Olive Garden’s Garlic Alfredo Sauce is a rich, familiar favorite that turns simple pasta into something that feels unmistakably restaurant-made.
Photo by MacDonalder
Copycat Olive Garden Garlic Alfredo Sauce
Olive Garden Garlic Alfredo Sauce is a creamy, garlic-forward sauce with a smooth texture and balanced richness. It’s designed to coat pasta evenly without feeling heavy or greasy.
This sauce comes together quickly, but timing matters. Gentle heat, steady stirring, and the right balance of garlic and cream are what give it that polished, Olive Garden-style finish.
Quick Recipe Overview
- Best For: Pasta dinners, chicken or shrimp pairings, weeknight comfort meals
- Flavor Profile: Creamy, savory, lightly garlicky with a smooth finish
- Skill Level: Beginner friendly
- What Makes It Like the Restaurant: A restrained garlic flavor and a silky texture that clings to pasta
Olive Garden
Olive Garden built its brand around approachable Italian-American comfort food served in a casual, family-friendly setting. Known for generous portions and familiar flavors, the restaurant focuses on consistency across locations rather than regional variation.
Sauces play a major role in that identity, acting as the foundation for many of the menu’s most popular dishes. By keeping flavors balanced and textures predictable, Olive Garden created sauces that feel indulgent without overwhelming the plate.
The Sauce People Try to Recreate
Cream-based Alfredo sauces are a staple of Italian-American cooking, especially in casual dining. Unlike traditional Italian preparations, this style emphasizes richness and smoothness over sharp cheese notes.
Garlic Alfredo sauce fits neatly into that tradition. It’s versatile, familiar, and designed to work with pasta, chicken, seafood, or vegetables. That flexibility is exactly why it shows up on so many restaurant menus and home dinner tables alike.
Olive Garden Garlic Alfredo Sauce Recipe
Make our Olive Garden Garlic Alfredo Sauce Restaurant Recipe at home tonight for your family. With our Secret Restaurant Recipe your Alfredo Sauce will taste just like Olive Garden’s.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup Butter
- 2 tablespoons Cream Cheese
- 1 pint Heavy Cream
- 1 to 2 teaspoons Garlic Powder start with 1 and taste
- Salt to taste
- Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste
- 2/3 cup fresh grated Parmesan or Romano Cheese
Instructions
- In a medium to large saucepan melt the butter over medium heat.
- Add the cream cheese and whisk to smooth and melted.
- Whisk in the heavy cream.
- Season with the garlic powder, salt and pepper.
- Bring to a good simmer and whisk frequently until sauce thickens, around 25 minutes.
- Remove from heat and stir in cheese.
- Taste and adjust seasonings.
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Questions People Ask
Is Olive Garden Garlic Alfredo Sauce the same as regular Alfredo? It’s similar, but it has a more noticeable garlic presence and a smoother, slightly lighter finish.
Can this sauce be made ahead? Yes. Reheat gently and stir well to restore the creamy texture.
Does this sauce use heavy cream? Yes. Heavy cream helps achieve the rich, restaurant-style consistency.
Can I use this sauce on more than pasta? Absolutely. It works well with chicken, shrimp, vegetables, or as a pizza base.
Why did my sauce thicken too much? Alfredo sauces thicken as they cool. Adding a small splash of cream or milk while reheating helps loosen it.
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Photo of Alfredo is by MacDonalder and is used by permission under the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 2.0 Generic (CC BY-NC-SA 2.0) License. Photo of “Olive Garden August 7, 2022” is by David Saddler and is used by permission under the Attribution 2.0 Generic Creative Commons License. Read the Full License Here – https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/legalcode.en. Thank you, MacDonalder and David. Great Pictures. Photos may be representative of the recipe and not the actual finished dish. All photo licenses listed were correct at the time of the posting of the page. Recipe is our adaption of several recipes formally widely-circulated on the internet – courtesy of the Wayback Machine. Additional Information is from original research done by Secret Copycat Restaurant Recipes and/or courtesy of Wikipedia and is used by permission.
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It takes 10 seconds and helps other home cooks recreate a classic restaurant sauce they already love.
February 2, 2020 @ 4:00 pm
How do you reheat this and it still be creamy?!