I know, it seems kind of weird that I’m posting this homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe the day after the super bowl. But, the reason I made this nacho cheese sauce has nothing to do with the super bowl and everything to do with the fact that I have just had a crappy week. :) After a series of unfortunate events and two recipe flops, I had an, “Ugh, I give up. Just give me some chips and nacho cheese.” moment.
Don’t judge. Nacho cheese dip is powerful stuff.
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NO Processed Cheese, Please
Rather than going totally off the deep end and buying a gelatinous block of Velveeta, I decided to try to make the nacho cheese sauce myself, with real, simple ingredients. To my surprise (and probably to my detriment), this homemade nacho cheese recipe made with real cheddar cheese is extremely fast and easy to make.
Spice it Up!
The nacho cheese recipe below is the very basic version of nacho cheese, which you can customize or embellish in many different ways. Try substituting half of the cheddar with pepper jack, or stirring in a 4oz. can of diced green chiles. Experiment with the seasonings by adding a pinch of garlic powder, cumin, or even cayenne pepper. Stir in a few sliced green onions, or a can of Rotel tomatoes (drained). You can really have fun with this one.
Tips for Cheese Sauce Success
Here are a few tips to help make sure your homemade nacho cheese recipe is a success:
- Make sure to cook the flour in the butter for one minute. This helps cook out the “floury” flavor.
- Use medium cheddar for smoother results. Sharp cheddar tends to “break” or become grainy easier than medium cheddar.
- Remove the pot from the heat before stirring in the cheese. Overheating the sauce once the cheese has been added can cause the sauce to seize up and become thick and/or grainy. If needed, use only low heat to help the cheese fully melt.
- Use block cheese and hand shred it when possible. Pre-shredded cheeses sometimes contain a lot of anti-caking powders, which can cause a powdery flavor in your cheese sauce.
New to cheese sauce? Try making our no-roux Easy Cheese Sauce that melts together smoothly in minutes and is absolutely fool-proof!
5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce
Servings 6 (1/4 cup each)Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter ($0.28)
- 2 Tbsp flour ($0.02)
- 1 cup whole milk ($0.19)
- 6 oz. medium cheddar, shredded (about 1.5 cups) ($2.25)
- 1/4 tsp salt ($0.02)
- 1/4 tsp chili powder ($0.02)
Instructions
- Add the butter and flour to a small sauce pot. Heat and whisk the butter and flour together until they become bubbly and foamy. Continue to cook and whisk the bubbly mixture for about 60 seconds.
- Whisk the milk into the flour and butter mixture. Turn the heat up slightly and allow the milk to come to a simmer while whisking. When it reaches a simmer, the mixture will thicken. Once it’s thick enough to coat a spoon, turn off the heat.
- Stir in the shredded cheddar, one handful at a time, until melted into the sauce. If needed, place the pot over a low flame to help the cheese melt. Do not overheat the cheese sauce.
- Once all the cheese is melted into the sauce, stir in the salt and chili powder. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply whisk in an additional splash of milk.
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Nutrition
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How to Make Nacho Cheese – Step by Step Photos
Start by placing 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour in a small saucepot.
Heat the flour and butter over medium flame and whisk together until they become bubbly and foamy. Continue whisking for about 60 seconds. This mixture is called a “roux” and is what will thicken your sauce. Letting the roux cook for about 60 seconds slightly toasts the flour and gets rid of that raw floury flavor, but you want it to stay “blonde”, so if it begins to brown, remove it from the heat.
Whisk in one cup of whole milk. Turn the heat up slightly and let it come to a simmer (whisking frequently). Because the small volume, it should come to a simmer very quickly (about a minute).
When it reaches a simmer, the milk will thicken. When it’s thick enough to coat a spoon like in the photo, turn off the heat.
Whisk in 6oz. (or about 1.5 cups) shredded medium cheddar, one hand full at a time, until it is melted into the sauce. If needed, put the pot back over a low flame to help it melt, but the residual heat should do most of the work.
Finally, season the nacho cheese sauce with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp chili powder.
Taste the nacho cheese sauce and adjust the seasonings if needed. And that’s it! Now you have a real ingredient, really delicious, homemade nacho cheese dip.
This post either just ruined your life or made your day. Or maybe both.
It was too much for us. Also very flavourless and too rich 😭
Wonder if taste like if added to hotdog.
Made this for 🥦. Will let you know later on or when next opportunity
Very easily made. BUT I goofed.
Instead of Chile powder. I ended up with cayenne pepper.
But still taste good
I also substitute salt for sea salt. Now its banging
Yummy easy to make
turned out perfect. super easy. thanks
This is a very multipurpose sauce. It’s great for mac and cheese, nachos, corn dogs, dips, sandwiches, chili, and lots more. I do adjust the seasoning, depending on what I am making. For nachos, I like to add red pepper flakes.
Yum! I left out the salt and chili powder because it was for my toddlers and I. The texture was perfect. We even ate the leftovers cold spread on crackers the next day
Simple, good ingredients, and yummy!!
Question, if there is any left, how long would it keep in the fridge ??
This one really needs to be made and eaten right away. :)
Easy weekday nacho cheese recipe! I’ve purchased just about every brand of canned nacho sauce and they are all too spicy for my kids. They absolutely loved this recipe! Using this recipe for years to come. Thank you!
classic. make it all the time.
Made this in a large batch (24 servings) and it turned out okay. Need about an extra half cup of milk and was a little bland but not bad at all
Made this sauce but didn’t have the block cheese and had no choice but to make it with pre shredded cheese and it didn’t taste yucky at all but really good! I have tried making this cheese before and it never turned out right but you explained easy enough to understand that I was able to make it with no problems! Thank you!!!!
A question: Can I make this ahead and reheat it later?
