This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Mmmmm, fettuccine alfredo.
I don’t know about you, but this rich and creamy and oh-so-decadent pasta is pretty much the ultimate comfort food in my book. It has long been a favorite dish of mine, and one that I always looked forward to ordering out at some of my favorite Italian restaurants on special occasions. But I made the mistake of peeking at the nutrition facts for fettuccine alfredo a few years ago. And after seeing just how much (hint: so much) extra butter and heavy cream restaurants usually toss into this dish, I felt like it was probably time to swear it off for good.
But let’s be real — a girl needs her favorite fettuccine alfredo every now an then.
So I set to work a few years ago experimenting and tweaking with ways to lighten up this classic dish. I stuck with the traditional ingredients (no cauliflower sauce here), although I completely nixed the heavy cream in place of low-fat milk with a roux. And lo and behold, it actually worked!!! Turns out you can have rich and creamy and oh-so-decadent fettuccine alfredo made at home — bonus, in just 20 minutes! — with this lightened-up easy recipe. And I’m obsessed with it.
And today I thought I would bump it back to the top of the blog to re-share it with those of you who might have missed it and need some healthier fettuccine alfredo in your lives. :) I went ahead and updated the pictures from the original post that I shared about 3 years ago, but the recipe is the same and just as good as ever. So put on some water to boil, and let’s make some pasta!
Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe | 1-Minute Video
This recipe, of course, centers around its two namesake ingredients — fettuccine and alfredo sauce.
You’re welcome to use any kind of pasta you’d like for this recipe — traditional semolina, whole-wheat pasta, gluten-free pasta (if so, check out my gluten-free alfredo sauce recipe), totally up to you! My one tip as always is just to be sure that you generously salt the water before adding the pasta. This is your one opportunity to kick up the flavor in the actual pasta itself, so don’t skimp!
But the sauce — this magical sauce — is the rockstar of the recipe. As I said, no heavy cream or cream cheese is used in this recipe. All you need are:
olive oil (a healthier fat, or you’re welcome to use butter for the flavor)
fresh garlic (a must!!)
flour (to thicken)
chicken broth (more flavorful than milk; you can also sub in veggie stock)
low-fat milk (you can use any milk, even soy)
Parmesan cheese (if you freshly grate it, it will be more flavorful)
Both the sauce and pasta cook quickly. So when you’re ready, drain your pasta and then add in the alfredo sauce.
Then toss them together until everything is nice and creamy and evenly coated.
Then a delicious pan of fettuccine alfredo is yours to enjoy! You’re welcome to just serve it plain…
…or you can top it with a little extra Parmesan, some fresh parsley or basil, or whatever sounds good. :)
But the best news? As opposed to the fettuccine alfredo recipe from Olive Garden, which clocks in at a whopping 1220 calories a serving, one serving of this alfredo sauce clocks in at 141 calories, and when combined with the fettuccine it is 450 calories a serving. Not too shabby for a thick and creamy pasta. Perfect when served with a light salad like this one.
This easy fettuccine alfredo recipe is made “skinny” with a lighter alfredo sauce recipe — but it’s as delicious and creamy and flavorful as ever!
Ingredients
Scale
12 ounces fettuccine (or any pasta shape)
1 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil or butter
4 cloves garlic, pressed or finely-minced
3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken stock
1 cup low-fat milk (I used 1%)
3/4 cup freshly-grated Parmesan cheese
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
(optional toppings: chopped fresh parsley, extra Parmesan)
Instructions
Cook pasta al dente according to package directions, in generously-salted water.
Meanwhile, heat olive oil (or melt butter) in a large saute pan over medium-high heat. Add garlic and saute one minute, stirring occasionally, until fragrant. Sprinkle with flour, and stir to combine. Saute for an additional minute to cook the flour, stirring occasionally.
Slowly add chicken broth, whisking to combine until smooth. Whisk in milk, and bring the mixture to a simmer. Let cook for an additional minute until thickened, then stir in Parmesan cheese, salt and pepper until the cheese melted. Reduce heat to medium-low until pasta is cooked.
Drain pasta, then immediately add pasta to the saute pan with alfredo sauce. Toss to combine. Serve topped with chopped fresh parsley if desired.
This was a great recipe!!! I used tomato fettuccine and added a little lemon juice, freshly chopped basil and tomato. Delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe!
Butter, cream and whole milk are actually good for you, as current research has proven. Because of a few bad studies and misguided political decisions, the lies about dairy have been perpetuated since the 70s leading to an obese America (with the help of the processed food industry). I would also be interested to know how the serving size of the Olive Garden dish compared to yours. Restaurants are notorious for giving excessively large servings.
