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    Home » Pasta » Crème Fraîche Pasta Recipes

    15-minute Creme Fraiche Carbonara with Bacon

    By Emmeline Kemperyd on June 7, 2020, updated February 16, 2021 - 22 Comments

    Total time: 15 minutes minutes
    Prep time: 5 minutes minutes
    5 from 28 votes
    Jump to Recipe
    Crème Fraîche Carbonara
    Crème Fraîche Carbonara

    Crème Fraîche Carbonara is the best way to fake your way to a carbonara - with bacon and parmesan cheese this is just as tasty as the original, but easier to make and with more staple-friendly ingredients.

    side view of a pan full of créme fraîche carbonara with bacon, with parmesan cheese in the background

    This dish is one of those true and tested recipes that I've made for years. It's a quick way to get a delicious dinner on the table, and while not an authentic carbonara - it tastes just as good.

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    Why you will love this recipe

    • It's quick and done in 15 minutes, heating the pasta water included
    • It's easy without any unnecessary steps
    • It's delicious and packed full of flavor
    • It uses common staple ingredients - and if crème fraîche is not a staple in your house, just go for cream instead
    close up of créme fraîche carbonara with bacon

    Why this carbonara is fake

    Fake carbonara, I say. Yes, because a true, authentic carbonara definitely doesn't have crème fraîche - or bacon or parmesan for that matter. Instead the sauce is made from egg yolks and pecorino cheese which combine with the pasta water to create the creamy carbonara deliciousness.

    But! I like to keep things easy, so while I love making a classic carbonara - more often, I make a fake one. You can make it with cream or with crème fraîche, but I for one love how the acidity of the crème fraîche helps to lighten this dish up a bit. And yes, bacon, because the classic guanciale (cured pork cheek) is preettyyy hard to find at my local ICA and parmesan because, well, it's always in my fridge.

    What you need to make this fake carbonara

    To make this recipe you will need just a few simple ingredients:

    top down view of ingredients needed to make creme fraiche carbonara with bacon - pasta, leeks, bacon, creme fraiche, parmesan and ground black pepper
    1. Uncooked pasta - whatever kind you prefer. I like fusilli for how the sauce clings to it
    2. Leeks - just chop small and rinse in a strainer, and don't forget you can use the whole leek - not just the white part
    3. Bacon - but it already diced or get strips that you slice small
    4. Crème fraîche - or your preferred type of cream
    5. Shredded parmesan - or pecorino, or skip it if you don't have either
    6. Ground black pepper - fresh ground is always better, but not necessary here
    [mv_video doNotAutoplayNorOptimizePlacement="false" doNotOptimizePlacement="false" jsonLd="true" key="mrfxcfjsghe3jftvr8ei" sticky="false" thumbnail="https://mediavine-res.cloudinary.com/video/upload/mrfxcfjsghe3jftvr8ei.jpg" title="15-minute Créme Fraîche Carbonara with Bacon" volume="70"]

    How to make crème fraiche carbonara

    To make this dish, start by chopping your leeks and bacon and shredding your parmesan cheese. Then get your pasta of choice cooking according to package instructions and while the pasta is boiling you should have enough time to make the bacon sauce.

    When the pasta is finished, drain most of the water - but make sure to keep a bit to add to the sauce.

    c0ollag showing how to fry bacon and leeks
    1. Now for the sauce, start with a cold pan. This is important as it will allow the bacon to release as much fat as possible and hence you won't need to add any extra fat to cook in - and that nice bacon fat flavor will spread throughout your sauce. So place your diced or sliced bacon in a cold pan, and then place the pan over medium-high heat.
    2. Cook for about 5 minutes, until the bacon looks done. It shouldn't be crispy or too brown - just cooked.
    3. Then add the chopped leeks and mix. Cook for another two minutes.
    4. And then add the crème fraîche together with some pasta water.
    collage showing how to add créme fraîche and seasoning to bacon and leeks
    1. Mix well until the crème fraîche has melted.
    2. Then add the shredded parmesan cheese and ground black pepper.
    3. After mixing well, bring to a simmer and let simmer for 2 minutes for all the flavors to combine.
    4. Then add in the pasta, mix well, and serve! Top with some extra parmesan and ground black pepper if you like, or serve it alongside the pasta for your guests to add themselves.