We’ve found this one is best eaten asap!
This was the best recipe I’ve read in a long time, it instructs clearly and concisely while also providing the reason for each instruction. Easy to follow and even better tasted delicious! Thanks for making my nachos better!
Did not come out tasty or look like yours once I added cheese. Only regret is wasting money on ingredients. Might try again when I get paid . Thanks for recipe
I agree. Adding more milk and salt saved this recipe for me. It was a little chalky too. But that could have been the cheese (pre-shredded). I also added pickled jalapeno a rotel to help.
Can you make this with almond milk?
We haven’t tried it! If you do try it, I’d say you need to add a bit more fat and maybe flour to make sure that it’s rich and thick enough, as almond milk would make it a bit more thin. I’ve seen other readers do this with success, just be aware that no matter what it will probably not be quite as rich as the original.
is it supposed to be very salty?
No, not overly salty! If you use salted butter and a saltier cheese it could end up too salty.
Shredded cheese, packed or not packed?
I’d say loosely packed!
Very tasty cheese sauce! Thanks for sharing!
So it was really grainy! Any idea what I might have done wrong? I used already shredded cheese but I followed the instructions I thought to a T.
The pre-shredded cheese could definitely be the culprit! Pre shredded cheese is coated in an anti-caking agent, so it makes it much more difficult to melt as well, and that anti-caking powder can make sauces grainy. If you prefer to use pre-shredded you can rinse it off in cold water and drain before using!
I’m so grateful, no pun intended, to have just read this! I wouldn’t have ever ever thought to rinse my shredded cheese before cooking it! That’s the best thing I’ve heard today. Thank you! And this nacho sauce is so super easy, quick, and addicting lol. I’ll come back for more recipes for sure.
Can I make the cheese sauce without the chili?
Definitely!
excelente , sencilla reseta.
This is going to be great!!!! I am about to maje some now.
Thank you!!!!
Really good!👍🏻
Great simple recipe. Cayenne pepper is a great addition to/or instead of chili powder.
I prefer to use Sodium Citrate(salts of citric acid) for the cheese sauce emulsifier.
…flour is not a proper emulsifier for cheese sauces. Quite the opposite actually. Flour wants to turn cheese sauces grainy.
…with Sodium Citrate, the cheese sauce will be silky smooth. And will even be able to flow at room temperature.
No one asked.
It’s a comment section Kristy get over yourself. If they didn’t want comments why would they have a comment section? By your logic no one should comment because no one asked anyone anything.
What did I do wrong to make it kinda powdery not real bad but a little
If you whisk the milk in too soon before the flour has a chance to really cook a bit, you can be left with a powdery, floury taste! Just make sure that you let the butter and flour cook together for at least a good minute.
Entitled to much floor. I followed recipe to a T. It was fought for me. Did you mean 2 tspn of flour? 🥲
forgot to buy the cheese topping for my Chilli nachos so will use this and fingers crossed. Just like a regular cheese sause with chilli so all good. If your’re a novice cook her description of the roux is very good.
Can you jar some and leave it in the fridge for how long any one knows
We’ve found this one is best eaten asap!
I like to add a tiny bit of yellow mustard for zest, maybe even a splash of beer. Great on soft pretzels
Sounds like grest idea, but if mustard and beer, sounds grest
So easy to make and delicious! I didn’t have any regular flour on hand so I made some oat flour and it turned out great.
Awesome and easy. Added salsa to it before pouring it all over my nachos!
It turned out very grainy and thick, not creamy. Not sure what I did wrong. Even tried it with less flour and it was the same.
you didnt do anything wrong, op is leaving out an important fact about making cheese sauce from a bechamel which is that without sodium citrate it will turn out very gritty and grainy. its why people use a bit of velveeta in cheese sauce, because it has enough sodium citrate to prevent this usually. get a bag of it off amazon and spoon some in the next time you try making a cheese sauce, or try melting a few cubes of velveeta into the sauce, and make sure you dont melt it at a high heat / keep the heat low because if it boils it’ll turn gritty too. otherwise you can try to use a little bit of lemon juice or white wine, that sometimes is enough to fix it.
Can this be made and left in a crock pot overnight on warm?
That’s a really long time being held over heat, so I’m not sure how well it would hold up without testing it, unfortunately.
Great. Hit the spot and cured the crave. I added taco seasoning, ran out of chili.
A yummy dip and nice consistency, I added a little extra cheese and some fresh diced tomato on the top to serve. Next time I’ll probably add a little extra chilli or some bitier cheese for a bit more punch.
I got scared when you said butter and flour and milk. I want to make nacho sauce, not a cake 😃
I used coconut oil instead of butter, it’s healthier. After that everything is the same except instead of chilli powder, I used Roasted red Garlic powder and Cayenne powder for that extra kick. So easy to make and tasted great.
So basically not her recipe at all then. Okay thanks
Can this be made in advance, refrigerated and reheated ?
No, this one really needs to be made and eaten right away. :)
I’ve done it. It isn’t perfect and I heated it up using a double boiler method, but I just didn’t want to throw out the leftovers. :)
Hallo,
Blijft de kaas vloeibaar als ie afgekoeld is? Of word het een blok kaas?
Groetjes
Hello
How long can I preserve this?
Regards
Tibu
This one is definitely best when made fresh. Our easy nacho cheese sauce recipe is a bit more stable and reheats very well, so you could keep that one in the refrigerator for probably around 3-4 days
While the flour/fat/milk ratio in this recipe is fine, a béchamel cannot be made in five minutes. Not a good one, anyway. Taking a little more time will result in a silky, flavorful béchamel. The butter should be melted in the pan first. The flour should be slowly added to the melted butter, preferably sifted in. Any seasoning should be added at this point. The flour/fat needs to be cooked for two or three minutes, until the floury smell has dissipated. In order to ensure a smooth, silky sauce, the milk needs to be heated. After the milk is whisked into the roux, the heat should be *reduced*, not increased, and continually stirred until the desired thickness is achieved. Then the grated cheese can be added, a handful at a time over low heat, stirring constantly.
