Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce

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.

Make Your Own Cheese Sauce Recipe:

• It’s extremely easy to make your own sauce at home. It comes together pretty fast.

• It’s simply the best tasting cheese sauce.

• Pick a jar of cheese jar from the store and try to read the ingredients. I bet you would have not heard of some of the stuff that goes in making the so called ‘cheese sauce’. Homemade nacho cheese sauce is made using ‘real’ cheddar cheese. No artificial cheese here. Say no processed stuff from the jar, make with ‘real’ ingredients.

• 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.

• You can use any cheese, but we believe sharp cheddar cheese is the way to go.

• Rich, creamy, satisfying cheese flavor will make you want to go for more.

• It’s perfect game day recipe. Take my word and make a big batch, this disappears real fast.

• You don’t need much flavouring agents here, but I do like to my sauce with a good amount of kick to it. Hot sauce and cayenne pepper is used in this recipe for adding heat to the sauce. If you can’t tolerate little heat, skip both hot sauce and cayenne in the recipe. Reduce the amount of spice used in the recipe based on your heat tolerance.

• This sauce can be made ahead. As it stores well for 3 to 5 days in refrigerator. Having said that, I do love it when it’s made fresh and served immediately. It’s fresh and better tasting.

Ingredients Needed For Homemade Cheese Sauce Recipe

Below picture shows all ingredients needed-

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 was available and I did not face issues of sauce becoming grainier. It was smooth and silky all three times.

But I have heard of some complain that sharp cheddar tends to break or become grainer. In that case you may want to use medium cheddar for smoother sauce.

Spices – I can tolerate a lot of heat and I love it when my sauce has a kick to it. A mix of hot sauce (can use any hot sauce) and cayenne pepper gave that nice kick to the sauce. Skip both if you can’t handle the heat.

Note – the amount mentioned in the recipe adds medium heat to sauce.

Butter – use unsalted butter.

Flour – to make a roux with butter and flour.

Milk – use full fat milk. You can use half and half too for richer sauce.

Salt and Pepper – never miss seasoning. Add salt and cracked pepper according to taste.

How To Make Nacho Cheese Sauce?

• Start by melting 2 tablespoon of unsalted butter in a small sauce pan on medium flame.  Sprinkle flour over the top.
• Whisk together until it’s form a thick paste. Keep whisking continuously and cook 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 cooking until the mixture thickens. It will take about 5 minutes. Keep cooking on medium flame.
• Once mixture begins to thicken add hot sauce, cayenne pepper, salt and pepper to taste. Whisk together.
• Always turn off heat and remove sauce pan from stove before adding cheese to ensure you don’t burn cheese or over heat and turn it into a lump. Residue heat will be enough to melt cheese.
• Add grated cheese to the sauce pan while whisking constantly until cheese is fully melted.
• Taste and adjust any 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, used as a dip.
• Any leftovers can be stored in air tight containers refrigerated for about 5 days.

Can I Use Any Other Cheese?

Yes. Use any block cheese that you can buy and grate at home. Any cheese that can melt easily and turn smooth. DO NOT BUY pre-grated cheese. They have additives added to it like corn starch to keep it from sticking. Always buy real cheese block.

Use any type of cheese based on what you are pouring it over.

I recommend you use any of the following cheese –

• Monterey Jack
• Swiss cheese
• Spiced cheese
• Sharp or mild cheddar cheese

What To Do With Leftovers?

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

Heat over stovetop or microwave with one tablespoon of whole milk while reheating and serve.

Jo’s Tip: Don’t reheat too much. You do risk the cheese separating when reheated too much. Sauce will turn grainy.

Tips To Make Silky Smooth Cheese Sauce

• Grated your own cheese! Always buy only block cheese. DO NOT buy pre-grated cheese as it will have addictive like corn starch to keep it from sticking.

• Buy the best quality cheese for the best flavor.

• Use whole milk/full cream milk to get smoother sauce. Fat content in milk will help turn sauce smoother.

• Always turn off heat before adding cheese to ensure you don’t burn cheese or over heat and turn it into a lump. Residue heat will be enough to melt cheese.

• Cheese sauce will be bit runny at first, don’t worry. The sauce thickens upon cooling.

• 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.

What To Serve With Spicy Cheese Sauce ?

This sauce is so versatile it can go with almost anything. To name a few dishes to serve with cheese sauce are:

This sauce is great to be served with nachos, potato fries, soft pretzels, 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.

Frequently Asked Question

Why Did My Cheese Sauce Turn Grainer ?

I believe the cause for it could be that you use pre-grated cheese. When you buy pre grated cheese, what you don’t know is that it’s usually has addictive which could have made it grainer.

Look for good quality real cheese blocks to make cheese sauce.

Another reason could be that you added grated cheese while the pan was still on heat. Cheese can separate or become grainy if it gets too hot. Always remove pan from heat and then add cheese and whisk until cheese is fully melted and smooth.

Why My Sauce Isn’t Smoother?

Did you use low fat or skimmed milk? Did you use one of those diet friendly cheeses?

You need to have fat content to make the sauce smoother. This sauce is NOT for diet. You need to use full cream milk and the cheese that does not say low-fat.

Why My Sauce Is Way Too Thick?

You probably over cooked it.

Remember these tips –

1. Cook roux for a minute only.
2. Add milk in slow steady streams and keep whisking constantly.
3. Cook until butter-flour-milk mixture thickens but should be in pour-able consistency. Don’t take it further.
4. Turn off heat and add cheese. Keep whisking until cheese is fully melted. (residue heat will help melt cheese).
5. Sauce will be runny at this point. Don’t get tempted to put it back on heat. The sauce thickens upon cooling.

What Flavors Can I Add To The Sauce?

You can add

• Garlic powder
• Onion powder
• Smoked paprika
• Your favorite hot sauce

Why Did My Sauce Separate While Reheating?

Don’t reheat too much. You do risk the cheese separating when reheated too much. It will turn grainy.

MORE CHEESE PLEASE

Bacon Cheddar Cream Cheese Dip

Beer Cheese Dip

Cauliflower Cheese Sauce

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Sauce

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