How many of you with “littles” order mac-and-cheese for them when you dine out? Raise your hand. Mine is up! Lol. Not only is the macaroni easy for smaller mouths to handle, but the cheese sauce is always a hit! Who doesn’t love cheese sauce? I know I do.
We grown-ups like our cheese sauce just as much as the “littles” – that’s why so many of us enjoy ordering Fetuccine Alfredo. Or we did before going low carb! Isn’t Fettuccine Alfredo just a grown-up version of mac-and-cheese with a creamy Parmesan cheese sauce?
You’ll be so happy to have this easy low carb recipe in your back pocket to pull out and dazzle your family. I promise!
How to Make Authentic Alfredo Sauce
An authentic Alfredo sauce recipe starts with a roux (a thickener for sauces); equal amounts of butter and flour are cooked at a low temperature until the mixture bubbles. Warmed milk is slowly added while stirring, to prevent lumps. This classic French sauce, bechamel, is the base for many cream sauces. The sauce is simmered gently until the taste of raw flour disappears. Adding just a touch of freshly ground nutmeg brings out a complexity of flavor.
To make this creamy sauce an Italian Alfredo sauce, just add Parmesan cheese and whisk until it melts. It’s that simple.
But this is a low carb recipe and it’s even easier to make!
Since choosing our low carb life, I’ve had to find new ways of doing things and develop new recipes to replace old favorites. Low carb Alfredo sauce is completely possible and absolutely delicious. It doesn’t require much time to make and only 5 ingredients (plus salt and pepper)! It keeps beautifully in the fridge without separating. To reheat, warm it gently in a pot, stirring every few moments so it doesn’t burn, until warmed through. The end.
Creamy Low Carb Alfredo Sauce With Cream Cheese
This simple recipe for creamy low carb Alfredo sauce starts with butter and softened cream cheese. It sounds great already, right? I know. Since we’re skipping the roux (this is a gluten-free recipe), we need to find an alternate way to thicken the sauce – cream cheese!
Add heavy cream, little by little, alternating with freshly grated Parmesan. Make sure to use freshly grated Parmesan cheese from a block for the best flavor and ease in melting. The powdery grated Parmesan cheese from the deli didn’t melt for me.
Add more cream. Whisk a beaten egg yolk right to the pot to thicken and stabilize the sauce so it doesn’t separate. Finish with white pepper and just a touch of freshly grated nutmeg. Simmer very slowly for a few minutes until thickened and it coats the back of a spoon. It thickens further as it cools.
This is a delicious Parmesan cheese sauce for broccoli, chicken, cauliflower or any low carb or keto noodles.
Creamy Low Carb Alfredo Sauce is net 3 carbs per serving.
Creamy Low Carb Alfredo Sauce With Cream Cheese
Ingredients
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 3 oz cream cheese, room temperature
- 2 oz Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
- 2 tbsp butter, room temperature
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 pinch white pepper
- 1 pinch freshly ground nutmeg
- salt to taste
Additional Flavor Ideas:
- lemon zest, parsley, basil, garlic, shallot, white wine, dry sherry, truffle oil, thyme, tarragon
Instructions
- Gently melt the butter and cream cheese together in a small pot over low heat, whisking to combine.
- Add 1/4 cup of the heavy cream, turn heat up to medium low, and stir until combined and hot. Add 1/4 of the Parmesan cheese and stir until melted. Alternate adding the heavy cream and Parmesan cheese in the same fashion until all is incorporated.
- Separate one egg and beat the yolk. When the sauce is hot and bubbling lazily, add the egg yolk while whisking. Turn heat a little lower and continue whisking until the sauce coats the back of a spoon about 1-2 minutes more. Adjust seasonings. Thickens as it cools!
- Makes about 1 1/2 cups. Serves 4 at approximately 1/3 cup per serving.
Notes
Nutrition
Low Carb Ricotta Cheese and Spinach Manicotti
Melinda Tompkins
March 10, 2019 at 11:37 amHas anyone tried freezing this sauce? I would love to make it ahead and freeze it to use later.
Susan
February 9, 2019 at 5:26 amCan this be made in a crock pot? I would like to make some slow cooked chicken legs and would like to use a creamy sauce to cook them in?