I must have done something wrong, mine came out looking like something separated. Could it have been bad flour or something else. My milk seemed to be just fine.
Did you use pre-grated cheese? Bagged grated cheese is coated in anti-caking agents, usually potato starch, so it just doesn’t melt well. Grating your own cheese is almost always worth the extra effort.
I made it as instructed and my family LOVED it!!!
Can I get a version that mixes well with salsa? We love homemade salsa and love salsa con queso. But we haven’t found a good homemade recipe for salsa & real cheese (not velveta) dip.
Try stirring some salsa into this version of nacho cheese. This one doesn’t use a butter and flour roux, so it tends to be more stable. :)
Perfect dip for a quick weeknight snack. I used Silk unsweetened oat milk, ghee and 1/2 tsp seasoning blend that included chili and salt. Came out great. I think the key is making sure you keep whisking, especially the milk and keep the temp ok low to med low.
Just what I needed! Love the site. In the past I think I got this wrong because I added all the milk at once. I found that if I add 1/3 cup of milk at a time with “1/3” of the cheese it was easier for me to control the consistency. Slowly adding the cheese should work, but I seem to be less able to get that perfect cheese/milk consistency. Little bits at a time seemed way easier for me
Nice
Do you have to use whole milk or can you substitute almond milk ?
Hi Star, You need the fat in the whole milk to help keep the sauce smooth and cohesive. We have not tried it with almond milk. xoxo
I’ve tried this and other bechamel sauces with almond milk. You just need to add a bit more flour so it thickens up. Maybe not quite as rich of a sauce but works well as I usually only have almond milk on hand.
My go-to nacho cheese recipe… Also use it on steamed broccoli and cauliflower ( minus the chili powder)
I was just wondering if this can be frozen??
This one probably isn’t a great candidate for freezing, unfortunately!
Why did mine come out gritty…or floury?
You might have cooked it at too high a heat. Cheese proteins separate at high heat causing a gritty outcome.
Did you use pre-grated cheese? Bagged grated cheese is coated in anti-caking agents, usually potato starch, so it just doesn’t melt well. That could result in a ‘gritty’ texture.
Or, perhaps you didn’t cook the roux long enough. If your sauce was ‘floury’, that suggests your flour was still raw, that the roux was undercooked. While this is a great base recipe, a good roux-based sauce takes longer than five minutes.
yummyyy and it works w already shredded cheese :)
Isn’t good the first step just makes doughy stuff
You used to much flour or not enough milk, it should be a little thinner than pudding
A good roux takes practice. The recipe is not to blame.
Easy and delicious nacho cheese! I love how customizable it is. I like to add pickled jalapenos and serve it with tortilla chips, sliced bell pepper and cucumber.
Made this dairy free by substituting earth grown vegan cheddar shreds and oat milk :) it turned out great! Added a little tajin for flavor flav.
I used white cheddar and that s××× was amazing. Never thought to try a roux before. I added cumin and a little jar salsa. Then I added some leftover taco meat. We cleaned the plate. Thank you
This works with heavy cream as well, just add some water to offset the fact that there is more fat and less water. I added some scoops of salsa at the end just for fun. It made the texture a bit grainy but it was still really tasty! Also, everyone saying this is bland also all have the same issue, which is that they all double or increase the amount of milk. Just barely heat the milk so the water doesn’t boil off, but is warm enough to melt the cheese. If it’s too runny, return to the heat and cook another 30 seconds to a minute or add a little more cheese. And yes, if you refrigerate a homemade cheese sauce, it will harden because of the fat content. Issues in the comments are with the cooks, not the recipe ;)
Thank you! Thank you!
Thank you!
Followed to a T, like some other people have said here…and Oh! My! Oh my! It was fantastic!!! Adjusted the seasonings as per your suggestion at the end, it turned out perfectly, way better than Velveeta stuff!
Too thick, very bland. I doubled the milk, added more seasonings and cheese, just to make it taste like something.
Hi Beff,
Congratulations, you just made a bechemel sauce, now you can craft a lasagne!
so disgusting do not make i wasted so much cheese
I was in the mood for nachos and whipped this baby up in no time. The flavor was definitely there. This recipe makes 2 servings for me.
I just made this for nachos, and it was great. I only needed to add a little extra milk to get the right consistency. For those of you saying it’s way too thick, you’re probably simmering the milk for too long. Once I saw bubbles, I simmered it for, maybe, 30 seconds. If you add too much milk, you’re gonna lose a lot of the cheese flavor.
I’d like to add this is great as a base recipe. As is, it’s pretty bland. But a few cranks of black pepper, some cumin and smoked paprika, and this came alive.
I used oat milk instead of milk and just kept adding it until I got the consistency I wanted. I also added 1 clove of garlic minced and 1/2 teaspoon of finely chopped jalapeño it was perfect.
I used real cheese and followed the directions carefully but the sauce ends up way too thick. I was able to get a smooth consistency by nearly doubling the milk, but the flavor was very bland, even with extra salt. The instructions yield something entirely different than your average cheese dip, and not in a good way.
Ive had a lot of success with other recipes here, but this one was a dud.
You cooked it incorrectly
Followed this recipe to a T and it wasn’t great. I kept having to add more and more milk to make it runny and nacho cheese lime. I still used it for my recipe and put it in the fridge to reheat. It was like thick Velveeta after being refrigerated overnight. Totally not appetizing.
Very good, but a little thick. My suggestion is to add a little more milk.
