Olive Garden's Alfredo Sauce

Serving Size: 0

Ingredients:
1 pint heavy cream
1 stick butter
2 tablespoons cream cheese
1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese - (to 3/4)
1 teaspoon garlic powder

Cooking Directions:
In a saucepan combine butter, heavy cream, and cream cheese. Simmer this
until all is melted, and mixed well. Add the Parmesan cheese and Garlic
powder. Simmer this for 15 to 20 minutes on low. You may wish to season
with a little salt and pepper. It has been made with half-and-half, but
heavy cream is preferred.

This recipe yields ?? servings.

284 comments:

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credit said...

I really enjoy reading the post, thanks for sharing I really like it, I already bookmarked it, thank you guys.

Anonymous said...

OMG, EVERYONE AND THEIR GRANDMA NOW USE TO WORK AT OLIVE GARDEN, YOU GUYS ARE CRAZZYYY; SECRET CHEF THANKS FOR THE RECIPE I WILL TRY TO MAKE IT TODAY :)

Anonymous said...

I am the Queen of England, and my hubby is correct. Giggity.

Anonymous said...

I was really surprised at how much this tasted like Olive Garden's sauce. Very, very good!

Anonymous said...

Can you freeze the sauce if you have extra?

Amber said...

Does it matter the kind of butter you use? (We use salted butter regularly)

Also, what about minced garlic as apposed to garlic powder?

Anonymous said...

Made this tonight, it was easy and delicious. Way better than the canned stuff for sure!

Anonymous said...

the recipe is delicious! who cares if "real" alfredo sauce has cream cheese in it or not?? who cares if olive gardens sauce has cream cheese in it or not??!!!!!! who cares if you worked at olive garden and THINK you know everything!!!!! its a freakin recipe!! if you worked at olive garden and have made the sauce or if you know the recipe for "real" alfredo sauce- WHY ARE YOU ON THIS SITE ANYWAY????

EmployeeMy@ss said...

This is the funniest recipe debate I've ever seen !!! LMAO !! Oh all of you fake OG employees.. gimme a freaking break ! Get the stick out of your behinds .. why would you even be lurking on OG secret recipe sites and commenting ?

You should take the time to tell your employer to have a discussion to the people in charge of their website. Why would they post such a crappy recipe that isn't even the one used in the restaurant? I'd rather have this fake recipe if it tastes better and not be forced to leave a ridiculously high mandatory gratuitous tip and you guys have the nerve to have a blank tip line under that for additional tipping !

I'd rather save money by making a good enough recipe at home that deal with your snotty behinds while we pay for your house/car/private jets and whatever the heck else you do with patron money ! I've never been to a more ridiculous restaurant in my life. Good Riddance !

Gym said...

Lol, fat people arguing about alfredo sauce just reinforces my feelings about you fatties coming to eat at my OG! Insulting people that work there or who have worked there cause they won't give up the recipe? You sound like little fat children. Well here you go!

TBSP Garlic
LB butter
2 quarts Heavy cream
8oz milk
1LB Romano cheese
salt
pepper

and a secret blend of OG spices that ammount to 4 ounces! or is it 5?..

Hope you all die of a heart attack, and don't come to my OG. oh and btw to the guy that says our shit is frozen? We donate day old leftovers to the needy that's the only frozen shit we have aside from chicken strips etc.

SUCK IT FAT PEOPLE!

Anonymous said...

This is a good recipe for alfredo sauce. I would just like to say that bickering on a website is like acting like your in high school. People are entitled to their opinion as you are to yours. Leave it at that. The recipe is meant to mimick not replace or even be exact. Grow up and get over yourselves!

Anonymous said...

Come on guys its 2011, of course the sauces at olive garden are delivered in vac sealed heat and serve containers, they belong to the restaurant group named Darden, who also owns red lobster, smokey bones and bahama breeze, they all do some fresh prep daily, and the rest comes from there own packaging company, the company is based in florida, olive garden does have a cooking school in italy, and smokey bones has a bbq competiton team that travels competing in competitions, I dont care if the sauce has cream cheese or not, somebody somewhere is indeed cooking it fresh and they use the very best ingriedients so quit the bitching and just enjoy, God if there is one thing after 30+ years in the buisness that never changes its the cooks and chefs egos on sites like this, the day you think you know it all is the day you should shut your mouth and open a restaurant company that does the numbers of just one olive garden or any of dardens other concepts

Anonymous said...

wow i love alfredo sauce but i dont LOOOOOOOVE alfredo sauce, you guys are weird, stop fighting over sauce, eat tacos! lol

Zippy said...

