Creamy Garlic Lemon Pasta (with Roasted Garlic)

4.96 from 22 votes

This creamy garlic lemon pasta is a simple yet flavour-packed dish made with sweet roasted garlic, fresh lemon and parmesan. Roasting the garlic transforms it into a soft, caramelised paste that melts into the cream, creating a silky, luscious sauce with just the right balance of richness and brightness. It’s an easy pasta to bring together and works beautifully with any shape, making it perfect for a quick but impressive meal.

Cooked orecchiette pasta on a white plate in a creamy roast garlic and lemon sauce. Fork is resting on right and the pasta is topped with lemon zest and dried paprika flakes.

Hi! This creamy pasta sauce pretty much contains all my favourite flavours in one place. Roasted garlic is folded into foamy butter with lots of black pepper, fresh lemon and lemon zest, then finished with cream and parmesan for a silky, luscious sauce.

I’ve used homemade orecchiette here, but it works beautifully with absolutely any pasta shape.

If roasting the garlic feels like a step too far, you can absolutely take a shortcut. My creamy lemon pasta uses minced garlic instead and comes together much faster, or you could try a simple white sauce pasta for an even more classic creamy option.

Main Ingredients

Roast garlic - There are instructions below for roasting the garlic bulbs, it’s so easy! It transforms into a soft, sweet paste that melts into the sauce. You could also use confit garlic if you have some on hand, it will give a similar mellow, caramelized flavor.

Cream - I use heavy cream for the best flavor and stability. It creates a rich sauce but is balanced out with pasta water and lemon so it doesn’t feel too heavy.

Lemon - I use both the juice and zest. It cuts through the richness and brings a really fresh balance to the sauce. If you are worried about curdling then add it right at the end with the pasta.

Parmesan Cheese - Finely grate it with a microplane (or the star side of a box grater) so it melts smoothly into the sauce. Freshly grated is best here, pre-grated versions often contain additives that stop it melting properly.

How to make creamy garlic lemon pasta

The full ingredient list, method, and video tutorial are in the recipe card below.

Roasting the garlic

Garlic bulb with the top cut off to expose the cloves. Drizzled in olive oil sitting on foil.

1. Preheat your oven to 200C (390F). Slice the top off the garlic bulb, just enough to expose the cloves, then drizzle with olive oil.

Garlic bulb wrapped up in foil on a wooden cutting board.

2. Wrap in aluminum foil and roast on a tray for 40–50 minutes.

Roasted garlic bulb, golden and caramelized.

3. The cloves should be soft, golden, and lightly caramelized.

Garlic cloves squeezed onto a wooden cutting board.

4. Once cooked, let it cool enough to handle, then squeeze out the soft garlic cloves.

Making the sauce

Bubbling butter with black pepper added on top in a stainless steel fry pan.

1. Melt the butter in a large skillet over medium heat until just starting to brown. Add the black pepper.

Blob of roasted garlic added into the pan.

2. Add the roasted garlic.

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Roasted garlic being whisked into the butter.

3. Mash the garlic into the butter as best you can, I like to use a flat whisk.

Cream poured into the fry pan with the whisk resting.

4. Add the cream and mix well so the garlic is fully incorporated. It might look a little split at first but it will come together.

Cream sauce with finely grated parmesan on top.

5. Add the lemon juice and zest, mixing quickly. Add the parmesan in a couple of additions, letting it melt between each one. Keep the heat low, at a very gentle simmer.

Cooked orecchiette pasta bubbling in the finished cream sauce.

6. Add the cooked pasta straight in, toss, and let it gently bubble for a minute. Add a splash of pasta water if needed to loosen the sauce. Season to taste.

Expert tips

Brown the butter slightly - Let the butter gently brown before adding anything else. It creates a deeper flavor base, just don’t let it burn.
Use fresh lemon - Fresh juice and zest make all the difference here. Bottled lemon juice won’t give the same brightness.
Roasting the garlic - Roast until the cloves are soft, golden, and just starting to caramelize. Check after 40 minutes and every 5-10 minutes after if needed. Let cool before squeezing out.
Undercook dried pasta - If using dried pasta, cook it a minute under al dente so it can finish cooking in the sauce. Check out my guide to cooking perfect pasta for more tips.
Grate the parmesan finely - Use a microplane (or the star side of a box grater) so it melts smoothly into the sauce.