I only ate Fettucini Alfredo once a year – on my anniversary – a splurge to celebrate. I made this last night for that occasion and it was FANTASTIC! I used whole milk because that’s what we had in the house, but it was so good and I didn’t feel weighed down and guilty afterwards. I may eat it more than once a year now! Thank you!
This Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe is amazing. I altered it a tiny bit with some fresh lemon…I’ll have to say its one of the best recipes I have ever had. Thanks for sharing!! ;)
Homemade alfredo sauce, and a skinny one…double yum! We love chicken alfredo in our house and it’s probably one thing that even my step-daughters aren’t picky over! Will have to give this a try!
Absolutely delicious!!! For anybody that is gluten intolerant, I made this with Jules Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour, and it was SO DELICIOUS!!! Like others, I had some problems with the flour lumping on me, and after vigorous whisking after adding the chicken broth, I ended up putting it in my mini food processor to process out the lumps. This worked great! I think next time, I will heat up my chicken broth and see if that helps. I’m wondering if the room temperature chicken broth in the hot flour caused it to seize up, but knowing I have the food processor option is great. I agree that fresh Parmesan cheese is the key. Absolutely DELICIOUS! I also used basil-flavored olive oil that’s made locally, which really enhanced the flavor. I also srilled some chicken with Italian seasoning to go along with it, and next time, I will definitely add some steamed broccoli. This is a real winner, and my husband couldn’t stop raving about it!
Used gluten free flour/baking mix and skim milk it was amazing!!!
Served it with gluten free Penne and my son who is GF loved it!!
It does seem a little thin at first, but once you add in the parmesan cheese, it thickens up just nice.
I had some lumping too, but it went away with stirring.
This just filled the bellies of our family of 5. With ages 2yrs, 5yrs, 9yrs and up it can be hard to find a dinner suitable for everyone’s taste but this fit the bill perfectly! The big guy can be snobish when it comes to an alfredo sauce and all you heard was “mmm” out of him with every bite! We paired it with chicken and broccoli. It’s a keeper!
This was great! I used skim milk and also added grilled chicken and onions along with red pepper flakes. I don’t like fettuccine alfredo too thick so this was the perfect recipe for me! I also don’t keep cream in the house. Came out perfectly! Thank you!!! :)
Hands down, best fettuccine alfredo!!!!! My boyfriend is a harsh critic of alfredo. We were a bit skeptical of how much it would actually be like restaurant style alfredo. Well, this blew us away! We are adopting a healthier lifestyle and we are elated to add this well thought out recipe to the mix.
We used whole wheat flour and added grilled chicken breast. Also, we subbed almond milk instead of 1%.
Thank you so much for your tedious work to bring this recipe into all our homes! :-)
Maddie Chaisson —
Grilled chicken breast actually sounds like a really good idea! :)
Just made this sauce! My fussy 10 ur old son LOVED it! As did I. My new fav skinny sauce now thank you! I added grilled turkey breast, bacon and broccolion penne pasta, amazing! Thank you
This was an excellent dish! I made with whole wheat pasta and used skim milk. It was awesome! My husband didn’t think it was going to be good, but loved it! Thanks!
Carol
I just made this… I substituted the 1% Mille with soy milk and the fettuccini with spaghetti squash and it was so good I scarfed it down like a starving child… I also added some baked chucked with spices to it…
this was DELICIOUS!
I am eating it now… had to write a review.. YUM!
I added steamed broccoli and grilled chicken (well, the Trader Joe’s kind that is pre-cooked :) )
So seriously yum. It’s been on my menu for WEEKS but I kept getting nervous….about I don’t know what!?! So good. It’s possible that I may eat all 12 ounces of pasta by myself.
I made the sauce Saturday evening and it was sooooo good and sooooo gone by lunchtime on Sunday, that I made it for dinner Sunday evening….I also added sautéed lemon pepper chicken on Saturday and turkey sausage with the left over chicken to the dish on Sunday!!! Two thumbs up from my children and I….
Chunky sauce probably would have been the result of not whisking the milk in well enough with the roux (butter/flour). The goal is usually to pour a little milk in, and whisk until smooth. Then a little milk, whisk, etc. Hope that helps!
omg! my 9 & and almost 5 yo boys LOVE this recipe! i’ve made alfredo with cream cheese and it was good but really heavy and my 5 yo only had couple of bites. when we order from olive garden or other italian restaurants, my 5 yo barely eats their alfredo. i made the skinny version and he polished his plate, first time for an alfredo sauce. this is our go-to dish from now on. my kids’ new favorite dish…skinny alfredo!
