Sauces Archives - A Beautiful Mess

Orange Chicken Sauce

Emma Chapman — Tue, 16 Jun 2026 13:00:00 +0000

Orange chicken is similar to sweet and sour chicken in that it’s a flavorful sauce that has some sweetness to it. The base of the sauce is orange juice, but it has many other ingredients that balance out the sweetness and flavor.

A lot of weeknight dinners we make at our house are pretty basic. We make some kind of protein (meat or plant-based) with rice or pasta. So, I like to have easy ways to change this up flavor-wise. And that’s where this orange chicken sauce recipe comes in.

Related: Check out Cashew Chicken Sauce, Sweet & Sour Sauce, Air Fryer Chicken or give our Easy Chicken Pot Pie a try!

Orange Chicken Sauce Ingredients:

Olive oil
Ginger
Garlic
Orange Juice + Zest
Granulated White Sugar
Rice Vinegar
Soy Sauce
Cornstarch
Red Pepper Flakes

Directions:

Cook the minced ginger and garlic in the olive oil over medium/high heat for a minute or two. Then, add the orange juice, zest, sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Whisk until the sugar dissolves. Stir in the red pepper flakes.

In a small bowl or glass, stir together the cornstarch with one tablespoon water. This creates a thick slurry mixture. Slowly pour this into the sauce, stirring as you do.

Continue to cook until the sauce thickens. Taste and add more soy sauce or red pepper flakes if needed.

Tips & Substitutions:

You can substitute honey for the granulated white sugar if you like.
If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can use white vinegar instead.
Sauce is like gravy in that if it’s not thickening as much as you want after you’ve added the cornstarch, turn the heat up a little and continue to cook. Keep an eye on it though, as it can thicken quickly.
You can store orange chicken sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week—just rewarm before using.

Serving Suggestions:

You can use this Springfield-Style Cashew Cauliflower recipe and substitute this orange chicken sauce for a vegetarian-friendly option.
When we make rice, I always use a rice cooker since it’s so easy, and then I can focus on making the chicken and sauce while the rice cooker does its thing.
I like to add a few chopped green onions over this sauce just before serving.

Orange Chicken Sauce

sweet and spicy orange sauce for chicken

Course Main Course

Cuisine American, Chinese

Keyword orange chicken, Orange Chicken Sauce, sauce

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 10

Total Time 15

Servings

Calories 79kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

1 teaspoon olive oil
1 tablespoon ginger minced
3 cloves garlic minced
1 cup orange juice and zest from orange
2 tablespoons granulated white sugar
2 tablespoons rice vinegar
2 tablespoons soy sauce
¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes
1 tablespoon cornstarch

US Customary – Metric

Instructions

In a sauce pan, cook the minced ginger and garlic in the olive oil over medium/high heat for a minute or two.
Then, add the orange juice, zest, sugar, rice vinegar, and soy sauce.
Whisk until the sugar dissolves.
Stir in the red pepper flakes.
In a small bowl or glass, stir together the cornstarch with one tablespoon water. This creates a thick slurry mixture.
Slowly pour this into the sauce, stirring as you do.
Continue to cook until the sauce thickens. Taste and add more soy sauce or red pepper flakes if needed.

Notes

You can substitute honey for the granulated white sugar if you like.
If you don’t have rice vinegar, you can use white vinegar instead.
Sauce is like gravy in that if it’s not thickening as much as you want after you’ve added the cornstarch, turn the heat up a little and continue to cook. Keep an eye on it though, as it can thicken quickly.
You can store orange chicken sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week, just rewarm before using.

Nutrition

Carbonara Sauce

Emma Chapman — Fri, 12 Jun 2026 13:18:37 +0000

Spaghetti carbonara is a traditional Italian dish that is super simple but brimming with flavor. The carbonara sauce is easy to make with only five ingredients, one being pasta water. This is one of those meals that you can easily throw together alongside a salad or vegetable side dish with very little time and effort.

Carbonara also manages to be one of those pasta dishes that feels both light but rich and filling at the same time. The main components are pancetta (or bacon), egg yolks and cheese.

Related: Pomodoro Sauce, Vodka Sauce, Alfredo Sauce, Pesto and Bruschetta.