Kim
February 10, 2019 at 6:52 pmHi Susan. I would not cook your chicken legs in this sauce. The yolk will probably cook and the fat in the cream cheese and heavy cream will probably separate out. It would be better to cook them separately. -Kim
Felisha
February 1, 2019 at 6:35 amThis was amazing! I made it last night, and could just eat it by itself! So good!
sue
December 20, 2018 at 4:37 pmI am sure the ham/cheese casserole is good. I would really like one without ham. Your alfredo sauce has so many good comments and ingredients. You are a better judge than I. Do you think I could add other cheeses to make a cauliflower cheese casserole? You also mentioned if you bake your ham/cheese in the oven that it gets a litter watery from the cauliflower. I have just about had soup before (would be good though)………… Do you think the egg in your alfredo might make the sauce not break……..add cheddar………..pour over cauliflower??? I will keep trying……you are a good inspiration! thank you
Kim
December 21, 2018 at 5:30 amYou don’t have to put the ham in it, Sue. I am unsure about the egg yolk. If the casserole goes into the oven, it may cook the egg? I was going to try it and chickened out. I used the other recipe instead, which is also the way I make my White Chicken Enchiladas. This is an awesome sauce, though. I would cook the cauliflower separate, mix with this sauce, top with your crunchy topping or cheese and place it under the broiler. I think that would be delicious. Nice talking to you. -Kim
Sue
December 20, 2018 at 6:07 amDo you think cheddar could be added to this to make cauliflower Mac and cheese? Trouble finding a recipe that won’t separate. Maybe the egg is the truck!!!
Kim
December 20, 2018 at 11:10 amHi Sue. I think you could add cheddar, but take a look at my Cauliflower Mac and Cheese Casserole with Ham recipe. It did not separate on me and was very delicious. Here is the link: https://www.lowcarbmaven.com/cauliflower-mac-and-cheese-casserole/ -Kim
Sammy
November 8, 2018 at 12:22 pmOh wow… phenomenal sauce! Added some minced garlic while melting the butter and cream cheese to increase the garlic flavour, a tad more Parmesan cheese, some minced parsley,
and some Cajun seasoning to spice it up a bit. Sauteed a red pepper with some scallops and a couple fillets of white fish, in butter, and served it all over spaghetti squash. Will try it with chicken next time, but man was this awesome!!! Can’t believe this is considered Keto diet food, loved it!!!!!!!!
Kim
November 8, 2018 at 3:48 pmI love the combination of flavors and foods in your meal, Sammy! I’m so happy you liked the recipe. Enjoy your weekend. -Kim
Suzy
September 25, 2018 at 6:15 pmThis was amazing! Best low carb Alfredo I’ve had
Allison G
September 25, 2018 at 4:40 pmOMG This Alfredo sauce is the most delicious recipe!
I have never been successful in making alfredo sauce but I followed your method to the T. I just want to drink it. It is so freaking perfect! I used this to serve over shrimp and spaghetti squash. We were licking our plates! Thank you for a fabulous recipe. Oh I added grated garlic too.
Kim
September 26, 2018 at 4:39 pmI’m so glad you like the recipe, Allison. We love it over shrimp and spaghetti squash, too! Thanks for taking the time to leave such a fun comment. Have a great week. -Kim
Hannah
August 8, 2018 at 6:21 pmThis was so yummy! It didn’t taste like a low carb version at all. It was way better than any store bought Alfredo that I’ve ever bought.
I wanted to add that I didn’t have any heavy cream on hand so using my immersion blender I blended equal parts milk and cottage cheese to total the amount of heavy cream it calls for. It worked great.
Kim
August 10, 2018 at 8:56 amI’m glad you liked the recipe, Hannah. Thanks for sharing your hack of using milk and cottage cream as a sub for the cream. Enjoy your weekend. -Kim
Sheryl Garkand
August 6, 2018 at 9:12 amCreamy Low Carb Alfredo sauce. This was really good! I am on a high protein low carb diet and I served this with chicken, sautéed Bella mushrooms and onions along with zuchinni noodles. The men in the house even said I could fix this again.
That alone is high praise for anything that gets made for dinner or supper here.
Donna
July 8, 2018 at 10:27 amOMG……..this is absolutely incredible…..DELISH!
Stephanie Robertson
June 18, 2018 at 8:14 amThis is an AMAZING recipe!! Very easy to follow and it tastes just like the “real” thing. I made several portions, enough that I could put it in Mason Jars and give to my Keto co-workers to try. 5-stars!!
Kim
June 18, 2018 at 6:20 pmI’m so glad you like the recipe, Stephanie. It reheats well, too. I hope your co-workers enjoy your thoughtfulness. Enjoy your day. -Kim
Kristie
May 8, 2018 at 10:45 amGreat recipe as always! Thank you for being awesome!
Alecia
May 1, 2018 at 5:37 pmMade this sauce and ate it with zoodles tonight. Great flavor but I wish it were thicker. Followed the recipe (though I omitted nutmeg) and mine was so thin! I kept hoping it would thicken if we let it sit, but no such luck. Oh well! Something to keep in mind next time I make it.
