This is the real deal Italian fettuccine Alfredo without heavy cream. With a few simple ingredients and a clever technique, you can make the BEST fettuccine pasta coated in a smooth and creamy sauce. It's elegant, impressive, and ready in less than 30 minutes!
If you grew up in the US, you've likely had some version of Alfredo sauce, whether homemade or from the Olive Garden. It's rich and decadent, often paired with aromatics like garlic or red pepper flakes. This is not the version I'm sharing with you today.
Today, I'm sharing the traditional Alfredo recipe using butter, Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and salt. That's it! I have nothing against the Americanized version, but these days, I prefer the original's light yet creamy and comforting flavors. It allows the cheese to really shine through.
The "Original" Alfredo Sauce
Long before the advent of the "American" Alfredo, a restaurateur named Alfredo Di Lelio concocted a dish for his wife, Ines, who had recently given birth and needed some nourishing recovery food.
He paired handmade fettuccine with butter and parmesan cheese blended together to create a luxurious sauce for the noodles. The meal was so delicious that she suggested putting it on the menu of his restaurant in Rome.
And the rest is history. The dish was popular, so popular in fact, that it even gained international fame in the 1920s by some American actors.
From there, "Fettuccine Alfredo" was brought back to the US. At some point, American Italian restaurants began serving the dish using heavy cream for a richer, more stable sauce. This version is now the most common in the US, while in Italy, the dish remains a simple, buttery, cheese-coated pasta known as "pasta al burro e parmigiana."
For more delicious pasta recipes, try my mushroom pappardelle, egg yolk ravioli, or rigatoni all'amatriciana.
Ingredient Notes
Fresh Fettuccine: In testing, I found the sauce pairs best with fresh pasta because of its delicate, velvety texture. You can make your own homemade pasta or buy a store-bought version in the refrigerated section of most grocery stores, such as Buitoni or Rana.
- You can also use good-quality dried pasta; just make sure to buy egg fettuccine in nests for the most equivalent texture. Delallo or Dececco are good options.
- I tested a standard box of fettuccine (without egg), and the sauce did not cling to the noodles as well.
Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese: You *must* buy a block of real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese and grate it yourself for a smooth and creamy result.
- Look for a dotted pattern on the rind that spells out "Parmigiano Reggiano," so you know it's real.
- Do not buy pre-grated cheese, as they usually have anti-caking agents that prevent the sauce from fully coming together.
- You'll want to grate it as finely as possible using the fine grater on a box grater, a blender, or a food processor.
Optional - Black Pepper: Traditional Alfredo does not use black pepper, but I like to add a pinch to the sauce and garnish as it provides a little extra pop.
For a full list of ingredients and their quantities, please refer to the recipe card.
How to Get a Creamy Texture Without Cream
You might be wondering, how the heck do you make a creamy sauce without cream? That secret ingredient? It's pasta water.
You see, the starch in the pasta water acts as an emulsifier, binding fat and water-based ingredients together into a smooth sauce. It also helps naturally thicken the sauce and stabilizes the melted cheese to prevent clumping.
So, we have butter (which helps prevent clumping), pasta water, and melted cheese.
Thanks to a tip from Smitten Kitchen's cacio e pepe recipe, I've found the easiest way is to make a paste with the butter and cheese, then loosen it up with pasta water to form a sort of 'cream' and toss that with the hot pasta.
In the past, I've tried these other methods with little success (and a clumpy, grainy, or greasy sauce):
- Melt butter on the stove, add some pasta water, then reduce everything into a glossy sauce before tossing with the pasta.
- Toss softened butter with pasta to melt it, then add the cheese with some pasta water until everything comes together.
Thankfully, this method is also the easiest. Though the fettuccine is cooked, no other part of the recipe requires any sort of cooking!
How to Make This Recipe
According to a Reddit post, the originally recipe was closely guarded until it was revealed by the Today's Show in 2002. It's unclear whether that's actually true, but I used the ratio mentioned in the post and tweaked it slightly to my liking.
Step 1: Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
Step 2 - Finely grate the cheese. Cut the cheese into small cubes, then blend in a blender or small food processor until very finely grated. You can also use the small, fine, cheese grater holes on a box grater to do so.
