Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce (Copycat Recipe) + Video

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Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce is a creamy cheese sauce, perfect on pasta or veggies. With our copycat recipe, you can make it easily at home! You’ll love the ease of this creamy sauce. It’s the best recipe to make a copycat Olive Garden Alfredo sauce! 

olive garden alfredo sauce over pasta


 

If you don’t feel confident enough about your creative cooking ability, I have a lot of copycat restaurant recipes that you can make!

A few of our most popular Olive Garden™ recipes are the pasta fagioli soup, the amazing salad with Olive Garden Italian dressing, and the breadsticks!

pouring half and half into pot to make alfredo sauce

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

I love copycat recipes. One of the easiest ways to recreate restaurant recipes at home is to experiment with your cooking.

Don’t be afraid to make substitutions to see how you and your family like them. You can always improve on your favorite restaurant’s signature dishes! 

Or try this 30 Minute Chicken Alfredo.

The Olive Garden is one of our favorite restaurants. So, it only makes sense that I’d want to try a few Olive Garden copycat recipes at home. 

Try our cheese stuffed shells smothered in this luxurious half and half alfredo sauce.

If you aren’t in the mood for Italian food, consider making some of our wildly popular copycat Cracker Barrel recipes. That down home comfort food can’t be beat!

For a lighter sauce, try my Low Carb Alfredo Sauce.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

  • Cheeses

For the best authentic Italian flavor, I use a blend of freshly shredded Romano and Parmesan in this Olve Garden Alfredo sauce recipe. 

You could substitute other hard aged cheeses like Gruyere, Gouda, or Asiago, but definitely shred them fresh from a block rather than using preshedded cheese.

  • Substitutes for heavy cream in Alfredo sauce 

While heavy cream is one of the things that creates the creamiest Alfredo sauce, I like to make this Alfredo sauce with half and half.

Half and half is simply equal parts heavy cream and milk, so you can easily make your own substitute with those two ingredients.

Using evaporated milk, equal parts Greek yogurt and milk, or a combination of regular milk and butter are other options that might work for you. 

For a vegan Alfredo sauce, you can try using soy milk with a dash of olive oil.

adding shredded cheese to pot of alfredo

Olive Garden Alfredo Recipe Tips

  • Bring the cheese to room temperature before using it. Also, be sure to add the cheese gradually to prevent it from clumping.
  • Monitor the heat. The base of the sauce should be warm, but not too hot. Otherwise, the cheese separates and causes the consistency to be grainy.
  • Use high quality dairy products. Using a good quality butter is important to achieving the creamy consistency of this Olive Garden Alfredo sauce. 

    European butter has less water content than most brands of American butter.

Kitchen Tools You’ll Need

One of the reasons this Olive Garden Alfredo recipe is so popular is that you don’t need any special tools to make it!

grating a wedge of parmesan cheese

Serving Suggestions for Half and Half Alfredo

There are a lot of different uses for Alfredo sauce with half and half! The most popular dish is fettuccine Alfredo, but it’s delicious over gnocchi too.

Or use a different type of pasta, like rotini, homemade ravioli, shells, or even cavatelli pasta. I also have a scrumptious 20 minute recipe for tortellini alfredo.

Feel free to add meat and/or cooked fresh veggies to your sauce too. Chicken, Italian sausage, and shrimp Alfredo are all fantastic options! 

You can even use Olive Garden alfredo sauce as a substitute for red sauce in homemade lasagna.

Storing and Reheating Leftover Sauce 

If you have leftover Alfredo sauce, be sure to refrigerate it within two hours. 

Store the Olive Garden Alfredo sauce in an airtight container to prevent it from absorbing odors from nearby foods.

NOTE: Half and half Alfredo sauce will thicken up quite a bit in the fridge, but it does thin out as you reheat it in a microwave or slowly on the stove top. 

If you want to thin it more, you can stir in a couple of tablespoons of milk or water.

Freezing homemade Alfredo sauce: Dairy based sauces like Alfredo don’t freeze very well because they tend to separate as they thaw out. 

It does work for me, but only when I reheat it very slowly over very low heat, stirring often.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Recipe FAQ

How do you make a creamy Alfredo sauce? 

One of the best things about this Olive Garden Alfredo sauce recipe is that it turns out perfectly rich and creamy. If you are trying to replicate that at home, be sure that you use fresh Parmesan cheese, not pre-shredded cheese.

Definitely avoid using powdered Parmesan cheese. The flavor isn’t even close to the real thing!

What can I add to Alfredo sauce to make it better? 

Spices and seasonings go a long way, so that’s usually the best place to start! Because the cheeses add lots of flavor already, I stick with a little salt, pepper, and garlic powder.

