Parmesan Cream Sauce (Easy 15-Minute Recipe)

This 15-minute Parmesan Cream Sauce is the ultimate condiment for cheese lovers. Parmesan cheese, garlic, and heavy cream are swirled together in a skillet to give you a silky smooth and decadent sauce for pasta, chicken, and more.

If you love parmesan cheese as much as I do, you’ll want to check out my Creamy Parmesan Polenta, Pesto Risotto with Parmesan, and Portobello Mushroom Parmesan recipes as well!

I absolutely love playing around with homemade condiments and sauces in my kitchen. After creating endless sauces for vegetables, meat, pasta, and more, I’ve found that you need three simple things for the most addictively delicious results: (1) melted cheese, (2) fresh garlic, and (3) heavy cream.

Luckily, this Parmesan Cream Sauce has them all!

A drizzle of this garlic and parmesan cream sauce tossed with cooked pasta noodles or drizzled over chicken will instantly make each bite feel like a gourmet meal. You can also double the batch and save the extras for creamy casseroles or dipping sauce!

Easy to make in just 15 minutes, it’s the perfect sauce to turn to when you want something special without the fuss. 

Ingredients 

• Butter 
• Garlic – Use freshly grated or minced garlic to give the sauce a rich and savory depth.
• Italian seasoning – It wouldn’t be an Italian-inspired cream sauce without the Italian seasonings! Use a pre-mixed blend or make your own using my Italian Seasoning Substitute. 
• Flour – All-purpose flour or a gluten-free flour blend can be used to make the thickening roux. 
• Stock – I like chicken stock best but vegetable stock works well as a vegetarian substitute. Or, for extra cheesy flavors, use this homemade Parmesan Broth.
• Heavy cream – It’s what makes this sauce decadently creamy. If you want a lighter version, use whole milk as a substitute.
• Parmesan cheese – Freshly grated parmesan melts beautifully into the sauce and adds the unmistakable cheesy, umami taste. Check out my guide on What to do with Parmesan Rinds once you’ve grated the whole block of cheese.
• Fresh parsley
• Lemon juice – A small splash of fresh or bottled lemon juice cuts through the richness to yield a balanced sauce.
• Salt and pepper

How to make parmesan cream sauce

Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat, then add the garlic and Italian seasoning. Sauté until they’re fragrant. 

Next, sprinkle the flour into the pan, stir it around, and cook until it turns golden. 

Slowly pour the chicken stock into the pan while whisking continuously. Heat to a simmer and cook until the sauce thickens slightly.

Stir in the heavy cream and parmesan until the cheese melts and the sauce is smooth and creamy.

Take the pan off the heat and stir in the fresh parsley and lemon juice. Give it a taste and add some salt and pepper to balance the flavors. 

Serve the finished garlic and parmesan sauce with pasta, chicken, or vegetables, and enjoy!

Tips and tricks

• Shred the parmesan directly from the block for the best results. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anticaking agents, which prevent it from melting as well as the fresh stuff.
• Keep an eye on the garlic as it’s cooking, as it tends to burn quickly.
• Don’t rush the roux! You want to stir and cook the flour until it turns the perfect light golden hue. This step eliminates the raw flour taste and ensures your sauce is thick and velvety. 

Variations

There are just a handful of ways you can put your own spin on the flavors in this sauce:

• If you’re a mushroom lover, sauté a handful of sliced mushrooms in the butter before adding the garlic and seasonings. 
• If you’re a garlic lover, feel free to add an extra clove or two to the sauce.
• For some heat, sauté a pinch of red pepper flakes with the garlic. 
• Parmesan is the star of this recipe but feel free to incorporate other cheeses like Pecorino Romano for a sharper, tangier flavor or Asiago for a slightly nutty note. 
• Feeling fancy? Deglaze the pan with a splash of white wine after cooking the garlic and before adding the flour. 

Serving suggestions

This sauce adds creamy garlicky goodness to anything it touches. Here are the best ways to use it: 

• Pasta – Toss the finished sauce with your favorite pasta noodles, like fettuccine, penne, spaghetti, or gnocchi. Top the pasta with sliced chicken breast or cooked shrimp to turn it into a filling meal.
• White pizza – Swap the traditional red pizza sauce for this creamy parmesan sauce on a white pizza topped with mushrooms, chicken, pesto, and your other favorites. 
• Meat – Drizzle the sauce over baked chicken, pork chops, or steak cuts like ribeye or filet mignon for a restaurant-quality meal at home. 
• Veggies – Drizzle it over roasted or steamed veggies like broccoli, cauliflower, Brussels sprouts, or asparagus. 
• Dip – Pour the sauce into a small bowl and surround it with breadsticks, garlic bread, chicken tenders, french fries, or your favorite dippable foods.
• Seafood – Pair it with baked or pan-seared shrimp, scallops, or white fish like cod or halibut. 
• Casseroles – The creamy sauce binds everything together and adds comforting flavors to pasta bakes, vegetable casseroles, and even lasagna.

FAQs

Why is my cream sauce lumpy?

Lumps can form when the stock or cream is combined with the roux. To prevent them from forming, slowly add the stock and cream and whisk it vigorously until the consistency is silky smooth. If you still notice a few lumps, you can always whisk in more stock or cream to loosen it up.

Can this sauce be made dairy-free?

It can, but the flavors won’t be as rich or decadent. For a dairy-free version, replace the butter with plant-based butter, use coconut milk or cashew cream instead of heavy cream, and use nutritional yeast or vegan parmesan instead of real parmesan.

Storing

Once it’s cool, transfer the leftover garlic parmesan cream sauce to an airtight container and store it in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Freezing is not recommended because the consistency will be off once it thaws.

If you need to reheat the sauce, do so gently in a skillet over low heat. Creamy sauces can sometimes separate if they’re overheated. If this happens, whisk in more stock to bring it back together.

More cream sauces to try

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