Step 3: Heat butter in the microwave in 10-second intervals until completely softened (but not melted). Mash butter into a paste.
TIP: Very finely grated cheese will have a fluffy texture - that's what you're looking for! Sometimes, the blender can create some clumps, so make sure to sift through and break up any larger bits. And if it's still quite gritty, keep blending.
Step 4: Mix the butter and cheese together until a thick, frosting-like paste forms. This is a good time to season with salt and black pepper (if desired).
Step 5 - Cook pasta: Salt the boiling water, then add the fettuccine and cook until al dente. Fresh pasta will cook quickly, in about 2 - 4 minutes depending on the recipe or package.
Step 6 - Make the sauce: About 30 seconds before the pasta is done, reserve about ½ cup of pasta water.
Add 2 - 3 tablespoons of the hot pasta water into the cheese-butter mixture, and whisk until a smooth cream forms.
Step 7: Vigorously toss the hot pasta with the cream sauce until nicely coated. If desired, add an additional couple of tablespoons of pasta water for a looser sauce.
Step 8 - Serve: Season to taste, once more, and serve immediately on pre-warmed plates. Spoon any leftover sauce over the pasta, garnish with more cheese and black pepper (if desired), and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Move quickly. This recipe comes together very quickly, so make sure you have all your mise en place ready to go!
- Serve hot. Serve hot and enjoy immediately; as the dish cools, it will thicken and dry out.
- Grate your cheese. Do not buy pre-grated cheese, as it often has additives that can prevent the sauce from smoothly forming. Buy a block of real Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese, and grate it yourself until it's fluffy and powdery.
Recipe FAQs
Use very finely grated cheese, and make sure it's thoroughly mixed into the butter into a homogeneous, thick paste. Slowly whisk in the pasta water until a smooth cream forms before tossing vigorously with the pasta.
Fresh pasta will deliver the most luxurious result, but you can also use dried. Just make sure to buy dried egg fettuccine, which comes in nests, and best mimics fresh pasta.
Use enough pasta water to loosen the sauce to your desired consistency. Then, serve the pasta immediately, as the cheese sauce will thicken and dry out over time.
You can make the butter-cheese paste up to 3 days in advance and store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When ready to use, let it come to room temperature for about 20 – 30 minutes so it softens, making it easier to mix with the pasta water.
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Happy eating! Love, KarishmaFettuccine Alfredo Without Heavy Cream
Ingredients
Instructions
- Boil water: Bring a large pot of water to a boil.
- Soften the butter: Soften 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a small bowl by microwaving in 10-second intervals until very soft but not melted (about 20-30 seconds)Mash the softened butter into a smooth paste with a fork.
- Add the cheese: Mix 2 ounces Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (very finely grated) with the butter into a thickened, frosting-like texture. Season with a pinch of salt, and transfer to a large heatproof bowl.
- Cook the pasta: Once the water is boiling, season generously with salt and cook 8 ounces fresh fettuccine until al dente. About 30 seconds before the pasta is done, reserve ½ cup of pasta water. Add about 2 tablespoons of the pasta water to the butter-cheese mixture and whisk until nicely smooth and creamy.
- Add the pasta: Using tongs, immediately transfer the hot pasta to the bowl, tossing frequently until the sauce begins to thicken and coat the pasta.If desired, add a little more pasta water to loosen the sauce. Season to taste with additional salt, if necessary, and some freshly ground black pepper (if desired).
- Serve: Divide pasta amongst two serving bowls. Top with more cheese, if desired. Serve immediately, and enjoy.Note: This recipe comes together very quickly, so it's imperative you start eating as soon as it's done, as the sauce will cool down and thicken very quickly too.
Notes
Nutrition
The nutritional information on this website is only an estimate and is provided for convenience and as a courtesy only. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Gabby
Tates amazimg and I added some stuff of my own, but it was great.
Karishma
Hi Gabby, so glad you enjoyed!!
Karishma
Owner's Review: This is like an adult version of the buttered pasta I used to grow up with. It's elegant, luxurious, and not too heavy. I'm obsessed!