Ingredients

Pancetta, or thick cut bacon
Parmesan
Egg yolks
Garlic
Spaghetti noodles
Salt and pepper

Pasta water is also a critical component of this recipe, but you will make it as you cook the noodles.

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Before straining, reserve some of the pasta water.

In a large saucepan, cook the pancetta (or bacon) until fully cooked, but not too crispy. Then toss in the garlic and cook for another minute.

In a small bowl, add a few tablespoons of the (hot) pasta water to the egg yolk and stir to incorporate. Add a few more tablespoons at a time, stirring in between. The goal here is heat up the yolks gradually so they don’t curdle/cook once added to the pan.

Now add the pasta and yolk mixture to the pancetta pan. Reduce the heat to low and toss everything with tongs. Sprinkle in the cheese and continue to toss until the cheese begins to melt. Taste and add any salt or pepper as needed. Serve warm.

Tips & Substitutions

Pancetta is the traditional option for carbonara sauce, but sometimes this ingredient is difficult to find at the grocery stores I frequent. If that’s the case for you as well, thick cut bacon will also work for this recipe.
If you do notice the eggs curdling or cooking too fast, it’s OK! This will only change the texture, it doesn’t mean the dish is completely ruined. It will be more like fried rice than traditional carbonara but still tasty.
I will often add a sprinkle of fresh herbs, like parsley, before serving just for a little added flavor and green, but this is optional and not necessarily traditional.

Serving Suggestions

I love this carbonara recipe alongside a big salad or vegetable side dish. Here are some ideas.

Carbonara Sauce

A classic Italian pasta sauce made with pancetta, eggs and cheese.

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword carbonara pasta, carbonara sauce, pasta

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 324kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

2 ounces pancetta
¼ cup Parmesan cheese
2 egg yolks
1 clove garlic
8 ounces spaghetti noodles
¼ cup pasta water
salt and pepper

Instructions

Cook the pasta according to the package directions for al dente. Before straining, reserve some of the pasta water.
In a large saucepan, cook the pancetta (or bacon) until fully cooked, but not too crispy.
Then toss in the garlic and cook for another minute.
In a small bowl, add a few tablespoons of the (hot) pasta water to the egg yolk and stir to incorporate. Add a few more tablespoons at a time, stirring in between. The goal here is heat up the yolks gradually so they don’t curdle/cook once added to the pan.
Now add the pasta and yolk mixture to the pancetta pan. Reduce the heat to low and toss everything with tongs.
Sprinkle in the cheese and continue to toss until the cheese begins to melt.
Taste and add any salt or pepper as needed. Serve warm.

Notes

Pancetta is the traditional option for carbonara sauce, but sometimes this ingredient is difficult to find at the grocery stores I frequent. If that’s the case for you as well, thick cut bacon will also work for this recipe.

If you do notice the eggs curdling or cooking too fast, it’s OK! This will only change the texture, it doesn’t mean the dish is completely ruined. It will be more like fried rice than traditional carbonara but still tasty.

I will often add a sprinkle of fresh herbs, like parsley, before serving just for a little added flavor and green, but this is optional and not necessarily traditional.

Nutrition

Poke Sauce

Emma Chapman — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 19:52:03 +0000

This super simple poke sauce makes putting together a homemade poke bowl EASY. You only need seven ingredients and a couple of minutes to make this super fresh and flavorful marinade for poke.

Poke is a traditional Hawaiian dish of raw fish marinated in a savory soy based sauce. You can eat poke on its own, much like sashimi or you can serve it over rice with other vegetables or ingredients like edamame or seaweed for a poke bowl. As with any simple dish the quality of ingredients matter so find the best, freshest fish you can when making poke.

Related: Next up learn to make homemade ceviche or the best baked salmon.

Ingredients

Soy sauce
Rice Vinegar
Sesame oil
Sriracha
Garlic
Ginger
Lime juice

How to make Poke Sauce

Mince the garlic and finely grate the ginger after peeling. I like mincing the garlic with a knife but if you want it even smaller to it dissolves more into the sauce use the smallest holes on a box grater or a zester.

In a small mixing bowl combine all ingredients and stir to combine. Use immediately. You can easily double this recipe if you are planning to marinate more than one pound of fish.

