Dairy-Free Creamy White Wine Sauce Recipe over Pasta (2024)

FAQs

How to thicken white wine sauce for pasta? ›

How do you thicken white wine pasta sauce? If you're finding your sauce not thick enough, you can add in a little bit of flour at a time to thicken it up.

How to do you add heavy creamy to lemon or wine without it curdling? Pour slowly on low heat and whisk continuously as you pour to combine the mixture and not curdle it. This will keep it evenly distributed so that the acidity doesn't curdle the cream.

You can try adding a roux or corn starch. If you choose to do one of these, make sure to put some of your sauce in a bowl, whisk in the roux or corn starch, and then add the whole thing back in your pot of sauce so your sauce doesn't end up with clumps.

A good substitute for a cup of white wine is a cup of broth or vegetable stock, with a splash of vinegar or lemon juice for acidity. The general rule is to add one tablespoon of vinegar for every cup of broth used. For recipes requiring ¼ cup of white wine or less, it's generally safe to omit the wine altogether.

Cornstarch: Make a slurry of half water, half cornstarch and whisk until smooth. Cornstarch is a powerful thickener, so start by whisking in no more than 1 tablespoon of the mixture per 2 cups of simmering sauce; stir and simmer for 2 minutes, check the thickness, and repeat with more slurry as needed.

Avoid Strong Acids

If your sauce or soup contains an acidic ingredient like wine, tomatoes, or lemon juice, the milk is more likely to curdle. To counteract the effect of the acid, you can use a starch along with the acid.

Milk and cornstarch

To replace 1 cup (237 mL) of heavy cream in your recipe, add 2 tablespoons (19 grams) of cornstarch to 1 cup (237 mL) of milk and stir, allowing the mixture to thicken. You can use whole milk or opt for skim milk to help slash the calories and fat content of your recipe.

Deglaze the pan with a splash — about 1/2 cup — of white wine. Once all but a tablespoon or so of the wine remains in the pan, reduce the heat to medium-low and stir in the cream. It's important not to let the sauce boil once the cream's been added.

What is the classic thickening method for a white sauce? ›

Cooking the flour and butter together first helps remove the flour's raw flavor, and prevents lumps from forming later. A ratio of 1 1/2 tablespoons each of flour and butter per cup of milk makes a thickened yet still pourable sauce, great for all sorts of recipes.

Flour-Based Thickeners

For a too-thin sauce, try adding a slurry (equal parts flour and water, whisked together) or beurre manie (equal parts softened butter and flour, kneaded together to form a paste)—both are ideal thickeners for rich and creamy sauces, such as steak sauce recipes.

Broth. Chicken or vegetable broth can be a flavorful replacement for white wine. You can even swap it in equal amounts (go for low-sodium broth so your dish doesn't end up too salty). Just keep in mind that broth won't add any acidity, so you might want to add a touch of white vinegar to achieve a similar tang.

Apple Cider Vinegar

This is probably the best substitute for white wine of all. It has a similar flavour profile with the acidity and subtle sweetness of wine. You can do a direct swap here using the same amount of apple cider vinegar as you would wine.

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency.

Cook a little more roux in a separate saucepan by cooking equal parts butter and flour over medium-high heat until straw coloured. Whisk the into the thin sauce. Bring to the boil and stir for 5 minutes until your sauce has reached the desired consistency.

(1) add more cream and other ingredients to dilute the acid (2) try to mask the acid with a bit of sugar (3) I guess you could try to neutralize the acid with a very small amount of something basic, like baking soda.