Copycat Olive Garden Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Q: Can I use pre-shredded parmesan cheese?

It is better not to. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking agents that keep it from melting into a smooth sauce. A block of parmesan costs about the same and melts properly, so grate it fresh for this recipe.

Q: Do I have to use whole milk?

Whole milk gives the best fat content and flavor, but nonfat or 2% milk still works. You can also swap the heavy cream for half-and-half if that is what you have on hand or want to lighten it up.

Q: Why did my sauce break or turn grainy?

Either the heat was too high when the cheese went in, or it went in all at once. Take the pan off the heat and add the parmesan in small handfuls, letting each melt before the next. If it has already broken, whisking in a splash of cold milk off the heat can bring it back together.

Q: Can you make this sauce ahead of time?

Yes. It keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and thickens as it cools, so reheat it gently over low heat with a splash of milk or cream. Freezing is not recommended because the sauce separates as it thaws.

ByJaron Tietsort

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One of my favorite Olive Garden dishes is their mushroom cream sauce. It’s basically an alfredo sauce, but with the added meatiness of button mushrooms. It’s creamy, a bit garlicky, and oh-so-delicious!

There was a night when I was really craving this dish but I didn’t feel like going out, so I decided to try to make it at home, and it was delicious!

Plus, it’s the easiest sauce to make! The whole dish comes together in under 15 minutes, a perfect week night dinner when you need something quick but you’re still wanting to feel a bit fancy.

This would be a great dish to make for having friends over for dinner, and it serves great with a light salad, bread, and a bottle of wine.

How To Make Copycat Olive Garden Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Step 1

Assemble your ingredients.

Cook pasta according to package instructions. Salt the water before boiling.

Cook the mushrooms. You can either add butter or water to a skillet before cooking the mushrooms until they are seared. Remove the mushrooms from the skillet and set them aside.

Linguine boiling in salted water and sliced button mushrooms cooking for copycat Olive Garden creamy mushroom sauce

Step 2

Add the butter to the skillet. Chop the garlic cloves (or use a garlic press if you have one) and add the garlic to the skillet.

Cook until the garlic becomes fragrant and almost browned.

Butter and chopped garlic cooking together in a skillet

Step 3

Once the garlic is almost browned, add the flour and whisk it to make a roux. Add the heavy cream, milk, and parmesan cheese.

Use a whisk to combine everything until the sauce starts to simmer, then take it off the heat.

Whisking flour, heavy cream, milk, and parmesan into a smooth sauce

Step 4

Strain the pasta noodles and add the mushrooms and alfredo sauce into the pasta pot.

Strained linguine tossed with mushrooms and the creamy parmesan sauce in the pasta pot

Step 5

Serve in a large bow and enjoy!

Finished creamy mushroom sauce pasta served in a bowl

What Mushrooms Work Best For This Sauce?

Olive Garden uses plain white button mushrooms, and they work fine here. If I’m picking, though, cremini mushrooms (usually labeled “baby bella” at the store) are the upgrade worth making. They’re the same mushroom as button, just harvested older, and that extra age gives them a deeper, almost roasted flavor that holds its own against all the cream and Parmesan.

Whatever you use, don’t crowd the pan. The first time I made this sauce I dumped a full pound of sliced mushrooms in at once, and they steamed gray in their own liquid instead of browning. Cook them in two batches if your skillet is on the smaller side.

Why Did My Sauce Break Or Turn Grainy?

Two usual suspects: the heat was too high when the cheese went in, or the cheese went in all at once. Parmesan melts smoothly into a sauce that’s hot but not bubbling. Once the sauce boils with cheese in it, the proteins seize up and you get a gritty texture with little pools of grease on top.

The fix is easy. Pull the pan off the heat before stirring in the cheese, and add it in small handfuls, letting each one melt before the next goes in. If your sauce has already broken, whisking in a splash of cold milk off the heat can sometimes pull it back together.

Can I Use Pre-Shredded Parmesan Cheese?

The problem with pre-shredded cheeses is that they often come with anti-caking agents that inhibit the cheese from sticking together.

This basically keeps the cheese from melting and turning into a sauce—which is the opposite of what we’re trying to do here!

Buying a block of parmesan cheese is actually the same price as pre-shredded cheese, so I would stick with the block of cheese for this recipe.

Do I Have To Use Whole Milk?

I did use whole milk for this recipe for the fat content and flavor, but if you only have nonfat or 2% milk, that will still work for this recipe!

Plus, you can also substitute the heavy cream for half-and-half if that is what you have on hand, or if you want to save on some calories.

And if you want to skip the cream entirely, I have a full mushroom sauce without cream that gets its body from a roux instead.

Can I Use Other Pasta Noodles?

Linguine is traditionally used for an alfredo sauce, but the beauty about pasta is that you can switch up any sauce or pasta shape you’d like! I would actually love to try this recipe with a shell noodle; I think it would be delicious! And if you’re buying pasta for this anyway, a bronze-cut noodle is worth the extra dollar, since the rougher surface grabs a creamy sauce better than the smooth budget stuff. I ran through the best Italian pasta brands if you want specific names.

What Is Linguine?

Linguine is a long noodle that is flatter in shape, which makes it different from spaghetti noodles.

Why Do I Need To Add Flour To The Sauce?

Flour is used in this recipe as a thickening agent. A lot of sauces start with butter and flour (called a roux) to ensure that the sauce thickens.

If you need this recipe to be gluten-free, you can use arrowroot powder or cornstarch instead of flour.

Why Do I Need To Add Salt To My Pasta Water?

One of the best tools chefs have in their kitchen is adding salt to their cooking water. Adding salt to the water perfectly flavors the pasta noodles.

If you haven’t tried it, go ahead and try and see how much it changes the flavor profile of your dish!

Can You Make This Sauce Ahead Of Time?

You can, with one caveat. The sauce keeps in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days, but it thickens a lot as it cools. Reheat it gently over low heat with a splash of milk or cream, stirring often, and it loosens right back up. I once tried reheating leftovers on high to save five minutes and watched the sauce split into greasy puddles before the pasta was even warm. Low and slow.

I don’t recommend freezing it. Dairy sauces like this one separate as they thaw, and no amount of whisking fully brings the silky texture back.

If you want to try anyway, my guide to freezing creamy mushroom sauce covers what survives the freezer and what does not.

What To Serve With Creamy Mushroom Sauce

Tossed with linguine, this is a full dinner on its own, but it plays well with company. A crisp salad cuts the richness, and something crusty for dragging through the leftover sauce is non-negotiable in my house (here’s what to eat with garlic bread if you want to build the meal around it). Grilled chicken or shrimp on top turns it into something closer to the restaurant entree.

And if you want the full Olive Garden dinner at home, finish with my copycat Olive Garden tiramisu.