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Home canned alfredo sauce is one of those guilty pleasures I love having on the shelves. I try not to reach for it all to often because it isn’t the best thing to be eating, but man does it hit the spot when I need some comfort food. Pour over some cooked pasta for a quick side dish, beef it up with chicken and veggies to feed a crowd, or even make a white pizza. It is SO good!

I am so dang aware that this homemade canned alfredo sauce isn’t TrAdItiOnAl pasta water and parmesan whatever the heck Italian something or another that it’s “supposed” to be.  But guess what?  In my house… I make this recipe and I call it ALFREDO SAUCE.  Because it’s mine.  And that’s what I want to call it.  Cool?  Or make YOUR recipe and can it for dairy times :)

Anywhoooooo.

I had to say that because OMG the comments on social media from the Michelin Sicilian chefs… it’s actually Jim Bob that lives in his mother’s basement eating cheese balls, but who’s actually paying attention.  I just chuckle at the stay at home chefs that police what people make and eat in their homes.  The fun thing is… I can call my recipe whatever I want because none of y’all Jim Bob’s are my real Dad.  And my real Dad… he wouldn’t care what I called it.  He’d actually probably come up with an even weirder name that I could ever.  I mean… he’s responsible for my personality, dry humor, and wit anyway.  Blame him.

He would also not eat my canned alfredo sauce.  Because he hates it.  Thanks Dad. HAHAH now what was I yakkin about?

If you’ve ever looked at the store bought alfredo sauces… holy cow they’re expensive and they’re really NOT that good.  I haven’t purchased one in a very long time but I vividly remember it tasting like I would imagine fermented gym socks would taste had I left them in the trunk of a car in Arizona on a hot August day for a week.  Not good.  Not good at all.  

And the ingredients?!  (But if you find them on a mega sale.. those lug lid jars are divine to reuse); I ain’t judgin’.

Let’s just take a gander at Rao’s alfredo sauce….

• Butter (Cream, Natural Flavorings)
• Disodium Phosphate
• Xanthan Gum
• Cheeses (I bet they use the cheap powdered foot cheese)

Or Prego if we’re cheap….

• parmesan cheese (part-skim milk, salt, enzymes, cultures)
• modified food starch
• soybean and/or canola oil
• enzyme modified cheese paste
• disodium phosphate
• xanthan gum
• natural flavoring
• anhydrous milkfat (highly processed butter oil)

If you enjoy eating all that, more power to ya.  But man… you can make it homemade with WAY less ingredients and WAY more flavor.  At some point, all that crap they’re adding to preserve it, make it hyperpalatable, and addictive is going to catch up with us.  Oh wait… it already has.  

This jar of home canned alfredo sauce is convenient for quick meals and super delicious on your favorite pasta dishes like fettucine alfredo or even white pizza.  Making all meals from scratch can be hard to do as a busy Mom, so canning ingredients to help you out is a great idea.  Boil some pasta, open a jar of chicken, add some broccoli and dump this creamy sauce overtop.  Boom dinner.  

We’re all busy, but everyone has time for a homemade meal.  It just depends on how you use your time to prepare for those meals.  Promise.  

Equipment You Might Want:

• Stock Pot
• Pint Canning Jars
• Canning Lids & Screw Bands
• Jar Funnel
• Pressure Canner
• Water Bath Canning Pot
• Jar Lifter

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 2 Tbs garlic powder
• 1 Tbs onion powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes (optional)
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 quarts cream
• 16 oz cream cheese
• 8 oz grated parmesan cheese

Let’s make some homemade canned alfredo sauce!

Step 1:  Make the Sauce

Add butter and seasonings to a stock pot.  Heat over medium heat until butter is melted, stirring to prevent burning.  Let it cook a couple of minutes til the butter browns just slightly and the spices wake up and get fragrant.

Once the butter has melted, slowly whisk in the cream.  Bring to a gentle simmer.

Add in cream cheese.  Break apart with a wooden spoon and stir to combine.

Once the cream cheese is incorporated and melted, add in the grated parmesan a handful at a time, stirring the entire time.

Once everything is melted and incorporated, taste your alfredo and adjust the seasoning as you prefer.  If the sauce is on the super thick side, feel free to thin it a bit with milk because the canning process will thicken it up a bit more as well.

Step 2:  Fill Jars

Ladle the alfredo sauce into pint jars to 1-inch headspace.  I would recommend leaving 1 inch even if you’re going to water bath can this because it does swell quite a bit during the canning process and I’d hate for you to blow a lid off or have siphoning.  That’s a messsssssss.

