This healthy fettuccine alfredo is ultra creamy even though it contains no heavy cream or butter. Add grilled chicken or your favorite veggies for an easy & delicious meal!
If you’re my 19-year old brother, you can add heavy cream to anything you eat. He’s been on a “bulk-up” plan for the past couple of years to accompany his weight lifting routine, so he’ll add a few glugs of heavy cream to his oatmeal…a scoop of ice cream to his smoothies…a slab of butter to his baked sweet potato. You get the idea.
But if you’re like most other people, you’re probably not looking to add extra heavy cream into your diet. And that’s where this healthy fettuccine alfredo comes in.
Made with just almond milk, flour, broth, a bit of olive oil, garlic, parmesan cheese, and noodles, this healthy fettuccine alfredo is light enough to eat any day. Because who wants to save fettuccine alfredo just for special occasions?
A bowl of this healthy fettuccine alfredo is a blank slate of creamy goodness. You can keep it simple and serve just the noodles, or you can add grilled chicken, caramelized onions, sauteéd mushrooms, or steamed broccoli.
Fettuccine alfredo was one of the first pasta dishes I learned how to make and my original recipe was from one of those kids’ cooking schools, I think. All I remember is that it called for loads of cream, butter, and cheese.
Over time, I’ve adapted the recipe to make it healthier and this pasta is one of my family’s favorite meals when I make it at home. Even my cream-loving brother loves it– I actually made it for him last weekend! It doesn’t include any healthy substitutes that’d make it taste just a bit “off” or tangy, like Greek yogurt.
I included the family-size recipe since leftover fettuccine is awesome when heated up with a splash of milk since the sauce thickens up a bit as it cools. The leftovers also surprisingly freeze really well. And I can personally testify that this recipe is simple enough to make in a dorm kitchen. Need any more convincing?
If you try out this healthy fettuccine alfredo,, feel free to let me know in a comment or take a picture and tag me @livbane on Instagram. Hope you enjoy!
Healthy Fettuccine Alfredo
Ingredients
- 16 oz. fettuccine (I like using whole-grain)
- 3 Tbsp. butter or cooking oil (I use avocado or grapeseed oil)
- 3 cloves garlic, minced
- 5 Tbsp. flour
- 2 cups original almond milk
- 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth*
- 1/2 tsp. salt
- 1/2 tsp. black pepper
- 1/8 tsp. nutmeg
- 1/2 cup freshly-grated parmesan cheese
Instructions
- In a large pot, cook fettuccine to al dente according to package directions, stirring frequently since fettuccine tends to stick together. Drain into a colander.
- Return now-empty pot to the stove on medium-low heat and add butter/oil and garlic. Sauté garlic for about 60 seconds, until fragrant. Sprinkle in flour and whisk for another 30 seconds.
- Add milk and broth and whisk until combined. Cook over medium-low heat, whisking frequently, for 10-12 minutes or until sauce is thickened. Add salt, black pepper, and nutmeg. Turn off heat.
- Add parmesan cheese and stir until cheese melts. Add noodles and serve immediately. If sauce become too thick, add a splash of milk to thin sauce.
Notes
Nutrition
Made with almond milk was a surprise. That is a great substitution for heavy cream.
Combined with the other ingredients, it really is a close substitute!
I can personally verify that this is delicious!
Haha thank you, Caleb 🙂
It looks so creamy; it’s amazing that you can actually use almond milk for a lot of dairy based sauces, and it doesn’t taste any different.
Almond milk in a traditional cream-based sauce is one of my favorite healthy substitutes!
I love me some alfredo! I’m so glad to have discovered this recipe! Do you think it would be okay to substitute the chicken broth for vegetable broth? 🙂
I bet that’d be delicious!
This is a great idea – we love a good creamy alfredo but it doesn’t always love us. Going to give this a try!
You’ll have to let me know what you think!
Oooh this looks SO creamy and delicious! And so easy too!
Definitely super easy!
This recipe looks great! I too am a college student and am always looking for ways to “healthify some of my favorite dishes. I plan on making this soon! I see chicken broth on the ingredient list but I do not see where to add it in the recipe?
Thanks for catching that, Sophie! You add the broth at the same time as the milk. Just updated the recipe. Hope you enjoy it!!
Thank you! I will comment on how it turns out (although I am sure it will be great)! I have been looking for a healthy fettuccine Alfredo recipe for a while now and this one looks perfect.
I enjoy seeing your recipes and they are easy to make and definitely try this tooo!! I’ll share your post with my college friends they will surely love it…
Oh I just love these amazing recipe, Liv! What a good idea for using low-sodium chicken broth. I’m definitely cook it for my family!! Have a wonderful day and thanks for recipe!
Yummmmm!!…. a mess that starts with slurpy delicious noodles and ends with creamy fettuccine alfredo sauce. …i want to taste this dish yumm..
Does almond milk thicken better than nonfat milk? I’m curious to know what makes almond milk work?
I use almond milk in this recipe because that’s the type of milk I always have on hand and I try to limit how much dairy I eat! You could definitely give dairy milk a try. The higher fat content of the dairy milk, the more it’ll thicken.
Wow, gotta say I’m shocked how good this was. I made it to help my wife who’s counting points but I ended up liking it as much as the heavy cream version. Well done and thanks. We’ll be eating this again.
I also keep track of points. Does anybody know how many points this would be? I follow iTrackBites app and it doesn’t have the recipe builder. Thank you
I’m so glad you and your wife enjoyed this recipe!!
I have made this recipe twice and it tastes delicious! however, both times I could not get it thick hardly at all. Is there something I could be doing wrong?
Thanks!
I had such high hopes for this recipe. I followed the recipe and made a substitute by using arrowroot flour rather than flour, which does the same thing, thickens it. My recipe turned out liquidy, no matter how much arrowroot I added. Perhaps it was something I did or didn’t do, I’m not sure. The flavor was good, however it definitely wasn’t like the alfredo sauce I’ve made in the past. I love that it was a healthier alternative, it just didn’t do it for me. I don’t waste food, so I’ll have to doctor it up the next day.
How do I prepare the low-sodium chicken broth?
Hi Harpreet! I usually purchase my chicken broth, but you also can make your own chicken broth any time you boil chicken in water!
What am I doing wrong? I follow the recipe exact and it takes forever for the sauce to thicken. I even add in more flour. :/
This was SO good! The flavor delivered everything we crave in fettuccine while feeling lighter! My husband and I loved it!
This is the first time I know this unique Italian pasta recipe.
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That’s a perfect way to make classic pasta healthier
Healthy fettuccine Alfredo has totally changed the game for me. I never thought I could enjoy that rich, creamy flavor without all the heaviness. Swapping in convalescent home ingredients like cauliflower or Greek yogurt makes it lighter but still satisfying. It’s become a regular comfort meal I can feel good about eating.