Thanks for this recipe! I have been craving alfredo sauce lately and this is such a great, light alternative. I have been cutting back on carbs recently though, so I used this sauce over sauteed chicken (cubed) and peas. Delicious!
OMG! This is delicious! I just made the sauce and my mind is blown – perfectly creamy, you wouldn’t know the difference from the butter & cream filled version! Thank you! :)
Just made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Sooooo much better then my usual cream cheese sauce and definitely not as rich. This will be my forever go to Alfredo sauce.thank you! I also served it with roasted broccoli- yum!
Hi! Just finished eating this delicious dish! I decided to double the recipe, adding chicken and broccoli, and it was fantastic. I highly recommend it to everyone, thanks so much!
Thanks, Ali!! This is super easy and super delish! We added buffalo chicken and used whole wheat pasta with your sauce, then wished for more!! I think my husband would’ve licked the bowl, if I’d let him!! =)
Thank you for this post! I wanted chicken alfredo but didn’t have cream cheese so I was sad. I found your recipe, and it turned out just as wonderful as the fully loaded version. Thanks again!
This recipe was absolutely delicious ! I will use ity for Chicken Alfredo pizza too. The one question I have is this: After all preparation, I mixed the sauce with the Fettuccine noodles and it was beautifully creamy, but after it cooled enough to eat, it was no longer creamy. Is that normal ? Then after refrigeration/freezing, the next day when I thawed the Fettuccine Afredo for my Grandson, it stayed not creamy. I tried adding a bit more Chicken stock, but it changed the original taste. What can I do to get it creamy again, and what did I do wrong that it only stayed creamy for a short time after combining the sauce with the noodles. I followed the directions with one exception…I put the chicken stock in before slowly mixing in the flour to avoid lumps, as someone suggest in your reviews.
My God……the best homemade Alfredo Pasta I have ever made…..I am pretty sure you walk around with a heavenly light shining on you and a halo atop your head. This is FABULOUS. No skimping on the flavor…..perfect!
This was fantastic! I sought out to find a diet-friendly Alfredo sauce recipe and this one is nearly indistinguishable from the conventional recipe, for a fraction of the calories. I don’t know how you did it, but I deeply appreciate it. I don’t think anyone who makes this meal will regret it.
This was my first ever attempt to make alfredo sauce. It was easy to follow the recipe and turned out great. I had whole milk so used that instead of 1% milk but other than that followed the recipe to a T. Thanks for sharing, it was delicious.
You can definitely use canned. I would just look for the most high-quality (ideally organic) store-bought chicken stock. Trader Joe’s and Kitchen Basics are my favorites!
wow, I feel like a doofus–I never thought of replacing the heavy cream with white sauce. And this from a guy who pines for biscuits and gravy on occasion. I shall have to give this a try soon. Sounds delicious!
This was a great recipe!!! I used tomato fettuccine and added a little lemon juice, freshly chopped basil and tomato. Delicious!!! Thanks for the recipe!
You have the calories per serving, but not how much a serving is. How much is a serving of this pasta?
Does anyone know what the serving size is? A cup etc?
Butter, cream and whole milk are actually good for you, as current research has proven. Because of a few bad studies and misguided political decisions, the lies about dairy have been perpetuated since the 70s leading to an obese America (with the help of the processed food industry). I would also be interested to know how the serving size of the Olive Garden dish compared to yours. Restaurants are notorious for giving excessively large servings.
This is a wonderful Alfredo sauce. I made it to go over some ravioli and my husband is still raving about it!
I only ate Fettucini Alfredo once a year – on my anniversary – a splurge to celebrate. I made this last night for that occasion and it was FANTASTIC! I used whole milk because that’s what we had in the house, but it was so good and I didn’t feel weighed down and guilty afterwards. I may eat it more than once a year now! Thank you!
*Fettuccine – whoops!
This was GREAT! I added chicken breast. YUM! Next time I’ll add some broccoli :-) My family has requested it again!
This Skinny Fettuccine Alfredo Recipe is amazing. I altered it a tiny bit with some fresh lemon…I’ll have to say its one of the best recipes I have ever had. Thanks for sharing!! ;)
Homemade alfredo sauce, and a skinny one…double yum! We love chicken alfredo in our house and it’s probably one thing that even my step-daughters aren’t picky over! Will have to give this a try!
