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Home » Recipes » Pasta

The Best Spaghetti Carbonara Sauce Recipe

By Laura Fuentes Updated Aug 5, 2024

5 from 20 votes

Recipe

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Carbonara sauce is a rich, silky sauce made with bacon, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper tossed with cooked pasta. It's the perfect weeknight meal when you need something delicious and fast.

You know those days where you want a quick and easy dinner where you can grab a couple of ingredients from your fridge and pantry and everyone is fed? That’s when I start to boil some pasta water and get this spaghetti carbonara sauce started.

Like you, I often find myself trying to figure out what to make for dinner on nights where I should be more prepared; but luckily, I have this one-pan recipe to save the day and feed my hungry family.

closeup of carbonara pasta in a large white bowl
Jump to:
  • What is Carbonara Sauce?
  • How to Make Carbonara Sauce
  • Perfect Carbonara Sauce Cooking Tips 
  • How to Serve Carbonara Sauce
  • Carbonara Sauce Recipe

What is Carbonara Sauce?

Carbonara sauce is made with bacon, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper. To thin it out, you use pasta water and it magically turns into a sauce as you toss it around with the cooked pasta.

While it might sound like a luxurious dinner, I assure you that it’s not complicated! I mean, bacon, eggs, and cheese? Simple and delicious, which is why it’s one meal my entire family will eat.

What Does Carbonara Sauce Taste Like?

The carbonara sauce has the texture of a creamy Parmesan-y, silky-rich sauce without having that heavy feel of cream sauces after you eat it.

The egg yolks give the sauce a velvety texture and rich taste, but don’t worry, the yolks cook from the heat of the pasta and bacon, so it’s 100% safe to eat. And just for the record, anything dish made with bacon is divine. 

large serving of spaghetti carbonara in bowl

Plus, one advantage of using my stainless steel pan is that as the bacon cooks, it leaves some bits at the bottom that perfectly dissolve right into the Parmesan sauce as it melts.

Carbonara Sauce Ingredients

Carbonara sauce is made with your most basic kitchen staples- another reason this mama loves this recipe! You’ll find the measurements in the recipe card below, but first, let’s give a quick look at everything you’ll need: 

  • Spaghetti: the pasta that we will toss with this delicious sauce.
  • Eggs: they add a rich taste and a soft texture. You’ll cook them, so it’s completely safe to eat.
  • Grated Parmesan: to combine with the eggs and more for serving.
  • Bacon: did anyone say flavor?
  • Onion: a classic ingredient for sauces, adds flavor and aroma.
  • Cloves garlic: onion and garlic are like salt and pepper! Meant to each other!
  • Salt and pepper: we were talking about these two! Add them to taste for seasoning.
  • Fresh parsley: for garnish.
collage of ingredients and steps for making spaghetti carbonara

How to Make Carbonara Sauce

You owe it to yourself and your family to make this dish because it’s hard to mess it up! Plus, don’t you want to pass up the satisfaction of creating a sauce that tastes like it was served at a fancy Italian restaurant with the ease of whipping it up in minutes on your stainless steel pan! Watch how this spaghetti carbonara is made in this quick recipe video, and then read up on the step-by-step instructions below.

  1. Boil the Pasta
    Cook the pasta according to package directions, making sure to reserve 1 cup of the pasta water before draining. Don’t. Skip. This. Step.
  2. Cook your bacon
    In a large stainless steel skillet, brown the bacon until it the edges start to curl up and you see those magical tidbits begin to form at the bottom of the pan.
  3. Add the onions and garlic
    To the bacon drippings (yes! you want those) add the chopped onions and garlic. Sauté until golden and soft. By now, your kitchen should be intoxicated with the aroma of bacon. 
  4. Whisk it
    In a medium bowl whisk the eggs and parmesan cheese with salt and pepper until completely smooth. 
  5. Add the pasta to the pan.
    Now that your bacon and onions are ready, add your cooked pasta to the pan and toss to combine. One that’s done, remove it from the heat.
  6. Whisk your Parmesan and Egg mixture.
    It’s time to make the main part of your sauce by combining your Parmesan and egg.
    Once that’s done, add it to the pan, and working quickly, toss to combine.
  7. Add Pasta Water
    While stirring the egg and Parmesan mixture with the pasta, add a little of the pasta water at a time until a smooth, light sauce forms.
  8. Dish up!
    Only thing left is to grab a bowl/plate, dish up, and dig into the wonders of carbonara! If you want to be extra, top with more cheese and chopped parsley. 
two side by side images mixing the pasta in the skillet with bacon for spaghetti carbonara

Perfect Carbonara Sauce Cooking Tips 

As simple as the ingredients are, carbonara sauce is all about technique! But don’t sweat it, just follow the recipe and these tips and your pasta carbonara will be #perfection. 

Start with room temperature eggs
A couple of hours before you cook, remove the eggs from the fridge and set them out on the counter. Room temp eggs create a smooth, light sauce and there’s less chance of them scrambling.

Make Sure the Eggs Don’t Scramble in the sauce
Adding the egg and cheese mixture can be the trickiest part of carbonara sauce. If done wrong, you’ll end up with a pan full of frazzled pasta and scrambled eggs. To avoid that monstrosity, be sure to remove the pan from heat before adding the egg and cheese mixture. 

