Keto Alfredo Sauce

This creamy Keto Alfredo Sauce is perfect over low-carb noodles or even grilled chicken. Made with heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and a hint of nutmeg, you and your family are going to love it!

If fettuccine alfredo is one of your favorites then I’m so happy to share our recipe for Keto Alfredo Sauce. There are store-bought alfredo sauces that are technically keto-friendly, but let’s be honest homemade sauces are always better. To be fair, pretty much anything homemade is better. 

While eating regular fettuccine is out of the question on a low carb diet, you can easily replace it with some zucchini noodles or my personal favorite…Pasta Zero, which is shirataki noodles. 

I have a feeling that once you try this low carb alfredo sauce recipe, it’s going to be on the menu a lot! 

If you are looking for other sauce recipes try our delicious keto tomato sauce or our homemade pesto. Wait, your mind is about to be blown…combine the alfredo sauce with either the pesto or tomato sauce and you now have a new crazy good creamy alfredo sauce.

What is Alfredo Sauce?

Traditional alfredo sauce is a white cream sauce made with butter, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, and seasonings. It’s typically tossed with fettuccine or your favorite pasta and served at pretty much every Italian restaurant here in the U.S. 

Interesting fact though, you will not find Alfredo Sauce in Italy. It’s something that has been Americanized, just like chicken parmesan. You will find other cream sauces in Italy, but not quite Alfredo sauce.

What Does it Taste Like?

What does alfredo sauce taste like? It’s hard to describe but basically, it’s a thick and creamy white sauce that has a nuttiness from the parmesan and the nutmeg. Oh and don’t forget the slight garlic flavor too.

Is Alfredo Sauce Keto-Friendly?

In general, alfredo sauce is actually pretty low in carbs. Most jar alfredo sauces only have around 3-4 net carbs per ¼ cup. However, something to keep in mind is that they tend to have thickeners in them like cornstarch. 

They come in handy when you are in a pinch, but once you have made a homemade low carb alfredo sauce you’ll see it’s much better.

How Many Carbs in Alfredo Sauce?

There is not much of a difference in carbs between homemade keto alfredo sauce and jarred alfredo sauce. The biggest difference is that homemade keto alfredo sauce uses fewer ingredients and no fillers or preservatives. 

Here are the differences between our keto alfredo recipe and my two favorite store-bought alfredo sauces. 

• Our Homemade Keto Alfredo Sauce: ¼ cup, 1.4 NET CARBS 
• Bertolli Alfredo Sauce: ¼ cup, 2 NET CARBS 
• Primal Kitchen Non-Dairy Alfredo Sauce: ¼ cup, 4 NET CARBS (this one is higher in carbs, but is a great dairy-free option)

How to Use Low Carb Alfredo Sauce?

You can use a keto white sauce on almost anything, cause honestly why not? What doesn’t taste better with a delicious creamy homemade keto alfredo sauce?? 

You can drizzle it over some many veggies and meats, and in my opinion, it goes great with almost everything.

If you are struggling with how to serve it, here are some quick ideas I came up with: 

Low Carb Pasta 

• Zoodles – Zucchini noodles are a great healthy low carb pasta. Check out our recipe on how to make zucchini noodles 
• Keto Pasta Noodles – These are homemade pasta noodles made with just 2 ingredients: eggs and mozzarella cheese.
• Pasta Zero – Shirataki noodles. Probably my favorite type of low carb pasta

Veggies 

• Oven Roasted Asparagus 
• Roasted Broccoli 
• Roasted Green Beans with Bacon 
• Roasted Brussel Sprouts 
• Oven Roasted Cauliflower 

Meat & Protein 

• Oven Roasted Pork Loin 
• Instant Pot Chicken Thighs 
• Baked Pork Tenderloin 
• Homemade Everything Bagel Chicken Tenders 
• Pan-Fried Pork Chops with Garlic and Butter 
• Crispy Pork Belly 
• Crispy Baked Chicken Thighs 
• Baked Chicken Drumsticks

What Ingredients are in Keto Alfredo Sauce?

• Butter – I always use salted butter, but you can use unsalted if you prefer. 
• Heavy Cream – Not only is heavy cream the best for keto sauces, but it’s perfect for making most kinds of cheesy sauces. 
• Cream Cheese – Using a little cream cheese makes a richer keto sauce. 
• Parmesan Cheese – This is what takes your keto alfredo a step better, plus tell me something that parmesan cheese doesn’t make better. 
• Black Pepper – Add more or less depending on your tastebuds. White pepper works just as well too. 
• Nutmeg – This might sound like an odd spice to add, but honestly it’s what gives alfredo sauce its authentic flavor. 
• Garlic – I love adding garlic to my keto alfredo sauce. I’m so sorry though I forgot to add it in my prep shots. You can leave it out if you aren’t a garlic fan. 
• Salt – Add salt to taste. Depending on how salty you like it, feel free to add some as needed.

Best Cream to Use

The best cream to use when making keto alfredo sauce is heavy cream. It has a high-fat content and is curdle resistant so it won’t clump while cooking at high temperatures.

