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Easy Homemade Alfredo Sauce Recipe (& Canning Instructions)

Creamy alfredo sauce is a family favorite and one of the best-loved dinner recipes. But if you go to the trouble to make it, why not make a larger quality and save some for later? Here’s how to can alfredo sauce:

  1. Fill Each Glass Jar with Alfredo Sauce
  2. Leave a gap between the top of the sauce and the rim of the jar
  3. Wipe the Rim of the Jars
  4. Allow Some Time for the Sauce to Cool Down
  5. Put the Canning Rings on the Jars
  6. Place the Jars in a Pressure Canner and Process for about 10 minutes
  7. Or pasteurize with Boiling Water
  8. Label and Date the lid of the Glass Jars
  9. Store Glass Jars in a Cool, Dark Place such as a Pantry

There’s actually a lot more to know.

In this article, we’ll also find out if you can store homemade alfredo sauce in the pantry after canning and how long it would last unopened. But we will also look at how to preserve it.

Let’s dive right in.

can alfredo sauce lg

Once you can alfredo sauce, can the jars go in a pantry?

Yes. Canned homemade alfredo sauce can go in a pantry. It needs to be properly prepared and carefully canned and pasteurized. Boiling water can be used to pasteurize if a pressure canner is not available.

After canning alfredo sauce, you can store it in a cool, dry place in the pantry. A dark cupboard would be ideal. As a general rule, you’d want to use up the sauce within a year. Remember to label and date the jars.

Say you’re thinking of thickening spaghetti sauce, with or without corn starch. In this recent article I published, I shared how to thicken pasta sauce quickly and whether simmering helps you do that. I also shared how to make spaghetti sauce thicker without tomato paste.

Just click that link to read it on my site.

How long does homemade canned alfredo sauce last unopened?

Unopened homemade canned alfredo will last for about two years if it has been well prepared and canned. But it’s advisable to consume it within a year. It is still safe to be consumed, but its flavor quality may suffer.

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the National Center for Home Food Preservation (NCHFP) says to try to use up home canned good within a year of making them. It’s not because of safety considerations but because the quality and nutritive value may start to deteriorate after the one-year mark.

If it’s to be frozen, you need not worry about bacteria, and there’s no need for the sauce to be pasteurized, but the glass jars need to be.

In a bit, we’ll check out the best alfredo sauce recipe for canning your homemade sauce and learn how to preserve alfredo sauce.

Can you freeze homemade alfredo sauce in a glass jar?

As a general rule, it is not ideal to freeze homemade alfredo sauce in a glass jar. This is because food kept in glass containers tends to expand, and the glass could shatter. Instead, Ziploc-style freezer bags are ideal.

There’s the risk of broken glass jars in the freezer, cracking jars as they thaw, or even exploding contents when the jar is opened.

Storing your homemade alfredo sauce in freezer bags or airtight plastic containers is the way to go. Be sure to leave some space in it to allow for the sauce to expand.

And try to get as much air as possible out of the bag before freezing. This is because trapped air or air pockets around the food harm the quality of the food.

You could gently press it against a table, hold it against your body or roll it from the base toward the seal.

If you’re sealing several bags, you could employ the following simple trick, recommended by Wirecutter (a blog owned by the NY times):

Submerge a filled, barely opened bag in water. Make sure that the zipper is just above the water line. Let the air escape as you slowly sink the bag. Seal it just before you submerge the opening.

The best alfredo sauce recipe for canning

You can prepare your sauce in 10 minutes. You’ll need the following simple ingredients to make alfredo sauce for canning:

  • Freshly grated parmesan cheese (ideally Regianno-Parmesan)
  • Heavy whipping cream
  • Fresh minced garlic
  • Butter
  • Pepper
  • Salt to taste

Here’s a simple recipe:

  • Melt butter in a pot or saucepan and sauté garlic 1-2 minutes
  • Add cream to the melted butter and garlic. Cook over medium-low heat.
  • Let it simmer (not boil) for about 2 minutes, whisking frequently.
  • Add grated parmesan cheese a bit at a time and stir to allow it to melt before adding more.
  • Stir until the cheese has melted and the sauce is smooth and has the right consistency.
  • Add more cream, cheese, or butter as needed to obtain the right consistency.
  • Add pepper to taste
  • Add salt to taste (cheap parmesan will be saltier, so always taste before adding)

That’s it. Your sauce is ready! Enjoy it with your favorite pasta.

I also like to add a small amount of grated nutmeg to my alfredo sauce. And sometimes, I’ll add sliced mushrooms to the garlic when I sauté it.

Now we don’t always have time to make alfredo sauce from scratch. But jarred alfredo, like the ones you’d buy at the store, doesn’t always taste very good.

But can you make jarred alfredo sauce taste better?