Absolutely delicious!!! For anybody that is gluten intolerant, I made this with Jules Gluten-Free All-Purpose flour, and it was SO DELICIOUS!!! Like others, I had some problems with the flour lumping on me, and after vigorous whisking after adding the chicken broth, I ended up putting it in my mini food processor to process out the lumps. This worked great! I think next time, I will heat up my chicken broth and see if that helps. I’m wondering if the room temperature chicken broth in the hot flour caused it to seize up, but knowing I have the food processor option is great. I agree that fresh Parmesan cheese is the key. Absolutely DELICIOUS! I also used basil-flavored olive oil that’s made locally, which really enhanced the flavor. I also srilled some chicken with Italian seasoning to go along with it, and next time, I will definitely add some steamed broccoli. This is a real winner, and my husband couldn’t stop raving about it!
That would be *grilled chicken. Oops!
Used gluten free flour/baking mix and skim milk it was amazing!!!
Served it with gluten free Penne and my son who is GF loved it!!
It does seem a little thin at first, but once you add in the parmesan cheese, it thickens up just nice.
I had some lumping too, but it went away with stirring.
This just filled the bellies of our family of 5. With ages 2yrs, 5yrs, 9yrs and up it can be hard to find a dinner suitable for everyone’s taste but this fit the bill perfectly! The big guy can be snobish when it comes to an alfredo sauce and all you heard was “mmm” out of him with every bite! We paired it with chicken and broccoli. It’s a keeper!
Maybe I’m just an idiot and am looking over it, but when do you add the salt & pepper??
Oh no! Thanks for catching that typo. You add the salt and pepper in at the very end. I just edited the recipe. Thanks for letting me know!
This was great! I used skim milk and also added grilled chicken and onions along with red pepper flakes. I don’t like fettuccine alfredo too thick so this was the perfect recipe for me! I also don’t keep cream in the house. Came out perfectly! Thank you!!! :)
Hands down, best fettuccine alfredo!!!!! My boyfriend is a harsh critic of alfredo. We were a bit skeptical of how much it would actually be like restaurant style alfredo. Well, this blew us away! We are adopting a healthier lifestyle and we are elated to add this well thought out recipe to the mix.
We used whole wheat flour and added grilled chicken breast. Also, we subbed almond milk instead of 1%.
Thank you so much for your tedious work to bring this recipe into all our homes! :-)
Grilled chicken breast actually sounds like a really good idea! :)
This would be awsum with whole wheat noodles how good that be for the skinny.
I just made this recipe tonight. It was really good!
OMG this receipe is soo DELICIOUS!!!! I can’t believe how low in calories & tasty it is.
Thanks for sharing
Just made this sauce! My fussy 10 ur old son LOVED it! As did I. My new fav skinny sauce now thank you! I added grilled turkey breast, bacon and broccolion penne pasta, amazing! Thank you
This was an excellent dish! I made with whole wheat pasta and used skim milk. It was awesome! My husband didn’t think it was going to be good, but loved it! Thanks!
Carol
I just made this… I substituted the 1% Mille with soy milk and the fettuccini with spaghetti squash and it was so good I scarfed it down like a starving child… I also added some baked chucked with spices to it…
I made this Alfredo tonight and it is the best one I have made from scratch loved it! I added saute mushrooms and sun dried tomatoes not in oil.
Thanks for a great recipe we will enjoy from now on this will be the only Alfredo sauce I will make
this was DELICIOUS!
I am eating it now… had to write a review.. YUM!
I added steamed broccoli and grilled chicken (well, the Trader Joe’s kind that is pre-cooked :) )
DELICIOUS… must keeep eating.
So seriously yum. It’s been on my menu for WEEKS but I kept getting nervous….about I don’t know what!?! So good. It’s possible that I may eat all 12 ounces of pasta by myself.
I made this and I love it??
I was just wondering for the vegetarian people will adding vegetable broth (instead of chicken) make a huge difference in taste?
If you get high quality vegetable stock, it should taste really good! :)
~Ali
I made the sauce Saturday evening and it was sooooo good and sooooo gone by lunchtime on Sunday, that I made it for dinner Sunday evening….I also added sautéed lemon pepper chicken on Saturday and turkey sausage with the left over chicken to the dish on Sunday!!! Two thumbs up from my children and I….