    Expert tips and FAQ

    • Chop the leek before you rinse it to be sure you remove all that earth
    • Placing the bacon in a cold pan allows it to release a lot of fat while heating up and this way you don't need to add any extra fat to cook in
    • Fresh parmesan is amazing for this recipe but in a pinch you can skip it
    • Crème fraîche makes this pasta creamy while adding some acidity but you can also switch it in part or fully for your preferred type of cream
    • Don't add salt out of old habit - both the bacon and the parmesan are salty so odds are you won't need it

    What can I use instead of crème fraîche?
    Instead of crème fraîche you can use cream - light, full fat or half n half.

    Do I have to use parmesan?
    No! You can use pecorino instead, or just skip it.

    side view of a pan full of créme fraîche carbonara with bacon, with parmesan cheese in the background

    I hope you enjoy this fake carbonara just as much as I have over the years! Love it? Rate it 5 stars below! And while you're there - why not leave a comment and let me know how I'm doing?

    Looking for other quick dinner options? Check out all my 15-minute dinners - and for more quick crème fraîche pasta recipes how about a crème fraîche salmon pasta, chicken crème fraîche pasta with sun-dried tomatoes or a chicken crème fraiche pasta with feta cheese?

    Enjoy!

    Emmeline

    Recipe

    side view of a pan full of créme fraîche carbonara with bacon, with parmesan cheese in the background

    15-minute Crème Fraîche Carbonara with Bacon

    5 from 28 votes
    Print Rate
    Course: Main Course, Pasta
    Cuisine: European
    Servings: 4 people
    Calories: 990kcal
    Prep time: 5 minutes mins
    Cook time: 10 minutes mins
    Total time: 15 minutes minutes
    Author: Emmeline Kemperyd
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Ingredients

    • ½ lb uncooked pasta
    • ⅔ lb bacon diced or sliced small
    • 2 cups leeks chopped small
    • 2 cups crème fraîche
    • ½ cup pasta cooking water
    • 1 cup shredded parmesan + more to serve (optional)
    • ½ teaspoon ground black pepper + more to serve (optional)
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Start by getting your pasta water going and cook the pasta al dente according to package instruction, and then drain almost all of the water. Make sure to save some of the pasta water for use in the sauce. While the pasta is cooking, you can make the sauce.
      ½ lb uncooked pasta
    • Place diced or sliced bacon in a cold frying pan over medium high heat and cook for about 5 minutes until bacon looks cooked, mixing often.
      ⅔ lb bacon
    • Lower the heat to medium and add in the chopped leeks. Mix and cook for 3 minutes.
      2 cups leeks
    • The pasta should now be done, so add the crème fraîche and pasta cooking water to the bacon and leeks. Mix well and then add in the shredded parmesan and ground black pepper. Bring to a simmer and let simmer for 2 minutes. Then add the pasta and mix well.
      2 cups crème fraîche, ½ cup pasta cooking water, 1 cup shredded parmesan, ½ teaspoon ground black pepper
    • To serve, bring the pan from the heat and top with shredded parmesan and some ground black pepper.

