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
This was really fabulous! I made it tonight and still can’t believe how good it was. I’ve made the “full of guilt and shame” versions with sticks of butter and cups of cream and, although they tasted great, I felt horrible serving it to my family. This version made us all happy. Thank you!
AMAZING! This passed the I-don’t-like-anything-light test with my hubby! Making it again tonight! YUM!!!
This was DELICIOUS!!! I was blown away, and I'm typically not an alfredo fan. I'm thinking very seriously about making a massive batch of it and canning it in smaller jars. I hate buying the alfredo sauce from the store and only using half a jar. The leftover sauce sits in the fridge for about 2 weeks and then gets tossed.
Even my super picky kids loved it. Thanks for another great recipe!
I made a double recipe and my family loved it over fettucini. With the leftovers I added some homemade pesto I had in the freezer. It made a great creamy pesto sauce.
Made this for dinner tonight, my 5,6 and 9 year loved this! My hubby who isn't a Alfredo fan is taking the leftovers for lunch tomorrow. I was surprised how easy it came together. I added diced chicken and it was perfect!
About 1 lb of pasta 🙂
I want to make this for a potluck lunch and am wondering how much pasta to cook for this amount of sauce. Thanks so much. Love your blog!
Rebecca, yep I usually just toss with a little olive oil. The key is eating right as soon as it's ready!
Hi Sara! This looks great! I can't wait to try it. How do you usually keep your pasta fresh looking and warm at a pasta bar party? Do you just use olive oil, butter, or something? Thanks!
yummm!
a really good friend of mine is on a diet and really wanted alfredo pasta so we made this!
it was delicious, and it was a "healthy" way to satisfy her craving! thanks! 🙂