The eggs will cook from the heat of the pasta into a delicate, buttery sauce. Mission accomplished!

adding and stirring the egg mixture for carbonara sauce, into a large skillet of pasta

Swap bacon with pancetta
Some people swear by pancetta while others go for the bacon. Pancetta which is a much smokier, meatier form of bacon but I prefer the latter since it’s always in my fridge and easier to find at the local grocery. Just know that both are delicious and you need one or the other for pasta carbonara. 

overhead view of spaghetti carbonara in a bowl with toppings

How to Serve Carbonara Sauce

While you might want to eat your spaghetti carbonara right out of the pan and wipe it clean with some soft-in-the-middle and crusty-on-the-outside garlic bread, the best way to serve the spaghetti carbonara sauce is in a bowl topped with additional Parmesan cheese!

Carbonara Sauce Recipe

spaghetti carbonara in a bowl
Servings: 4
Prep Time: 5 minutes mins
Cook Time: 20 minutes mins
Total Time: 25 minutes mins
Carbonara sauce is a rich, silky sauce made with bacon, eggs, Parmesan cheese, salt, and pepper tossed with cooked pasta. It’s the perfect weeknight meal when you need something delicious and fast.
5 from 20 votes
Print Pin

Watch how it’s made:

Ingredients

  • 8 ounces spaghetti
  • 2 large eggs
  • ½ cup freshly grated Parmesan, plus more for serving
  • 4 slices bacon, diced
  • ½ large onion, diced small
  • 4 cloves garlic, minced
  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
  • Chopped fresh parsley, for garnish

Instructions

  • Bring a large pot of water to a boil and cook spaghetti according to package directions. Prior to draining, reserve 1 cup of water.
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the eggs and Parmesan cheese, set aside.
  • Heat a large pan over medium high heat. Add bacon and cook until the sides begin to lift, about 5 minutes.
  • Add in the onion and garlic to the pan and cook, for a couple of minutes until it begins to turn golden and translucent. Reduce heat to low.
  • Working quickly, add in the cooked pasta to the pan and give it a quick toss.
  • Add in the egg mixture, and gently toss to combine; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
  • Slowly, begin to pour in the reserved pasta water, about ½ cup total, adding in more if you want to thin out the sauce.
  • Garnish with parsley and additional Parmesan cheese.

Equipment

Large Skillet
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Nutrition

Serving: 1 bowl | Calories: 286kcal | Carbohydrates: 45g | Protein: 13g | Fat: 6g | Saturated Fat: 3g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Cholesterol: 93mg | Sodium: 247mg | Potassium: 207mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 237IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 172mg | Iron: 1mg

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Comments

    5 from 20 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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    Recipe Rating




  1. Holly says

    June 01, 2025 at 12:34 pm

    5 stars
    This was the best carbonara sauce I have ever tried!

    Reply
  2. Morgan says

    May 01, 2025 at 8:31 am

    5 stars
    I was like, can I actually make carbonara sauce at home? I’m not great at the kitchen, but I followed this recipe to the T and it turned out delicious and velvety. Thanks for the recipe, Laura!!

    Reply
  3. Anne says

    March 30, 2025 at 11:50 am

    5 stars
    This was incredible!!!

    Reply
  4. Sam says

    March 20, 2025 at 9:01 pm

    5 stars
    The perfect Carbonara sauce recipe i’ve tried yet!! So easy to make too!

    Reply
  5. Sole says

    March 06, 2025 at 9:27 am

    5 stars
    This carbonara sauce was easy to make and tasted really good.

    Reply
  6. Dayna says

    March 01, 2025 at 3:39 pm

    5 stars
    This carbonara sauce recipe is unmatched!

    Reply
  7. Lucille says

    February 21, 2025 at 1:40 pm

    5 stars
    My grandma used to make carbonara sauce and your recipe is just as good. It tastes like hers!!! I’ll be making this recipe often

    Reply
  8. Beatrice says

    February 16, 2025 at 5:01 pm

    5 stars
    This carbonara sauce is so easy!

    Reply
  9. Kai says

    February 05, 2025 at 8:39 pm

    5 stars
    I made this carbonara sauce on a whim and haven’t looked back! So easy and incredibly delicious!

    Reply
  10. Evie says

    January 29, 2025 at 11:35 am

    5 stars
    We had carbonara at a restaurant for our anniversary last year and I wanted to try to make my own carbonara sauce at home this year. Turned out incredible. Thank you for all the tips and tricks to make sure our special night was successful.

    Reply
  11. Ann says

    April 23, 2024 at 7:42 am

    5 stars
    This is so good. But can you ever really go wrong with bacon? Thanks!

    Reply
  12. Heather says

    April 23, 2024 at 5:07 am

    5 stars
    Wow, this Carbonara is so delicious! Such a deep, full-bodied flavor for a quick sauce. Everyone loved it, I’ll be making this again. Thank you!

    Reply
  13. Ieva says

    April 23, 2024 at 2:50 am

    5 stars
    Thank you for the recipe. We made spaghetti carbonara with your sauce last night, and loved it!

    Reply
  14. Harriet Young says

    April 22, 2024 at 11:59 pm

    5 stars
    Delicious, quick and easy, the perfect week night meal. Thank you!

    Reply

Hi! I'm Laura.
Certified Integrative Nutrition Health Coach, mom of three, and the woman behind the world’s best pancakes—here to help you ditch the mealtime drama with recipes your family will actually eat.

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