Spicy Alfredo

Spicy Alfredo, easy homemade Fettuccine Alfredo with a quick spicy Alfredo sauce from scratch. A kicked-up version of your favorite Italian Fettucine Alfredo dishes!

Spicy Alfredo, another quick and easy pasta dish with Homemade Alfredo Sauce. You can make it as mild or as spicy as you’d like. Like it really hot, no problem!

My family loves spicy food! Well, medium spicy to be exact. So it seemed only fitting to make a spicy version of Fettuccine Alfredo.

You could actually use your favorite pasta, add your favorite veggies, and could even add your favorite meat/protein for a whole new dish!

Only 6 simple ingredients for this pasta dish!

Spicy Alfredo Ingredients

• Fettuccine pasta (or your favorite kind of pasta)
• Butter
• Garlic
• Heavy cream
• Parmesan cheese, good quality freshly grated
• Cayenne pepper

How to Make Spicy Alfredo Pasta

1. MAKE PASTA. Bring a large pot of water to boil and cook pasta according to box directions for al dente.
2. MAKE ALFREDO SAUCE. Meanwhile, place a large pot over medium heat. Melt butter, then stir in minced garlic cloves. Cook about 1 minute or until garlic is soft and fragrant, stirring constantly.
3. Slowly add the heavy cream to the saucepan, whisk until cream comes to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer about 3-5 minutes or until it starts to thicken.
4. COMBINE. Stir in Parmesan cheese and cayenne until smooth and thick. Stir in drained cooked pasta.

(Full printable recipe card is at bottom of post.)

Serving Suggestions

• Before serving, you can top the pasta with a little fresh chopped parsley and/or freshly grated parmesan cheese.
• For best results, serve the pasta right away. You can reheat leftovers, but alfredo sauce generally does best right after it’s made.
• Serve with a salad and/or some homemade bread like my tasty Homemade Dinner Rolls or these delicious and super easy Garlic Cheddar Drop Biscuits.
• You can also serve with a side vegetable such as steamed broccoli or even these Italian Green Beans or Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

Quick Tips for Best Results

• As I mentioned above I suggest serving immediately. You can reheat leftovers, but they might not be as tasty as right after making.
• You can use any kind of pepper or hot sauce to make this dish spicy but just be careful because it can go from mild to HOT really quick. Be sure to taste as you go along.
• Use your favorite kind of pasta instead of fettuccine if you’d like, but be sure to adjust the cooking time.
• If you like a lot of pasta and/or sauce, you might want to double either or both. Some may find the serving size a little on the small side. Likewise, if you like A LOT of sauce, you may want to double the recipe.

Spicy Alfredo FAQ

How should I store this pasta?
The Alfredo sauce is generally best served right away, but if you need to store the leftover pasta with sauce, cover, and refrigerate.

Can I freeze this pasta?
I would not recommend this pasta dish. You can, but the Alfredo sauce won’t be at its best when defrosted.

How long will the pasta last?
If well covered and stored in the fridge, it should last at least a few days.

Substitutions?
Instead of cayenne pepper you could use your favorite dried ground pepper, hot sauce, Cajun seasoning, or anything else you’d like but you may need to adjust the amount.

Can I use low-fat ingredients?
I would not recommend using low-fat cream or milk, nor would I recommend using a low-fat Parmesan cheese for the sauce. You can, but the Alfredo sauce may not be as thick and creamy as you’d like.

What else can I add to this recipe?
You can add your favorite vegetables (such as spinach, mushrooms, or onions) or meats (such as chicken, sausage, or shrimp) to this dish. Just be sure to cook them all before adding to the pasta.

What should I serve this Spicy Alfredo with?
For more serving suggestions see above, but I’d suggest serving this pasta with a simple salad and/or side vegetable.

Didn’t turn out, what went wrong?
If you used low-fat cream or milk, or a low-fat or low-quality cheese, your sauce may not turn out great.

Can I make this vegan, vegetarian, low carb, or gluten-free?
Vegan – You can try vegan dairy and cheese in this but results could vary quite a bit.

Vegetarian – It’s vegetarian already, but feel free to add your favorite meat substitute and/or vegetables.

Low-Carb – Swap out the pasta for a lower carb pasta, zoodles, or spaghetti squash.

Gluten-Free – Swap out the pasta for a gluten-free pasta, zoodles, or spaghetti squash.

Other Spicy Recipes You May Enjoy

• Spicy Cilantro Pesto – Would be a great add to this pasta dish!
• Chipotle Corn Dip – easy spicy appetizer full of flavor.
• Sweet & Spicy Asian Chicken – Can’t wait to try this one, looks delicious!
• Jalapeño Queso Burgers on Bacon Rolls – So much goodness in this one recipe, yum!

Hope you enjoy this delicious Spicy Alfredo pasta. Tell me in the comments about how spicy you made it!

You might also like this Chicken Mushroom Alfredo and Chicken Alfredo Soup! This Sausage Alfredo pasta dish is also delicicious!