Quick and Easy Spicy Nacho Cheese Sauce (Ready in 10 Minutes)

The spicy nacho cheese sauce is super easy to make. A bowl of silky smooth, cheesy, sauce is perfect for a dip, nacho cheese, with fries, steamed or roasted broccoli, mac and cheese sauce, as a dipping sauce for pretzel bites and so much more.

Why you should try this sauce

1. This sauce is easy to make, it comes together pretty fast.
2. Say no processed stuff from the jar. Homemade nacho cheese sauce is made using ‘real’ cheddar cheese. No artificial cheese or chemicals are used in this recipe.
3. The richness of cheese helps bring out the flavors of a dish. It adds flavor to pasta, veggies, steaks, baked potatoes, nachos and so much more.
4. You can use any cheese, but sharp cheddar cheese gives the best results.
5. Rich, creamy, satisfying, and very addictive too.
6. It’s the perfect game-day recipe. It can be served as a dip for pretzel bites, nachos, and more. You’ll also love white queso dip for dipping tortilla chips.
7. Easy to customize. Reduce the amount of spice used in the recipe based on your heat tolerance.
8. Tastes best made fresh and served immediately. This sauce can be made ahead too. It stores well for 3 to 5 days in the refrigerator.

Ingredients

Here’s what you’ll need –

Ingredients notes –

1. Cheese – Sharp cheddar cheese is the way to go. You can use white cheddar or other cheddar cheese if sharp cheddar isn’t available. Note– if you do face issues with sharp cheddar making sauce grainier, use mild cheddar. I did test this recipe three times with sharp cheddar, used two different brands of sharp cheddar that were available and I did not face issues of sauce becoming grainier. It was smooth and silky all three times. But I have heard some readers say that sharp cheddar tends to break or become grainier. In that case, you may want to use medium cheddar for a smoother sauce.
2. Spices – Love the spicy kick in the cheese sauce. A mix of hot sauce (any hot sauce) and cayenne pepper gives a kick. You can adjust the heat as per your taste preference. Note – the amount mentioned in the recipe adds medium heat to sauce.
3. Butter – use unsalted butter.
4. Flour – to make a roux with butter and flour.
5. Milk – use full-fat milk. You can use half and half too for a richer sauce.
6. Salt and Pepper – season to taste.

Step-by-step instructions

Step 1: Start by melting 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a small saucepan on medium flame.  Sprinkle flour over the top.

Step 2: Whisk together until it forms a thick paste. Keep whisking continuously and cook the flour for about 1 minute. It’s important to cook out the floury flavor and not burn the flour.

Step 3: Slowly add milk (or half and half) to the butter-flour paste in a steady stream.

Step 4: Continue whisking and cooking until the mixture thickens. It will take about 5 minutes. Keep cooking on medium flame.

Step 5: Once the mixture begins to thicken add hot sauce, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste. Whisk together.

Step 6: Turn off the heat and remove the saucepan from the stove before adding cheese to ensure the cheese doesn’t burn or overheat and turn into a lump. Add grated cheese.

Step 7: Whisk well until cheese is fully melted. Taste and adjust any seasoning if required.

Pour into serving bowls and serve immediately with nachos. Can be used to pour over steamed or roasted broccoli, stirred with mac and cheese, or used as a dip. Any leftovers can be stored in air-tight containers refrigerated for about 5 days.

Tips to make silky smooth cheese sauce for nachos

1. Grated your cheese! Always buy only block cheese. DO NOT buy pre-grated cheese as it will be addictive like corn starch to keep it from sticking.
2. Buy the best quality cheese for the best flavor.
3. Use whole milk/full cream milk to get a smoother sauce. Fat content in milk will help turn the sauce smoother.
4. Always turn off the heat before adding cheese to ensure you don’t burn cheese or overheat and turn it into a lump. Residue heat will be enough to melt the cheese.
5. The cheese sauce will be a bit runny at first, don’t worry. The sauce thickens upon cooling.
6. Depending on your spice tolerance adjust the amount of hot sauce and cayenne pepper used in the recipe. If you can’t tolerate heat, skip both. If you like sauce spicier, increase it to your taste preference.

