Name: Olive Oil Alfredo Sauce
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 1 pound pasta; 1/4 cup olive oil; 2 tablespoons olive oil; 1 cup heavy cream; 1 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese; Coarse kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Olive oil alfredo sauce is made without butter so you can always have rich, creamy alfredo sauce even when there's no butter in the house!

a blue bowl with pasta covered in olive oil alfredo sauce with chive blossoms around

Get ready, because olive oil alfredo sauce is about to give you the easiest dinner of your life.

You might only be interested in salad right now, but let me make my case for this olive oil cream sauce. It's ready in 15 minutes - like, the whole thing start to finish. You could even make roasted broccoli to go alongside in that amount of time, and add another 5 minutes and you've got roasted chickpeas for protein too.

When the days get busy, quick and easy dinners like this are gold. This one is also awesome because it's a back pocket recipe for those time where you need a butter substitute. Olive oil to the rescue!

a blue bowl of olive oil alfredo sauce on pasta shells with chive blossoms in the background

What can I substitute for butter in alfredo sauce?

We're using extra virgin olive oil to make alfredo sauce without butter. You'll still get a rich, creamy sauce in a matter of minutes. The sauce still contains parmesan cheese and heavy cream, so please keep in mind that it is not vegan or dairy free, and you'll want to choose a vegetarian friendly parmesan (no rennet) to keep it truly vegetarian.

How to make olive oil alfredo sauce

Heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add cooked pasta, heavy cream, parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. Stir and toss together until the pasta is completely coated and the sauce is slightly thickened.

Rich, creamy Alfredo sauce using olive oil instead of butter! #PledgeforEVOO #ad

How to reheat alfredo sauce

I doubt you'll have any leftovers, but in case you do, alfredo sauce has a tendency to separate shortly after cooking. To reheat it to a creamy consistency, heat pasta with sauce in a small pot over medium low heat with a splash of milk or heavy cream until warm and creamy.

This olive oil alfredo sauce can be customized! Here are a few ideas to get you started:

Add a pinch or two of crushed red pepper flakes at the end for spice
Cook one clove of crushed garlic in the oil before proceeding with the recipe
Use the sauce as a pizza topping in place of tomato sauce
Toss pasta and sauce in a baking dish, cover with mozzarella cheese, and bake until brown on top
Use in place of the tomato sauce in roasted vegetable lasagna

close up photo of a bowl of pasta shells with olive oil alfredo sauce

More tasty pasta recipes

For dessert

If you make this recipe, be sure to rate it, leave a comment, or tag #theliveinkitchen on Instagram!

Recipe

Olive Oil Alfredo Sauce

Olive Oil Alfredo Sauce is perfect for those times you don't have butter on hand!

3.88 from 93 votes

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Prep Time: 5

Cook Time: 10

Total Time: 15

Servings:

Calories: 609kcal

Author: Lindsay Moe

Ingredients

Instructions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook pasta according to package directions.
Just before the pasta is done, heat olive oil over medium heat in a large skillet. Add drained pasta, heavy cream, Parmesan cheese, and salt and pepper. Stir and toss together until the pasta is completely coated and the sauce is slightly thickened.