Looking for Something?

The Recipe Bandit

  • Home
  • Meal Ideas
  • Appetizers and Sides
  • Sweet & Snacky
  • Pickling & Preserving
  • Marinades & Seasonings
  • Dips, Sauces and Dressings
  • Don’t Eat Me
  • About Me
Home » Meal Ideas » Four Ingredient Alfredo Sauce

Four Ingredient Alfredo Sauce

Dips, Sauces and Dressings· Meal Ideas

6 Jan

simple pantry ingredients combine to make this Restaurant quality Four Ingredient Alfredo Sauce. Add pasta for a quick and easy dinner the whole family will love!

Alfredo sauce is a thick, rich and creamy white sauce most frequently associated with pasta dishes of all kinds. With just the right amount of garlic, it offers a wonderful combination of flavors!

It is so delicious that most people think that it must be hard to make but the truth is that making Alfredo sauce is ridiculously easy. Four simple ingredients and a saucepan.

Make this Four Ingredient Alfredo Sauce, add to any type of pasta, add in some chicken or shrimp, and a side of garlic toast and you have a restaurant quality meal that is satisfying and delicious!

Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Finished 4 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce on a spoon.

What is Alfredo Sauce ?

Alfredo sauce is a rich pasta sauce made with butter, garlic, Parmesan Cheese and heavy cream.

Interesting fact – in Italy, Fettuccine Alfredo refers to Fettuccine noodles tossed only in butter and Parmesan cheese. The addition of heavy cream, garlic, parsley and protein (like shrimp and chicken) didn’t occur until the 1970’s… in the United States!


Ingredients for 4 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce.

What you’ll Need to make Four Ingredient Alfredo Sauce

BUTTER – There is no substitute for butter.in this recipe. I use regular salted butter but feel free to substitute unsalted butter instead. If you do, taste the sauce before serving and add salt if needed.

GARLIC – This recipe has a robust garlic flavor. You can use less garlic if you prefer to just have a hint of the garlic rather than full flavor. Roasted Garlic is an amazing substitution, just spoon it in and break it up with the whisk.

HEAVY CREAM – Don’t have heavy cream? There are some substitutions that work well. You can use half and half or you can just use regular milk and add more butter. 3/4 cup of regular milk mixed with 1/4 cup of butter has the same fat content of heavy cream. Another option is to swap evaporated milk for heavy cream straight across the board. I have done this with good results.

PARMESAN CHEESE – This is another must have ingredient but there is no specific must have type. I prefer shredded Parmesan for this but I have used grated Parmesan and even have used “Green Shaker Parmesan” when I needed to and it has been delicious every single time!

PASTA – Alfredo Sauce is great on any and all pasta. We use it on whatever we have on hand in the pantry and we are yet to be disappointed. Any pasta will do.

ADDING PROTEIN – Sometimes I like to add protein to my Alfredo sauce. It makes dinner a little more filling and uses up whatever I need used up. I often will add shredded cooked chicken or shrimp and toss into the sauce and then spoon over the pasta.

OTHER FANTASTIC ADDITIONS – Pretty much the sky is the limit. I have added chopped sun dried tomatoes, olives, broccoli, mushrooms. Pretty much if you like it, throw it in. The Alfredo sauce is a delicious blank slate. It only gets better!


Finished Four Ingredient Alfredo Sauce over ravioli in a bowl

How to make Four Ingredient Alfredo Sauce

Alfredo sauce is one of the easiest sauces that you can make at home. Complimentary to pretty much any pasta, this makes dinner both easy and so delicious!

Melting butter in a saucepan.

Melt the butter In a medium saucepan over medium heat.

Adding chopped garlic to melted butter in a saucepan.

When the butter is almost completely melted, add in the chopped garlic and stir for about one minute.

This will distribute the garlic flavor throughout the butter and give your sauce a delicious garlicky base.

Adding heavy cream to the saucepan.

Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and bring the sauce to a simmer.

Adding the cream slowly maintains the temperature and helps with the thickening of the sauce.

Whisking sauce together as it simmers.

Allow to simmer for 5 minutes, stirring often. This fully incorporates the flavors throughout.

Adding Parmesan cheese to the 4 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce.

Reduce the heat to medium-low and begin adding the shredded Parmesan cheese, whisking constantly until incorporated and heated through, about 2 minutes.

Simmering 4 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce in a saucepan.

Sauce will thicken after adding the cheese. Add salt & pepper to taste.

