Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce Copycat Recipe (2024)

FAQs

Is Olive Garden Alfredo made from scratch? ›

Olive Garden's Alfredo sauce is made daily

The ingredients are simple: a blend of cream, milk, and butter all come together with flour to create the base, then garlic is added along with Parmesan and Romano cheeses to get that hearty Italian flavor that seems to keep customers coming back.

Pasta with Alfredo sauce is one of the restaurant's two most popular dishes, with lasagna also making the cut. As for why Olive Garden's alfredo sauce is so delicious, it likely has to do with how creamy and cheesy it is (though the added garlic certainly helps). The flavorful white sauce makes the ideal comfort food.

Add Cheese

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.

Our signature alfredo sauce made fresh in-house every morning with ingredients like parmesan, cream, garlic and butter, served over fettuccine.

The pasta remains stored until it's needed for a customer, at which point the cooks boil it and pair it with one of the chain's beloved homemade sauces, such as marinara, meat sauce, alfredo, or five cheese marinara.

Our soup and sauce masters create dishes by hand and from scratch, every day. With fresh, whole ingredients like kale, peppers and squash. Because they know cooking that way – the Italian way- everything tastes better. to everything they make.

4. Request extra sauce. Whether you're really into the garlic alfredo or just want some extra marinara to dip your breadsticks in, you can more often than not get extra sauce added to your plate—or even get it on the side—without an extra charge. This also works with the highly-coveted dressing on the OG salad.

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.

Seasonings, spices, and fresh herbs: this is definitely a great way to give your Alfredo sauce a more personal flavor. The most obvious choice is black pepper, but you can also add parsley and thyme, or dried herbs like oregano.

Cream Cheese

Keep in mind, it is best to use the full fat version of cream cheese as this melts the best and incorporates into the sauce. You can cut the brick of cream cheese into smaller cubes and then add it to your sauce and it will melt and create a thick cheesy and tangy alfredo.

Can I use half and half instead of heavy cream in Alfredo? ›

Yes, you can make Alfredo sauce with milk or half and half instead of heavy cream. However, keep in mind that the texture and richness may be slightly different compared to using heavy cream. You might need to adjust other ingredients or thicken the sauce with a roux or cheese to achieve a similar consistency.

After 12 ounces of fettuccine pasta noodles are finished cooking, reserve 2 cups of the pasta water to include in your sauce. The starchy water is essential to creating a thick, creamy sauce consistency.

Typically, the pasta at Olive Garden is cooked in boiling water until al dente, and the sauces are made from scratch using various ingredients, including herbs, spices, and fresh produce. Olive Garden's kitchen staff prepares the sauces in-house, often using traditional Italian recipes and techniques.

We use highly refined canola oil or highly refined soy oil in our fryers. Based on information from our suppliers, these oils are highly refined and do not include any soy protein.

If you would rather cook up a batch of Olive Garden Alfredo sauce to save for another time, you can store the sauce in an airtight container or jar and place it in the fridge. You can also freeze the sauce in an airtight container or a heavy-duty freezer bag.

It wouldn't be unreasonable to guess that Olive Garden, the massive Italian-American restaurant chain with over 900 locations, follows a similar process. But by most accounts, the majority of items on Olive Garden's menu are made in-house, from scratch, on a daily basis — including its signature soups.

Creamy alfredo sauce made from scratch with ingredients like parmesan, cream, garlic and butter, served with fettuccine pasta and topped with sliced grilled chicken.

So, although Olive Garden's pasta isn't entirely made fresh to order, it is cooked fresh that day and it never sees the inside of a freezer or microwave. The restaurant uses the same process for its sauces and soups.

Typically, the pasta at Olive Garden is cooked in boiling water until al dente, and the sauces are made from scratch using various ingredients, including herbs, spices, and fresh produce. Olive Garden's kitchen staff prepares the sauces in-house, often using traditional Italian recipes and techniques.