Notes and Substitutions

You can substitute soy sauce with coconut aminos or tamari, espeically if you are avoiding gluten.
Rice vinegar is best but you could also use white wine vinegar or apple cider vinegar if that’s what you have on hand.
Sriracha is great for adding a little heat but a good substitute is 1/4 teaspoon red pepper flakes.
Fresh garlic and ginger is best but if you find buying it only for this recipe (so a very small amount) a problem you can use 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder and powdered ginger instead.
If you want to add sweetness include 1/2 teaspoon of honey or brown sugar.

More Homemade Sauces

Frequently Asked Questions

What can you use poke sauce on?

Raising Cane’s Sauce – Copycat Recipe

Emma Chapman — Wed, 14 Jan 2026 14:39:00 +0000

While my kids love Chick-fil-A sauce for me it’s Cane’s Sauce forever! I love the bold, garlic, vinegar-y flavor of Raising Cane’s sauce and this homemade copycat recipe is SO easy to make. If I make air fryer french fries you better believe I am whipping up some homemade cane sauce to go with it.

This homemade cane sauce is great on french fries as well as other things like hamburgers, chicken tenders, or other sandwiches.

Related: Next try our recipe for homemade Big Mac sauce.

Ingredients

Mayo
Ketchup
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic powder
Salt and pepper

How to make Cane’s Sauce

In a small to medium size mixing bowl combine all ingredients. Stir into a sauce.

Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Notes + Substitutions

If you want to lighten this up try using Miracle Whip or a lite Mayo.
If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce you could use soy sauce or balsamic vinegar for something similar. They will not taste exactly the same but they are decent substitutions if you need.

Serving Suggestions

Raising Cane’s Sauce – Copycat Recipe

a homemade version of Raising Cane's sauce

Course condiment

Cuisine American

Keyword cane sauce

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings

Calories 183kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

⅔ cup mayo
¼ cup ketchup
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon garlic powder
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon black pepper

Instructions

In a small to medium size mixing bowl combine all ingredients.
Stir into a sauce.
Store the sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two weeks.

Notes

If you want to lighten this up try using Miracle Whip or a lite Mayo.
If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce you could use soy sauce or balsamic vinegar for something similar. They will not taste exactly the same but they are decent substitutions if you need.

Nutrition

Easy Tartar Sauce

Emma Chapman — Thu, 09 Oct 2025 14:56:32 +0000

Fish sticks are a staple at my house currently (LOL) so this homemade tartar sauce recipe comes in handy! Although this easy tartar sauce is great on all sorts of dishes like fish tacos, salmon burgers, tuna cakes, or air fryer fish. Level up your meal with homemade hushpuppies.

Tartar sauce is a creamy mayo-based sauce flavored with dill pickles (or relish) and a few fresh herbs. I like my tartar sauce more on the dip-side, not so thick that you have almost scoop it. But, that’s the great thing about making your own—you can easily customize this to your preferences.

Related: If you love fish recipes next try our Air Fryer Salmon or Baked Salmon recipes.

Ingredients

Mayonnaise
Dill relish
Parsley
Dill
Lemon juice
Granulated white sugar

How to make Tartar Sauce

Finely chop the parsley and dill. In a small to medium sized mixing bowl stir together the mayo, relish, herbs, lemon juice and sugar.

You can store any leftover tartar sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at least a week but likely longer. The flavors of the sauce will deepen the longer you store it.

Notes and Substitutions

You can swap regular mayo or Miracle Whip or another low-fat option if you prefer. If you want to make this vegan friendly use a vegan mayonnaise like Vegenaise.
Instead of dill relish you can finely chop up dill pickles for this. If you do this will make the sauce thicker and more chunky in consistency.
You could swap the dill relish or sweet relish. If you do I recommend omitting the sugar as it won’t be necessary to balance the flavors.
If you don’t have fresh lemon juice you could use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar instead.

More Sauce Recipes

Tartar Sauce

A creamy sauce made with dill relish, parsley and dill for dipping or spreading on fish.

Course condiment

Cuisine American

Keyword tartar sauce

Prep Time 5

Total Time 5

Servings

Calories 205kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

1 cup mayonnaise
½ cup dill relish
1 tablespoon parsley
1 tablespoon dill
1 teaspoon lemon juice
½ teaspon granulated white sugar

Instructions

Finely chop the parsley and dill.
In a small to medium sized mixing bowl stir together the mayo, relish, herbs, lemon juice and sugar.
You can store any leftover tartar sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator or at least a week but likely longer.

