Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Sauce - Recipe Diaries (2024)

FAQs

How do you make Alfredo sauce thinner? ›

The key is to add a little bit of liquid. The most common thinner for any creamy sauce is milk, however, you can also use other liquids like water, broth, or cream. Note that the liquid has to contain moisture so it can actually work, which is why melted butter won't do.

Heartier herbs like thyme or oregano can be added in to simmer with the sauce. Add delicate herbs like parsley, basil, or chervil at the end to maintain their delicate, aromatic flavor. Quick tip: Swirl in a bit of leftover pesto to add another herbaceous twist to your Alfredo sauce.

White Flour

Flours can be used to make a bit of a slurry and add to the sauce to make it thicker. 1 part flour to 2 parts liquid and then adding it to your sauce should thicken it nicely. Just make sure that when you make the slurry, there are no lumps in your mixture.

One of the key components to making a thick and creamy Alfredo sauce is the cream. That being said, I think you could get away with using half and half or if in a real pinch, whole milk. Keep in mind that the less fat content in the dairy the thinner and less appealing the Alfredo Sauce will be.

Regardless of which type of sauce you have made that is currently too thick you can thin it. You can thin sauce by adding cream. You add the cream and whisk. Whisk and keep whisking till the desired texture is achieved.

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.

The key ingredient in Alfredo sauce is cheese—generally Parmigiano Reggiano—and lots of it. To thicken Alfredo sauce, simply add more cheese than the amount called for in a recipe until you achieve the consistency you want.

The Alfredo sauce will harden into a thick paste once it cools in the fridge, but give it a few minutes of gentle heat on the stovetop or in the microwave, and it will once again become silky and creamy. If you see a few little beads of fat starting to form, just whisk vigorously to blend them back in.

Alfredo should never have anything but pasta water, butter, and cheese in it. Make sure the cooking water has salt in it but remember part is salty.

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

How do you fix broken Alfredo sauce? ›

The Fix Is Simple—Add Water Back.

A generous splash of water is all it takes. 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.

Extra seasonings and spices will go a long way in adding flavor to a boring jar of sauce. Some of my personal favorites include salt, pepper, Italian seasoning, dried basil, oregano, onion powder or seasoned salt. Start with small amounts (1/2 teaspoon at a time) and add as needed, in order to avoid over-spicing.

There might be several reasons. Using the wrong kind of cheese. Not applying a correct amount of heat. Using the right kind of cheese, but not grading it small enough.

Sauce temperature: If the cream sauce is too hot, it can cause the Parmesan cheese to melt and clump together, especially if it's added all at once.

Remember, though, that béchamel is so easy and forgiving, even if you get the ratio wrong, it's incredibly easy to fix: If yours comes out too thick, just whisk in more milk until the desired consistency is reached; if it's too thin, either simmer it down, allowing evaporation to thicken the sauce up, or cook a little ...

If you find that your sauce is too thick, this is where you can add some of the reserved pasta water, little dribbles at a time. If you over-water and the sauce becomes too thin, just let some of the liquid cook off and you'll see the sauce thicken up again. It's pretty resilient to fumbles at this stage.

If the sauce seems too thick, whisk in a splash of milk, broth, or water until the sauce is as thinned as you like.

If your sauce is too thick or dry, add small amounts of your reserved pasta water until you have a smooth, silky sauce coating the noodles.