12 Ways To Help Thicken Your Alfredo Sauce

When it comes to comfort food, the best dishes are simple, savory, and always leave you wanting more. Alfredo sauce, a deliciously thick and creamy concoction usually served with pasta, is a prime example. A classic quick and easy Alfredo recipe is made using heavy cream, butter, and grated cheese.

However, you may be surprised to learn that fettuccine Alfredo has ties to Old Hollywood. According to the Huffington Post, a restaurateur in Rome named Alfredo di Lelio created the creamy sauce in 1914 for his pregnant wife who was suffering from morning sickness. Douglas Fairbanks and Mary Pickford — a Hollywood power couple at the time — were honeymooning in Rome and had a chance to taste this delicious dish for themselves. As a result, di Lelio's restaurant became a destination for famous actors and tourists who wanted to indulge in the pasta dish. It soon became a hit in the United States as well.

Fast forward to today and you'll find countless Alfredo recipes. No matter what you use to make your Alfredo sauce, one thing remains the same — you want to recreate the signature thick consistency that made it so popular. To avoid common mistakes when making Alfredo sauce and to fix it if it's too thin, here are some tricks on how to achieve the desired texture.

The original Alfredo sauce made by Alfredo di Lelio used triple cream butter and fresh Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, which was then tossed with pasta made using three kinds of flour and more eggs than usual (via Forbes). The combination of these ingredients created a creaminess that became synonymous with Alfredo sauce. However, those same ingredients were not as readily available in America as in Italy, where di Lelio's restaurant was located. Most basic Alfredo sauce recipes today will call for heavy cream or whipping cream to recreate the thick consistency of the original dish.

One trick to help create a thick Alfredo sauce is to reduce the cream before adding freshly grated cheese (via Better Homes & Gardens). You can do this by combining the cream with melted butter and bringing it to a boil. Then, reduce the heat to a simmer and cook the cream mixture while uncovered for several minutes until it easily coats a spoon.

Although cornstarch is a common kitchen staple today, it was invented in the mid-19th century by Thomas Kingsford and was originally used as a laundry aid (via MyRecipes). The processed powder eventually made its way into the hands of chefs, who used it as a proven method to thicken sauces.

While cornstarch is referred to as "corn flour" in the United Kingdom and some other countries, corn flour is actually a different ingredient in the United States (via Healthline). Corn flour in America is a fine, powdery flour made from grinding whole corn kernels, whereas cornstarch is made using only the kernel's endosperm portion.

If you are unhappy with your Alfredo sauce because it seems too thin, mixing in a cornstarch slurry is an effective way to get a creamier consistency (via Better Homes & Gardens). Simply combine cornstarch with cold water and stir until the mixture is even and integrated. Then, pour the cornstarch slurry into the simmering sauce a little bit at a time while whisking. Once you reach the thickness you want, remove the sauce from the heat and toss it with your pasta until fully coated.

Butter is an essential ingredient in any Alfredo sauce. Because it is an emulsifier, adding more to your recipe can create a smoother, thick texture that brings all the elements of your sauce together (per MasterClass).

While sauce recipes often use basic ingredients, some home chefs are wary of preparing rich sauces because they can easily break, meaning the fat separates from the other sauce components. Butter is one of the ingredients that can help bind a sauce because it's made from fat, protein, and water. Cook's Illustrated explains when butter is heated in a sauce, a thin layer of liquid coats the fat, giving it a richness that integrates well with other components. More specifically, cold butter works best to thicken sauces and prevent them from breaking.

An easy Alfredo sauce recipe by Tasting Table calls for one stick of butter to make enough sauce for 1 pound of pasta to serve about six people. The results are a decadent Alfredo that coats every noodle rather than a thin sauce that settles at the bottom of the bowl.

Countless delicious sauces start with a roux, which is a combination of equal parts fat and flour. The fat component is usually butter or oil, but some adaptations use rendered animal fat instead. In the case of Alfredo sauce, a roux can serve as a base for the creamiest version of this popular pasta sauce. Here's how.

Although there are only two ingredients required to make a roux, it's actually a little more complicated than simply throwing them together and obtaining the perfect result. Roux has the potential to easily burn if the heat is too high, so it must be stirred constantly and cooked over an even, low to medium heat to avoid that outcome. Unfortunately, once the roux burns, there's no saving it. The only option is to start over.

If you want to make your Alfredo sauce with a roux, start with butter in a saucepan over low heat. When the butter has fully melted, add the flour and whisk the ingredients together so they start to incorporate and brown slightly. Then, add milk to create a bechamel and let it simmer to thicken. From here, add your cheese and seasoning for an unforgettably creamy Alfredo.

Another non-traditional way of thickening up Alfredo sauce is to add a cauliflower puree. Cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable that is low in calories and rich in fiber, vitamin C, and antioxidants, and it may aid in digestion, weight loss, and bodily functions (via Healthline). Not only does it add a boost of nutrients to your sauce, but it can also give your Alfredo a hearty consistency that goes well with pasta, protein, and other dishes, without adding fat.

However, you should be careful not to add too much to avoid changing the flavor of the sauce beyond recognition. Also, getting the puree to the right consistency before adding it to the sauce is a crucial step that can make or break your recipe. You want to maintain the creamy texture and thickness that butter, cream, and cheese provide, so go for a silky smooth puree that doesn't have any obvious lumps.

The best way to achieve a flawless cauliflower puree is to ensure you cook the vegetable until it is incredibly tender. You can boil it in salted water or chicken stock until the florets are soft enough for a fork to easily pierce and break them. Then, use a food processor or blender to puree the cauliflower with milk until it is smooth. Add the puree to a saucepan with melted butter before adding the cheese (via Food Network).

Vegetarians don't have to miss out on the creamy deliciousness that is Alfredo sauce. There are several vegetarian recipes that creatively mimic the smooth texture and savory flavors of this Italian-American staple. For example, many vegan or vegetarian Alfredo sauces use cashews to recreate the thick, ultra-rich consistency we all crave.

Cashews are an excellent vegan alternative to the traditional ingredients used to make Alfredo sauce because they are high in heart-healthy fats, which create a thick creaminess that rounds out any dish. These popular nuts also provide a myriad of other nutrients, including protein, magnesium, calcium, potassium, copper, and vitamins C and B, as well as various health benefits (via Medical News Today).

There are plenty of vegan Alfredo sauce recipes that use cashews and only a handful of other ingredients. Just make sure you soak your cashews in hot water for about 20 minutes to get them nice and soft before diving into cooking. The final product will be so surprisingly silky and "cheesy" that you'll have a hard time believing there is no actual butter or cheese in the sauce!