Better than Storebought Alfredo Sauce | morocooks (2024)

Better than Storebought Alfredo Sauce | morocooks (1)

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Fettuccine alfredo is so luxurious and indulgent that eating it is truly a special event. As such, it would be a tragedy to waste the calories by using an average tasting jarred sauce. Special meals require a special touch and this alfredo sauce has it.

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Why Make it at Home?

In blind taste tests I found that alfredo sauce made from scratch has a lot more flavor than jarred sauce. The parmesan is a lot more prevalent and the sauce itself is smoother and richer. And this flavor comes at practically no extra cost.

The cheapest jarred alfredo sauce I could find is Trader Joe’s. It costs $3.29 for a 16oz of sauce. About 21 cents per ounce. This one was very clearly the worst tasting sauce. It didn’t have any flavors of butter or parmesan even though they were on the ingredient list. The flavor profile was weirdly sweet, and frankly difficult to eat. No hate if you like trader joe’s alfredo sauce, it’s just not for me.

Rao’s costs $6.88 for a 15 ounce jar, which is 46 cents per ounce. And this one fared a lot better than Trader Joe’s. It tasted like actual alfredo sauce. But the flavor was not as strong compared to homemade. And it wasn’t as smooth either.

This recipe for homemade alfredo sauce uses $4.33 worth of ingredients and makes 9.5 ounces, which is also roughly 46 cents per ounce. This means homemade alfredo sauce costs about the same as high quality jarred sauces, but tastes even better.

Better than Storebought Alfredo Sauce | morocooks (2)

The secret sauce to a perfect sauce.

Between the butter, cream, and parmesan, alfredo sauce is made with a lot of fat. All of which has to form an emulsion with the water in the cream to form a thick and velvety sauce. However, this means that it’s super easy for the fat to separate from the sauce due to overheating or inadequate mixing. The sauce breaks easily, something that almost never happens with the jarred stuff because they use one secret ingredient: Cornstarch

Cornstarch helps bind the fat to the water. This thickens the sauce, but more importantly lowers the chance of the sauce breaking. By incorporating this trick into our recipe we make this sauce bulletproof.

Other Ingredients

Garlic – The main flavor of alfredo. I use fresh minced garlic here, but minced jarred garlic works fine. In a pinch substitute with a tablespoon of garlic powder.

Parmesan – I highly recommend grating your own parmesan for this. Pre-shredded cheese doesn’t have as strong of a taste, and it comes with anti-caking agents that will make the sauce less smooth.

Half-and-half – I personally prefer the lighter flavor and feel of half-and-half over heavy cream. If you want the extra richness go with the heavy cream. Just don’t tell your doctor.

Better than Storebought Alfredo Sauce | morocooks (3)

Better than Storebought Alfredo Sauce

Servings

2

servings

Prep time

5

minutes

Cooking time

8

minutes

Ingredients

  • 6 cloves garlic, minced

  • 8 tbsp butter

  • 2 cups half-and-half

  • 5 ounces grated parmesan (1 ½ cups)

  • 2 tsp cornstarch

  • Salt and pepper to taste

  • Small pinch of nutmeg

Directions

  • Melt butter on medium low heat. Add garlic and gently fry until fragrant.
  • Add half-and-half, Mix cornstarch with a few tablespoons of water to form a slurry. Add the slurry to the pan. Stir vigorously until combined. Simmer on low until slightly thickened, stirring frequently. about 3-5 minutes.
  • Add the grated parmesan and stir until fully melted and combined.
  • Season with salt and pepper, and optionally nutmeg. Sauce should be slightly too salty when tasted on its own, so that it will be perfectly seasoned when eaten with pasta.
  • Toss sauce with pasta of choice and enjoy.

Recipe Video

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Better than Storebought Alfredo Sauce | morocooks (2024)

FAQs

What to add to store bought Alfredo sauce to make it better? ›

How To Make Jarred Alfredo Sauce Better
  1. Garlic. Adding fresh garlic cloves is such an easy, quick and affordable way to add a huge burst of flavor to jarred sauce. ...
  2. Butter. Melted butter adds a creamy texture and a deliciously bold flavor to alfredo sauce. ...
  3. Cheese. ...
  4. Vegetables. ...
  5. Seasonings/Spices. ...
  6. Go Spicy. ...
  7. White Wine. ...
  8. Meat.
Dec 31, 2021

Is it cheaper to make Alfredo sauce or buy it? ›

This recipe for homemade alfredo sauce uses $4.33 worth of ingredients and makes 9.5 ounces, which is also roughly 46 cents per ounce. This means homemade alfredo sauce costs about the same as high quality jarred sauces, but tastes even better.

What's the difference between American Alfredo and Italian Alfredo sauce? ›

The alfredo sauce, which now catered to American tastes rather than Italian, evolved to include ingredients like flour, cream, milk, and shrimp or chicken. To this day, di Lelio's original recipe only contains three ingredients: fettuccine, young Parmesan cheese, and butter.