This sauce is delicious, thanks for the recipe! If any of you former a*holes from OG wanna post the real recipe, pull out your balls & do it, don't criticize, pussies!

Anonymous said...

Hello this is GOD, I made you so you could make man greater not so you can bicker about an Alfredo recipe that may or may not use cream cheese. Get off your butts and do something productive. BTW Yes your grandma can see you masterbate from heaven.

Anonymous said...

This is hilarious. I just googled olive garden alfredo sauce for a good recipe and got a riot! Too much drama, you guys are nuts!

Anonymous said...

I think everyone has different tastes so you guys should experiment with different Alfredo recipes or change them how you want to figure out which one you like the best. Also, if you're trying to find the exact recipe that Olive Garden uses for their sauce, well I'm sure that every Olive Garden makes theirs a little differently or uses pre-made sauces so you people should stop wasting your time trying to find the exact Olive Garden recipe and find one YOU like the best!

Anonymous said...

I don't know about anyone else but a normal person that knows their way around a kitchen would know you start out with a rue. Then move on the the heavy whipping cream, garlic, cheese, etc. The rue is what thickens the sauce and its a slow cooking sauce and takes much practice to get just right. I use my sisters recipe she got from a place she worked at. She was the chef of a 5 star restaurant and the sauce is excellent. I'd take it over olive gardens anyday!

Anonymous said...

Anyone who has ever worked in any restaurant knows full well you sign an agreement to NOT divulge how anything is made. So for those claiming to just KNOW there's no cream cheese, oops your bad. Bottom line: It's just SUPPOSED to taste like it people so get a grip

Anonymous said...

Hello, my name is Alfredo Garden. Any bunch of idiots who argue about a sauce that contains both liquid and solid butter, overloaded with salt, and poured over pure starch, will receive their just reward (a heart attack)very soon. By the way the secret ingredient is..............Ovaltine.

Anonymous said...

Thanks you for the recipe it turned out really yummy!!

Anonymous said...

I was a certified trainer at an olive garden in tempe az. Everything except desserts and breadsticks were made fresh daily. The salad dressing also came pre made. That was my fav thing about it. How it was fresh. I still eat there. There is an og in NM now where I live that is terrible. Sauce never tastes right.

Jennifer Pritchard said...

A great chef once told me that a good Alfredo sauce cannot be rushed, you have to take your time with it. This is one thing that is hard to do and if you do it right, your sauce will turn out great. Basic ingredients of Heavy Cream, Butter, salt, pepper and fresh parmesan cheese.

Truthfully I like the restaurant Carrabba's and they have the best tasting Alfredo I have ever had. I have tried to find out there secret for years. I asked once if I could buy a pint of it to take home and they told me they have a roux, then mix it with fresh Romano cheese in a skillet with fresh pasta. They cook them to order so unfortunately there was no way to take a pint of sauce to go. Their recipe is on lock down. I have gotten tips from them on how to make it over the years from different servers but they are under order's to never give it out. I assume that their roux is probably the standard base of Alfredo, cream, butter and they slow cook the sauce to thicken it. I was told by one server that they then poor a ladle of the roux into a hot skillet, throw in some fresh Romano cheese and fettachini, toss it to coat and then serve it.

I would say try the standard measurements and it will come out great. Just take your time. Don't rush the sauce.

I use -

2 cups heavy whipping cream
1 cup parmesan cheese freshly grated (I buy a wedge from the Deli of this and Romano)
1 cup Romana (I throw about 1/2 cup in the sauce and leave the rest to use as a topping)
1 stick of butter

I heat the pan to medium high, poor in the cream and wait a few minutes for it to heat up, then I put in the butter (softened first). After it comes to a boil I turn the heat down to medium low and continue to whisk so it doesn't burn. I add the cup of parmesan and the 1/2 cup of Romano, salt and pepper to taste. I let it simmer for at least 30 minutes to melt the cheese. Then I toss in my pasta and let it sit for a few minutes to continue thickening.

IF you use kraft shredded, or the green can parmesan it is going to come out grainy. It will not melt properly. Quality ingredients really help this dish and time. Lastly I top it with some fresh chopped parsley to give it a little color.

