Béchamel Vs Alfredo Sauce: The Main Differences To Note

Sure, béchamel and Alfredo sauce are both white sauces, are incredibly delicious and creamy, and often make their way into many pasta recipes, but, unlike béchamel and white sauce, which are synonyms for the same thing, béchamel and Alfredo sauce are worlds apart. One thing they have in common, though, is that people keep using them in pasta and calling it carbonara. We're almost certain that's borderline illegal in Italy, so consider that a hard no. With that in mind, it's only natural to wonder what it is that sets these two popular sauces apart. Their place of origin seems like a good start.

While béchamel is considered one of the five French mother sauces — along with hollandaise, Espagnole, tomato, and velouté — Alfredo is an Italian creation (although it gained its fame in the United States). In addition, while both are made with butter, that's the extent of their common ingredients. Creamy and delicate, béchamel traditionally does not include cheese — even though it's often used as a foundation for many cheese sauces — and is essential in dishes such as lasagna and moussaka. On the other hand, Alfredo is rich, loaded with Parmesan, and often paired with fettuccine, chicken, shrimp, and pizza. But let's dig a little deeper into each and see what truly makes them unique.

A French invention — even though many Italians would disagree — this classic sauce was potentially first made in the 17th century and was named after King Louis XIV's steward, Louis de Béchamel. Despite being centuries old, béchamel still hasn't gone out of style. It's a staple of many cuisines around the world, and the secret behind a delicious, beautifully layered, well-balanced lasagna that never fails to delight the taste buds.

Other than that, you often find béchamel used as the base for many complex sauces: Among them is Mornay, a mixture of béchamel and cheese; Soubise, a classic onion sauce; and Nantua, another French béchamel-based sauce containing crayfish butter. Béchamel also adds a rich, luxurious texture to many soups, casseroles, and gratins, making it one of the most versatile sauces ever. What's more, it's arguably the easiest of the mother sauces to make; all it takes is equal parts butter and flour, gently cooked together over low-to-medium heat to form a roux. Once the roux comes together and turns slightly golden, the final step is slowly adding warm milk while whisking continuously and letting the mix thicken into a smooth, velvety béchamel that tastes mild, sweet, and slightly nutty — especially when finished with some salt and a touch of nutmeg.

Unlike béchamel, its French cousin, Alfredo is much younger and looser in texture. This popular white sauce actually originated in 20th-century Rome, when restaurateur Alfredo di Lelio combined butter, Parmesan, and fettuccine to create a dish known across Italy as fettuccine al burro. However, the dish remained relatively unknown outside the Italian capital — until Hollywood power couple, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks, discovered it during their honeymoon in 1920. Blown away by how smooth and rich the sauce was, the pair asked di Lelio for the recipe, brought it back to the United States to recreate it, and the rest is history. The original sauce was adapted to suit local tastes over time, with cream and garlic commonly added to create the Alfredo we know today. Hearty, cheesy, and irresistibly creamy, the sauce has since captivated American palates.

One of the best parts about Alfredo is you can make Alfredo sauce with just three ingredients in less than half an hour. Simply add a few spoonfuls of unsalted butter to a pan, let it melt nicely, then pour in the heavy cream to thicken it up. Once that's done, stir in a generous amount of Parmesan cheese and your preferred seasonings. What's more, aside from pasta dishes, this beloved sauce has inspired all sorts of modern combos. Whether it's cordon bleu with Alfredo, creamy soups, chicken breasts topped with it, or even shrimp Alfredo pizzas, the possibilities are endless — and this unique sauce always makes them better.