It was good . Just the way I like it. Delicious. Follow the instructions
I live for food. I love food. But a questioniano…questioning…. can these cheese sauce recipes substitute the real cheese with Powdered cheese¿ like the sauce in kraft dinner
?
Hi, Pierce! Since we haven’t tested this recipe using that product, I don’t feel comfortable recommending it as a substitution because I’m not sure it would give you successful results. I will make note of the product & share it with the team to consider for use in other recipes in the future! — Marion :)
Love!I added mild green chilies and its delicious!Couldnt find a organic pre made one so happy i found this recipe!So easy and NO lumps!I am eating it now with chips!Thanks!,
I tried your recipe but i didnt have chili powder so i used cajun powder instead. It tastes good as well!
I followed the recipe to a T and it came out clumpy and uneatable.
It sounds like a heat management issue. If you try it again- keep it at low heat. XOXO -Monti
So many leaving negative comments when they can see it’s not working but don’t have the ability to fix it. The problem seems to be in the basic Roux. Use exact 1:1 measurements. Melt the butter first on a low heat, then add flour very slowly stirring rapidly.. As stated in the recipe, once the cheese has been added and melted, you can control the thickness by adding a little more milk. I used to make what we named Cheese Spread which was almost the same as this without the Roux and a much thicker consistency.
Recipe was horrible it took me 30 minutes instead of 5 and had no flavor worse nacho cheese recipe
Hi, Riley. Apologies that this didn’t turn out for you. It is one of our favorite sauces at Budget Bytes, and it never takes us more than five minutes. It should definitely not take you 30 minutes, and I’m unsure how you have no flavor considering you’re using real cheese. If you decide to try again, take a good look at the directions before you start cooking, make sure you have all of your ingredients measured out and ready to go, and keep things at a low heat. Better luck next time!
We make this at least once a week and put it over tater tot’s, chips and waffles fries. I use half of a Habanero pepper seeds out while I’m melting the butter and leave it until the sauce is made. Adds a nice spice.
In france, nacho cheese is not easily accessible. Glad I found this quick fix with some mods.
It was late and I was out of butter, stores close earlier here compared to the states. I substituted butter with oil. I used shredded emental cheese and mimolette cheese. Flavored it with some canned chipotle chilies, a dash of salt, and a few drops of viniger to mimic the acidity of jalapenos nacho cheese, jalapenos are also hard to come by in France. Low and behold an amaizing flavorful cheese sauce in 5 minutes. Thanks for sharing
I used gluten free flour, unsweetened almond milk, and a medium spiced beef seasoning. This came out perfect! Next step is to try it with vegan cheese and see how it comes out. I also added sausage crumbles to mine. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
I used about 2x the chili powder, a DASH of cumin, onion powder, and cayenne, and a little more milk and 1/2 cup more cheese for a more robust flavor profile but this is a perfect foundation for a nice, quick and easy cheese sauce!
This was awesome. Exactly what I was looking for in a Saturday night movie snack with some pretzel sticks. I added a touch of Sriracha for some extra kick. Thanks a mil.
I got irrationally excited when I saw you had a recipe for this. Haha
ad extra milk but realy good better than store bought
Excellent recipe came out perfect with a little extra milk to make it runny, little tip for more kick whisk in some Jalapeño slices for a delicious taste!
Can you store extra queso? How do you recommend reheating it?
Cheese sauces that are thickened with flour and butter don’t usually reheat that well, but if you make one with evaporated milk, like in this recipe, they reheat really well in the microwave and stay nice and smooth.
This taste great. Mine came out to thick so I added more milk, about a 1/3 cup. Then it came out perfect. I added cumin and some garlic salt. Thanks for the recipe.
In france, nacho cheese is not easily accessible. Glad I found this quick fix with some mods.
It was late and I was out of butter, stores close earlier here compared to the states. I substituted butter with oil. I used shredded emental cheese and mimolette cheese. Flavored it with some canned chipotle chilies, a dash of salt, and a few drops of viniger to mimic the acidity of jalapenos nacho cheese, jalapenos are also hard to come by in France. Low and behold an amaizing flavorful cheese sauce in 5 minutes. Thanks for sharing
This turned out pretty good for my first time attempting a homemade cheese sauce. I wasn’t patient enough for the milk simmer so it came out a little grainy but still good. I added in some chopped up sliced pickled jalapeños, a bit more salt and a little bit of the jalapeño juice. Enjoying it tonight with our ground beef nachos 😋
It was good but could be better. I used store brand sharp cheddar cheese but next time I will look for a better quality cheese. It separated a bit but it was most likely because I couldn’t wait for the milk simmer. My husband & I finished it for a “snack” 😊 Yum!
Sorry that I wasted a pricey block of cheddar on this. Found the flavor far too bland, even after mixing in some extra spices. Also the consistency was pretty thin and grainy.
American cheese melts down a lot smoother. And a spoonful of sour cream does wonders for the taste and texture. I don’t really know what the the flour is about.
We really enjoyed this— simple and great cheese dip. I subbed a gluten-free flour blend (one w no gums) with no problem.
Have also tried adding a can of chopped green chilies at the end. A bit lumpier that way, but really delicious!
Curious how many people would this serve? I would be cooking for 2 adults? :)
It makes about a cup and a half total, so it just depends on how much you plan on eating. :)
Awesome fully enjoyed 1/4 salt a little much, but still great
This tasted like glue
Followed the recipe exactly (with freshly ground whole wheat flour) – I think I even used sharp cheddar – and it turned out PERFECTLY!