In this recent article, I also shared tips on how to make your alfredo sauce better. Just click the link to read it on my site.

How to preserve alfredo sauce

You’ve just finished preparing alfredo sauce, and you have your clean mason jars/ freezer bags/other airtight containers, a ladle, and a funnel at the ready. If you’re using jars, make sure the jars, lids, and canning rings are hot.

Let’s check out the steps to preserve your own alfredo sauce.

Fill Each Glass Jar with Alfredo Sauce

Place the funnel over a jar and carefully use a ladle to scoop the sauce from the pot and pour it into the jar.

Remember to leave some space at the top of each jar in case the sauce expands.

Freezer bags work better if freezing, in which case, pasteurizing isn’t necessary. Follow the following simple steps:

  • Put a freezer bag in a bowl.
  • Fold the bag’s edges over the bowl’s rim so that you can pour the sauce with both hands.
  • Open the bag and carefully pour your sauce into it.

If you’re using bags or an airtight plastic container, allow it to cool until it has stopped steaming. You don’t want to pour hot sauce into a plastic container.

Wipe the Rim of the Jars

Use a paper towel to clean the rims of each glass and the headspace if part of the sauce is on them. Wipe the inside and outside.

Allow Some Time for the Sauce to Cool Down

Allow the sauce to cool down before you close the jar’s lid tight. And remove air bubbles from the jars. If you’re using bags, try and let air in each escape as much as you can.

Put the Canning Rings on the Jars

Put each canning ring around the lid and finger-tighten it if you’re using glass jars. This does not apply if you’re using freezer bags or plastic containers.

Place the Jars in a Pressure Canner and Process for about 10 minutes/Pasteurize with Boiling Water

Put the jars into a hot pressure canner, then process for ten minutes at the correct pressure for your altitude. Many versions of the Instant Pot work great for this too.

If you don’t have a pressure canner, you can use boiling water.

First, wash the glass jars, lids, and rings in hot soapy water. Rinse them. Then, put the kettle on, with water in it. When it is hot, pour it into the jars and lids for 5 minutes. This will sterilize the jars and lids, a prep for pasteurization.

Place a very clean kitchen towel at the bottom of your cooking pot, and pour the water from the jars and lids into it. Add a small amount of water. Once the water has boiled, place the filled jars inside the boiling water on the towel to prevent the jars from touching the bottom, which could make them crack.

Ensure that the jars do not touch each other and that they are only ¾ submerged in the boiling water. Keep the filled jars of sauce in simmering water for 15 minutes. Then, use oven gloves to remove the jars. Leave them upside down on a flat surface to cool.

When they have cooled down, turn them over. The lids should feel solid and concave. If the lid’s center moves up and down, it means it is not properly sealed. The process has to be repeated for jars that are not sealed properly.

You can now store it in a cool, dry place in the pantry. Or, you may decide the fridge/freezer is better.

Label and Date the lid of the Glass Jars

Write “Alfredo Sauce” and the Date on the lid of each jar or a label for each jar.

Store Glass Jars in a Cool, Dark Place such as a Pantry

Once posturized, these jars are totally fine outside of refrigeration. That being said, there’s no reason you couldn’t refrigerate them.

Canning tips for homemade alfredo

First, use clean and sterilized mason jars.

Inspect the lids for any bends or damage and discard any that aren’t perfect. You will need to leave some space between the top of the sauce and the lid.

The following is a guideline on the space to leave:

  • 8 – 14 oz jars, leave 1″ – 1 1/2″ headspace
  • 14 – 24 oz jars, leave 1 1/2″ – 2″ headspace
  • 24 oz jars or larger, leave 2″ or more headspace

Always opt for tempered glass jars. The straight wide-mouth mason jars are an example (not the traditional ones with shoulders). Most mason jars are made with tempered glass.

  • Pour in your sauce and ensure that you leave adequate headspace
  • If not pasteurized and planning to use within 3-4 days, place the jars in the refrigerator to cool, setting them on oven pads if the jars are hot
  • At first, place them in the refrigerator with the lids off
  • Later, screw the lid on tightly when the sauce is cooled

Conclusion

In this article, we found out if canned homemade alfredo sauce can be stored in the pantry and how long it would last unopened.

Then, we looked at whether you can freeze it in a glass jar and how to prepare alfredo sauce. Lastly, we wrapped things up by considering how to preserve your homemade alfredo sauce.

And I gave you my fool-proof recipe for fantastic homemade alfredo sauce!


Image by DreamDigitalArtist from Pixabay and still image taken from video Just 10 minutes Homemade Alfredo Sauce, Simple Ingredient Southern Cooking by Collard Valley Cooks is licensed under CC2.0 and was cropped, edited, and had a text and graphic overlay added.

Jeff Campbell