Nothing tastes as yummier and creamier as an Alfredo Sauce. This luscious white sauce wins the heart of every cream lover. It’s relatively easy to make but a bit tricky to handle its texture. The real dilemma isn’t to make the sauce but to know how to thicken Alfredo sauce. Today, I will tell you ten different methods of handling your runny or loose texture sauce. You can go one way that seems effortless.
How to Make Alfredo Sauce?
You can always buy a readymade bottle of sauce in the market, but one you made at home has the best taste and flavor. It’s time to know how to make this beloved sauce at home.
It would be best to have half a cup of butter, two teaspoons of garlic powder/paste, two cups of milk, 6 ounces grated parmesan cheese, and 8 ounces of one package of cream cheese.
Preparation
- Take a Nonstick Pan, start melting butter at medium heat. Add two teaspoons of garlic powder or freshly chopped garlic paste.
- Give it a quick mix and add cream cheese. Stir it with a wire whisk until you have a smooth, creamy texture.
- Now start adding milk a little at a time and keep whisking your sauce so you get a lump-free sauce.
- Next, you can add parmesan cheese and let it get mixed in the sauce.
- Add one or two pinches of black pepper to add flavor.
- Once you get the desired consistency of the sauce, then you can remove it from heat.
How to Thicken Alfredo Sauce
No one likes a runny Alfredo sauce. Your sauce should neither be too thick nor too thin; it must have the right texture. When it comes to thickening your Alfredo sauce, then the classic addition of flour isn’t enough. You must be careful what you use to add some thickness into your sauce because a wrong ingredient can make or break the whole taste. It’s time to know how to thicken Alfredo sauce in ten different ways.
#1. The Classic Flour Addition
People who start making alfredo pasta the very first time often go with flour when adding a thick texture into their sauce. As you are going with flour addition, so make sure that you don’t add too much. Dilute three tablespoons of flour in half a cup of water. Once your sauce starts simmering, then begin pouring this mixture in the sauce and keep stirring the whole mix until you get the desirable creamy thickness.
#2. Try Cornstarch
Although flour is a common thickening agent available in the market, it’s not the best one. A sauce with flour will spoil faster. When you plan to use sauce leftover the next day, skip the flour and go with cornstarch. The problem with flour-made sauce is that it doesn’t get back to its normal texture when you reheat it. Therefore, a better option is cornstarch.
How to Thicken Alfredo Sauce with Cornstarch? It is straightforward: take half a cup of water, add one tablespoon of cornstarch, dilute it properly, and then mix it in your sauce. Again, keep stirring your sauce until your sauce gets a rich, creamy texture.
#3. Egg Yolk Method
Do you want to enhance the taste of your Alfredo sauce? I suggest you go with egg yolk as it enriches the sauce’s overall taste and adds a desirable thick creamy texture side by side. However, you must know when to add the yolk to the mixture of cream and milk.
When your sauce is warm, you can add one or two blended egg yolks to your sauce. I prefer not to add it when the sauce is not too hot because if I do this, then I get white strips in my sauce and uneven texture – of course, that’s not what you want.
You can turn off the heat while mixing eggs into the sauce and once you have mixed, then evenly turn the heat back on so your sauce starts simmering. Keep stirring your sauce, and stop at a point where you get a creamy texture.
#4. Try Roux
In case you want to add a twist in the classic use of flour as a thickening agent, get help from butter. In other words, go with Roux that is made by mixing flour with melted butter. This ingredient is a quick fix for running alfredo sauce.
How to thicken Alfredo sauce with Roux? It would be best if you used butter and flour in equal proportion to make Roux. Mix 2 tablespoons of flour with two tablespoons of melted butter. Mix them until there are no lumps of flour in the butter. It would help if you had a lump-free taste for good results. As soon as your alfredo sauce starts simmering, gradually add the paste into your sauce and stir it for almost four minutes. Whisk your sauce continuously, so you get a lump-free creamy texture.
#5. White Cheddar Cheese Method
If you don’t mind adding more calories to your Alfredo sauce, then one of the yummiest ways to thicken your sauce is to add white cheddar cheese. Be careful about the quantity of cheese as more cheese will make the texture cheesier and less creamy. Therefore, start with a low amount, let your sauce gets some texture, and if it feels runny, then you can add more amount later.
How to Thicken Alfredo sauce with Cheddar Cheese? For this purpose, take a bar of cheese, grate it well. Once your alfredo sauce starts boiling, you need to add grated cheese. Stir your sauce and let your cheese get melted in it. Before adding more cheese, make sure that the sauce has mixed well with cheese.
Also Read: Can You Freeze Cream Cheese
#6. Puree Vegetables
If you don’t mind the taste of veggies in your sauce, then puree vegetables are something you can consider next time you want to thicken your sauce. Go with white vegetables like cauliflower or white carrots as they won’t change your sauce’s color while adding a rich flavor. People go with cauliflower as it doesn’t change the taste of the sauce to a great extent.
How to thicken Alfredo sauce with puree vegetables? Once your sauce starts simmering, you can add the puree. Don’t empty. You can quickly add little by little and keep stirring, so you know where to stop, aka a point where your sauce is luscious.
#7. Go with Food Gums
When you need a quick fix of runny alfredo sauce, then go with food gum. You can opt for either Xanthan gum or Agar gum. If you are a conscious person who doesn’t want to change your sauce’s color or taste, this ingredient can meet your demands. Make sure to add a small amount of gum in your sauce.
If you plan to use Xanthan gum, you can add it directly into a simmering sauce. However, when you have Agar, then mix it with some liquid and then pour it into a simmering sauce to get a creamy texture.
In the case of Xanthan, you need to use 0.01-1 percent weight of your liquid. It means in your 16-ounce sauce, you can add only one ounce of Xanthan gum. Start with less and then keep adding as per requirement. Don’t add too much at the start. Let the mixture settle the texture before you add more.
When you are going with agar flakes, then add one tablespoon in one cup of water. In case you have agar powder, add one teaspoon of powder to a cup of liquid. You need to boil Agar in liquid for at least five to ten minutes before mixing it with sauce.
#8. Go with Cream Cheese
Do you want to make a yummy alfredo sauce? If yes, then consider adding cream cheese. Take a brick of cheese, cut it into cubes, and let them soften for a minute. Now add one or two cubes at a time, whisk them in sauce, and keep a proper check on the consistency. Don’t rush with this method. Give cubes some time to mix well in the sauce and to bring desirable thickness. Before you go with this method, you must know that cream cheese will change your sauce’s taste.
#9. Try other Kinds of Starch
I already told you that you could use cornstarch. However, now you must know that other kinds of starch can be used to thicken this sauce. You need to mix one tablespoon of any starch like potato starch, arrowroot, etc. into one water cup. Once starch dilutes in water, you can add it to a simmering white sauce. Whisk sauce, and check the consistency. If the sauce still feels runny, then you can go with another tablespoon.
#10. Reduce the Sauce
In case you do not add any other ingredient but still want to get a thick texture, then reduce it. Keep watching your sauce while its water evaporates and stir it continuously to stick with the pan or get burned.
Wrap Up
Now you know how to thicken Alfredo Sauce. You must know that your sauce thickens once it gets cold, so make sure you do not overdo it. Another thing to keep in mind while making the sauce is that pasta will add thickness to your meal.