If anyone has the carrabba's recipe, please let me know. The secret will stay safe with me. I love that place but cannot afford to eat there anymore. Love there minestrone soup too. Can't find anyone that makes it as good as them. my email is jenpritchard2011@gmail.com if you know either of those or the chicken marsala :) Thanks!

Anonymous said...

LMFAO!! This is the funniest thing I've ever read! Seriously? This argument went on for like three years about whether or not it's the same or tastes as good as olive gardens.. my faith in humanity is lost. You are all idiots.

Nothing to do here *flies away on jetpack*

Anonymous said...

This sauce is very good and very close to Olive Gardens...

boobookittie said...

i just made it but without the cream cheese and it was fluckin amazing

boobookittie said...

i just made it but without the cream cheese and it was fluckin amazing

chrissy said...

these posts are HI larious.i am a professional caterer and chef.specialtes = soul & italian.the recipe on the OG website is a classic alfredo DELICIOUS.this recipe works in a pinch VERY TASTY as well. i like to add a sprinkle of roasted red peppers on top of this one.GOOD DAY!

Anonymous said...

Yall are all a bunch of fruit cakes! Ecspecially if u claim your a "chef" at olive garden. Bahaha...Get a real job bein a chef at a restraunt that requires you to know how to prepare a traditional cuisine from scratch. And all the "restraunt chef" was doin is is makin a recipe thate tastes similar to that particular recipe. Good recipe btw. So sad hearin a bunch of crybabies whine cause they didnt come up with it their self. And who fukn cares if ur mom or dad is a damn gm at olive garden! They dont know shit about the recipe! Just how to bang theur co-workers and laugh at dumbsgits like yall arguin over it.

paris hong kong said...

I was really surprised at how much this tasted like Olive Garden's sauce. Very, very good!

Anonymous said...

All of these recipes will work, according to your individual taste. But I have learned two things on Alfredo Sauce; 1) if you want a garlic flavor, use fresh pureed garlic and don't put it in until the very end. (you can actually diminsh the garlic taste if you put it in too soon, and 2) if you want a special extra something that eliminates some of the heaviness of the sauce, pour yourself a good glass of white wine and start with 1/3 bottle reduce to half and then add your remaining ingrediants. Taste at each step of adding your ingredients to your satisfaction. At the end......you will have the basics of Alfredo Sauce with your own individual taste.

Anonymous said...

This post was the best thus far.....lol

Brandy said...

after reading most of the posts here, I think i'm just gonna run down to the Olive Garden and get me a couple pints of Alfredo sauce. Seems like the easiest way to get the best results. Too many recipes to try and lets face it, the ingredients aren't cheap.

Olive Garden Alfredo Sauce is the BEST!

Anonymous said...

wow, you could not beany more full of shit, Ive been the back of the house opening manager at a OG tuscan farm house for 8 years. Making the sauce from scratch daily, depending on forecasted business, is one of my main tasks, my GM has the opening back of the house mgr, spoon test the taste and proper consistancy of every batch we make from scratch, get a job at one and look into it urself, or keep delivering ur sauce to Eat n Park

Anonymous said...

Bahahaha I second this message!!!!!

Buffy NC said...

I have never worked at an Olive Garden, their alfredo sauce is okay I like mine better. Simply: 1/2 C butter in the pan over medium heat to bubbling, then 1/4 clove fresh minced garlic, stir until lite brown, then slowly add 1pint heavy cream constantly stirring until bubbly. Lower heat to Med low, add 1/4 C Romano an 1/4fresh grated parm to thicken. I like to garnish my dish with fresh basil from the garden. YUM!

Anonymous said...

Dang it!! I forgot what I was looking for after reading all this! lol

Anonymous said...

I am currently a Culinary Assistant at Olive Garden and the current 1x .8 Gal recipe is

1lb Butter
1tbsp chopped garlic
Heat these first;
Add these next:
1lb parmesan cheese
4oz White Sauce Base(Proprietary)
1tsp salt
1/2tsp+1/4tsp black pepper
1 qt heavy cream
16oz Whole White Milk
Heat to 185 and serve hot, Shelf life is 3days by OG Standards.
Hope this clears any confusion.

Anonymous said...

Lol!

Anonymous said...

I tries this today and its great.. thank u for posting this.. it was good and I will make it again..

