Traditional Alfredo sauce is insanely delicious and sometimes considered a splurge with its indulgent amounts of butter, cream, and cheese. This version still gives you a creamy luxurious experience but lowers fat and calories significantly, and all comes together in 10 minutes, so it’s perfect for last minute meals. This isn’t a recipe whose purpose is copycat the original with different ingredients. This recipe still uses real cheese, and real butter, just way less of it and some clever additions to make up the difference. This healthy, low-fat Alfredo sauce is one of the most popular recipes on our site. Originally shared in August 2008, this recipe has been a family staple in millions of households all over!
Ingredients Needed
- low-fat milk – anything from nonfat to whole milk works, I really like 1-2%. If you’re not tracking your calories, go ahead and make it with whole milk. It’s still going to be waaay lighter than using cream, and it tastes extra delicious.
- low fat cream cheese – adds creaminess and also adds body to the sauce.
- all purpose flour
- salt
- butter
- garlic
- parmesan cheese – you can make this recipe with fresh grated parmesan or even the crumbled kind in the bottle. They turn out just a bit different in texture, but honestly either one works. I almost always have both on hand so I tend to do half and half. Just experiment and see what you like.
How to Make Guiltless Alfredo
This is a simple overview of the recipe, you’ll find a full printable recipe below!
- Blend milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt until smooth.
- Sauté garlic in butter over medium heat until fragrant.
- Stir in the milk mixture and cook until thickened and creamy.
- Reduce heat, add cheese, and stir until melted.
- Let stand a few minutes to thicken before serving. Adjust seasoning as needed.
Storage & Other Tips
- Thickening: this sauce thickens a lot as it cools, so don’t panic if it seems too thin when it’s done.
- Refrigerate: let cool slightly, then store in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 – 5 days. It will thicken a lot when it cools, so you’ll definitely want to add a splash of milk to thin it back out.
- Freezing: probably possible, but will definitely affect texture. We’ve never tried it this way so we can’t guarantee results. If you try it, let us know how it goes in the comments!
- Ways to Use It: this recipe is so versatile! Of course this is fantastic on pasta, but it’s also really great as a sauce on pizza, or a dip for breadsticks, or even drizzled over vegetables.
Frequently Asked Questions
1 – 2% work well, and whole milk is also delicious! We did have a reader in the comments said she had good success using soy milk, so maybe give that a try if you are sensitive.
Blending these together helps make the mixture smooth and avoids lumps when cooking.
If it’s too thin, it might need a bit more time to simmer or cool. This sauce thickens a lot upon cooling, so give it a bit of patience and it should work out just fine!
Freshly grated does give a nice texture, but pre-grated works great too. Sometimes I like to do half fresh and half grated, and I’ve noticed that works out really well.
Reheat it gently, in a thick-bottomed sauce pan with a splash of milk while stirring. This is the best way to get that nice, smooth consistency back.
Guiltless Alfredo Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 cups low-fat milk
- 3 ounces low fat cream cheese
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 3 cloves garlic finely minced
- 1 cup parmesan cheese, fresh grated
Instructions
- Place milk, cream cheese, flour, and salt in a blender and blend until smooth.
- In a non-stick sauce pan over medium heat, melt butter and add garlic. Let the garlic saute for about 30 seconds.
- Add the milk mixture to the pan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just comes to a simmer. Keep stirring and let it cook for a few minutes more. It should be much thicker now.
- When it's nice and thickened turn heat to low. Add the cheese, stir it up to melt and then remove pan from heat and cover.
- Let stand for 5-10 minutes before using. It will continue to thicken upon standing. Season with additional salt if needed.
Questions & Reviews
I have to admit that I was skeptical about guiltless alfredo sauce, but my husband and I LOVED it! Thank you for sharing this recipe so we can enjoy fettuccini alfredo with a lot less calories!
Just made this tonight for the first time. My husband and kids LOVED it! And I did, too, knowing it was guiltless!
I am making this for dinner tonight & am so excited because every recipe I get on your site is phenomenal! And a little FYI for those on Weight Watchers…it comes out to be approx. 7pts per serving w/a 4oz grilled chicken breast. Gonna serve it with some broccoli too. Woo-hoo…hubby is gonna love it!
Crystal,
When you calculated the 7 points, is that just for the sauce and the chicken? Or does that include some pasta?
Katie- ya I'd probably triple it just to make sure you have enough!
I want to use this sauce in your Chicken Penne Bake. I'm sure the original sauce is amazing, but when I calculated the calories it came out higher than where I like to be for our meals. So I'd like to sub this in instead – would it be enough to just double it for that recipe? Or more like triple (judging by 2 cups of milk in this one and 6 cups in the other). Thanks!!
Jenny, yes you can buy fresh Parmesan, it's usually in a wedge. In some stores it's only available in the fancy cheese section in the deli. But in many cases you can find it in the regular cheese section and it's pretty inexpensive. I buy it at Walmart, Frigo brand and it's in a wedge with a green label, near the specialty cheeses, like blue cheese. It only costs about $2. You can use the crumbly canned stuff in this sauce, but avoid the pre-shredded stuff. It doesn't melt well and you'll end up with chunky sauce!
Question…I've never bought anything other than the canned parmesan cheese and the pre-shredded in a bag. Is parmesan even available in a block form? And did you use the pre-shredded?
Brenda Sue- ya, that should work just fine. You just don't want any big chunks of cream cheese in there, so blend thoroughly and you'll be fine!
I have a really dumb question….. In place of blending it in a blender, would an emersion blender do the same thing?? I ask because I do not have a blender, but I do have an emersion blender, which I LOVE!! Would it work?
I didn’t mix mine all the way before I put in in the saucepan … just keep whisking at low heat until the cream cheese melts, then turn it up to cook the sauce. It worked well.
I just made this for dinner, and i absolutely love it! I think it tastes better than the stuff in the restaurants, AND there is no comparison between this and the crap in jars. I love it! My husband was also a big fan, but wished I'd remember to mix in some shrimp. Thank you for the recipe!!!