it quickly into the cream to prevent curdling.
- Add the 2 ½ cups of shredded Parmesan cheese and whisk until it melts into the cream and butter.
- Add about 1 tablespoon of the lemon zest (save the rest for garnish) and the parsley to the skillet and mix in. Add the cooked pasta to the pan and toss.
- Remove the pan from the heat and serve the pasta covered with the thick and rich lemon alfredo sauce.
- Top each serving with a pinch of the remaining lemon zest, a pinch of fresh minced parsley, and a sprinkle of shredded Parmesan cheese.
- Makes 6 servings.
Video
Recipe Expert Tips
- If the sauce is too thick thin with a small amount of heavy cream.
Jeanine
The sauce had a kind of grainy texture. I think this may be because it was so quick to make I didn't have my pasta ready by the time I was done with the sauce. I kept the sauce on the burner on low heat and continued to whisk it frequently. Do you think it curdled a bit? Or maybe my parmesan was not finely grated enough?
The taste was still amazing! I really want to get it right. 🙂
Arlene Mobley
Jeanine If you used fresh Parmesan it isn't the cheese.
Larry D Thornburg
BEST sauce we have ever tasted and made!!!!!
Move out of the way ordinary Alfredo Sauce, you've got some SERIOUS competition!!!!t
Tami Lewis
This is a definite must try.. Perfect for my family!
Arlene Mobley
Thanks Tami!
SHARYN
can you make the sauce with half and half or evaporated milk. I love anything made with lemon the more tart the better
Arlene Mobley
Hi Sharyn
I have not tried using half and half to make lemon alfredo sauce. The heavy cream is what makes the lemon alfredo sauce creamy. You could try my Alfredo Sauce with Half and Half recipe and add some lemon juice in after the alfredo sauce has thickened.