Anonymous said...

salt, pepper, frozen chopped garlic, butter, parmesean cheese, manufacturing cream, milk, white sauce base (seasond thinkening agent that prevents breaking). end of story!

Unknown said...

This is PRESENT Obama and i too worked at the Olive Garden , and i say DON'T EAT ALFREDO SAUSE Period! It will make you fat and my wife Michelle will have to deport your obese ass to a country that we don't Dictate over. P.S. it use to have cream cheese in it! I KNOW IM THE PRESENT.

Anonymous said...

I agree with the comment about making a roux. Melt butter & add flour to make the roux...then add either whole milk or heavy cream, stir until it starts to thicken.
Add salt & white pepper, add Parmesan cheese & you have alfredo sauce!! Using the same roux base but changing cheeses to Fontina and Parmesan makes a great cheese sauce for Chicken Cordon Bleu or using Cheddar to make a sauce for a Hot Brown. Hail to the King!!

Anonymous said...

Hahahahaha yes.

Anonymous said...

I make this alot if its not thick start dashing some flower in there slowly tho or it will be too thick

Anonymous said...

Hey mr 40 yr old cook who are you to say its not what it is i love it and have been making it this way for 6 yrs my family and friends love it and say its better than olives dont get me wrong i love olive but still

Unknown said...

No u don't I'm a sauce maker with a 16 hour list every day first off we get containers for some sauces but its like a base but I add salt pepper garlic butter peppers celery carrots onions potatatos ..... anything any sauce /soup is made daily from scratch and at the end of the day what's left over gets harvested to the unfortunate oh yeah Alfredo recipe can never be duplicated cause of the one thing olive garden only has a special flour like thickener so that's the truth n I still work there

Anonymous said...

Im allergic to cream cheese and olive gardens sauce never gives me a reaction!!!!

Anonymous said...

This was the best reeply of them all

Christina said...

I work at Olive Garden currently and the answer to your question about having a different sauce on your pasta is simple. The sauces are prepared fresh daily and then bagged in set amounts and flash cooled to keep them fresh. When the sauces are needed, they grab a bag, and heat it up. The arrabiata sauce, which is spicy, could easily be mistaken for the marinara. Also, servers, unfortunately, are not always privy to everything that happens in the kitchen.

Anonymous said...

Dear Secret Chef, I Live to cook and came up with my own sauce that taste just as good if not better than Olive Garden…I applaud your efforts to SHARE what you've learned!!!! If people don't want to use cream cheese because it NOT Italian tell them to use Mascarpone ;) Italian answer to cream cheese!

Anonymous said...

Lol

Anonymous said...

Hahaha

Anonymous said...

I'm just posting to give a shout out to any OG servers that might have worked at the Westwood CA Location 1993-'94!!

From the pasta we make to lasagna we bake, we're cookin' true Italiano! We season and we simmer, the flavor you'll remember, the taste of true Italiano! It's like family and friends at the Olive Garden in the true Italiano waaaay if you're hungry for the taste of hospitaliano have an Olive Garden daaayyyyy!!!!

Anonymous said...

I made his sauce and I was s a hit! I added more parmesan cheese once it was on our plates. I wanted it alittle more thick so the parmesan helped. I also baked chicken and added it along with broccoli to my fetticune noodles the topped it all off with this sauce. I will be saving this recipe!!

Anonymous said...

It was awesome! Tasted 99.9% like Olive Garden! Would defiantly recomend!

Anonymous said...

No its not whipped cream its usually right by the milk and half and half you can use half and half but I don't think it's as good

Anonymous said...

Pay attention as to the way you write IT'S thanks for your time not thanks for you time that's to show you what you know stop correcting others judgement....

Fel said...

I was just on the Olive Garden Page. This is not their recipe.

Anonymous said...

Lmao...I knw right! A mess

Anonymous said...

I haven't worked at Olive Garden for about 9 months, I was a prep cook there for 6 years. The reason we can't tell you exactly what's in the recipe is because there are a couple of dry ingredients that come in that have a generic olive garden name. Such as "Red Sauce Base" or "White Sauce Base" that are basically like a flour but I'm not a chemist, I don't know what's in there. HOWEVER I do know that nearly every sauce at Olive Garden (except for tomato sauce) was made fresh almost every day. Every thing is thrown out after three days. It was a very serious thing where we were at. The recipe on their website is the closest one to it, but there are no egg yolks in it... it's one of those mysterious powdered mixes.