Gently tap the bottom of the jar to remove any air bubbles.

Wipe the rim of the jar and add a lid and secure with a screw band according to the lid manufacturer’s instruction.

Step 3:  Canning

Process pint jars in a pressure canner at your elevations recommended weight for low acid food for 10 minutes.

Process pint jars in a boiling water bath (rebel) for 1 hour at a full rolling boil, adjusting processing time for elevation if needed.

Once processing time is complete, remove jars from canner and set aside on a heat proof surface to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.  

Step 4:  Storage

Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, and label.  Give each jar a good shake to remix the ingredients.  They may appear curdled or separated after canning and cooling, but that’s completely normal.  Shake them and they’ll be perfectly fine.

Alfredo sauce may darken slightly when processed in a pressure canner.  That’s normal and is just the caramelization of the dairy solids in the milk and cheeses.  It doesn’t affect the taste.

Store jars in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.  

Shelf life is ’til you eat it.  Aim to use canned dairy with in 1 year for best flavor, but they’ll last much longer if needed.  That’s not hard with this alfredo because it’s super yum!

Notes:

​Use whatever herbs and seasonings you enjoy in your alfredo sauce; changing them doesn’t affect processing time.

I use homemade cream cheese whenever I can which doesn’t give as creamy of a texture, but does keep my alfredo on the thinner and more tangy side.  If using store bought cream cheese, your alfredo may become much thicker and need to be thinned prior to canning.  Use your own discretion!

Small Batch Homemade Alfredo Sauce Canning Recipe

5 from 1 vote

Print Pin Rate

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes

Canning Time: 10 minutes minutes

Servings: 5 pints

Author: Ruby – Red Feather Farm

Equipment

• stock pot
• pint canning jars
• Canning lids & screw bands
• jar funnel
• Pressure Canner
• Water bath canning pot
• jar lifter

Ingredients

• 1 cup butter 2 sticks
• 2 Tbs garlic powder
• 1 Tbs onion powder
• 1/2 tsp red pepper flakes optional
• 1 tsp paprika
• 1 tsp italian seasoning
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp black pepper
• 2 quarts cream
• 16 oz cream cheese
• 8 oz grated parmesan cheese

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions

Step 1:  Make the Sauce

• Add butter and seasonings to a stock pot.  Heat over medium heat until butter is melted, stirring to prevent burning.  Let it cook a couple of minutes til the butter browns just slightly and the spices wake up and get fragrant.
• Once the butter has melted, slowly whisk in the cream.  Bring to a gentle simmer.
• Add in cream cheese.  Break apart with a wooden spoon and stir to combine.
• Once the cream cheese is incorporated and melted, add in the grated parmesan a handful at a time, stirring the entire time.
• Once everything is melted and incorporated, taste your alfredo and adjust the seasoning as you prefer.  If the sauce is on the super thick side, feel free to thin it a bit with milk because the canning process will thicken it up a bit more as well.

Step 2:  Fill Jars

• Ladle the alfredo sauce into pint jars to 1-inch headspace.  I would recommend leaving 1 inch even if you’re going to water bath can this because it does swell quite a bit during the canning process and I’d hate for you to blow a lid off or have siphoning.  That’s a messsssssss.
• Gently tap the bottom of the jar to remove any air bubbles.
• Wipe the rim of the jar and add a lid and secure with a screw band according to the lid manufacturer’s instruction.

Step 3:  Canning

• Process pint jars in a pressure canner at your elevations recommended weight for low acid food for 10 minutes.
• Process pint jars in a boiling water bath (rebel) for 1 hour at a full rolling boil, adjusting processing time for elevation if needed.
• Once processing time is complete, remove jars from canner and set aside on a heat proof surface to cool undisturbed for 18-24 hours.

Step 4:  Storage

• Once cooled, remove bands, test seals, wash jars, and label.  Give each jar a good shake to remix the ingredients.  They may appear curdled or separated after canning and cooling, but that’s completely normal.  Shake them and they’ll be perfectly fine.
• Alfredo sauce may darken slightly when processed in a pressure canner.  That’s normal and is just the caramelization of the dairy solids in the milk and cheeses.  It doesn’t affect the taste.
• Store jars in a cool dark place away from direct sunlight.
• Shelf life is ’til you eat it.  Aim to use canned dairy with in 1 year for best flavor, but they’ll last much longer if needed.  That’s not hard with this alfredo because it’s super yum!

Be sure and check out all our other canning recipes here!