Best Easy Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo

After years of hit-and-miss Fettuccine Alfredo, I recorded my recipe for the Best East Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo you will ever eat! This delicious meal can be ready to eat in less than 20 minutes and is sure to please any picky palates in your home!

Basic ingredients for Best Easy Creamy Fettuccini Alfredo

The basic ingredients for Alfredo are usually the same. Butter. Sometimes garlic. Usually cream. Sometimes half and half. Always salt. Over the years, I experimented with flour in the sauce. In the early days, I tried margarine (yikes!) and even packets of Ranch Dressing mix!

I have tried making Fettuccine Alfredo with cream cheese as well. It was a little on the heavy side for me. The flavor was good, but it didn’t taste like classic Alfredo sauce…

Can Fettuccini Alfredo be made without a recipe?

Creating the perfect Fettuccini Alfredo seemed to be an experiment every time I made it. I simply never took the time to find a method I loved and then stick with it. Finally, one day, I wrote down the measurements and exactly how I make it.

Like our Tried and True Chocolate Chip Cookie recipe, this recipe for Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo deserved to be recorded properly, once and for all! Recording the ingredients and proportions eliminates the guessing game every time.

Authentic Italian Alfredo is made with only three ingredients: butter, Parmesan cheese and pasta.

The only problem with this combination? Unless you are an experienced cook, I feel it is really easy to end up with a ball of pasta that sticks together and seems very greasy.

That’s where heavy cream comes in. Using heavy cream helps prevent issues with the pasta sticking together and creates a creamy delicious dish of pasta.

Simple recipe and method = best results

Fettucinni Alfredo is a simple recipe. I’ve come to know over years of cooking, the simple recipes are most often the best recipes. I believe that’s true with our Best Easy Creamy Fettuccini Alfredo recipe.

One of the best kept secrets to making delicious pasta sauces is to use the pasta water. I first learned about pasta water being the secret to excellent pasta sauce way back in 2011 in this Pasta Pomodoro post!

Basic Ingredients for our Best Fettuccini Alfredo:

I’m going to give you the best option, and then the “use what you have option”…

Start with unsalted butter. If you can afford it, spring for a brand such as Kerry Gold. If not, use what you have in your fridge. Unsalted is best because you can control the amount of salt in your recipe!

Fresh garlic is also a key ingredient in this homemade Alfredo sauce. Buy a bulb of garlic, pull off a clove and mince it yourself. It takes seconds to crush and mince a clove of garlic!

Heavy Cream is a must, and highly recommended in Fettuccini Alfredo. I experimented with this for years before realizing the best creamy Alfredo sauce is made with heavy cream. Using flour to thicken the sauce gives it a different texture.

If you can’t get your hands on heavy cream, you can use 2 tablespoons of flour sprinkled on the melted butter to make a roux. Cook the flour and butter over medium, whisking while cooking, then add milk or half and half. Not quite the same as heavy cream, but it works in a pinch!

Fresh grated Parmesan Cheese is also key in Alfredo sauce. I am a big fan of buying large bags of shaved Parmesan from my favorite big box store for many recipes. BUT, I will say that it does not melt quite the same as if you grate it yourself. If you have Pecorino Romano, that works as well.

Why grate it yourself? Any type of cheese sold pre-grated contains additives or a process to remove moisture to keep the cheese from sticking together. These additives also inhibit the cheese from melting.

If you have a choice, grate it yourself. If not, pre-grated will work! Pre-grated is better than going without. Cheese in the green can is not recommended. I have used a microplane grater for years to grate Parmesan Cheese!

Pasta. There are countless options when choosing pasta! Dry pasta is most readily available. Most people have some shape of pasta in the pantry at all times.

Fettuccini refers to the shape of the pasta. Fettuccini is similar to spaghetti, but is shaped as long, flat pieces of pasta. You may use other shapes of pasta for this recipe.

If you can purchase fresh pasta (pasta that has not been dried), fresh is always best. That said, I often make Fettuccini Alfredo with dried pasta. Look for a good quality brand.

How to choose good quality pasta? If you want to read more about dry pasta, Savuer did an extensive blind taste test with 16 brands of pasta. Some are readily available in most grocery stores, some were not. I most often purchase Garafolo brand. It is middle of the road as far as cost goes, and I like the flavor and texture. If you are gluten free, I have tried Barilla Gluten Free Pasta, and found it to be a great product.

How much pasta do I need?

After years of dumping a 1-pound package of pasta into boiling water, I finally learned to cut back a bit on the pasta. Just because a package contains 1 lb of pasta does not mean you have to cook the entire package!

Usually, 2-3 oz of pasta per person is enough! For this recipe, I use 8-12 oz of fettuccini, which yields about 4 large or 6 medium size servings.

As you can see in the photos, I prefer to have less sauce and more pasta. I don’t like my pasta swimming in sauce. This sauce in particular is extra rich, so for me, a little goes a long way.

I’d rather have less sauce coating my pasta, so I usually cook 10-12 oz of pasta for this recipe. If you prefer more sauce on your pasta, use about 8 oz of pasta per recipe! Most packages of pasta are sold in 1 lb (or more) per package.

This recipe is easy to adapt. If you love chicken and broccoli, add it for a complete meal in a pan! This recipe yields 4-6 servings depending on if serving as a main dish or a side. I know you will love this basic recipe for the Best Easy Creamy Fettuccine Alfredo!