Gnocchi pasta in a golden yellow creamy garlic sauce. Fork resting into pasta.

Common questions

Do I have to roast the garlic?

Roasting the garlic is what gives this sauce its sweet, delicious flavor, so I highly recommend it. If you’re short on time, you can use 3-4 cloves of finely minced garlic instead, but the flavor will be sharper and less rich.

What cream is best for pasta sauces?

I always prefer a heavy cream as it is the most stable for cooking. It's easily adjustable with pasta water if you need to thin it down.

What pasta shape is best?

This sauce works with any shape, dried or fresh. Short shapes like orecchiette or shells are great for catching the sauce, but long pasta like fettuccine or spaghetti works just as well.

How do I store leftovers?

This pasta is definitely best eaten fresh, as creamy sauces can thicken and lose their texture over time. If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat gently on the stove or microwave with a splash of water or cream to loosen the sauce.

Some other pasta recipes to try

Did you make this recipe?

I would LOVE it if you could leave a review and star rating down below. Also please tag me on Instagram if you share a photo of the dish!

Recipe

Creamy Garlic Lemon Pasta (with Roasted Garlic)

5 from 22 votes

Author: Emilie Pullar

Prep time:15

Cook Time:1

Servings: 2 people

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A creamy garlic lemon pasta made with sweet roasted garlic, fresh lemon, and parmesan. A silky, flavorful sauce that’s easy to bring together and works with any pasta shape.

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Ingredients

200 grams dried pasta (or 300 grams fresh)
2 whole heads garlic
2 tablespoons olive oil
30 grams butter cubed
½ teaspoons pepper
¾ cup heavy cream
2 - 3 tablespoons freshly squeezed lemon juice
Zest of a lemon
50 grams parmesan finely grated with a microplane or equivalent
Red pepper flakes to serve (optional)

Instructions

For the garlic

Preheat your oven to 200 c (400 f)
Prepare your garlic bulbs. Take off the outer papery layers and cut the top off horizontally. You want to cut off just enough that you expose the tops of the cloves.
Drizzle the top with olive oil then wrap up each one individually in foil and roast in the oven for about 45 mins or until the cloves are soft and starting to caramelize.
When roasted to your liking let them cool and then squeeze all the garlic out. I like to use the back of a spoon on a chopping board to turn it into a smooth paste.

For the sauce

Cook your pasta in a pot of well salted boiling water, reserving a cup of pasta water before draining.
Melt the butter in a large frying pan over medium heat.
Let it foam up slightly then add the pepper and stir.
Add the garlic paste and whisk (you don't need to add all of it, I love garlic so add it to taste!)
Add the cream and whisk, lowering the heat so it stays at only a very gentle simmer.
Add the lemon juice and zest and whisk again.
Add the parmesan in a few additions, whisking and letting it melt between each one.
Let it gently simmer for a couple of minutes until it thickens slightly.
Add the cooked pasta straight into the sauce with ¼ cup of pasta water and let it bubble for a minute so the sauce clings to the pasta. Add more pasta water as needed to loosen.
My biggest tip is that you want it on the saucier side so add more pasta water if you need it to loosen. Pasta soaks up sauce quickly so by making it super saucy in the pan then by the time you serve it into bowls it will be perfect!
I like to top the pasta with extra lemon zest and some red pepper flakes.

Video

Notes

Adjust the lemon and garlic to taste - The amount of roasted garlic and lemon is flexible. Start with less and add more to suit your taste, especially with the lemon as it can vary in strength.

Parmesan - Freshly grated parmesan melts much better. Pre-grated versions can affect the texture of the sauce.

Cream - I find heavy cream the most stable for cooking in sauces.

Lemon - If you are worried about curdling then add it at the end with the pasta.

https://reporting.mediavine.com/sites/15600/videos/edit/zkorvmjtnhyvehfqyzeq

Author: Emilie Pullar

Prep Time: 15

Cook Time: 1

Course: Vegetarian

Cuisine: Italian Inspired

Keyword: creamy garlic pasta, roast garlic pasta

Did you make this recipe?Tag @burntbuttertable on Instagram so we can see! Also please leave a review down below, it means the world!

Hi, I'm Emilie

I've spent years testing pasta doughs, sauces, and weeknight favorites so you don't have to. Everything on The Burnt Butter Table is designed to be simple, comforting, and unbelievably delicious.