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This Pumpkin Alfredo is creamy, rich and delicious, and without all the calories and fat of a regular Alfredo sauce. It’s an easy weeknight dish that just screams fall, with just 6 ingredients and about 15 minutes of cook time.
If you love savory pumpkin recipes and pumpkin season, you are going to LOVE this Pumpkin Alfredo! And if you just can’t get enough of pumpkin recipes, you should try our Pumpkin Mac and Cheese! Pumpkin and pasta are a match made in heaven!
Table of Contents
Why We Love Pumpkin Alfredo
I am a huge fan of Alfredo, but I usually enjoy it sparingly it since it’s definitely an indulgence. The classic sauce calls for 2 cups of heavy cream and a whole stick of butter (yikes!).
This Pumpkin Alfredo recipe uses only two-thirds of a cup of half and half (half milk, half cream) and 6 tablespoons of butter. The addition of the pumpkin gives the same velvety smooth texture of cream, without the fat and calories.
It’s velvety and smooth and rich and with less than a quarter of the cream and less butter than classic Alfredo sauce. So not only does it taste amazing, but you won’t even miss the cream or butter!
Since pumpkin has such a neutral taste it’s the perfect substitution, which is why I’m always on the hunt for new pumpkin recipes! Plus, you can customize the sauce by adding veggies or protein, like mushrooms, baby spinach or chicken.
How to Make Pumpkin Alfredo
The sauce is super simple to make. The sauce is made quickly while the pasta is cooking and then the pasta is tossed with the sauce. The whole thing is done in less than 15 minutes!
Tools needed (affiliate links): 12″ saute pan, Stockpot, Whisk
- Use the stockpot to cook the fettuccine pasta according to the package instructions. Drain, reserving about a cup of the pasta water for the sauce.
- While the fettuccine is cooking, melt butter and stir in some minced garlic (I use jarred for ease and simplicity) in a large skillet over medium heat. Once the garlic begins to smell delicious (it doesn’t take long), pour in the half & half, pumpkin, Parmesan cheese and a pinch of nutmeg. Whisk it all together with the butter and garlic until the cheese is melted.
- I added about half of a cup of the pasta cooking water to thin out the sauce a bit since the pumpkin is a little on the thicker side. Simmer for a few minutes. You can add as much or as little of the pasta water as you like until the sauce is to your desire consistency.
- Finally, toss the pasta with the sauce until well coated.
- This dish makes about 4 servings and it’s perfect for company or just when you need an easy weeknight meal this fall. I like to add fresh minced parsley on top for color and freshness.
Serving Suggestions
Because of its mild, slightly nutty flavor, this dish will pair well with lots of dinnertime favorites, from baked chicken to baked pork chops. It would be delicious tossed with some Parmesan Baked Shrimp, too!
For a meatless meal, serve with Sauteed Mushrooms, roasted broccoli, Garlic Green Beans or just a copycat Olive Garden Salad.
What to Do With Leftovers
Storage: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2-3 days.
Reheating: For just the sauce, reheat in a small saucepan over medium-low heat. If you’ve stored the leftovers mixed with pasta, you can reheat in a saucepan or in the microwave for about 60 seconds. If it’s too thick, add a little bit of milk or water to thin it out.
- You definitely want to use fresh Parmesan, grated off the block for this alfredo recipe. The canned grated cheese will not melt properly and will make your sauce lumpy.
- Instead of using butter, feel free to use olive oil for sauteing the garlic.
- Make it vegan – use a non-dairy milk alternative, like cashew milk or oat milk and a non-dairy Parmesan cheese.
- Any kind of pasta will work, from long noodles like spaghetti or linguine, to smaller cuts like rotini or penne.
- Try adding some sage, rosemary or thyme with the garlic. Saute, then remove just before adding the pumpkin and cream.
More Pumpkin Recipes to Try
- Pumpkin, Corn and Potato Chowder
- Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Bars
- Pumpkin Pie Baked French Toast
- Pumpkin Pancakes Recipe
- Soft and Chewy Pumpkin Sugar Cookies
- Pumpkin Fritters
Pumpkin Alfredo
Ingredients
- 1 pound fettuccine cooked to al dente, reserve 1 cup of pasta water
- 6 tablespoons butter
- 2 garlic cloves minced
- 1 cup pumpkin puree not pie filling
- 1/8 teaspoon nutmeg
- 2/3 cup half & half
- 1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese off the block
- 1 tablespoon fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- Bring a stockpot of water to a boil over high heat. Add a teaspoon of salt to the boiling water, then add fettuccine. Cook until al dente (check package instructions). Reserve about 1 cup of the pasta water.
