This Creamy Lemon Pasta is easy to make and delicious! Rich and creamy this lemon pasta sauce is made with only a few simple ingredients!
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As an Italian, I love pasta like Ricotta Cavatelli and Pasta Fagioli, but sometimes I crave cream sauces like Homemade Alfredo or this Lemon Cream Sauce.
This sauce over some simple spaghetti or linguine is an absolutely delicious side dish, but can also be made a main dish. Simply add chicken, grilled shrimp, or Italian sausage.
It has the perfect lemon flavor making it one of my favorite dishes that I know you will love!
Why we love this Creamy Lemon Pasta
There is so much to love about this lemon cream sauce recipe, it is so refreshing and comforting! we love it because it’s:
- Simple Ingredients: You only need whole, healthy ingredients for this decadent sauce.
- Versatile: This sauce is perfect for a light and creamy sauce, and tastes great with your favorite chicken. We love it with our Lemon Rosemary Chicken Thighs
- Budget-friendly: This fresh lemon pasta recipe uses pantry staples, it’s the perfect affordable dinner!
Lemon Cream Sauce Pasta ingredients
To make lemon pasta sauce you will need:
- olive oil
- onions, garlic
- all-purpose flour
- salt, pepper
- milk
- cheddar cheese, parmesan cheese
- chicken broth
- lemon zest, fresh lemon juice
- fresh parsley
A citrus juicer and citrus zester will also be helpful!
You can find substitutions for all of these ingredients below in the green shaded box.
How to make Lemon Cream Sauce for Pasta
- Saute olive oil, onions, and garlic over low heat until soft and golden brown. Once cooked, gradually add in flour, salt, and pepper until thick paste starts to form.
- Stir in milk, about ½ cup at a time, stirring until the sauce becomes thick and creamy. When you’ve added all the milk, gradually add parmesan cheese, cheddar cheese, lemon juice/zest, and chicken broth, constantly stirring until a thick sauce forms.
- Serve over pasta or save in a jar! This is enough sauce for 1 lb of pasta.
Lemon Cream Pasta substitutions
Olive Oil: You can substitute olive oil with avocado oil, melted butter, or ghee.
Onion/Garlic: These are essential for flavor! If you don’t have fresh onion or garlic, used 1/2 teaspoon of garlic powder and onion powder.
Milk: To make this recipe with less lactose and dairy, you can use unsweetened almond milk or oat milk. Skim milk, whole milk, or half and half will work.
Flour: Gluten Free flour may be used in place of all-purpose flour to make this sauce gluten-free.
Cheddar Cheese: You can substitute additional parmesan cheese instead of cheddar cheese but it will not be as creamy. This will lower the lactose levels which might make it easier on your stomach! We don’t recommend making this with dairy-free cheese. It doesn’t melt as well. We also don’t recommend doing this with low-fat cheese.
Lower Salt: Cheese is inherently salty. Unfortunately, this is a higher salt recipe but we believe everything is ok in moderation. This is still lower in salt than most jarred or regular alfredo sauces.
What to serve with Creamy Lemon Pasta
This sauce can be served in so many ways, but we love pairing it with:
- Lemon Artichoke Chicken
- Lemon Parmesan Roasted Asparagus
- Chicken Piccata
- Brussel Sprouts with Garlic
- Ground Chicken Meatballs
Lemon Pasta Sauce storage
Storing: This will last in the refrigerator for up to 4 days in an airtight container
Freezing: You can freeze this recipe for up to 3 months. We like these containers for freezing !
Reheating: You can reheat this recipe in the microwave or on the stove.
Lemon Sauce for Pasta FAQs
Lemon juice can curdle cream sauce. If you want to avoid it curdling, gradually add the fresh lemon juice and constantly stir to prevent curdling.
Lemon sauce usually isn’t healthier than marinara sauce. Marinara sauce is tomato based and relatively low in calories and fat. Lemon sauce is higher calorie and higher in fat.
The best way to make pasta taste rich is to make a delicious sauce! You can add pasta water to thicken the sauce and make it rich!
The secret to perfect pasta is a good sauce and to cook it al dente! Don’t over cook your pasta. It will be mushy and not as delicious!
Other healthy pasta recipes:
Looking for other easy pasta recipes? Check out these easy, delicious options. Click here to grab our free healthy 30 minute dinners cookbook.
Easy Lemon Cream Sauce for Pasta
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
- 3/4 cup onion diced
- 1 tablespoon minced garlic about 3 cloves
- 2 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup milk skim or whole
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 cup grated parmesan cheese
- ¼ cup chicken broth
- 1 tablespoon lemon zest
- 2 tablespoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons fresh chopped parsley
Instructions
- In a saute pan, add extra virgin olive oil, onions and garlic. Saute over low heat until soft and golden brown.
- Once cooked, gradually add in flour, salt and pepper until thick paste starts to form.
- Stir in milk, about a ½ cup at a time, stirring until the sauce becomes thick and creamy.
- When you’ve added all the milk, gradually add both cheeses, lemon juice/zest and chicken broth, stirring constantly until a thick sauce forms.
- Serve over pasta or save in a jar! This is enough sauce for 1 lb of pasta.
Sally says
I added pappardelle pasta to it and served it on a bed of fresh spinach. It was worthy of a high end restaurant dinner.
Delicious!!! Am looking forward to trying your guilt free Fettuccine Alfredo. So glad I discovered your site.
Kat says
Wow! Searched your website for a lemony sauce to go with baked salmon and pasta and this was easy and so flavorful! It’s a keeper in my house!
Grainne says
I’m having a go at this recipe next week, I’m going to add prawns to it, will take pic & post when completed