    Equipment (may contain affiliate links)

    • Skillet or frying pan*
    • Spatula*
    • Measuring cups (metric or US)*
    • Measuring spoons*
    • Pasta pot*

    Video

    Notes

    Top tips

    • Chop the leek before you rinse it to make sure to remove all that earth
    • Placing the bacon in a cold pan allows it to release a lot of fat while heating up and this way you don't need to add any extra fat to cook in
    • Fresh parmesan is amazing for this recipe but in a pinch you can skip it
    • Crème fraîche makes this pasta creamy while adding some acidity but you can also switch it in part or fully for your preferred type of cream
    • Don't add salt out of old habit - both the bacon and the parmesan are salty so odds are you won't need it

    FAQ

    What can I use instead of crème fraîche?
    Instead of crème fraîche you can use cream - light, full fat or half n half.
    Do I have to use parmesan?
    No! You can use pecorino instead, or just skip it.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 990kcal | Carbohydrates: 70g | Protein: 39g | Fat: 62g | Saturated Fat: 29g | Cholesterol: 132mg | Sodium: 1374mg | Potassium: 690mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 10g | Vitamin A: 3123IU | Vitamin C: 16mg | Calcium: 792mg | Iron: 4mg

    Nutritional information is approximate and automatically calculated, and should only be viewed as an indication.

    Did you make this? Tag me today!Tag @alwaysusebutter and use the hashtag #alwaysusebutter!

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      Creamy Sun Dried Tomato Chicken Pasta with Crème Fraîche
    • salmon spinach pasta in a pan.
      Smoked Salmon Pasta with Spinach & Lemon

    About Emmeline Kemperyd

    Emmeline Kemperyd is a writer, food blogger, recipe creator and food photographer and the founder of alwaysusebutter.com. She has more than 20 years of experience creating and simplifying recipes so they taste good, and are quick, easy, and approachable. She is a regular contributor to MSN  and her work has been featured by The Guardian, Well+Good, Vulture, SheKnows, Good Men Project, Daily Kos, The Grio, The Asian Parent, and The Feed Feed, among others.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Sabine

      October 30, 2024 at 9:11 am

      5 stars
      My favourite way of cooking it, sorry Italy x

      Reply
    2. Shirley Robinson

      August 31, 2023 at 2:51 am

      5 stars
      This is amazing and I will be making this over and over. Thank you for your help with the simple instructions!

      Reply
    3. Shakeel

      January 19, 2021 at 10:27 am

      I also wanted to make a suggestion - maybe you could add tags at the top and bottom of your blog posts so that it's easier to find related blog posts. For example, this blog post could have the tags: pasta, crème fraiche, leeks, etc. So, for example, if anyone wants to see more of your pasta recipes, they can just click on the "pasta" tag and it will show a list of all pasta-related recipes on your blog. I hope you consider it! Cheers!

      Reply
    4. Shakeel

      January 19, 2021 at 10:22 am

      Hi, Emmeline!
      First of all, i never post on food blogs, or just blogs in general. I never took time out of my busy schedule to do it before. So, this is indeed the very first time that i have bothered to post a comment. But your recipe and website has been given so much care, love and attention that it really stands out among all the food sites that i usually google from my smartphone while trying to find some quick and easy recipe to make. I am a university student and i don't have the time to make elaborate recipes, especially since in the dormitory where i live, there are no fancy cooking equipment. So, this pasta recipe and the simple ingredients are perfect! I usually have pasta on hand as it's easy to make and can be delicious with the right sauce. I got crème fraiche and i was wondering if it could be made in a pasta sauce and i'm glad that your blog post showed up in my search results. Thanks in advance. I will definitely try this for lunch or dinner. Please post some more pasta recipes (or maybe baked potatoes or rice recipes) which uses crème fraiche as ingredient! All the best!

      Reply
      • Emmeline Kemperyd

        January 19, 2021 at 1:59 pm

        Hi Shakeel! Thank you SO much for your comment, it truly made my day. I know what it's like being a busy student with limited cooking space - many of my recipes were first developed when I was in that situation myself. This "carbonara" is one of them, another one I made all the time is this Tortellini Casserole which I can highly recommend. I have a few more creme fraiche pastas, but will definitely be adding more in the future. For now you I have a Sun-dried Tomato & Chicken Pasta, a Feta & Chicken Pasta and a Salmon Pasta all made with crème fraîche.