Notes

You can swap regular mayo or Miracle Whip or another low-fat option if you prefer. If you want to make this vegan friendly use a vegan mayonnaise like Vegenaise.
Instead of dill relish you can finely chop up dill pickles for this. If you do this will make the sauce thicker and more chunky in consistency.
You could swap the dill relish or sweet relish. If you do I recommend omitting the sugar as it won’t be necessary to balance the flavors.
If you don’t have fresh lemon juice you could use apple cider vinegar or white vinegar instead.

Nutrition

Stir Fry Sauce

Emma Chapman — Tue, 19 Aug 2025 13:00:00 +0000

We make a lot of stir fry at our house and today I’m here to share the best recipe for homemade stir fry sauce. This five minute recipe is so easy to make!

I think being able to make a great stir fry is one of those meals everyone should know—it should be taught in schools as a basic life skill. I love rice, I love noodles and I love using up whatever leftover meats and vegetables are sitting in my fridge.

While yes, you could certainly use a store-bought stir fry sauce I think there’s a lot of value in being able to throw one together from things you likely already have on hand. This easy stir fry sauce recipe is flavorful, slightly sweet and a little bit spicy. It goes great with almost anything you are throwing into your stir fry.

Stir Fry Sauce Ingredients

Soy sauce – You can use tradition soy sauce or low sodium or gluten-free.
Chicken stock – Or chicken broth.
Sesame oil – Adds depth of flavor.
Rice vinegar
Worcestershire sauce
Garlic – Fresh garlic, minced.
Ginger – Fresh ginger, minced.
Brown sugar
Red pepper flakes – For a little kick.

While this may seem like a lot of ingredients, keep in mind that many of them are either shelf stable or can be stored in the refrigerator for long periods (so you can use them up over time).

How to Make Stir Fry Sauce

In a small- to medium-size mixing bowl, combine all ingredients. Whisk together until the sugar is fully dissolved.

Another option is to add all the ingredients to a jar, like a mason jar, with a lid. Then shake well until the sugar has dissolved.

Now you can pour the stir fry sauce over your stir fry mixture while cooking in a large skillet or pan. Store any unused sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a week. This makes about a cup of sauce (the perfect amount), so I can typically use this recipe twice. But it depends how much stir fry you are making/how big your family is.

Tips & Substitutions

Instead of soy sauce, you could use low-sodium soy sauce, liquid aminos or gluten-free soy sauce.
You can substitute vegetable or beef stock for chicken if you prefer. You may also use vegetable broth if you want to make a vegan stir fry sauce.
If you don’t have sesame oil and don’t want to buy it, you can use another cooking oil like olive oil. But, I do think the flavor of the sesame oil adds to this recipe.
If you don’t have rice vinegar and don’t want to buy it, you can use apple cider vinegar. I like the sweetness of rice vinegar, but ACV will work well too.
Instead of brown sugar, you could use granulated white, honey, or maple syrup. You can also reduce the amount of sugar if you prefer.
I don’t feel this sauce needs a thickening agent. However, if you do prefer one, add a teaspoon or two of cornstarch when whisking together.
Secret ingredient—many people claim ketchup is the secret ingredient in stir fry sauce. It gives a boost of flavor. I use it in my easy Pad Thai recipe, it’s good! If you try it, start small and let us know what you think. You may also want to reduce the sugar if you add ketchup as the ketchup will add more sweetness.

Stir Fry Recipe Ideas

Learn how to build the perfect stir fry. We love to use veggies, broccoli, snow peas, bell peppers, onion, mushrooms and carrots in our stir fry. You can also add protein such as shrimp, beef, pork or chicken.

More Stir Fry and Asian Fushion Recipes

Frequently Asked Questions

What is stir fry sauce made of?

Chick-fil-A Sauce Recipe

Emma Chapman — Mon, 18 Aug 2025 13:10:00 +0000

We make air fryer chicken tenders (store-bought and homemade) at home with our toddler a LOT. And while I am all for a drive-thru meal when we are on a road trip or at an airport, it’s not a big part of our regular life. So, it’s nice to know how to make your own Chick-fil-A sauce.