This will be my go-to for nachos now. Thank you for sharing! 👍🏽😘
This is a good recipe for a newbie (i.e. me) who has never made a cheese sauce before. I accidentally used mild cheddar and found the sauce very bland. I will try it again using some suggestions from the comments (more salt, chili pepper, add cumin, and add garlic powder.) My kids and hubby did love it in the nachos I made. Adding the seasoned ground beef, salty tortilla chips and refried beans helped with the (lack of) flavor of the sauce. I will try it again with all the suggested modifications.
I wish I had omitted the flour and simply heated the milk and added my freshly grated cheese. I followed the directions but it still came out grainy. I’m not really even sure what the point of the flour is… if you used plenty of cheese and less milk it would still be thick without the chance of it being grainy. Why take that chance… also had to add a lot more spices to get it to taste nacho-y.
It’s the base for most sauces flour and butter. Without it you would end up with a hot cheese drink!
Without flour there is no roux. Without a roux there is no sauce. Don’t omit the flour.
If it came out grainy, you 1. Didn’t cook the flour long enough, 2. Added the cheese with the roux way too hot, or 3. Used pre-shredded cheese in the bag, which contains preservatives & anti-caking agents.
Try again, you’ll get it right.
I’m pretty terrible at cooking, but I made something decent (though quite thick), thanks for the recipe I’m gonna keep attempting to perfect my methods because it seems solid enough for me to learn off.
This was a great recipe base for a cheese with beef dip I made. Super simple instructions and the roux came out perfect with a nice consistency. The dip was a HUGE hit
A great base recipe, but as some mentioned — thoroughly tasteless.
I made the recipe verbatim, then added:
4 Tbsp chopped pickled jalapenos
2 Tbsp full jalapeno slices
1 Tbsp juice from the pickled jalapeno jar
Additional 1/4 tsp salt
Additional 1/4 tsp chili powder
1/4 tsp smokey paprika
As a result, it was AWESOME. We used it with soft pretzels, and later Juanitas chips. YUM.
My dip separated on cooling down a bit… Don’t know what went wrong, followed the recipe exactly
Perfect success here!!! We dipped homemade pretzels in and it was awesome! Toddler likes it too. I used WW flour.
Making a roux and then added cheese without it seizing is difficult. But it’s not the recipes fault, it’s just a skill some people need more practice at!
Not really sure how the consistency in the video was achieved. When I made this recipe I felt there was a lot of flavor lacking and had to add more salt and cheese for it to not taste just like mac n cheese base sauce/faux béchamel…. After doctoring it with more spices and cheese it tasted better. 3 stars for sending me in the general right direction.
Followed the recipe twice , wasted the rest of the cheeses I had left and it tasted grainy both times . Added salt and some Cajun powder, still didn’t taste good. Sad that I used the rest of my cheeses just to throw the sauce in the trash 🥲. I made the roux correctly added the right amount of milk, did everything correctly even added extra cheese to maybe get some flavor , nothing worked to make it taste good.
Make sure to grate your own cheese, pre-shredded has an additive to prevent it from sticking together which is what creates that grainy texture
First time I’ve successfully made a smooth homemade nacho cheese! Thanks for the tips and recipe. My kids devoured it!
Shredded cheese? By this I assume you mean grated? Great recipe but I’m curious how you can use a grater and refer to what comes out as shredded. I literally had to Google this to understand exactly what you meant. Anyway, I’m gonna try his, it looks awesome thank you. xx
Google shredded cheese and literally bags of grated cheese show up…. It’s the same thing
No, they mean shredded. Grated cheese is a much different consistency, almost a powdered form. Grating is typically done on harder cheeses and most certainly is not the type of cheese you want to use for a roux.
Actually “grated” refers to the kitchen utensil called a Grater. There are usually 2 to four size/result choices. Shredded is usually the larger openings. Grated is the finer or smaller openings. So no, it’s not the same thing, however people tend to use the terms grated and shredded interchangeably. The recipe calls for freshly shredded to avoid grainy textures from anti-caking additives added to pre packaged shredded cheeses. 🤔
Lol what.
Use a kitchen utensil called a grater, grate the cheese, now you have great cheese. How simple are you ERIC to not understand? It can also be called shredded because you, using the grater to shred the cheese. I’m so stupid and dumb, but I could still understand the meaning of grated or shredded cheese. No need for dumb comments. Like mine.
this recipe is so bad! I made the roux with the flour and butter as recipe stated, made sure it was bubbly and cooked, added the milk and then cheese and chile powder as directed. It was flavorless and still grainy tasting, even with a little salt and pepper…does not taste like a cheese dip. I freezed it for maybe a cheese sauce, but will probably just throw it out…ugh! By the way, I’m no novice in the kitchen, a home economic’s major, and have been cooking and baking for years….didn’t really think this recipe was great, but decided to try it anyway, please don’t waste your time.
Jean. Since you are telling people to not waste their time on this recipe, because you failed at creating it, I’m gonna waste some time on your reply.
Beth, the person who posted this recipe doesn’t know your taste buds. As someone who is “No novice at cooking” and a “Home economics major”….you should know full well that most recipes on the internet are able to be tweaked to your own tastes. From the reviews it appears most people enjoyed this recipe and cooked it successfully….. some adding tweaks. Just because you failed, it is no reason to tell others not to waste their time. You would think a “Home economics ‘Major'” would know how to make a cheese sauce without having to look it up….Do better and be well Jean.
I hate this recipe. First of all combining butter and flour just makes little clumps. Second of all the sauce ended up clumpy and didn’t even have a hint of a good taste. I did everything exactly like the video. F#$& this recipe. ruined my whole night.
you probably lack some basic cooking skills Jos, keep practicing your roux!
Like Gordon stated, that is a basic roux….
You might have been making it in too big of a pot! You need to be constantly mixing a roux, but if the heat is too low and the pot is too big, it’ll be difficult.