        And I like your idea regarding the tags! I used to have them, and then removed them for some reason. But you're right - it makes it easy to find similar recipes. I will look into adding them back. For now, you can try using the search field at the top when looking for an ingredient - it's not 100% accurate (shows recipes without the ingredient as well) but the top recipes usually have that ingredient.

        All the best and good luck with your studies! /Emmeline

        Reply
    5. Sheri

      September 16, 2020 at 2:58 am

      This looks wonderful and so much easier than the traditional recipe my husband uses. But... the conversion tool doesn't work and I live in California and am not familiar with the European measurements. Can you help me out with this? I want to make it for my husband for s little surprise dinner. Thank you!

      Reply
      • Emmeline Kemperyd

        September 16, 2020 at 6:40 pm

        Hi Sheri! Thank you! That's too bad - but I will try to help. These are the measurements for 4 servings:

        ½ lb uncooked pasta
        ⅔ lb bacon diced or sliced small
        2 cups leeks chopped small
        1.5 cups crème fraîche
        ½ cups pasta cooking water
        ¾ cups shredded parmesan + more to serve (optional)
        ½ tsp ground black pepper + more to serve (optional)

        I sent it to your e-mail as well in case you don't see it here.

        Reply
        • Sheri

          September 17, 2020 at 1:50 am

          Thank you so much for the super quick response. I will make this up sometime this week and let you know how it goes. Stay safe and happiness to you. Sheri

          Reply
          • Emmeline Kemperyd

            September 18, 2020 at 9:13 am

            No problem, Sheri! So sorry again that it wasn't working. It should be fixed now! Thanks for letting me know so I could have it fixed. Enjoy your food and your weekend!

            Reply
        • Aimee

          May 02, 2023 at 1:44 am

          5 stars
          This was delicious Amd so easy to make . Thank you

          Reply
        • terry

          January 10, 2025 at 11:52 am

          5 stars
          I do not weigh anything. Just add it..

          Reply
    6. Parvi

      June 09, 2020 at 12:49 pm

      Thanks for your recipes. Would this carbonara work with turkey bacon? My son in law does not eat pork.

      Reply
      • Emmeline Kemperyd

        June 09, 2020 at 5:58 pm

        Hi Parvi! Thanks for reaching out. It would definitely be great with turkey bacon as well! What a great idea - I will need to try it for myself. Let me know how it turns out! /Emmeline

        Reply
      • Emmeline Kemperyd

        June 09, 2020 at 6:10 pm

        But you might need to add some fat (butter or oil) when cooking the turken bacon - I don’t think it gives off as much fat as regulator bacon when it heats up.

        Reply
    7. Andrea Metlika

      June 07, 2020 at 9:59 pm

      5 stars
      Oh wow, I can't believe how easy this is to make. It looks absolutely perfect.

      Reply
    8. Biana

      June 07, 2020 at 9:30 pm

      5 stars
      I love carbonara, and what a great idea to add bacon!

      Reply
      • Astonished

        May 01, 2023 at 9:32 am

        Who's ever had carbonara that *doesn't* have bacon?!

        Reply
        • Emmeline Kemperyd

          May 01, 2023 at 10:33 am

          I, for one! Carbonara is traditionally made with guanciale, not bacon. Adding bacon is very common outside Italy though, but not the traditional choice. /Emmeline

          Reply
    9. Luci

      June 07, 2020 at 7:01 pm

      5 stars
      This carbonara is absolutely delicious and full of flavor! I love the cheese and bacon together. I can't wait to make this again for my family it was a hit.

      Reply
      • Emmeline Kemperyd

        June 08, 2020 at 7:34 pm

        So happy to hear you liked it Luci!

        Reply
    10. Alison

      June 07, 2020 at 6:57 pm

      5 stars
      A delicious and easy week night dinner. It's going in the regular rotation.

      Reply
    11. Toni

      June 07, 2020 at 6:37 pm

      5 stars
      Perfect flavors! I love how East and fast it is to make too!

      Reply
    5 from 28 votes (19 ratings without comment)

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