Looking for a good homemade Alfredo sauce recipe? This healthier Alfredo sauce is half the calories of classic Alfredo, but just as good! It’s so easy to make and freezes really well too!
I have fond memories of making full-fat Chicken Alfredo from scratch for my husband back when we were dating. The poor guy was baching it, and while he did an amazing job of keeping up with laundry, cleaning, organizing and the like, he kind of suffered in the food department.
He hated to cook (that hasn’t changed!) and didn’t like to spend more money that necessary (that hasn’t changed either!), and since he’s not really a big foodie, he just found it easier to eat very simply…and cheaply.
As in every day for lunch, he had cheap bologna sandwiches with no cheese on the least expensive store-bought white bread he could find. Blech!
Thankfully he also consumed lots of fruit and veggies too, so hopefully, that helped counteract some of the awful ingredients in some of the “cheap” food he consumed!
At any rate, his food left a lot to be desired most of the time in the taste department. So when he came to visit me at my parent’s place on the weekends, I liked to try to feed him well!
And because I’ve always loved Alfredo, I’d often whip up a recipe of homemade from-scratch Chicken Alfredo with fettuccine for him.
You know, the classic recipe made with heavy whipping cream and lots of cheese? Boy was it good, even if it was a couple hundred calories per bite! 😉
Fast forward several years and I was now a young mom with a few stubborn extra pounds, facing the realization that I could no longer eat whatever I wanted, whenever I wanted and maintain a healthy weight.
For the first time in my life, I started caring about how many calories were in the food that I ate.
In fact, in an effort to get rid of those stubborn extra pounds, I began calorie counting, and it, of course, didn’t take me long to figure out that traditional Alfredo sauce isn’t exactly going to be your best friend when you’re calorie counting!
How to make homemade Alfredo sauce with milk instead of cream
I started looking for a way to make homemade Alfredo sauce and stumbled across the idea of making it with cream cheese and milk instead of heavy whipping cream.
What?! Now that sounded doable! And I loved that it was cheaper to make too!
After some experimentation and tweaking, I finally came up with this healthier Alfredo sauce recipe that we love.
In fact, it’s so yummy that I don’t think you’ll even realize it’s not the classic full fat Alfredo!
And while it’s still definitely not a health food recipe, I love that I can enjoy it occasionally without guilt, since it has right around half the calories of classic homemade Alfredo sauce.
And of course, if you compare it to store-bought sauce, it’s a total win! Because it contains just 8 simple ingredients, unlike any jar that you pull off the shelf.
We love this homemade Alfredo sauce over pasta, as a sauce on pizza (I often mention our Chicken Alfredo Pizza in my frugal menu plans), mixed with tomato sauce as a bread dip and in this Applebee’s Spinach Dip.
Can you freeze Alfredo sauce?
You sure can! I freeze this homemade “healthy” Alfredo sauce all the time.
In fact, I often make a double recipe to save time and then just freeze what I don’t need to use later. The consistency changes every so slightly, but it’s not enough to matter.
Easy Healthier Alfredo Sauce
Easy Healthier Alfredo Sauce (freezes well!)
This healthier homemade Alfredo sauce is half the calories of classic Alfredo, but just as good! It’s so easy to make and freezes really well too!
Ingredients
- 2 cups 1% milk*
- 3 oz neufchatel cheese low fat cream cheese*
- 2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
- 3/4 tsp. salt
- 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. pepper (1/4 if you don't like it very peppery)
- 1 tsp. Italian Seasoning optional
- 1 Tbsp. butter
- 3 garlic cloves or 3/4 tsp. granulated garlic
- 1 C grated Parmesan cheese
Instructions
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(If using granulated garlic, you can skip this step and just add it and the melted butter to the blender mixture.) Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium high heat. Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds. Be careful not to burn it!
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Place milk, neufchatel cheese, flour, salt, pepper and Italian seasoning in a blender; blend until smooth.
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Add milk mixture to the saucepan. Stir constantly for about 3 or 4 minutes or until it just so simmers.
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Continue to stir and let it cook for a few more minutes until it thickens. It won't be super thick, but will not be as liquid as it had been.
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Once thickened, remove pan from heat. Add the Parmesan cheese, stir until melted.
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Cover and let stand for at least 10 minutes before using- the sauce will continue to thicken as it sits. Add additional salt if needed.
Recipe Notes
* Full fat milk and regular cream cheese can be used instead, your Alfredo Sauce will just have more calories. 🙂
This Alfredo sauce will become almost solid when refrigerated. Once reheated though, it thins down again. If it still is thicker than you prefer, just add a bit of extra milk to get it to the desired consistency.
This Alfredo Sauce also freezes well! I often make a double batch and freeze half of it.
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kallee says
This looks really good! I love alfredo, but hate how heavy it is. I will have to try this out and I LOVE that it freezes.
ThriftyFrugalMom says
Yes, the fact that it freezes really well is so convenient! Definitely helps save me time when I can whip up a double batch and pop some in the freezer for an easy meal later on.
Rachel says
I do love a good Alfredo sauce on just about anything from veggies to pasta. I’m pinning this to come back to it this week for meal planning!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
I’m with you…there’s not much that Alfredo Sauce isn’t good on! 😉 Thanks for pinning!
Catherine says
LOVE this lightened up version and it looks so creamy and delicious…I have to try this next time!
Kim says
Wow… this looks fabulous! I can’t wait to try it myself!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
Thanks, Kim! Hope you enjoy it as much as we do!
Chelsey says
My family loves alfredo sauce and I’m picky about it, as I read the ingredients this one looks awesome. Thanks for sharing!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
The ingredient list is a little different than traditional Alfredo, but hey, if you get the same taste with less calories, what’s wrong with that? 🙂
Maricela Chapa says
Hi!! Just made this sauce and is very delicious!!! My 9 yr old loves the jar sauce but after looking up the ingredients I said no more I came upon your website and after reading your story I went to buy all ingredients and just made it. My husband loved it, my girl loved and I loved it. Thank you so much!!! One question do you know how many calories in a tablespoon????
ThriftyFrugalMom says
Don’t you love how easy it is to make your own? And so much healthier too! So glad it got the stamp of approval from the family- that’s a big compliment! 🙂
And I’m not entirely sure how many calories are in a tablespoon of this. I thought that I had included how many cups its makes in the recipe, but I didn’t. However, in my original notes when I was experimenting with the recipe, I jotted some things down and I think it has around 115 calories in 1/4 cup. Which would mean that 1 tbsp. has around 28.75 calories. If you know how many cups the recipe made, you can also use this nutrition analyzer to figure it out too. Hope that helps!
Mandy says
How do you like to freeze yours? Freezer jars, bags, containers? I love chicken Alfredo pizza!! And of course Alfredo sauce!! Thanks!!
ThriftyFrugalMom says
Hey Mandy! I typically use freezer boxes (I buy them because I freeze a lot of fruit and over time, it’s cheaper than using freezer bags), but I’ve also used glass jars with a lid and that works quite well too. Freezer bags might sort of work, but they’ll end up being really messy and difficult to work with. And now I want a piece of chicken Alfredo pizza! 😉
Ellen says
I love Alfredo sauce but rarely make it. I need to try your healthier version.
Anne Lawton says
I love alfredo sauce, and making it at home is even better! It looks so creamy and delicious too.
Bev says
Can I omit the butter if I use granulated garlic?
ThriftyFrugalMom says
I think you probably could since it’s just 1 tbsp. It just won’t be quite as smooth and rich. But since it’s such a small amount, I wouldn’t be scared to try it!