Want to prepare a delicious alfredo sauce but you just noticed that you don’t have the heavy cream in your fridge? Are you looking for the best substitutes and alternatives to cream? Read further to find what ingredients you can use from your fridge to get the same creamy taste and flavor as if you will use heavy cream.
Heavy cream, also called heavy whipping cream is a very simple ingredient but it makes a big difference in the alfredo sauce. It gives a rich creamy flavor and texture to the sauce. But what to do if you don’t have the heavy cream in your kitchen? Should you leave the alfredo sauce for another day?
Not at all. Read next this article to find what are the best alternatives for the heavy cream that you can use in the alfredo sauce.
Let’s get started!
Table of Contents hide
Milk and All-Purpose Flour
Milk and Cornstarch
Greek Yogurt and Milk
Sour Cream
Half-and-Half
Creme Fraiche
Cream Cheese and Milk
Light Cream
Evaporated Milk
Answering Your Questions
Bottom Line
Milk and All-Purpose Flour
I put those in the first place because there is a high chance that you will have all-purpose flour and milk in your pantry and fridge. So, the combination of milk and all-purpose flour is the easiest substitute if you’re looking to substitute the heavy cream in the Alfredo sauce.
What I like about this substitute is that you can control the thickness of the composition by adding or removing the all-purpose flour in the milk.
If you’re looking for a method to thicken the Alfredo sauce, this is your best option because by controlling the amount of flour, you can also control the thickness of the Alfredo sauce.
Pro Tip: if you want to reduce the calories and you want to make the sauce thinner, you can use even the 2% regular milk without adding the flour.
Quick Note: As a conversion rate, you can use the same amount of milk as is indicated for heavy cream in the Alfredo recipe.
Milk and Cornstarch
This substitute is similar to the previous one, but instead of all-purpose flour, you can use the cornstarch if you prefer it more, or if you don’t have the plain flour under your hands. This combination also will work great when you’re looking for a cream alternative to the Alfredo sauce.
Quick Note: For every cup of milk, use one tablespoon of cornstarch to replace the heavy cream in the Alfredo sauce.
Greek Yogurt and Milk
Greek yogurt will also work great if you plan to use it in the place of the heavy cream. As in the first method, you can control the thickness of this substitute by adding more or less milk. Keep in mind that by default, the yogurt is thicker than the heavy cream, so you may need to mix it with milk.
Quick Note: Usually, if you’re looking to replace the heavy cream, you need to mix 1/2 of greek yogurt and 1/2 of milk. But as I said above, you can play with the thickness of the sauce. After you have this mix ready, you can use it on a 1:1 ratio as is called for heavy cream in the Alfredo sauce.
Sour Cream
Sour cream is another diary that you most probably have in your fridge. You can use sour cream instead of heavy cream and you still will get delicious results.
As the sour cream usually has about 20% of fat content, it will be enough to get a creamy and delicious Alfredo sauce. If you are looking to make the sauce thicker, you can add a little bit more shredded parmesan in the end.
Half-and-Half
If you’re looking for a leaner heavy cream alternative and you want to cut the calories then you can easily substitute the heavy cream with half-and-half in the Alfredo sauce. The half-and-half is leaner because this diary is basically a mix of 1:1 of milk and heavy cream and as a result, it has around 10-12% of milk fat content while the heavy cream has at least 36%.
If you are looking intentionally to make the sauce thinner, this option will work great for you.
Creme Fraiche
If you’re not familiar with Creme Fraiche, then it is a tangier version of sour cream, but it has a fresher and richer taste. Keep in mind that the creme fraiche is lighter than the heavy cream, but you will get the same creamy taste and consistency as if you will use the heavy cream in your recipe.
Quick Note: Use the same amount of Creme Fraiche as is mentioned in heavy cream in the original recipe.
Cream Cheese and Milk
If you can’t find the Creme Fraiche, you can use the cream cheese instead and mix it with milk until your desired consistency.
Quick Note: You can experiment with the mixture, but I will say to start from ⅔ cup of milk and 4 oz of cream cheese. If you see that the mixture is too thick, you can add another ⅓ cup of milk. After that, use this mixture in the same ratio as is called the heavy cream in the Alfredo recipe.
Light Cream
Light cream is also another great substitute for heavy cream for our Alfredo recipe. Just pay attention that the light cream usually has a fat content of around 20% while the heavy cream has at least 36%.
As we are talking about a sauce, swapping the heavy cream with light cream will not cause us any major issues. Just the Alfredo sauce will be thinner. But you can thicker it later by adding a little bit of shredded parmesan cheese.
Evaporated Milk
You can easily substitute the heavy cream with the evaporated milk in Alfredo sauce. When you pick the can with the evaporated milk, pick one that has at least 7.9% fat.
Quick Note: Keep in mind that the evaporated milk has a slightly cooked and caramelized flavor.
Answering Your Questions
How to Make Alfredo Sauce Without Heavy Cream?
Yes. You can substitute the heavy cream with Greek yogurt, sour cream, cream cheese, Creme Fraiche, half-and-half, or even use just regular 2% milk to thicken the sauce with parmesan, flour, or cornstarch.
Can I Make Alfredo Without Milk or Cream?
Yes. Originally, in Italy, the Alfredo sauce was made without cream. All you will need is to mix the melted butter with starchy pasta water. If you see that the sauce is too thin, you can add additional shredded parmesan until the Alfredo sauce becomes creamy and thick.
How Do You Thicken Alfredo Sauce?
The easiest way is to add a little shredded cheese, heavy cream, cornstarch, or flour. Mix well the mixture and let it simmer in the pan for a while.
Bottom Line
As we are talking about a sauce, we can easily pick from multiple substitutes for our Alfredo sauce. Keep in mind that all of them have different fat content, but you can easily control that by adding more shredded parmesan, all-purpose flour, or cornstarch.
