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Easy Creamy Lemon Pasta

Published: / Updated: / 48 Comments

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This creamy lemon pasta recipe is simple and fast to make with everyday ingredients! The zesty lemon brightens the decadent parmesan sauce.

close-up of creamy lemon pasta in white bowl

I'm so excited about this creamy lemon pasta sauce! I just love how easy and quick it is, and it's great that you don't need a ton of ingredients or time to make something so comforting. Butter, cream, a touch of garlic, parmesan, and lemon juice are always in my kitchen... it's a wonder I didn't post this recipe long before now.

A simple roux (butter & flour) is the base of this sauce, and it's what helps give the sauce a thicker consistency in only a few minutes. The sauce isn't a super thick one, but it nicely coats those tasty little tubes of pasta. 

You can serve this pasta as a tasty side dish or as the main course. 

close-up of lemon cream pasta

Recipe notes & tips:

  • I used rigatoni, but feel free to sub with whatever pasta you've got on hand. Penne would work great as well!
  • I don't recommend subbing anything else for the cream in this recipe. The citrus is very likely to curdle the sauce, and heavy (or whipping) cream can withstand it due to the higher fat content.
  • You could add some shrimp or cooked chicken (like rotisserie chicken) if you wanted to add a protein to this dish. 
  • To zest the lemon, I use my handy Microplane zester/grater (you can also grate the cheese with it, but I used my Zyliss grater). I highly recommend grating your own parm... it tastes and melts better! I always keep a wedge in my fridge.

What to serve with lemon cream pasta?

This pasta is delicious as a side dish (try serving it with my Parmesan Crusted Chicken) or as a main course. If it's your main event, I recommend serving it alongside a light salad (like with a vinaigrette dressing), or you could make breadsticks or garlic knots.

creamy lemon pasta in skillet

Other creamy lemon recipes to try:

creamy lemon pasta in two white bowls

Will you give this pasta with a lemon cream sauce a try? Questions? Let me know in the comments below!

close-up of creamy lemon pasta in white bowl

Creamy Lemon Pasta

This creamy lemon pasta recipe is simple and fast to make with everyday ingredients! The zesty lemon brightens the decadent parmesan sauce.
4.91 from 20 votes
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 5 mins
Cook Time 20 mins
Total Time 25 mins
Course Main Course
Cuisine American
Servings 4
Calories 508 kcal

Ingredients
 

  • 8 ounces rigatoni
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 tablespoon flour
  • 1 small clove garlic minced
  • 1/4 cup chicken broth/veg broth or dry white wine
  • 2 teaspoons lemon juice + zest of 1/2 lemon
  • 1 cup heavy/whipping cream
  • 1/3 cup freshly grated parmesan cheese
  • Salt & pepper to taste
  • Garnish: fresh parsley & extra parm optional

Instructions
 

  • Boil a salted pot of water for the pasta and cook it al dente according to package directions.
  • When the pasta is about 10 minutes away from being done, add the butter to a skillet over medium-high heat. Once it melts, sprinkle the flour in and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring fairly often.
  • Add in the garlic, followed by the broth (or wine) and lemon juice + zest. Let it bubble for 1 minute.
  • Whisk in the cream and cook it for a few minutes until the sauce has thickened up to your liking.
  • Stir in the parmesan cheese and take the skillet off the heat. Season with salt & pepper as needed (I am generous with both).
  • Add the drained pasta to the skillet and toss until coated (I like to add a tablespoon or so of the pasta water to the sauce prior to draining it, especially if it's become a tad too thick). Garnish with more parmesan and a bit of chopped parsley if desired. Serve immediately.

Notes

  • This pasta makes 4 reasonably-sized portions with plenty of sauce, but if you've got really hungry people and you're not serving it with anything else, I would double the recipe. Serves 2-4 depending on how much people eat.
  • I do NOT recommend subbing the heavy cream for anything with a lower fat content (e.g. half-and-half or milk) because the lemon in the sauce is very likely to curdle it, and you'll have to add more flour to thicken the sauce.
  • Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only and should be construed as an estimate rather than a guarantee. Ingredients can vary and Salt & Lavender makes no guarantees to the accuracy of this information.

