The Easy Way To Thicken Alfredo Sauce Without Using Flour

It's an all-too-easy mistake: You're whipping up your favorite Alfredo sauce recipe, and the next thing you know, your mixture is too runny and thin. While Alfredo is not a complicated sauce to make — it consists primarily of butter, heavy cream, and cheese — there's no need to scrap your dish and start over if you're unhappy with the consistency. There's actually a very simple, very straightforward way to salvage a thin Alfredo sauce: Just add more cheese. 

Conventional culinary wisdom may have you thinking that adding flour, either as a slurry or as a roux, is the go-to method for thickening a creamy sauce. While it will definitely do the trick, adding more cheese works just as well, and it will impart even more richness to your sauce's flavor. Starting slowly, all you need to do is add finely grated or shredded cheese to your sauce while it's still simmering, stirring consistently until you reach the desired thickness. It helps if your cheese is extra-finely grated — such as with a Microplane — as it will melt and incorporate into the sauce faster.

Alfredo sauce is typically made with either Parmesan or Parmigiano Reggiano cheese, depending on the recipe you're following. But that doesn't mean you have to limit yourself to only these two types of cheese. Pecorino Romano and Grana Padano also work wonderfully to add flavor and body to an Alfredo sauce. As a pro tip, it's always better to shred or grate your own cheese when possible. The pre-shredded stuff at the store often comes coated in an anti-caking agent, such as powdered cellulose or potato starch, that can prevent the cheese from melting into a smooth consistency.

Want to really think outside of the box? There's one simple addition that will make your Alfredo sauce even creamier: cream cheese. While not part of an authentic Alfredo sauce recipe, cream cheese is a fantastic way to add tang in addition to richness. You could also experiment with any type of shredded cheese your heart desires. Just be aware that the stronger the flavor of the cheese, the more it will affect the overall result of your sauce. 

If you accidentally overcorrect and make your sauce too thick, hope is still not lost. The simple fix for an overly thick cream-based sauce is to add more liquid. You can thin it back out again with a splash of milk, cream, or even some reserved pasta water.