Homemade Alfredo Sauce (Without Heavy Cream!)

A delicious and easy homemade Alfredo sauce recipe without heavy cream! This rich sauce is everything an authentic Alfredo sauce should be: rich, creamy, super cheesy, full of flavor, and a cinch to make!

Making Alfredo sauce at home is so easy. Once you try this, you’ll never buy the jarred stuff again! And the best part is you don’t need to use heavy cream to make a luscious, creamy Alfredo sauce. Why add the extra calories when it’s just as good without, right? Right. So let’s make it!

Ingredients for homemade Alfredo sauce without heavy cream

• Butter – I’ve been buying the New Zealand grass-fed salted butter from Costco recently. It’s not the least expensive butter you can find, but it is better than non-grass-fed butter for a few reasons: it’s higher in Omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins and it has great flavor! Unsalted butter works just fine as well.
• Flour – Regular all-purpose flour will do here.
• Garlic – I used fresh garlic cloves, but you can also use pre-minced garlic.
• Milk – This recipe calls for 2% milk, but you could also use whole milk. I prefer to use organic milk in all of my recipes. Organic Valley brand is a great option if you can find it. Like grass-fed butter, organic milk has more omega-3s and CLAs than conventional milk.
• Parmesan cheese – For the best Alfredo sauce, use a block of fresh parmesan cheese. The pre-packaged kinds are never as good!
• Romano cheese – I like to use Locatelli Grated Pecorino Romano cheese. It’s made with 100% sheep milk. It’s pre-crumbled so it’s super convenient. 
• Dried basil and fresh basil – I use dried basil for the sauce; I use fresh basil to top my fettuccine pasta Alfredo or other Alfredo pasta dish for added flavor!
• Dried oregano
• Salt and black pepper

As you can see, the ingredients for making Alfredo are pretty basic. Instead of the typical heavy cream-laden Alfredo sauce recipes you are likely to find, I just use regular milk in mine and I do not miss the cream one bit. 

Equipment Needed

• A large whisk
• A medium saucepan

How to make Alfredo without heavy cream

Make the roux

As with most cream sauces, we start this Alfredo by making a roux with flour and butter. What is a roux? It’s equal parts flour and melted fat that is used as a base to thicken sauces and soups. This, along with parmesan and romano cheese will help thicken the sauce yielding a drool-worthy alfredo sauce.

Melt butter first, then add the garlic and let that cook for just a minute. Then add the flour and cook again for another minute but whisk frequently. We let the flour cook like this for a minute to get rid of the raw flour taste. It’s a thing, I promise.

Add the milk

Pour in the milk slowly, whisking continuously to get rid of any lumps. Now the sauce needs to simmer over medium-low heat until it’s gently bubbling.

Add the parmesan, romano, basil, oregano, salt and black pepper

Once the milk mixture is bubbling, it should start to thicken. Turn off the heat and whisk in the dried herbs, cheese, salt and pepper. You’re homemade Alfredo sauce is ready! Can you believe how easy that was?

Do I really need to use parmesan and romano cheese?

While you certainly don’t have to, if all you have is parmesan cheese and you can’t get to the store, you can just use double the amount of parmesan in place of the romano. However, I highly recommend using both cheeses. Romano adds a pungent cheesiness that really makes this sauce mouthwatering.

Where to use Alfredo without heavy cream

There are lots of other places to use Alfredo!

• I also use this creamy sauce in my butternut squash lasagna that I make every Thanksgiving. And if you love this recipe, you’ll also love this butternut squash alfredo sauce (also with no cream!).
• There is of course the classic – Alfredo over some fettuccini pasta or linguini. I topped mine with some fresh basil (which I grew in my Aerogarden), extra parmesan, and a little crushed red pepper flakes. Man, was that good.
• Add some sliced grilled chicken breast for a superb chicken Alfredo
• One of my favorites is on this pizza. Creamy white sauce, provolone, roasted eggplant, and green olives make an amazing flavor combination you will not forget.

Storage Instructions

This sauce is best when consumed immediately, but it does make for great leftovers, too! For best results, store leftover Alfredo sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days or in the freezer for up to a month. 

Reheating Instructions

Dairy sauces do separate over time, so stir well when reheating. To reheat, add to a small pot over low heat on the stove until warm. If reheating in the microwave, cover with a paper towel and heat on medium power in 30-60 second increments until warm.

Why you’ll love this recipe

• It’s tried and true! I’ve tested this recipe many times, so you can have confidence it will turn out just right every time.
• The whole family will enjoy it – picky eaters too!
• It’s super creamy and rich – It has the same creamy consistency as classic Alfredo sauce!
• It contains no heavy cream! – You’ll love knowing you saved a few grams of fat. Plus, you won’t miss the heavy cream in traditional Alfredo sauce! 
• It requires only simple ingredients. You can find them in any large chain grocery store! 
• Not only are the ingredients super simple, but the process is also very simple. It’s simply an easy Alfredo sauce recipe.

Tried this Alfredo without heavy cream recipe?

If you’re looking for a recipe for alfredo sauce made without heavy cream, I hope you give this recipe a try! It’s so delicious and easy to make.

If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating below and let me know how it went. I’d love to hear from you!

You can also connect with me on Instagram and Pinterest.

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Homemade Alfredo Sauce without Heavy Cream

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5 from 6 reviews

The only Alfredo sauce recipe you will ever need. Rich, creamy, so easy to make and it’s made with just milk instead of heavy cream.

• Author: Becky Schmieg
• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 15 minutes
• Total Time: 20 minutes
• Yield: 2 cups sauce 1x
• Category: Condiment, Sauce
• Cuisine: Italian

Ingredients

Units USM Scale 1x2x3x

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter
• 1 clove garlic (minced)
• 2 tbsp flour
• 2 cups 2 % milk
• 1/3 cup Parmesan cheese (grated)
• 1/3 cup Romano cheese (grated)
• 1 tsp dried basil
• 1/2 tsp dried oregano
• 1 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp pepper

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Instructions

1. In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter over medium low heat. Once melted, add the garlic and cook about 1 minute. Then add the flour and whisk constantly and cook about 1 more minute.
2. Slowly pour in the milk, whisking constantly. Once all the liquid is added, increase heat just a touch and whisk occasionally while allowing to cook until gently simmering and bubbling around the edges of the pan.
3. Once bubbling and thickened, turn off the heat and add the herbs, salt, pepper, and both kinds of cheese. Whisk to combine.
4. Enjoy!