Nutrition

Calories: 508kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 12gFat: 31gSaturated Fat: 19gCholesterol: 104mgSodium: 257mgPotassium: 193mgFiber: 2gSugar: 2gVitamin A: 1122IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 143mgIron: 1mg
Keyword creamy lemon pasta, lemon cream pasta
Author Natasha Bull
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  1. Jiannaka says

    5 stars
    Im literally eating this dish as I'm typing this - EASY AND INCREDIBLE. I was worried the flavors would be too delicate but they're not. Definitely making this again. If I was sharing, I would double it. I subbed creme fraiche and some pasta water for the heavy cream and used a sharp English cheddar instead of parmesan, just things I already had on hand. No issues. Delicious!

    Reply

  2. Amy says

    5 stars
    This is delicate and creamy. I added a little more lemon than called for because I only had Meyer lemons on hand. So easy and the result is memorable!

    Reply

  4. Taylor Bennett says

    5 stars
    Pastas are my favorite to make and this one is soooo simple and so yummy . I grilled up some chicken with it and it was a quick dinner hit! So quick and easy I loved it

    Reply

  5. Rebecca says

    5 stars
    I have lost count of how many times I have made this recipe since finding it a few months ago! Soooo yummy and I always have all the ingredients! It has saved me so many times. I always double the noodles and sauce and then I sautee and throw in whatever I have to bulk it up. Tonight it was shrimp. Sometimes its chicken or zucchini or tomatoes or bacon. Or a combo. Everything tastes amazing with this sauce! Thank you for making dinner time with 2 young babies so easy! 🙂

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Aww thanks for your kind review, Rebecca - I appreciate it!! So glad this recipe is a favorite in your home.

      Reply

  6. Kelly R. says

    5 stars
    HOLY STINKIN’ MOLY!! This recipe is absolutely delicious!! So easy to make- quick weeknight meal. This sauce will be my go to pasta sauce from now on!! Thank you for posting this recipe.

    Reply

  7. PHell says

    5 stars
    Really good recipe. I added Sundried tomatoes when adding in the garlic and also threw in some chaya (or spinach at the end). I also think artichoke hearts and sauteed mushrooms would be good too!

    Reply

  8. Monika says

    Hi Natasha,

    Thanks for the delicious recipe. My 14 yrs old followed the recipes and it turned out pretty good. One question though, when we added pasta and increased the heat to warm up the pasta, the sauce seemed to curdle. Still great taste though ! Any advice so that it doesn’t happen again.

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi Monika! I'm glad you liked the taste. Hmmm... I would try to keep the heat fairly low but time the pasta to be ready at the same time as the sauce if possible. The heat from the piping hot freshly drained pasta should be plenty to heat the sauce up if it was ready a few minutes before and is still warm. Reheating creamy sauces over a high heat (especially with the added acidity of lemon) can definitely curdle it, unfortunately. Did you use heavy cream vs. something with a lower fat % like half and half?

      Reply

  9. Mariah says

    4 stars
    This sauce is delicious, wow! However I found that rigatoni portion suggestion ridiculously small. I had to convert it to 1 cup = 8oz... so I used 16oz and still I should have used more than 2 cups for the dry pasta. Otherwise, I am so excited to make this again and super enjoyed it! Thank you so much

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Hi! I'm glad you enjoyed it. Yes... you won't fit much rigatoni into 1 cup if you measure it that way. In cases for pasta shapes like rigatoni (that are larger with more volume), you would go by weight... so that would be half of a 1 pound/16 oz. box of it. If I were listing a cup measurement, it would certainly be larger than 1 cup. If you used something like macaroni, 1 cup would make a decent amount of pasta. I hope that makes sense!