Did anyone else’s get chunky sauce? If so tell me how to fix it and what i did wrong please! Thanks :)
Hi Amelia,
Chunky sauce probably would have been the result of not whisking the milk in well enough with the roux (butter/flour). The goal is usually to pour a little milk in, and whisk until smooth. Then a little milk, whisk, etc. Hope that helps!
~Ali
omg! my 9 & and almost 5 yo boys LOVE this recipe! i’ve made alfredo with cream cheese and it was good but really heavy and my 5 yo only had couple of bites. when we order from olive garden or other italian restaurants, my 5 yo barely eats their alfredo. i made the skinny version and he polished his plate, first time for an alfredo sauce. this is our go-to dish from now on. my kids’ new favorite dish…skinny alfredo!
Thanks for this recipe! I have been craving alfredo sauce lately and this is such a great, light alternative. I have been cutting back on carbs recently though, so I used this sauce over sauteed chicken (cubed) and peas. Delicious!
OMG! This is delicious! I just made the sauce and my mind is blown – perfectly creamy, you wouldn’t know the difference from the butter & cream filled version! Thank you! :)
Does anyone know how many grams of fat or how much fiber is in the recipe? I need more of the nutritional stats than just the calories. Thanks
This sounds wonderful. I was wondering could
you use this recipe for the crock pot?
I do not believe the Alfredo sauce would translate to the crock pot since it requires making a roux. Sorry about that.
~Ali
Hi, this looks delicious! I need to know fat, protein, fiber and carbs for Weight Watchers points. Can you possibly give me that info? Thanks
Just made this tonight and it was absolutely delicious! Sooooo much better then my usual cream cheese sauce and definitely not as rich. This will be my forever go to Alfredo sauce.thank you! I also served it with roasted broccoli- yum!
Hi! Just finished eating this delicious dish! I decided to double the recipe, adding chicken and broccoli, and it was fantastic. I highly recommend it to everyone, thanks so much!
Thanks, Ali!! This is super easy and super delish! We added buffalo chicken and used whole wheat pasta with your sauce, then wished for more!! I think my husband would’ve licked the bowl, if I’d let him!! =)
Made this tonight! It was perfect! I used corn starch instead but the end result was the same, yum!
Pared it down to be for one. Really enjoyed, tasty, rich mouth feel and easy to do. Thank you
Thank you for this post! I wanted chicken alfredo but didn’t have cream cheese so I was sad. I found your recipe, and it turned out just as wonderful as the fully loaded version. Thanks again!
This recipe was absolutely delicious ! I will use ity for Chicken Alfredo pizza too. The one question I have is this: After all preparation, I mixed the sauce with the Fettuccine noodles and it was beautifully creamy, but after it cooled enough to eat, it was no longer creamy. Is that normal ? Then after refrigeration/freezing, the next day when I thawed the Fettuccine Afredo for my Grandson, it stayed not creamy. I tried adding a bit more Chicken stock, but it changed the original taste. What can I do to get it creamy again, and what did I do wrong that it only stayed creamy for a short time after combining the sauce with the noodles. I followed the directions with one exception…I put the chicken stock in before slowly mixing in the flour to avoid lumps, as someone suggest in your reviews.
My God……the best homemade Alfredo Pasta I have ever made…..I am pretty sure you walk around with a heavenly light shining on you and a halo atop your head. This is FABULOUS. No skimping on the flavor…..perfect!
I made this tonight and it was delicious! I’ll definitely make it again:-)
This was fantastic! I sought out to find a diet-friendly Alfredo sauce recipe and this one is nearly indistinguishable from the conventional recipe, for a fraction of the calories. I don’t know how you did it, but I deeply appreciate it. I don’t think anyone who makes this meal will regret it.
Just made this recipe for dinner tonight. Served it with stir fry veggies — and it was fabulous!! Thanks for a great recipe!
I am totally going to use this as a “dipping sauce” for calzones this weekend!
Is it possible to freeze this sauce? If not how long can I store it in the fridge for?
This was my first ever attempt to make alfredo sauce. It was easy to follow the recipe and turned out great. I had whole milk so used that instead of 1% milk but other than that followed the recipe to a T. Thanks for sharing, it was delicious.
Would this still be healthy with canned chicken broth? or should it be fresh chicken broth??
You can definitely use canned. I would just look for the most high-quality (ideally organic) store-bought chicken stock. Trader Joe’s and Kitchen Basics are my favorites!
wow, I feel like a doofus–I never thought of replacing the heavy cream with white sauce. And this from a guy who pines for biscuits and gravy on occasion. I shall have to give this a try soon. Sounds delicious!