Serving suggestions

Nacho cheese sauce is versatile, it can be served with almost anything.

• This sauce is great to be served with nachos, potato fries, onion rings, chicken tenders, and so many more.
• You can pour it over grilled or roasted veggies. It’s great with steamed or roasted broccoli.
• With baked sweet potato fries.
• With garlic breadsticks, pretzels, or soft pretzel bites.

Storage

Any leftover cheese sauce can be transferred to air tight container and stored refrigerated for about 5 days.

Heat on the stovetop or microwave with one tablespoon of whole milk while reheating and serving.

Tip: Don’t reheat on high heat and don’t overheat. There’s a risk of cheese separating when it’s overheated. The sauce will turn grainy.

Recipe FAQs

5 from 9 votes

📋Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce

Jyothi Rajesh

A bowl of silky smooth, cheesy, spicy nacho cheese sauce is super easy to make than you thought. It’s perfect for dip, nacho cheese, with fries, steamed or roasted broccoli, as mac and cheese sauce and so much more.

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 10 minutes mins

Course Appetizer, dip

Cuisine American

Servings 2 cups

Calories 697

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 tablespoons butter unsalted
• ▢ 2 tablespoons plain flour
• ▢ 1 ½ cups milk whole/ full cream milk
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cayenne pepper
• ▢ 1 ½ tablespoons hot sauce
• ▢ Salt and pepper to taste
• ▢ 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese

Instructions

 

• Start by melting 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter in a small saucepan on medium flame. Sprinkle flour over the top.
• Keep whisking continuously and cook the flour for about 1 minute. It’s important to cook out the floury flavor and not burn the flour.
• Slowly add milk (or half and half) to the butter-flour paste in a steady stream.
• Continue whisking and cook until the mixture thickens. It will take about 5 minutes. Keep cooking on medium flame.
• Once the mixture begins to thicken add hot sauce, cayenne pepper, salt, and pepper to taste. Whisk together.
• Turn off the heat, and add grated cheese. Residue heat will be enough to melt the cheese. Keep whisking constantly until the cheese is fully melted.
• Taste and adjust seasoning or spice if required.
• Pour into serving bowls and serve immediately with nachos. Can be used to pour it over steamed or roasted broccoli, stirred with mac and cheese, or used as a dip.
• Any leftovers can be stored in air-tight containers refrigerated for about 5 days

Video

Notes

1. Grated your cheese! Always buy only block cheese. DO NOT buy pre-grated cheese as it will be addictive like corn starch to keep it from sticking.
2. Buy the best quality cheese for the best flavor.
3. Use whole milk/full cream milk to get a smoother sauce. Fat content in milk will help turn the sauce smoother.
4. Always turn off the heat before adding cheese to ensure you don’t burn cheese or overheat and turn it into a lump. Residue heat will be enough to melt the cheese.
5. The cheese sauce will be a bit runny at first, don’t worry. The sauce thickens upon cooling.
6. Depending on your spice tolerance adjust the amount of hot sauce and cayenne pepper used in the recipe. If you can’t tolerate heat, skip both. If you like sauce spicier, increase it to your taste preference.

Nutrition: values mentioned below are for 1 cup (cup size approximately 230 ml)

Nutritional Info – Please keep in mind that the nutritional information provided is only a rough estimate and can vary greatly based on the products used.

Nutrition

Calories: 697kcalCarbohydrates: 16gProtein: 35gFat: 55gSaturated Fat: 34gCholesterol: 167mgSodium: 1138mgPotassium: 352mgFiber: 1gSugar: 10gVitamin A: 1987IUVitamin C: 7mgCalcium: 1022mgIron: 1mg

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