Quick Parmesan Cream Sauce Recipe - Sauce Fanatic (2024)

FAQs

How to get cream sauce to thicken? ›

The most readily available sauce-thickener is flour. For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.

Add Cheese

The key ingredient in Alfredo sauce is cheese—generally Parmigiano Reggiano—and lots of it. To thicken Alfredo sauce, simply add more cheese than the amount called for in a recipe until you achieve the consistency you want.

Cream Cheese

Keep in mind, it is best to use the full fat version of cream cheese as this melts the best and incorporates into the sauce. You can cut the brick of cream cheese into smaller cubes and then add it to your sauce and it will melt and create a thick cheesy and tangy alfredo.

Flour. If you're not on a gluten-free diet, one of the best ways to thicken your sauce is to add all-purpose flour! Flour is a primary ingredient used when making a roux, and you can also use flour for soup and gravy thickening. Adding two ounces for every cup of liquid is a good rule of thumb.

You can make a cream sauce thicker by reducing it on the stovetop. If reducing the sauce doesn't work, or if you're in a rush, you can use a thickener to bulk up your sauce. Flour, butter, eggs, and cornstarch are simple ingredients that can make your cream sauce thicker.

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

When whipping cream, add sugar and vanilla when the cream is about 1/2 whipped, and it will whip to a thicker consistency. Adding the sugar at the beginning results in thinner consistency. The cream and the bowl should be as cold as possible. The cream will whip easier and to a thicker consistency when very cold.

You may not have had your proportions of flour to oil equal. If you didn't add the same amount of flour as oil it will not thicken. You may have added too much milk. You may not be bringing your sauce up to a boil after adding the milk.

Egg yolks, arrowroot, tomato paste or butter can thicken sauce in place of flour or cornstarch.