Unknown said...

Secret Chef - don't listen to everyone! I can't even believe people are making such a fuss over ALFREDO SAUCE. Like, seriously?? Haha! I tried this recipe and it is actually really close! Keep up the amazing work! And again, don't listen to those haters. And the people that say they worked at Olive Garden have probably never even BEEN to Olive Garden, lol! :)

Unknown said...

And also, why is everyone fussing over cream cheese??? Who cares if this sauce has cream cheese in it? Some people apparently do...for no reason at all. Lol!

David said...

Neither one is the same as what is made in the restaurant.

David said...

This isn't remotely accurate. As a "vendor", you just worry about delivering my ingredients, and I'll worry about what to do with them.

Anonymous said...

I am a professional chef of 20 years
I learned to cook Italian from a a guy that didn't speak English ( unless you were a girl) we put cream cheese in the alfredo and because of the butter it would set up like a brick
REAL alfredo sauce is when you take a large block of parm dig a whole in it the shape of a bowl and place scalding hot milk in while whisking with a large fork breaking and scraping the cheese as you wisk away then you would add your s&p nutmeg and a little Italian sweat. toss skinny noodles in it and serve tableside to the Gambino family

however I just got in a heated argument with my wanna be chef wife who is always trying to test my knowledge of food things and the real alfredo sauce is not with egg or cream cheese, but it sucks compared to adding those ) one or the other I would suggest not both)
marscapone cheese would be good also some of the other flavorings would be red pepper or smoked pepper nutmeg and chili

there is always a secret ingredient to something and like OG if they use the white sauce packet I bet its just like adding cream cheese but makes it more stable with the xzantium gum stuff it has in the packet
sorry for the long post
have a potato

Unknown said...

Absolutely correct!

Anonymous said...

This is true most of our stuff are frozen but the Alfredo sauce is not i know cuz im one of the cooks that make it dont get me wrong some stores might have it where it gets shipped in but where i work we make it the one on the olive garden site is wrong too they dont want you to know whats in it the one on the site will taste some what like it but it is not the same

Becky in Indiana said...

It doesn't matter if it is Olive Garden's exact recipe or not, it is quick, delicious and tastes like it took you all day! I just add mushrooms and chicken to mine and pour it over cooked cheese tortellini! Served with salad and hot bread, it makes an awesome meal. It is great warmed over the next day, that is, if you have any leftover! Thanks for the great recipes!!

Anonymous said...

There is no garlic powder or cream cheese in our Alfredo sauce. We use chopped garlic

Your also missing the salt and pepper
And white sauce base & milk

I make this everyday at work, I'm the main sauce girl

Unknown said...

(5/15/2016) Yes, this comment thread was hilarious! The King of England provided some refreshing comic relief. I'll give the recipe a try this coming week. Be well everyone!

Me said...

I'm the fat guy at table 4. I've now eaten 10 plates while reading this. Maybe when I crap later I'll send y'all some to analyze. Never worked here but eat all the time.

Me said...

I'm the fat guy at table 4. I've now eaten 10 plates while reading this. Maybe when I crap later I'll send y'all some to analyze. Never worked here but eat all the time.

Unknown said...

We actually do cook our sauce every 4hrs daily im trained as a sauce cook and line cook its true all our sauces are cooked daily. There is no cream cheese in it tho

Have you viewed Seattle SEO said...

Do you ever add just a pinch of Nutmeg?? That really makes the sauce for me.

Unknown said...

So is it true they put nutmeg in their sauce. Restaurant tells me no but i got a reaction once.

Unknown said...

ROTFLMAO!!!!

Unknown said...

Not true

Unknown said...

Og alfreado sauce has no cream cheese in it and just to let you know the sautee man doesn't make the alfreado sauce and neither do the production "prep staff"

Unknown said...

No there is a difference. Heavy cream is a thicker milk base product. And whipped cream is a dessert. And also idk why it says cream cheese cause that isn't part of the recipe. You can make with or without

Unknown said...

Right

Unknown said...

No there is actual prepping for the sauces. We put them in the bags for use later. We pre cook the sauces then reheat as needed. If you actually worked there you would know this

best ed pills said...

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Mmmm said...

Not true… I work at Olive Garden the sauces are made in house

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