For something bolder, try Italian seasoning, or choose your favorite from dried basil, oregano, or parsley. Start with 1/2 teaspoon, let it simmer, then add more to taste if needed.

What pairs well with this easy Alfredo sauce recipe?

This easy dinner idea pairs well with just about anything! Sliced chicken breasts are a family favorite and one that the whole family will love.  This delicious sauce is also perfect for any pasta dish, like fettuccine noodles or any of your favorite pasta dishes. 

If you’re making pasta recipes, don’t forget to make garlic bread or Caesar salad from the comfort of your own kitchen. This easy meal has so many flavor options! 

twirling fork in pasta with alfredo sauce

Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours. 

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plate of pasta topped with olive garden alfredo sauce and parsley

pile of pasta with white sauce sits on a plate

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce (Copycat Recipe) + Video

Donna Elick
Olive Garden Alfredo sauce is a creamy cheese sauce, perfect on pasta or veggies. With our copycat recipe, you can make it easily at home!
5 stars from 5 reviews
Tried this recipe?Please comment and review!
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 15 minutes
Total Time 20 minutes
Course Sauce
Cuisine Italian
Method Stovetop
Servings 6

Ingredients
 

  • 2 cups half and half, or 1 cup milk plus 1 cup heavy cream
  • 1 tablespoon unsalted butter
  • 1 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/2 cup fresh shredded Parmesan cheese
  • 1/2 cup fresh shredded Romano cheese
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/2 teaspoon fresh ground black pepper, or white

Instructions
 

  • Whisk together butter, garlic and half & half in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer (do not boil), then remove from heat.
  • Stir in cheese, a handful at a time. Gently stir until the cheese melts before adding the next handful.
  • Return pan to burner over medium heat. Season sauce with salt and pepper. Stir until cheese sauce is smooth and the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
    Remove pan from heat and allow sauce to cool for 5 minutes. Alfredo sauce will thicken even more as it cools.
  • Serve and enjoy!

Video

Donna’s Notes

Freezing Alfredo sauce
If you want to freeze the sauce, it will stay good in an airtight container for up to six months. The sauce WILL separate as it thaws. To recombine, reheat slowly and gently over low heat.

Nutrition

Serving: 1 | Calories: 189cal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 8g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 48mg | Sodium: 477mg | Sugar: 3g | Fiber: 1g | Calcium: 275mg | Iron: 1mg

All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
titled (shown over pasta) Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce

Originally published February 2014, updated and republished March 2024

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74 Comments

  1. I do not use eggs but I do use cream cheese and mine tastes exactly like Olive Garden's. I also use fresh minced garlic not garlic powder.

  2. Holy crap! I have never seen such know-it-all's in my entire life! Donna E. is sharing her "COPYCAT" recipe. No one asked ANY of you what your opinions are. If you know so much what are you doing on her website looking up the recipe? Hilarious! Better yet, where are your websites with all of your recipes that get clicked on by people all over the world? That's what I thought. Thanks to Donna E, and keep all the great recipes coming please.

    1. How true Donna. People should just be thankful there are sites like this one where you can get the recipe.

      cory j.

  3. Well put. The know-it-alls don't know it all. There is more than one route to Jerusalem. ANother example of the "me" generation. They wouldn't know a Julia Child if they saw one! Haw, Haw, Haw.

  4. Thanks so much for this recipe! Best home made alfredo sauce to date!

  5. Could anyone please tell me how many servings it makes? I have 3 teenage boys and my husband and I. So i need to know if i should double it or triple it. Lol
    Thanks

    1. 6 servings. But there’s a feature in the recipe box to increase the amount 2x or 3x. With three teenage boys, I’d say for you, 3x should do the trick. LOL The best part is you can use the leftovers (if you have any) of this sauce (replace the red sauce) to make a vegetable lasagne that’s VERY tasty. Use veggies in place of the meat.

  6. I'm looking forward to experimenting with this recipe! I'm wondering if I were to make a casserole using this recipe and adding perogis should I cook them first or can I add frozen. If I use frozen should I make the sauce thinner because of the starch from the perogis.

  7. 5 stars
    I cant wait to mess around with this recipe, and add all kinds of spices and homemade noodles! I think it would be perfect with homemade noodles instead of the store-bought ones I used.

  8. 5 stars
    Super easy and super delicious! The Slow Roasted Italian strikes again with this fantastic Olive Garden Alfredo sauce recipe. Thanks, Donna and Chad!

  9. 5 stars
    donna’s recipes are always a hit in my house, and this Olive Garden Alfredo sauce was no exception! I added a pinch of nutmeg for extra flavor, and it turned out fantastic. 5 stars!

  10. 5 stars
    Tried this last night, and it was a hit! Tastes just like the restaurant version, maybe even better. Love your recipes, Donna!

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