- Meanwhile, melt butter over medium-low heat. Stir in garlic and cook for about a minute, careful not to burn. Stir in half & half, Parmesan, pumpkin and nutmeg. Stir until sauce is heated through and cheese is melted. Stir in pasta water, about ¼ cup at a time, until sauce is desired consistency (I used about ½ a cup, and it was thick and creamy. For a thinner sauce, use more pasta water).
- Add pasta and cook over medium-high heat until sauce is smooth and pasta is well coated; about 1-2 minutes.
- Divide into bowls and garnish with fresh chopped parsley and fresh grated Parmesan, if desired.
Nutrition
Could I possibly use evaporated milk in place of cream🤔?
Yes you could swap equal amounts of evaporated milk for the heavy cream.
I had pumpkin left over after making a cheesecake, so decided to try this recipe. It was simple to make (perfect for a weekday meal) and came out sooo good! I will definitely make this again and again.
That’s awesome Rebecca! Thanks for stopping by.
Even the toddler approved! Super quick and yummy
Nice! Thanks for stopping by Allie.
Do you make your own pumpkin puree?
We used canned pumpkin in this recipe.
Easy and delicious! I can’t believe how little time it took to make this tasty dish. The fam loved it too!
Love the feedback Val! Thanks for stopping by.
Absolutely loved this recipe wow!! Perfect for fall, I doubled this recipe for a group and it was a hit!!! I did add about 1/4th tsp of pumpkin pie spice to add some more fall flavor in! A keeper of a recipe for sure!!!
That’s awesome Lynn! Thank you so much for stopping by.
K.
My family really liked this dish with some sliced sausage. My husband has to have some kind of meat in his meals. I did have to add a little extra seasoning and cheese. Other than that, I love the idea of using pumpkin. Even my mini me who is a very picky eater enjoys this dish.
That’s awesome Valerie! Thank you so much for stopping by.
K.
Delicious — my whole family (even the picky eaters!) loves it!! Great way to switch up alfredo for fall!
Thank you Corrine! awesome feedback.
I just made this for dinner tonight but used spaghetti instead and it’s yummy but I have some sauce leftover do you think I could freeze the sauce to use for another batch?
Unfortunately alfredo sauce doesn’t freeze well. You could try it though, I just don’t have high hopes that it will work well.
Can this be made in a crockpot?
No this wouldn’t work in a slow cooker.
I have made this several times but always need to tweak it a bit, there just isn’t enough flavor….added salt and pepper, extra Parmesan, dash of smoked paprika and extra pumpkin, delicious!
Awesome feedback James! Thanks for stopping by.
Thanks for sharing! Does it keep long?
Because of the cheese sauce, I would eat it right away. You can refrigerate leftovers and reheat in the microwave at 50%, but use up within a couple of days.
This looks so good! What a fun way to switch up a pasta option when company comes over! Are there any meats that go well with it?
Chicken is probably the best to serve with this past. Maybe pork chops.
This dish is delicious! I made it tonight for dinner, it only took 20 minutes to make and my boyfriend and I both love it. I’m calling this my “pumpkin redemption dish” because I’ve wanted to learn a good pumpkin recipe after a pumpkin ravioli disaster last year.
Thank you Brianna! Loved your Phrase “pumpkin redemption dish” Thank you for stopping by and leaving your positive feedback.
Do you have an idea of how to do this in an instapot?
I’m sorry, I haven’t made this in the IP so I don’t have a recommendation. I imagine it would be similar to any other ip alfredo recipe that you google.
No worries! I was thinking the same thing. I’ll let you know when I make it this fall!
What’s the nutritional and calories in you Pumpkin Alfredo
Hi 🙂 I’m just wondering what the ingredient ‘half and half’ is? Two kinds of cheese?
It’s a dairy product that you can find with the heavy cream. Half & Half refers to a product that is half milk and half cream.
Creamy pumpkin alfredo is delicious! I used pumpkin pie Purée instead of regular pumpkin purée it gave it a sweet note! My family loved it!