Cheese Options

Parmesan is the most classic when making a keto alfredo sauce recipe. Shredded or grated is fine, really no preference there. 

If you don’t have parmesan, Pecorino Romano works just as well. I usually always have both kinds of cheese in my fridge, so I’ve used both and they work great.

Different Variations & Substitutions

There are a few different variations you can make when making a keto white sauce.

Seasonings

I know nutmeg sounds like an odd ingredient to add, but honestly, it’s what gives alfredo sauce its traditional flavor. You can leave it out, but I don’t recommend it. 

Feel free to add in more salt and pepper as needed. Always do the taste test and add more if you feel like it’s lacking. 

Also, add more garlic or leave it out completely if you aren’t a garlic fan.

Can I Make Alfredo Sauce Dairy-Free?

To make a dairy-free version of alfredo sauce, replace the butter with vegan butter, cream cheese with vegan cream cheese, heavy cream with coconut cream. Leave out the parmesan cheese. 

I personally have not tried it yet so I can’t vouch for it, but if you try it let us know how it came out. 

Coconut milk can work too, but coconut cream is thicker and resembles heavy cream the most.

How to Make Easy Keto Alfredo Sauce from Scratch 

Step 1: In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and saute the garlic.

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Step 2: Add the cream cheese and melt completely.

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Step 3: Pour in the heavy cream and whisk constantly. Bring to a boil, then turn down to a simmer. Let simmer for 5 minutes.

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Step 4: Add in the parmesan cheese, black pepper, nutmeg, and whisk again.

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Step 5: Keep the heat on low and let the keto Alfredo sauce thicken.

Step 6: Pour over your favorite low carb noodle, meat, or even into a casserole.

FAQs & Best Tips

• Garlic and butter burn easily, so keep a close eye on them. 
• Be sure to melt the cream cheese before adding the heavy cream. 
• Once the low carb alfredo sauce has begun to boil, turn it down to a simmer. 
• Any brand of cream cheese will work, but Philadelphia is my favorite brand. 
• Don’t leave it alone, whisk continuously.

How to Thicken Alfredo Sauce? 

Traditional sauce recipes usually use flour or cornstarch as a thickener, but those who follow a keto diet need to avoid both of those ingredients. 

Instead, you can add in more cream cheese, and parmesan to help thicken it. 

Another tip to thicken a low carb alfredo sauce is to leave the lid off while simmering it. That reduces the sauce and thickens it.

Lumpy Alfredo Sauce

To avoid a lumpy alfredo sauce, make sure to constantly whisk your keto alfredo sauce while it’s cooking. When left on the stove unattended, it can cause it to become lumpy, and that’s not the texture you want.

How to Store Alfredo Sauce

Be sure to allow the low carb alfredo sauce to cool completely. After it has reached room temperature, pour it into an airtight container or mason jar. Store in the fridge for up to 4 days.

How to Reheat

• To Reheat on the Stove: Warm it slowly in a small saucepan on low heat, stirring every few minutes to ensure it doesn’t burn. 
• To Reheat in the MIcrowave: Place in a microwave-safe bowl or container and heat for 30 seconds intervals, stirring in between.

Can You Freeze Alfredo Sauce?

Yes, you can freeze any leftover keto alfredo sauce. First things first, you need to make sure that it’s cooled down before freezing it. 

You don’t want any air hitting the alfredo sauce, so place it in a Ziploc freezer bag. Lay it flat in the freezer, it’s a real space saver too. 

Store it in the freezer for up to 1 month.

Tools to Use

Making homemade Alfredo sauce doesn’t take many tools, but there are a few you will need:

• Measuring Cups and Spoons 
• Saucepan
• Whisk 
• Mason Jar or Container – Perfect for storing in the fridge

Other Diets This Recipe is Good For

• Gluten-Free: Some store-bought alfredo sauces are gluten-free, but some are not so you always need to read the label. But with our homemade keto alfredo sauce, you don’t have to worry about gluten at all! 
• Dairy-Free: Our keto alfredo sauce is not dairy-free, but you can replace the ingredients with vegan butter and coconut cream. 
• Egg-Free: Some people put eggs in their keto alfredo sauce, but we do not. Making this recipe egg-free.

Can I Buy Store-Bought Keto Alfredo Sauce

Surprisingly you can buy store-bought alfredo sauce that is ok while eating keto. The biggest thing is to always make sure you read the label. 

A few of my top store-bought brands are:

• Rao’s Alfredo Sauce 
• Bertolli Alfredo Sauce 
• Primal Kitchen Dairy-Free Alfredo Sauce

Other Low Carb Sauce Recipes

If you’re in the mood for some other Low Carb Sauce recipes then try our:

• Keto Cheese Sauce 
• Low Carb Cranberry Sauce 
• Keto Pizza Sauce 
• Low Carb Tomato Sauce 
• Keto BBQ Sauce 
• Keto Tzatziki Sauce 
• Creamy Keto Ranch Dressing

They all are Keto-friendly and low carb, and will be a hit with your family and friends!

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