Cream Cheese Alfredo Sauce is an easy, 30 minute dinner that is so creamy, delicious, and full of flavor. Serve over your favorite pasta for a delicious dinner that is a family favorite. You only need a few simple ingredients to make homemade alfredo sauce with cream cheese.
This post has been update May 2018. Original post is down below.
I can finally share some big news with you all! We are moving back to Utah. Words can’t accurately describe how happy I am. I am from there and my entire family lives there; parents and all my siblings and their families. I have been the lone wolf out here in Maryland for the past 7 years while they are all together out in Utah.
It’s been in the works for awhile but I could not say anything because my husband was still employed at his job here in Maryland. He’s an Engineer and for the first time in his life, he will be unemployed in the next 2 days. Eeeek. I may or may no be freaking out just a little bit.
Luckily, we sold our house at the perfect time and are making a good chunk of money from the sell. This move is totally unlike us. Our lives have always been very planned and there has been intention behind every choice we’ve made. But this! Quitting his job and then up and moving back to Utah. That is nerve-wracking. I always like to know what’s happening and there are so many doubts and questions about life in the next few months. Which makes me stressed and when I get stressed I bake. So prepare yourselves for lots of sweet treats in the next few weeks, haha 🙂
This cream cheese garlic alfredo sauce has been a family favorite for years now. There is not much that beats homemade alfredo sauce. It’s even better when yo can have dinner on the table within 30 minutes.
Alfredo sauce is always one of my go-to recipes for dinner because my kids love it. They always request the noodles with white sauce. Which means this alfredo sauce or this garlic parmesan pasta. Which is another quick and easy dinner that is picky-eater approved.
How to make Homemade Cream Cheese Garlic Alfredo Sauce
- In a saucepan or a skillet pan with high sides, melt a stick of salted butter. I prefer salted because it has more flavor. You can use unsalted but you will more than likely have to add additional salt at the end of the cook time.
- Once the butter is melted, add a block of cream cheese that has been cut into chunks. Add the garlic as well and stir with a whisk or a wooden spoon until cram cheese is melted. The mixture will look curdled almost and that is just fine.
- Add chicken broth + heavy whipping cream. Stir with a whisk and let it come to a boil.
- Once boiling, turn the heat down to low and add the parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper.
- Let cook for about 3-5 minutes. The alfredo sauce should be slightly thicker. Take the pan off the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes so it can thicken up.
- Add the noodles into the pan of alfredo sauce or you can serve noodles and sauce separately and let everyone make their own pasta.
Tips for making Homemade Cream Cheese Garlic Alfredo Sauce
- For best results use freshly grated parmesan cheese from the block. The pre-shredded stuff does not melt well and the cheaper, grated stuff has a “fake” taste to it and it tends to be much saltier.
- If you are new to shredding your own parmesan cheese from the block, then you must know that you can find an 8 oz wedge in the produce area of the store by the other specialty cheeses by the deli.
- Remember to just shred the cheese up until the white color rind on parmesan cheese wedge.
- Sere over noodles of your choice in any recipe that calls for alfredo sauce.
- I have never used the 1/3 less fat cream cheese but I am sure it would work just fine.
- The garlic can be adjusted to your taste. You can also use garlic cloves, garlic powder, or even the garlic paste in the tube (which is what I use).
I have a top 5 of go-to dinners. You know, things that I make for my own family at least once a month. One of those is this Creamy Beef Noodle Bake. And then this Cream Cheese Garlic Alfredo Sauce has already made it to that list. I have made this 3 times in just he past two weeks! There has not been a single time that I have made it that my kids (yes, all 3 of them!) have not had double helpings.
This Alfredo sauce is only 6 ingredients, + salt & pepper. And no chopping required. Which makes me very happy! Easy recipes are the ones where you just dump, stir, and cook. Pulling out a cutting board and chopping and dicing is not an “easy” recipe. I promise, this is easy!
I love serving this with some spiral noodles because my kids love the shape, and then a green salad and maybe some French bread. You can either serve the noodles and sauce separate or put the hot, cooked noodles into the sauce once it’s done and serve like that.
Cream Cheese Garlic Alfredo Sauce
Cream Cheese Garlic Alfredo Sauce is an easy, 30 minute dinner that is so creamy, delicious, and full of flavor. Serve over your favorite pasta for a delicious dinner that is a family favorite. You only need a few simple ingredients to make homemade alfredo sauce with cream cheese.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) salted butter
- 1 block (8 oz) cream cheese, cut into chunks
- 1 1/2 teaspoons garlic powder
- 1 cup heavy whipping cream
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 8 oz wedge parmesan cheese, shredded
- 1/2 teaspoon salt (or less to taste)
- 1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
Instructions
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Melt butter in a saucepan (or skilet pan with high sides) over medium-high heat. Once melted, add in the chunked cream cheese and garlic powder. Stir with a whisk until mostly smooth and mixed together. This will take a couple of minutes { It may look curdled and not perfectly smooth but that's fine. It will smooth out when the liquid is added. }
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Add the whipping cream and chicken broth a little bit at a time, while whisking constantly. Bring to a low boil. Once boiling, reduce heat to medium-low and add the parmesan cheese, salt & pepper. Let simmer for 5-10 minutes until slightly thickened, stirring occasionally.
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Take the pan off the heat and let it sit for about 5 minutes so it can thicken up. Serve over pasta noodles of choice. You can also add the cooked pasta noodles into the pan and mix it in with the noodles and then serve that way. Or, serve the noodles and sauce separately.
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** The alfredo sauce won't thicken up all the way until you turn the heat off and let the alfredo sauce sit there for several minutes. Be sure to allow about 5 minutes to let the alfredo sauce sit and rest before serving. **
Recipe Video
Recipe Notes
You can use fresh garlic cloves or even the garlic paste in the tube instead of the garlic powder. Whatever garlic you like, feel free to use it.
You can find the parmesan wedge up in the produce section of the grocery by the deli and other specialty cheeses.
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