The (about 1.5 cups) for cheddar cheese does not change when you increase servings.
Thanks, I’ll fix that! :)
This was really good! It was a little goopy, but so good!
Great recipe, i’ve started using corn starch instead of flour because i like thick sauce, and a bit more butter than called for helps it cook in without burning the butter. I also use the same method for making cheese sauce for mac and cheese now (just throw in a little more cheese at the end, and cut the chili powder)
We doubled the cheese and will still add more next time! Added a splash of salsa instead of the chili powder as we were enjoying a tex mex bowl, it was great! Total winner, just a few adjustments for our taste
can you use heavy cream instead of milk?
That will change the consistency quite a bit! I’d need to play around with it to find out how the measurements would need to be adjusted.
Yes, I used 3/4 heavy whipping cream and 1/4 of water
If you double the cheese it acc tastes better
I def added more cheese. I also used mild cheddar and sharp white cheddar 🤤🔥
How long does it stay in the fridge? For how long is it still good to eat? :)
You definitely want to eat this one right when you make it. It doesn’t hold up as well to reheating.
I loved it! I have a large family, so it will be gone in a second!
Awesome! Thank you for this
Didn’t work, the cheese sauce was extremely thin, not trying again.
Same here bro but the flour stayed even though I did it like the pictures and like the directions told me to.
If you add a tablespoon of sodium citrate right after the cheese is melted and stir through, the cheese sauce will NOT break ever. Learned this one by studying how Kraft figured that out when he was making cheese sauce to sell mac and cheese in a box. It will free you to experiment with all kinds of cheese sauces that you can make with regular milk or creamier versions with half and half or heavy whipping cream
And cheese with citric nitrate is, basically, what is commonly referred to as American cheese.
Adding citric nitrate is a neat trick for making “unbreakable” melted cheese,
but starting off with a roux is easier (flour and milk being available almost everywhere)
and works well enough if you don’t need the melted cheese/cheese sauce to keep.
A chef’s tip that I recently read about that keeps scrambled eggs from becoming watery
is adding a bit of béchamel to the finished scramble. My daughter has scoffed at me
for starting with a small roux when making scrambled eggs as my grandmother did.
The chef’s tip makes me feel that grandma is vindicated.
Quick and easy!
Have made this a few tines now with this recipe and has turned out fantastic everytime. So much so I made it last night in about 4 minutes without needing the recipe on here 😁 slight twist too it but I add half the amount if chili powder and add smoked paprika, takes it to another level.
Great recipe, mine turned out fantastically and I imagine I’ll be making extensive use of this one in the future! If you’re on the fence about this recipe: trust me, you can disregard the person who said theirs turned out like glue because they undoubtedly made a miscalculation somewhere. This recipe is easy as can be and turns out excellently.
Did not work for us. Followed the directions. Turned out like drying glue. Could not eat. Don’t know what we did wrong but will never make again.
Hi, just made this it’s, easy and great tasting. Added more milk to get it to the consistency I wanted plus diced pickled jalapeno slices and about a tablespoon of jalapeno pickle juice. Excellent, thank-you, happy Cinco from the great white north.
I would easily pay a dollar for learning this recipe
Can I substitute cheddar with mozzarrella? It’s little hard to find in my country but mozzarella is more popular.
Mozzarella melts differently than cheddar, it tends to be more stringy, so the final texture of the sauce may be affected.
Came out great after some work, works well with your own spices, but from my experience the flour in the recipe is too much. We had to stir in a lot of extra cheese and milk to get it to come out good.
This was very simple and easy to make. I added more cheese and chili seasoning. My whole family loved it. Thanks for sharing this recipe. I’ll definitely will make this again!
I can’t figure out how to come comment directly to the recipe, so I’m doing it here. I suggest adding the seasonings to the butter flour mixture so they can cook a little. That helps develop the flavor of the cumin and chili pepper seasoning. You could always add more at the end, but I don’t like the taste of powdery uncooked ground spices.
This recipe freaking sucked it came out all weird and didn’t stick to each other I ruined dinner and I’m so sad ughhhh
Delish
Can you keep this warm in a crock pot?
I haven’t tried that, unfortunately, so I don’t know how it will hold up. You’d definitely need to be careful not to apply too much heat, though, because too much heat will make the sauce separate.
How can I make this gluten free? I’m considering xantham gum or cornstarch. Recommendations? Thank you!
I’m not sure if those ingredients will have the same emulsification properties as the flour. You could try to make a cheese sauce like the one in my Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce Recipe. It’s a faster version that only uses evaporated milk, butter, and cheese. The low moisture content of the evaporated milk allows the cheese to emulsify into a smooth sauce instead of clumping up into a melted blob. :)
You can make it gluten free by simply using cornstarch instead of flour. Instead of putting it in the pot with the butter, use a little of the cold milk to make a slurry and then add it to the melted butter and remaining milk in the pot (milk should still be cool to warm but not hot). Stir until bubbling and thick. If it’s not thick enough, add a little more slurry about a teaspoon at a time and stir until bubbles form. When thick enough, remove from heat and add cheese as directed in recipe. I do this all the time for my guests who are gluten free when I make (g/f) macaroni & cheese.
I love chickpea flour (besan flour) suuuuper cheap and the nutty flavour is amazing. I use it for all sorts of things. This could be the alternative. It has a thickening function but not like a full on pizza base one, if that makes sense.
This recipe was fantastic!! Added a little more chili powder and more milk at the end to thin it out a bit. I also used a mix of sharp cheddar and cheddar jack. But overall – PERFECT
DEFINITELY use good cheese
F A I L ! ! I changed the number of servings to 12. This changed the amount of cheese to “12 oz. medium cheddar, shredded (about 1.5 cups) ($2.25)’ I didn’t pay attention to the number of ounces but instead I used the suggested amount of cups. This turned to glue. Because of the thickness I instinctively added more milk. YUCK I tossed it out. Later I went back to the recipe and realized what happened. We learn from our mistakes and I will never make that one again.