Thickened 4 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce on a spoon.

Serve immediately over your choice of cooked, warm pasta, garnished with parsley if desired.

Finished pasta dinner of Ravioli and 4 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce in a bowl.

Other Quick Meal Ideas You May Like

Simple Stir Fry Sauce – Stir fry is one of the easiest things to throw together for a quick and easy dinner or lunch!

Creamy Orzo with Meatballs and Peas – Meatballs, peas and orzo pasta in a creamy cheesy sauce is a great weeknight meal for a family on the go!

Simple Weeknight Meatloaf – Simple, home comfort food.

Simple Crustless Quiche – Meat and veggie ingredients can be interchanged for whatever you like or what you have on hand.

Spaghetti Pie – With Italian sausage and spinach hidden inside this is an unexpectedly good (and super easy!) weeknight creation that the entire family will love.

4 Ingredient Alfredo Sauce

Simple pantry ingredients combine to make this restaurant quality Four Ingredient Alfredo Sauce. Add pasta for a quick and easy dinner the whole family will love!
5 from 4 votes
Print Pin Rate
Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings: 6 servings
Calories: 478kcal

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 3 cloves garlic finely chopped
  • 2 cups heavy cream
  • 1 cup shredded Parmesan Cheese
Prevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

  • Melt the butter In a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  • Add the chopped garlic and stir for about 1 minute until fragrant.
  • Slowly whisk in the heavy cream and bring the sauce to a simmer.
  • Simmer the sauce for 5 minutes, stirring often.
  • Reduce heat to medium-low and begin adding the shredded Parmesan cheese, whisking constantly until incorporated and heated through, about 2 minutes. Sauce will thicken after adding the cheese. Add salt & pepper to taste.
  • Serve immediately over cooked, warm pasta, garnished with parsley if desired.

Nutrition *

Calories: 478kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 49g | Saturated Fat: 31g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 12g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 145mg | Sodium: 435mg | Potassium: 117mg | Fiber: 0.03g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 1783IU | Vitamin C: 1mg | Calcium: 207mg | Iron: 0.2mg
* The information shown is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator.
Have you tried this recipe? Post a pic and mention @TheRecipeBandit or tag #therecipebandit!

  • Michelle Mundy

    As a busy working mom with kids on the go, I know how important it is to be able to make simple and delicious meals using everyday ingredients. The recipes shared here are family friendly with easy to understand step by step instructions. Tried and true, from our family to yours. Welcome to The Recipe Bandit! Click here to read more about me.

4 Comments

Previous Post: « Small Batch Gingerbread
Next Post: Worcestershire Beef Jerky »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Amanda Paladini says

    January 22, 2024 at 7:21 pm

    5 stars
    This is amazing, tried it tonight!

    Reply
    • Michelle Mundy says

      January 24, 2024 at 7:59 pm

      5 stars
      So glad you tried it and liked it Amanda! It’s a great weeknight recipe <3

      Reply
  2. Julie Hewitt says

    July 17, 2023 at 1:27 pm

    5 stars
    So simple and so delicious! Will definitely be making this again.

    Reply
    • The Bandit says

      July 28, 2023 at 3:06 pm

      5 stars
      So glad to hear Julie! Thanks for your feedback! <3

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Looking For Something?

Popular Posts

Slow Cooker Mexican Chicken Dip

Teriyaki Sweet Hot Beef Jerky

Sweet & Spicy Beef Jerky

Oktoberfest Pie

Peanut Butter Pumpkin Dog Treats

3 Ingredient Butterscotch Fudge

Keto Cheese Crisps

Parmesan Garlic Chicken Drumsticks (Air Fryer)

Cheddar Cheese Sauce for Veggies

Best Chicken Salad Ever

About Me

  • Michelle Mundy

    As a busy working mom with kids on the go, I know how important it is to be able to make simple and delicious meals using everyday ingredients. The recipes shared here are family friendly with easy to understand step by step instructions. Tried and true, from our family to yours. Welcome to The Recipe Bandit! Click here to read more about me.

Connect With Us on Social Media

Facebook
Instagram
Pinterest
Pinterest
fb-share-icon
Twitter
YouTube
  • About Me – The Recipe Bandit
  • Subscribe
  • Privacy Policy
  • Contact Us

Looking For Something?

Copyright © 2025 · The Recipe Bandit · Delicious Recipes Using Everyday Ingredients