This Chick-fil-A sauce recipe is made from just four simple ingredients. These are things I usually already have in your refrigerator most of the time. The recipe I’m sharing below, to me, tastes exactly like the restaurant version. But when you make it yourself you can customize it to your preferences.

Related: I love this sauce recipe on everything from baked chicken, air fryer wings (as the dipping sauce) to air fryer French fries. It’s great on store-bought air fryer fries, like waffle fries, too! Try our spicy mayo recipe or Raising Cane’s sauce.

Ingredients

Mayo – I like real mayo but Miracle Whip is fine too
Mustard – Standard, yellow mustard
BBQ sauce – Any store-bought brand you like works
Honey

I will note, if you want this to taste like a copycat Chick-fil-A sauce then you will want to use the most basic (plain) ingredient options. If you use a spicy BBQ sauce, for example, it will not taste as much like the restaurant version.

How to make Chick-fil-A Sauce

In a small- to medium-size mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients. Stir until well combined, the sauce will be an orange color.

The amounts listed will make about 1/3 cup of sauce. Feel free to double or triple this recipe if you want to make a larger amount.

Tips & Substitutions

If you want to add a little heat, use a spicy BBQ sauce or add 1/4 teaspoon or more of cayenne.
If you want to make a vegan version of this, you can substitute the mayo for Vegenaise (or similar vegan mayo option) and the honey for maple syrup or agave.
Sometimes I will use dijon mustard instead of yellow mustard as I like the slightly more spicy flavor.

More Sauce & Dressing Recipes

Chick Fil A Sauce

how to make a copycat version of this beloved sauce

Course condiment

Cuisine American

Keyword sauce

Prep Time 2

Total Time 2

Servings

Calories 239kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

¼ cup mayo
1 teaspoon yellow mustard
1 tablespoon BBQ sauce
1 tablespoon honey

Instructions

In a small- to medium-size mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients.
Stir until well combined, the sauce will be an orange color.
The amounts listed will make about 1/3 cup of sauce. Feel free to double or triple this recipe if you want to make a larger amount.

Notes

If you want this to taste like a copycat Chick-fil-A sauce, then you will want to use the most basic (plain) ingredient options. If you use a spicy BBQ sauce, for example, it will not taste as much like the restaurant version.

Nutrition

Pomodoro Sauce

Emma Chapman — Tue, 12 Aug 2025 13:04:00 +0000

This is my go-to tomato sauce recipe when I’m making it at home and not just buying a jar of store-bought. Pomodoro sauce simply means tomato sauce in Italian. It’s a simple recipe that tastes super fresh and flavorful. I also like that you can keep this sauce recipe traditional or you can easily customize it to your preferences, like adding some red pepper flakes or other ingredients that fit what your family loves.

Pomodoro sauce is different from marinara sauce in a few ways, but the biggest difference to me is the texture. This sauce is more uniform in texture while marinara tends to be heartier or chunkier.

Ingredients

Whole, peeled ripe tomatoes – I love to use fresh tomatoes. You may also use canned tomatoes.
Butter – Use whatever butter you keep on hand.
Olive Oil – Such as extra-virgin olive oil.
Onion – Chopped white onion.
Garlic – Minced garlic cloves.
Basil – Fresh basil leaves are a must.
Salt and Pepper – We use kosher salt and fresh ground black peppercorns.

I like this sauce on pretty much any noodle shape and even gnocchi topped with some Parmesan cheese. You can even learn to make fresh pasta at home.

How to Make Pomodoro Sauce

In a large saucepan or medium to large pot, saute the chopped onions and minced garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes. Season with a little salt and pepper. The garlic should be super fragrant and the onion will be softened and beginning to brown.

Transfer this mixture to a blender and add the cans of tomatoes (the entire contents including the juices). Add the basil leaves too. Blend until smooth.

Transfer the sauce back into your saucepan and simmer at medium-low heat for another 20 minutes. This will thicken the sauce as well as deepen the flavor. Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.

Serve over cooked noodles and top with Parmesan cheese.

This will make around 5 cups of sauce, so at our house I can usually use this recipe for two meals, saving the second batch in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 5 days.