      Reply

  10. Darren Reichert says

    5 stars
    Tried your recipe tonight because I wanted something different, light and refreshing. We usually cook hot sausages and put them in a nice marinara. I've had proteins with red sauce and pasta with lemon sauce plated alongside, so I thought I would give it a try. Turned out awesome! The two really compliment each other so long as you have a high quality sauce. If you haven't tried Silver Palate marinara you should do so. Only had half and half and that seemed to work with this recipe, though cream is probably better. Added a little chopped fresh basil at the end and let it cook for a minute and it was spectacular. Thanks for sharing

    Reply

  12. Chris White says

    5 stars
    I followed the recipe to the letter and served over fettuccine. It was quick and easy and tasted phenomenal!

    Reply

  14. Vicki Wilson says

    5 stars
    I had a pasta craving and wanted something that was quick, easy and different from my usual standby recipes. I saw some blogger mention their Lemon Pasta, but the recipe didn't thrill me so I kept looking till I came across this post.

    And am I ever glad I stopped, the pasta was amazingly delicious! I had it plain, but can easily see it as an accompaniment to chicken, shrimp or other seafood (did I hear someone say salmon?). It was easy to make with simple ingredients and looked so pretty with a sprinkle of fresh parsley (I'm going to try dill and maybe a few capers when I make it with salmon).

    Yum, yum, yum I think I need to go lick the pan!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      I'm so happy to hear that you liked it so much! 😀 Thanks for taking the time to write me a review. XO

      Reply

  15. Kamilah says

    5 stars
    This is amazing and super quick and easy! Tastes like I went out to a restaurant. I would definitely double the recipe!

    Reply

  16. Joanne Compton says

    I will be making this for meatless Monday! LOVE lemon and can't wait to try. I will probably have to use less heavy cream as I have a heart condition and 19 grams of saturated fat is the entire days amount! I may use the pasta water and extra flour. Any other suggestions, since you do say not to use fat free half and half?
    Thank you!

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      I would add some of the pasta water - that is a good idea! Hmmm you could try making a thicker roux perhaps? Maybe add a bit more white wine or chicken broth? You could simmer it for a bit longer so it thickens up more too if you go with less cream. Let me know how it goes! I hope you enjoy it, Joanne!

      Reply

  17. Allison Poff says

    4 stars
    Thank you for sharing this recipe! I looked for a prepared lemon butter pasta sauce at the grocery and couldn’t find it. Doing a web search I found your website & recipe. I made it with al dente Barilla angel hair protein pasta, the texture was great. My husband liked it a lot. Will plan to make again.

    Reply

  19. Betty says

    5 stars
    Just made this and love it just realized I have some mushrooms in the fridge is there a way to add it to the pasta next time? Maybe with the garlic?

    Reply

    • Natasha says

      Sure. I'd just make sure that the water is all cooked out before you go on with the recipe so you don't water down the sauce. You could always sauté the mushrooms then add the flour after. I'm so glad you enjoyed it!

      Reply

    • Natasha says

      Unfortunately, I don't think this is a good dish for doing that. You could maybe try making just the sauce and then reheat it on low heat, but I'd definitely toss with the pasta just before serving. Cream sauces are notoriously finicky, and they can separate quite easily when reheating (and/or go kinda dry).

      Reply

  21. Lisa Leahy says

    5 stars
    I have been seeing this recipe pop up every once in a while and I have been very excited to make it. Made it last night and my family loved it. I even made a gluten free version of it too that was amazing. Thanks for sharing. I love anything with Lemon but this will be on permanent rotation in our house!

    Reply

  23. Stephanie says

    This was INSANELY GOOD! I used 16oz of rigatoni because I think mine were smaller. Also began by browning chicken thighs in my fan so when I made the roux I had that additional flavour already in the bottom of the pan. Definitely save at least a quarter cup of pasta water and lots of black pepper. Soooo yummy!

    Reply

  24. Melissa says

    5 stars
    Made this tonight for myself and two kids! They both loved it! So quick and easy. Next time I will make it to go with chicken cutlets!

    Reply