How to Make Lemon Cream Sauce

Lemon cream sauce for pasta, fish, chicken, vegetables, and even red meats.

Read on for relevant tips and step-by-step images (1 min)
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About This Lemon Cream Sauce Recipe

This delicious sauce is a cream based reduction flavored with the bright, tart notes of fresh lemon juice. Our recipe is chef and home cook tried and true. It is easy to execute, the sauce is stable and has multiple uses.

The secret to a velvety and rich creamy lemon sauce is to simmer heavy-cream with a couple of aromatic flavoring agents until it is infused with lemony and savory goodness.

Heavy cream is the perfect medium for the job because:

• it is incredibly receptive to other flavors and embraces them with enthusiasm. 
• unlike butter, which once overheated becomes oily, it also thickens beautifully as it simmers and transforms into a suave, flavorful culinary concoction. 

Ingredients for Lemon Garlic Cream Sauce

Chicken stock. Chicken broth provides a solid umami foundation for the sauce. You may also use chicken base added directly to the heavy cream, in which case you will have more control over the amount of liquid you are starting with and can shorten the thickening time (see recipe card for details). 

Garlic. A bit of minced garlic boosts up the savory base for the sauce. You may substitute with garlic powder. 

Lemon juice. Freshly squeezed lemon juice gives the sauce its lemony flavor and tartness. Do not increase the amount too much beyond what the recipe calls for. We do not typically use the lemon zest with this particular sauce as it introduces bitterness. If you really want to use lemon zest, add it to the sauce as a finishing touch. 

Heavy cream. The almighty base for this sauce - stable and luxurious. 

Thickener (optional). If you find yourself short on time, patience, or both, you may thicken the sauce with a slurry comprised of ½ tablespoon corn starch and 1 tablespoon cold water (see recipe card notes).

Seasonings (to taste). Salt and pepper to season the finished sauce as needed. 

How to Make Lemon Cream Sauce for Pasta (Instructions with Pictures)

Step 1. In a sauce pan over medium-high heat combine the chicken stock (or base), minced garlic, lemon juice and heavy cream. Stir and bring to a gentle boil.

Step 2. Reduce the heat to medium-low and simmer the sauce, until it thickens to your desired consistency. This may take about 20 minutes with stock, considerably less with base. If you'd like to shorten the time, make a slurry by combining corn starch and cold water and gradually add it to the simmering sauce while stirring. This will thicken it almost instantly.

Step 3 (optional). After you are satisfied with the consistency of the creamy lemon infused sauce, taste it and season with salt and pepper as needed. 

A Lemon Cream Sauce for Chicken & More

• pasta dishes - flat strand noodles such as fettuccine, linguine (above) and pappardelle are best suited on the receiving end of cream sauces like this one, but it is also great with ditalini (simply cook pasta and toss it in the sauce to enjoy a creamy lemon pasta)
• skillet asparagus 
• use it as a dipping steak sauce
• grilled or steamed veggies
• potatoes - drizzle it over oven roasted potatoes or boiled potatoes 
• rice - a touch of black pepper, a bit of shaved parmesan cheese and this sauce create a luxurious rice dish
• pan seared salmon
• grilled or smoked shrimp or lobster
• grilled, poached or baked fish
• lamb shoulder chops or lamb sirloin chops
• baked chicken legs or pan seared chicken breast or thighs

Leftovers - Storage and Reheating

Excess quantity of this sauce that you made can be store in an airtight container in the fridge and reheated over medium heat. 

Other Recipes You Might Enjoy

Spinach Cream Sauce for Salmon, Pasta, Chicken
Lemon Garlic Butter Sauce
Preserved Lemons Recipe & Uses
Chicken Cutlets in Creamy Shallots & Pilsner Sauce
Thin Pork Chops in Creamy Honey Mustard Sauce

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