Tips & Additions

As with any recipe with so few ingredients, the quality of those ingredients matter. If possible, use San Marzano tomatoes.
Feel free to add more herbs beyond basil if you like, including parsley, thyme or even cilantro.
I like to add a little red pepper flakes or cayenne to this sauce for heat.
If you want to use fresh (not canned) tomatoes, you can! Learn how to prepare and peel them in this tomato and orange sauce recipe.
If you’re looking to add protein, you can add cooked Italian sausage or ground beef to your sauce.

What to serve Pomodoro Sauce with:

I love to serve pasta with a meat and/or vegetable side dish or salad. Here are a few favorites.

Pomodoro Sauce

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword pomodoro sauce, tomato sauce

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 20

Total Time 25

Servings

Calories 34kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Equipment

Blender

Ingredients

2 28-ounce cans whole, peeled tomatoes
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ onion yellow or white
5 cloves garlic
8-10 basil leaves
salt and pepper

Instructions

In a large saucepan or medium to large pot, saute the chopped onions and minced garlic in the butter and olive oil over medium heat for 3-4 minutes.
Season with a little salt and pepper. The garlic should be super fragrant and the onion will be softened and beginning to brown.
Transfer this mixture to a blender and add the cans of tomatoes (the entire contents including the juices).
Add the basil leaves too. Blend until smooth.
Transfer the sauce back into your saucepan and simmer for another 20 minutes. This will thicken the sauce as well as deepen the flavor.
Taste and add more salt and pepper as needed.
Serve over cooked noodles and top with Parmesan cheese.

Notes

This will make around 5 cups of sauce, so at our house I can usually use this recipe for two meals, saving the second batch in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 5 days.

Nutrition

Alfredo Sauce

Emma Chapman — Tue, 11 Mar 2025 13:00:00 +0000

Homemade Alfredo sauce is one of the easiest pasta sauces to make from scratch. Made from just five simple ingredients, this recipe is easy and one of those that is truly better homemade than from a jar. Plus, it’s easy! With only five basic ingredients, anyone can have success with this recipe.

I usually serve Alfredo sauce over fettuccine noodles, but it’s great with your favorite pasta as well. I also love this recipe as a pizza sauce!

Ingredients

Butter – Unsalted butter.
Heavy Cream
Garlic – Fresh minced garlic.
Italian Seasoning – Use store-bought or make your own.
Parmesan Cheese – Grated Parmesan cheese.
Salt & Black Pepper – To taste.

While some like to thicken sauce with cornstarch, I will sometimes add a tablespoon or two of plain Greek yogurt to this recipe. But it’s not necessary, just an option.

Directions

In a saucepan, melt butter and lightly sauté the minced garlic in the butter for 1-2 minutes.

Next, stir in the heavy whipping cream and Italian seasoning. Whisk so everything gets warm and well combined. Simmer on medium heat.

Then stir in the Parmesan cheese. Continue to stir until the cheese melts and the mixture becomes a sauce. Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Storage and Reheating Tips

This sauce is best when made and served immediately. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator. To reheat, add a splash of cream or milk to the leftovers and heat them on the stovetop at low heat.

Serving Suggestions

What goes well with fettuccine Alfredo? Lots of things! Here’s some ideas:

Other than fettuccine Alfredo, my other favorite use for this homemade Alfredo sauce is as a pizza sauce! I love white sauce pizza, especially topped with lots of vegetables. Make some pasta or pizza this weekend. Do it! xo. Emma

More Sauce Recipes

Alfredo Sauce

an easy, delicious Alfredo sauce recipe

Course Main Course

Cuisine Italian

Keyword alfredo, alfredo sauce

Servings

Calories 710kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

¼ cup butter
¾ cup heavy whipping cream
2 cloves garlic
1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
1 cup Parmesan cheese
salt and pepper

Instructions

In a saucepan, melt the butter and lightly saute the minced garlic in the butter for 1-2 minutes.
Next, stir in the heavy whipping cream and Italian seasoning. Stir so everything gets warm and well combined.
Then stir in the Parmesan cheese. Continue to stir until the cheese melts and the mixture becomes a sauce.
Taste and season with salt and pepper to your liking.

Notes

If you notice small lumps in the sauce, it likely means your cheese hasn’t fully melted or may need more stirring. Try whisking the sauce to remove any final lumps.

