Say hello to this delicious and creamy garlic parmesan sauce recipe featuring just five ingredients! Garlic steeps in cream, as it reduces on the stove, thickening further with a bit of flour and freshly grated cheese. The result: a versatile sauce with plenty of cheesy garlic flavor, perfect for pasta, pizza, or dipping sauces.
Though it's fun to pair homemade noodles with an elegant, all-day lamb ragu, you absolutely cannot go wrong with a creamy pasta, like this super simple parmesan cheese sauce.
It's wonderful with all sorts of pasta shapes, like my homemade pappardelle pasta, malloreddus, or your favorite boxed variety. You can also use it as the base for a white pizza (with my 72-hour pizza dough) or a sauce for dipping wings!
Ingredient Notes
- Heavy Cream: You'll need heavy cream or heavy whipping cream; please don't use anything with less fat, as the sauce won't thicken properly.
- Parmigiano-Reggiano Cheese: Use a block of parmigiano-reggiano cheese and grate it yourself for best results. Pre-grated versions can have additives preventing them from emulsifying into a smooth sauce!
For a full list of ingredients and their quantities, please refer to the recipe card.
Variations & Substitutions
Roasted garlic: Sub the raw garlic with 4 - 6 roasted garlic cloves for a deeper flavor! Smash the garlic into a paste, then whisk it into the cream as you would with the fresh garlic before reducing it on the stove.
Lemony: After finishing the sauce, whisk in the zest of ½ lemon for added brightness.
Dipping sauce: After finishing the sauce, whisk in the juice of ½ lemon (or to taste) and a pinch of red pepper flakes. This makes a great dip for chicken wings!
All of these options would also be great as a pizza sauce, too!
Looking for more easy Italian recipes? Try my spicy vodka pasta, shrimp scampi without wine, or lemon pesto.
How to Make This Parmesan Cream Sauce
Technique tip: A beurre manié, a mixture of softened butter and flour, is far easier and more foolproof than a clumpy bechamel. Whisk the mixture into the cream and watch it magically thicken into a smooth, velvety sauce! Trust me, it sounds SO much fancier than it is!
Step 1 - Set a small saucepan over medium-low heat with the cream, minced garlic, a pinch of salt, and black pepper. Allow the sauce to reduce to ¾ cup, about 15 minutes.
Step 2 - Meanwhile, make the beurre manié. Mash a teaspoon of salted unsalted butter with a teaspoon of flour into a thick, frosting-like consistency.
TIP: Err on the side of caution when salting the cream! It will reduce over time (and get saltier), so just add a pinch to start. You can always adjust later.
Step 3 - Once the cream has reduced, whisk in the beurre manié, and allow the mixture to come to a boil. Whisk constantly, for about 1 minute until thickened.
Step 4 - Over low heat, stir in the cheese until nicely melted. Season to taste, then serve as desired.
Expert Tip
In testing, I found that minced garlic offered the ideal amount of garlicky flavor, while grated garlic was too bitter. If you'd like a more intense flavor, add a pinch of garlic powder!
Recipe FAQs
This garlic parm sauce will last about 3 - 4 days in the fridge stored in an airtight container. Reheat gently on the stove over low heat to prevent it from separating.
The sauce will continue thickening as it cools to room temperature, so err on the side of caution here! For a thinner texture, you can loosen it with a splash of cream or use less cheese. You can use more cheese for a thicker texture, but note that too much cheese (2 ounces) can lead to a slightly grainier texture.
Unfortunately, I don't recommend freezing cream-based sauces as it can lead to a grainy texture.
No, you can use heavy whipping cream or regular heavy cream but any sort of dairy product with less fat will not thicken properly!
I like that the beurre manié can be prepped and added while the sauce is already getting started, so it's a bit more efficient! I also find it more forgiving, leading to a smoother, silkier sauce!
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Garlic Parmesan Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- Salt and black pepper, to taste
- 1 teaspoon unsalted butter, softened to room temperature*
- 1 teaspoon flour
- 1 ounce freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese, about ½ cup loosely packed grated cheese
- Lemon zest, optional | from about ½ lemon
Instructions
- Reduce the cream: In a small saucepan, add 1 cup heavy cream and 2 cloves garlic (minced). Add a small pinch of salt and a good amount of freshly ground black pepper, and set over medium-low heat.Bring cream to a gentle simmer. Continue to simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened slightly and reduced to ¾ cup, about 12 - 18 minutes total.
- Make the beurre manié: Meanwhile, in a small bowl, mash 1 teaspoon unsalted butter and 1 teaspoon flour into a homogeneous paste with a frosting-like consistency.Once the cream is reduced, whisk in the paste. Bring to a boil and stir frequently for 1 minute until the paste is fully incorporated and the sauce is thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Add the cheese: Reduce the heat to low, then whisk in 1 ounce freshly grated parmigiano-reggiano cheese until fully incorporated. Season to taste with salt and pepper as needed. Note: This sauce will need a good amount of salt to bring out the flavors of the parmesan!
- Serve: Remove from the heat and serve as desired, with pasta, pizza, or as a dipping sauce. If you'd like, stir in lemon zest for a little added brightness.
Notes
- Pasta: This sauce is quite thick and rich on its own, so I always thin it out with a bit of pasta water when serving with pasta. I'd recommend 8 - 12 ounces fresh pasta (depending how rich and saucy you'd like it) or 6 - 8 ounces dried pasta.
- Pizza: This should make enough for 3 - 4 (12-inch) pizzas.
- Use as a dipping sauce, drizzle over potatoes, fold into mashed potatoes, add to cooked spinach for a "creamed spinach" like dish, the sky's the limit!
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.
Owner's Review: I've been making a version of this sauce for many years, so I'm happy to share the final result! It's simple, easy, and so delicious!