SO yummy!!! Would definitely recommend and it was super easy for a beginner :)
Do I serve this hot or cold over nachos?
It needs to be served warm/hot. It will become more stiff as it cools. :)
Thank you 😊
I tried this cheese on nachos the other day and it was fantastic! The flavor combined with meat and veggies was exactly what I was craving. Recipe was easy and it turned out great. Thanks!!
Can I freeze left over?
No, unfortunately, this one will not freeze well.
I love this one! So easy and good. Not once have I had it clump like other reviewers have posted. I like to make half, that way there aren’t leftovers. I may or may not eat it standing over the stove on low heat with chips :-)
Followed the directions. I found it very bland even after adding seasonings, not tasting like nacho cheese at all. Maybe it was the brand of cheese I used? May try it again with a higher quality cheese.
Very good and so easy!
This came out great! When you’re craving quest but don’t want all the chemicals in the store bought cheese sauces, this is the way to go. Happy to have a go-to recipe for family nachos or game day snacks!
*queso, not quest :)
Turned out pretty good and instructions were pretty clear! I made mine thick by whisking in the milk too long but nothing some water can’t fix. Also used Colby jack instead. It was my first time making homemade nacho sauce and definitely bookmarking this.
Excellent basic recipe. Follow the directions and you won’t go wrong.
For a bit of bite add a dash to a dollop of your favorite hot sauce. (Taste as you go along 😋) Or add your favorite salsa and serve. My machaca nachos came out perfectly delicious!
Sounds yummy
what a good Idea. I will try this. I think I will reduce the milk to 3/4 C add a 1/4 C of bottled salsa, and about a 1/2 Tsp cumin as well I would expect that Jack or Colby cheese would also work. they both melt very well too. I love each cheese, use it for a variety of items besides nachos and chip dip!
Perfect!
so nasty. all gritty and runny. i dint really follow the directions but that’s fine because half of the cooking job is guessing. so I don’t understand why this was so gross. it will also probably give me diarrhea because I’m lactose intolerant.
Horrible don’t bother.
thanks
Found the troll.
You have to cook it on low heat and follow the directions!! It works I promise!! I ruined twice by going too fast and not reading the directions. Mine was gritty and weird both times.
You’re lactose intolerant so you decide to make (not follow the directions) and EAT nacho cheese sauce , , , then you criticize it??
LOL! Really?
Stop trolling.
Find a new hobby instead. You’re not very good at this one.
i did the recipe exactly and got a perfect nacho cheese, next time follow a recipe and don’t be an idiot, cooking isn’t “half guessing job” sure you can guess on some parts but not all.
This must be a joke. How could one comment on somebody’s recipe when The recipe wasn’t followed. Funny stuff.
How do i store this? I just made it and i am bringing it to a party tonight. Should i cover and leave in the fridge, then reheat in the microwave at the party?
Unfortunately, this is one that you want to eat right after making. Because it doesn’t have all the stabilizers that are in processed cheese sauces, it might not have as smooth of a consistency when you reheat. If you plan to still give it a try, I would reheat in a sauce pot over low heat, adding a little more milk to try to keep things smooth.
Awesome recipe
Useless recipe, idiot told me to mix the flour and butter together and then heat. Came out all clumped together, took the other half to come and tell me ‘no you heat the butter first’ if they can’t even describe the first part of the recipe right, what chance do they have for the rest of it?
You don’t have to melt the butter before adding the flour. If you did, the recipe would have instructed you to do so. I add the butter and flour to the pot at the same time and they combine as the butter melts. You can see this in both the step by step photos and the video that are included in the post.
You should learn to watch your mouth when speaking to and about other people. You have no right to call someone an idiot when it was YOUR fault you got the recipe wrong. Learn some respect.
They weren’t calling you an idiot. but if thats what you took when they criticized your nasty comment then maybe you are. Its just a basic rue? The instructions for that have been the same for decades. Just because you messed it up doesn’t mean its a problem with the instructions
Instead of chili powder I added a can of Rotel tomatoes and it did the twofold job of loosening the sauce and spicing it nicely. Delicious!
Did you drain the Rotel or add it all in, liquid and all?
It came out supper thick,added some hot water and milk and seasoned and was perfect!
Nice easy instructions Thank You!
It was pretty easy and pretty good to make. Next time i’ll make it with sharp cheddar and add some chilis.
I followed this recipe according to the directions but it ended up being way too thick it was almost like taffy. I guess I’ll have to attempt this again some other time….
Can this be made and put in small crockpot to keep warm for a party?
This type of cheese sauce is definitely better when made fresh and eaten right away, but I have another cheese sauce that works really well for staying warmed in a slow cooker. Use the sauce from this recipe for Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce.
Hello I like to know how long can I store it in the refrigerator
You’ll definitely want to eat this one when made fresh. It doesn’t reheat the same as processed cheese.
Thanks for the recipe, I’m looking forward to trying it! Do you have any tips about when (or if) to add in extras like a small can of green chilies or some salsa. I don’t want to add something watery at the wrong time and make it lumpy! Is that a thing? Any thoughts? Thanks again!
I would do it at the very end after the cheese has emulsified and the sauce is smooth, or else the extra liquid may interfere with that. :)
Great, thanks!
My 13 year old son and I just whipped this up in no time flat!!! Easy and delicious- thanks for the great recipe!!! My son said to maybe use a sharper cheese next time for a cheesier flavor.
This looks suspiciously like mac and cheese without the mac… 😁
Delicious and so yummy. It was a hit and I added salsa and some jalapeños .. nachos yes. Loved your recipe and thank you.