What is the best substitute for heavy cream in Alfredo sauce? ›

One of the easiest ways to substitute heavy cream in Alfredo sauce is to use a thickener + milk. We chose corn starch + milk because it gives that same creamy texture without the fattiness that heavy cream brings. The corn starch also allows you to thicken your Alfredo sauce recipe with milk and no flour.

How do you doctor up a jar of Alfredo sauce? ›

Milk, heavy cream, or sour cream.

You will get a creamier texture and a bolder flavor. If you want, you can also add some romano cheese to balance the nutty taste of the other dairy ingredients. Chicken broth: another way to improve a jar of Alfredo sauce and give it a rich flavor.

How do you upgrade a jar of Alfredo sauce? ›

15 Ways To Upgrade Store-Bought Alfredo Sauce
  1. Add extra cheese for creaminess and flavor. ...
  2. Stir in a touch of marinara to mimic a vodka sauce. ...
  3. Mix in a bit of pesto for an instant transformation. ...
  4. Add roasted or sauteed garlic for a serious boost in flavor. ...
  5. Simmer with extra herbs and spices for added depth.
Feb 29, 2024

Is shredded or grated Parmesan better for Alfredo? ›

Our Test Kitchen pros swear that the best recipes for how to make Alfredo sauce include freshly grated Parmesan cheese.

How do you thicken store bought Alfredo sauce? ›

Cornstarch

The easiest way to accomplish this is to mix about a spoonful of cornstarch to 2 spoonfuls of liquid – it could be water or chicken stock or even milk. You will add this mixture, also called a slurry to the sauce and as it starts to cook, the sauce will thicken.

What makes Alfredo taste like Alfredo? ›

What Makes Alfredo Taste Alfredo? The key to Alfredo sauce's unique flavour is the combination of butter, cream, and Parmesan cheese. The butter and cream create a rich, velvety base, while the Parmesan cheese adds a tangy, salty flavour.

Do real Italians use alfredo sauce? ›

Fettuccine Alfredo, it turns out, is 100% Italian. To be fair, the original recipe is quite different from whatever you may find in the States. Italians have been eating Fettuccine Alfredo for over a century…

Why not order fettuccine Alfredo in Italy? ›

In the United States, there are many variations of fettuccine Alfredo, but the one that makes Italians raise their eyebrows the most is undoubtedly the addition of chicken to this creamy sauce. In Italy, traditionally speaking, you would never ever mix chicken with pasta!

What is marinara and Alfredo mixed called? ›

Pink Sauce Pasta is cooked pasta tossed with equal parts red marinara sauce and white alfredo sauce which combine to make – you got it – a pink-hued sauce. Again, as simple as the combination sounds, it is mind blowingly delicious.

Is it better to make Alfredo sauce with whipping cream or cooking cream? ›

You can easily make a sauce for pasta with heavy cream or whipping cream. Heavy cream will give you better results because it has a higher fat content, but whipping cream will be fine.

What happens if you use milk instead of heavy cream in pasta? ›

But milk won't whip like heavy cream. Can I use milk instead of heavy cream in pasta? Yes. Use whole milk and stir in a flour-butter mixture to thicken and enrich pasta dishes instead of heavy cream.

Can I use half and half instead of heavy cream for Alfredo sauce? ›

Yes, as a matter of fact, using half and half instead of heavy cream results in a sauce that is equally as thick and creamy. How do you thicken half and half for Alfredo? We've added a couple tablespoons of flour to this sauce recipe to make sure the sauce turns out equivalently thick and creamy using half and half.

How do you make store bought pasta sauce taste better? ›

Tossing in strips of basil, a sprig of thyme or some oregano can take your sauce to the next level. Although fresh herbs might pop a bit more, dried herbs and spices can work just as well. Sprinkling in some red pepper flakes, a pinch of parsley and a dash of salt and pepper can liven up your jarred pasta sauce.

How to make store-bought alfredo sauce thicker? ›

Cornstarch

The easiest way to accomplish this is to mix about a spoonful of cornstarch to 2 spoonfuls of liquid – it could be water or chicken stock or even milk. You will add this mixture, also called a slurry to the sauce and as it starts to cook, the sauce will thicken.

How do I fix my alfredo sauce? ›

The Fix Is Simple—Add Water Back.

Here's how fix a broken sauce: Add about ¼ cup of water to the pan and reheat the sauce to a vigorous simmer, whisking constantly. The bubbling action will help re-emulsify the butter and bring back that thick, glossy sauce.

How do you stretch store bought Alfredo sauce? ›

Just add a little bit of heavy cream to that, then place it in the microwave. for about three to five minutes, stirring occasionally every 30 seconds.

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