This easy cream sauce recipe is rich, silky, and absolutely loaded with parmesan cheese flavor. It’s my go-to white sauce recipe for pasta, dipping, and even pizza, and it comes together in one pan with just a handful of ingredients!
Why You’ll Love It
If you’ve ever wanted to recreate that dreamy white cream sauce recipe from your favorite Italian restaurant, this is the simple recipe you need in your back pocket.
It starts with melted butter and minced garlic, then gets slowly emulsified with heavy cream to create a velvety white sauce that tastes like it took hours—but really only takes about 15 minutes.
The freshly grated parmesan cheese melts in to create the most luxurious texture, while a hit of black pepper and kosher salt adds balance and that classic Alfredo-style punch. Not to toot my own horn, but this tastes so similar to the Olive Garden Alfredo dipping sauce so if that's what you're looking for, I got you!
What makes this a great sauce is that it's super customizable. Want a richer Alfredo sauce? Add a splash of white wine or chicken broth.
Craving a little zing? A few drops of lemon juice or some lemon zest can totally brighten things up.
Feeling fancy? Stir in sun-dried tomatoes, homemade pesto, or fresh herbs like basil or thyme to give it a flavor upgrade.
It’s the perfect base for creamy pasta sauce, a next-level topping for chicken breast, baked potatoes, or even a drizzle over pizza or garlic bread. It's also the perfect pasta sauce for a homemade mac and cheese.
Made with simple ingredients and no roux, this creamy garlic sauce recipe skips the butter-flour mixture you’d find in a classic béchamel sauce but still delivers that thick, luscious consistency thanks to the heavy whipping cream and parmesan cheese.
Trust me, this delicious sauce is a big hit every single time and I know y'all are going to be obsessed.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Here are the simple ingredients that you'll need to make this delicious white cream sauce. Don't forget to check the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post to get the exact amounts.
- Salted Butter: You can also use unsalted butter and add salt to taste. Either way, start with real butter for the best flavor. If you have to use olive oil, you can but i don't recommend it.
- Fresh Garlic: Use minced garlic or fresh garlic cloves, but don’t swap in garlic powder unless you’re in a pinch—it just doesn’t hit the same.
- Heavy Cream: Also labeled as heavy whipping cream in some grocery stores. This is what gives the sauce its creamy, rich base. You could also use whole milk but you'll need to make a roux with some flour to thicken it up.
- Parmesan Cheese: Freshly grated is best for melting smoothly. Don’t use the pre-shredded kind if you want the ultimate creamy pasta sauce because it has the tendency to clump up.If you're looking for more of a bechamel sauce, leave out the parmesan and make a roux with all purpose flour to create a white creamy sauce that's more of a blank slate.
- Kosher Salt: Just a ¼ teaspoon (or a hefty pinch) goes a long way, especially since parmesan already brings plenty of salty flavor.
- Black Pepper: Adds a little warmth and spice to balance out all the richness.
- Optional Additional Ingredients: If you want to add a few oz of cream cheese - go for it. I use it in this tasty alfredo recipe and it's so good. You could also stir in a spoonful of sour cream for extra tang, a dash of onion powder for depth, or even a pinch of Italian seasoning if you want to give it more of a classic Italian vibe. You could also add in fun ingredints like sun-dried tomato pesto, cheddar cheese,
How to Make It
Here are the step by step instructions on how this garlic cream sauce recipe.
- MELT BUTTER: Add the salted butter to a large skillet over medium heat and let it melt.
- COOK GARLIC: Add the minced garlic and stir. Let it cook for 2–3 minutes until it’s fragrant and softened (but not crispy or golden brown).
- ADD CREAM: Slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking constantly to help it emulsify into the butter. It will emuslify faster if the heavy cream is room temperature but it's not required.
- SIMMER SAUCE: Let the mixture gently bubble over medium-low heat for about 8 minutes, stirring occasionally until it starts to thicken.
- ADD CHEESE: Stir in the parmesan cheese a little at a time, letting each batch melt fully into the sauce before adding more. If you want a thicker sauce, just keep simmering it.
- SEASON & FINISH: Season with salt and black pepper to taste. Let it simmer a bit longer until the desired consistency is reached, then remove from residual heat and serve. If you are making this creamy white sauce for pasta, just be sure to save a little of the starchy pasta water to get the correct consistency.
- SAVE: And don’t toss the leftover sauce—just store it in an airtight container in the fridge and reheat it gently over medium-low heat when you’re ready to use it again.
What goes with this cream sauce recipe?
Beyond some al dente pasta, this classic alfredo sauce goes really well with a ton of dishes. Here are a few of my favorite things to pair with this cream sauce.
- Hawaiian Roll Garlic Knots
- Ricotta Meatball Skillet
- Creamy Chicken Tortellini Alfredo Recipe
- Creamy Penne Alfredo Pasta Recipe
- Classic White Cheddar Mac and Cheese Recipe
- Creamy Pesto Ditalini Pasta
Recipe
Easy Cream Sauce Recipe (White Parmesan Alfredo)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon Salted Butter
- 1 clove Garlic finely grated
- 1.5 cups Heavy Cream
- 1 cup Parmesan Cheese freshly grated
- ¼ teaspoon Kosher Salt
- Fresh Cracked Black Pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add salted butter to a skillet over medium heat.
- Once melted, add garlic and stir.
- Cook for 2–3 minutes or until garlic is fragrant and starting to get tender—do not let it get crispy.
- Slowly pour in the heavy cream, whisking as you pour, to help emulsify it into the butter.
- Let the sauce gently bubble and thicken for about 8 minutes or so.
- Slowly stir in the freshly grated parmesan cheese, a little at a time, to create a rich and luscious cream sauce.
- Season with salt and fresh cracked pepper and let simmer until desired consistency is reached.
- Remove from heat and use for dipping, for pasta, or as a base for pizzas.
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