Thank you Elyse!
Creamy pumpkin Alfredo is delicious! I used pumpkin pie purée instead of regular pumpkin purée it gave it a sweet note to it! The family loved it!
Great idea Elyse,Thanks for sharing your feedback.
Great alternative, thanks for sharing. I used my own home processed pumpkin!
Thank you Shirley!
Thanks for sharing! Do you think it would pair well with any other veggies if I were to put some in? Any thoughts on which ones?
I think something on the sweeter side, like carrots, would work well.
I am addicted to this stuff! I have made it so many times I have the recipe memorized! Only changes I make are to use milk instead of pasta water to thin it to desired consistency, and add in some white pepper, and a bit more nutmeg than it calls for (personal preference). I don’t bother mixing the pasta in the sauce, just divide into bowls regularly. Love serving it with some grilled chicken!
I have even made this for friends and family who all loved it, including a friend who claims she hates everything pumpkin, and she loved this and asked for the recipe! Tip: If the sauce and pasta are mixed it doesn’t reheat well (like any Alfredo based sauce). Better to store the leftover sauce and pasta separately, and reheat separately. 🙂
Thanks for your feedback, Kate! Love that you are loving this recipe!
This was a little “pumpkin-y” for our taste the first night, but by the time I had the leftovers for lunch the next day the flavors had blended and the pumpkin was less overpowering. The recipe seems to need a bit more flavor – maybe a few more cloves of garlic and some sage.
I couldn’t find anything that specifically said “pumpkin purée”… is it okay to just a can of “pure pumpkin”?
Yes, that is the same thing.
Looks delicious I am trying it this week ! How much pumpkin does it need? What size can ? I might even try to make it with homemade pumpkin puree just wondering how much is needed. Thank you so much can’t wait to try it!
The recipe calls for 1 cup of canned pumpkin. The smallest cans are usually 15 ounces so you would use some and then you could freeze the rest for use in another recipe.
Thank you so much! Can’t wait to try it!
I made with Penne, increased the sauce by about 30% & finished in a baking dish w/ parm grated on top to make a crust (used more than 1/2 cup as to cover). Didn’t need long in oven and stayed creamy. Perfect for a fall/Thanksgiving buffet!
This was amazing! I made it exactly as directed. My husband grumbled when I told him what I was making but he loved it and went back for seconds.
Oh I’m so glad to hear that!
What is half & half?
It’s a half milk/half cream combination. You can find it in the dairy section with the milk and creamers.
What would be a good side dish for this?
Some winter veggies, like broccoli or Brussels sprouts would be great. Or add chicken and make it a complete meal just with the pasta!
I never have cream or half & half on hand; would using 2/3 cup milk ruin the creaminess?
The cheese you’re adding will help with that. I have personally used just milk for regular alfredo so I think you’ll be fine. You could always add a couple tablespoons of cream cheese if you happen to have that on hand.
I would like to make this but i can’t find pumpkin puree anywhere, would a good pumpkin soup be ok to use?
No you’d want to use the canned pumpkin. It’s usually available in the baking aisle with the pie making products. You just want to make sure it’s not pie filling.
Can i use a good pumpkin soup to make this recipe as i can’t find pumpkin puree anywhere?
We lived this recipe! I increased the pumkin and Parmesan to make it a little heartier! Very tasty!
How much cheese? Should it read 1/2 C?
Yes, that’s 1/2 cup.
I would like to make this for a pot luck at work, but there is no stove there. So could I make the sauce for the pumpkin alfredo and keep it in a a crock pot on warm? And reheat cooked noodles in microwave. I like to bring healthy and yummy if I can and this looks and sounds so good.
Hi Edythe, You could try it, but Alfredo sauce is cream based and really doesn’t reheat well. You could try making it and bringing extra cream to add as you reheat it…but it still might curdle.
To Edythe about bringing it in the crock pot, I think mixing everything but the cream and adding that at work would be OK. Maybe heat it a little in the microwave or a little before serving. You can add some milk/water at work too. What do you think Kristin?
I’m very cautious about pasta in the crockpot. I think it could work as a reheated dish and adding the cream and cheese later, but then it might not melt properly.
I was wondering because it didnt specify if the pumpkins is puree cooked or purée raw?
It’s the canned puree. You can find it in the baking aisle.