Kim
May 1, 2018 at 5:42 pmHi Alecia, let it cook a little but longer. It is a nice thick sauce. Zucchini noodles can be watery and maybe it watered the sauce down? I had it on spaghetti squash and it was super thick. Cook it until it leaves a track on the spoon like in the pictures. -Kim
Alecia
May 5, 2018 at 11:03 amI should note that when refrigerated, this thickened up wonderfully and ended up being a great sauce for a low carb pizza! A little goes a long way and it tastes magnificent.
sue
April 25, 2018 at 8:02 pmSo many recipes for cauliflower Mac n cheese. I have tried, but leftovers separate and get grainy. You mention using an egg in this…..it is the whole egg? Do you think this would convert to a Mac/cheese sauce with additional cheeses?? Appreciate any suggestions.
Kim
April 25, 2018 at 8:05 pmHi Sue. The sauce calls for an egg yolk, not a whole egg. Yes, this works well for spaghetti squash, broccoli, and cauliflower. Make sure to steam the vegetable well and drain before adding it to the pan with the sauce. You can add ham or bacon if you wish. -Kim
Brandy
April 5, 2018 at 11:12 amDoes the sauce have a strong egg taste to it?
Kim
April 5, 2018 at 12:04 pmNot at all, Brandy. The egg yolk just makes it richer and helps thicken or emulsify the sauce so it doesn’t separate. -Kim
Scalas
February 22, 2018 at 3:43 pmI’m sorry, I have a bit of a stupid question. 2oz of Parmesan is 1/4 cup, but your recipe says to add 1/4 of the parm after 1/4 of the cream, then alternate the two. Am I missing something, or do you need a full cup of parm too?
Kim
February 22, 2018 at 4:24 pmGreat question. I hand grated my Parmesan cheese on a microplane grater which fluffs it up and measures “bigger” than pre-grated cheese from the store. The pre-grated from the store doesn’t like to melt as well, so go slowly while adding it. It likes to clump up. Make sure it melts before adding more cheese. Does this help? Let me know. -Kim
Caryn
January 15, 2018 at 5:26 pmMy family ate this and loved it!!! I loved how easy it was to make. I added two garlic cloves because that’s the way I roll. 5 stars!
Kim
January 15, 2018 at 7:56 pmI’m so glad you liked the sauce. It’s one of our favorites and is good on so many things. Thanks for taking the time to come back and let me know. Enjoy your week. -Kim
Danielle
November 15, 2017 at 7:53 amHi! I’m not a huge fan of eggs. Do you think the sauce would work without it? Thanks!
Kim
November 15, 2017 at 8:20 amThe egg yolk helps the sauce stay together without the use of cornstarch or flour (typically used) and thickens it. If you are going to use the sauce right away, you can leave it out. I tend to make a double batch and the egg yolk helps me reheat the sauce without having it “break” (separate) on me. -Kim
janine
October 26, 2017 at 1:10 pmhi how much protein in the alfredo sauce?
Kim
October 26, 2017 at 1:15 pmOops! It is 9 grams per serving, Janine. Sorry that was missing from the info, I just added it to the nutritional label. Thanks for letting me know there was a problem. Have a great day and enjoy the recipe. -Kim
Katie Crenshaw
September 26, 2017 at 10:48 amThis looks like the most incredible Alfredo Sauce! Such a bonus that it is Low Carb! I will be eating this on EVERYTHING! My favorite is a big bowl of broccoli with Alfredo. Thanks for the recipe! Xoxo
Kim
September 26, 2017 at 11:05 amHi, Katie. Thank you. I love that broccoli idea. We have been putting it on everything. It’s so awesome on vegetables and perfect for Fall. Mmmm. Comfort food. Have a great week. -Kim
Samantha
September 16, 2017 at 6:31 pmI forgot to mark it 5 stars!
Samantha
September 16, 2017 at 6:30 pmI can’t believe how easy this recipe was! I’m terrible at following recipes because I get too rushed to eat the food so I messed it up a little bit but it is such a forgiving recipe it still turned out smooth and DELICIOUS. Thanks for such a tasty recipe!!
Kim
September 16, 2017 at 6:35 pmOh great! I love to hear that it was easy and delicious. Thanks for coming back to let me know and rate the recipe. Have a fantastic weekend. -Kim
Cheryl
September 16, 2017 at 10:45 amI loved this recipe over spaghetti squash! The pictures are pretty.
Kim
September 16, 2017 at 11:49 amThank you. I served it over spaghetti squash with grilled chicken and it was amazing. Two great minds! Thanks for leaving a comment. Have a great weekend. -Kim