While some like to thicken sauce with cornstarch, I will sometimes add a tablespoon or two of plain Greek yogurt to this recipe. But it’s not necessary, just an option.

This recipe will make around 1 cup of sauce, which I think works well for two servings of pasta, but you could easily toss 1-2 more servings of pasta in this amount. It just depends how saucy you like your fettuccine Alfredo.

Nutrition

Caramel Sauce

Emma Chapman — Fri, 04 Oct 2024 13:01:00 +0000

This caramel sauce recipe is simple with just five ingredients and it only takes about 20 minutes to make! If you want salted caramel sauce, you simply add a little sea salt at the end. Yum!

I love this homemade caramel sauce on all sorts of things, like drizzled over ice cream or on top of a caramel macchiato. No matter if you use this for desserts, drinks or in your next baking project, you will love this easy caramel sauce recipe.

Related: Check our caramel apples post for how to make the best caramel coating for things like apples. This recipe is more of a pourable sauce.

Ingredients

Granulated white sugar
Brown sugar
Water
Unsalted butter
Heavy whipping cream

And flaky sea salt if you want salted caramel sauce.

Directions

In a medium pot or sauce pan, combine the sugar, brown sugar and water. Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, begins to bubble then turns an amber brown. This may take 5-7 minutes depending on how hot you have your temperature turned to. It’s best just to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too dark or burnt.

During this process do not stir the mixture. If needed, you can swirl the pan, but avoid stirring as splashing the mixture up the sides of the (cool) pan can cause the sugar to crystalize.

Once it turns that deep amber brown, add in the remaining ingredients. Be careful as you do because the mixture will bubble.

Continue to cook over medium heat for an additional 3-4 minutes.

Allow the mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes before storing.

Do I need a candy thermometer?

No, but if you have one, it does help! You can make caramel sauce by visual cues (the deepening amber color) and smell (it will start to smell bitter and burnt when it’s cooked too long).

That being said, if you do already own a candy thermometer, use it! The caramel sauce should reach around 220°F to 230°F (around 110°C). Some candy thermometers have this marked as “soft ball” stage and you want to avoid heating the sugar to “hard ball” stage as this will make a chewy, hard candy as opposed to a pourable sauce.

Why did my caramel sauce turn out grainy?

If your caramel sauce is grainy, your sugar has likely crystalized. This happens if you stir or even swirl the pan too much during cooking, causing the sugar to coat the sides of the pot where it then cools.

To fix this, add a couple tablespoons of water to the sauce and heat to dissolve the crystals.

How to store caramel sauce

This sauce recipe does need to be stored in the refrigerator after it’s made (it contains dairy). You can store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for at least 2 weeks or much longer if you choose to freeze it.

Caramel sauce will harden when refrigerated, so it’s best to store in a microwave-safe container so you can easily soften/reheat it. You can also do this on the stovetop if you don’t want to use a microwave.

Why did my caramel sauce harden?

Likely your sugar got too hot, and reached past 240°F or “hard ball” stage. Again, while you don’t absolutely have to use a candy thermometer for this recipe, it can help to avoid heating the sugar too much.

More Caramel Recipes

Caramel Sauce

Course condiment

Cuisine American

Keyword caramel

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings

Calories 299kcal

Author Emma Chapman

Ingredients

¾ cup granulated white sugar
¼ cup brown sugar
2 tablespoons water
6 tablespoons unsalted butter
½ cup heavy whipping cream
½ teaspoon flaky sea salt optional

Instructions

In a medium pot or sauce pan, combine the sugar, brown sugar and water.
Cook over medium heat until the sugar dissolves, begins to bubble then turns an amber brown. This may take 5-7 minutes depending on how hot you have your temperature turned to. It’s best just to keep an eye on it so it doesn’t get too dark or burnt.
During this process do not stir the mixture. If needed, you can swirl the pan, but avoid stirring as splashing the mixture up the sides of the (cool) pan can cause the sugar to crystalize.
Once it turns that deep amber brown, add in the remaining ingredients. Be careful as you do because the mixture will bubble.
Continue to cook over medium heat for an additional 3-4 minutes.
Allow the mixture to cool for 10-15 minutes before storing.

Notes

Nutrition