I make something close, since my hubby and I can’t do spicy I add some of my homemade mild salsa or mild green chilis for flavor. So yummy.
Easy and quick to make. I used med cheddar block cheese as suggested. Used cayenne pepper instead of chili powder and at the end folded in 2 tablespoons room temp medium El Pinto salsa. Was just like restaurant chili con queso. Will definitely make again and again. So glad I found this recipe! Thanks for sharing
Why does my roux always turn into a big clump, should I not wait for the butter to melt before I add the flour? I have this problem with all sauces that use a roux, the four and fat clump, they do not bubble
Hmm, it actually sounds like the measurements are off and it’s just too dry. And that’s not necessarily a user error. Measuring cups and spoons are not very standardized, so it could just be that your measuring spoons are a little off. Try using slightly less flour until it looks more like what you see in the photos and videos here. And for what it’s worth, I never melt the butter first, I just put them both in the pot at the same time, so you can try that as well. :)
Been craving a huge guilty pleasure of mine that involves hot dogs, bacon, and nacho cheese. Hopefully this recipe holds up to my craving! I know people always get heated about preshredded vs shredding cheese yourself. Should I just get a block of cheese or a bag of shredded cheese for this recipe?
I would definitely shred your own. It melts so much better because it doesn’t have the anti-caking powder all over it. Make sure to read those tips for cheese sauce success right above the recipe. :)
Totally missed that tip! Thank you ^-^
If you want to get technical, the flour and butter mixture is a roux, adding milk makes it a béchamel sauce, and adding cheese to a béchamel makes a Mornay sauce. Sometimes it’s fun to be pretentious with really unpretentious foods. :)
Great, simple recipe. I only used it as a guideline (hence no rating), but it turned out well and now I’ve added another recipe to my repertoire.
Lord have mercy. You must be a hoot at parties
Thanks for that. Didn’t know about the mornay sauce. Now I can be fun at parties as well.
What happens if it is not getting thick
Usually, if it’s not getting thick that means that it hasn’t gotten hot enough yet. When the starch molecules in the flour are heated to a certain temperature, they form a gel with the liquid, and thicken the sauce. If the sauce is not simmering yet, it will not thicken.
This is so good! We only had cabot sharp cheddar (i grated it in the food processor) and 2% milk on hand and it did turn out a little grainy as you mentioned BUT it was still so good. My 7 year old wanted nachos for dinner “with melted cheese” so rather than put the shredded cheddar on and hope it melted I took the time to make this sauce and it was so good and so worth the extra 5 minutes! Thank you!
First time making nachos cheese this is a hit in our house thanks for sharing your recipe 😊
Does this recipe store in the fridge or is it only good fresh? Was hoping to be able to store any leftover for a quick heat-up.
This one is best when fresh. :)
Fantastic!! I had never tried to make real nacho cheese sauce though I’ve been making rouxs and homemade mac n cheese for years! Never ever have to even think about purchasing yuck processed cheese loaf again. Thanks for the great tips! Yummo!
I adore this recipe as is, and also when I have a can of rotel to add when I’m feeling fancy!!
It’s a perfect recipe! I doubled it..I did add a little more milk to my liking. Was delicious! Thank you for the tips, it really helps. :)
Used mozerella cheese instead of cheddar. Still fantastic. Great recipe!
Love this recipe! I’ve never made nacho cheese before and this recipe was super easy to follow and came out great! Will definitely be creating this again in the future
If I only have unsalted butter, how much more salt should I add?
I would just go by taste. Add a little, taste a little, then keep going until it tastes right to you.
Love this recipe! I’ve never made nacho cheese before and this recipe was super easy to follow and came out great! Will definitely be creating this again in the future
My cheese was a bit grainy. How can I get rid of that?
Did you review the “Tips for Cheese Sauce Success” above the recipe? There are some great pointers there. :)
Definitely thicker then expected (I used Kefir Milk instead of whole milk) but added a tablespoon or two of salsa to it to thin it out and reheated. It was perfect! Quick easy and I had all ingredients in the house!
Do you buy a chunk of cheese and then grate it as opposed to buying already shredded cheese. I’ve heard there is a difference. Something about the manufacturers adding some ingredient to keep the shreds separated?
It definitely works better with cheese you grate yourself, although I have done it with both. The pre-shredded cheese comes coated in cellulose to keep it from clumping, but that also affects how well it emulsifies into the sauce and can affect the flavor.
Thank you, your recipe came out delicious my family was so happy, I make nachos with beef chili, and with this cheese sauce it was the perfect “nachos grande”.
Thanks! I added nutritional yeast for an extra cheesey kick!
Way too thick to be considered a nacho cheese sauce. I followed the recipe to a t, and it ended up like a blob of melted cheese.
That’s because you cooked the milk in too long, you have to cook it until it can coat a spoon and then turn it off or it gets too thick
Love this super quick recipe. My husband came home from work and wanted cheese and salsa in dip form to have with chips. He wanted to melt some grated cheese and mix in salsa. If you know food you know that would be gross. He started to look up recipes and the one he found was SOOOOO complicated. He was ready to give up. I told him “wait, Budget Bytes has one!” he protested that it would take too long and I said “it’s only a 5 minute sauce!” and he complied. We had a delicious snack together. Yum! Thanks Beth!
Fast worked perfect and was gone in minutes!
Turned out alright, if I had some diced peppers for the sauce I feel it woulda had a more nacho cheese flavor, was pretty good
Yum!!!
Perfect! Quick and easy. I only had half and half and fat free milk on hand.
Came out deliciously
so yummy! like, dangerously good. i halved it for 3 servings and i ate it all on my own with some plain chips oops
I used inexpensive sharp cheddar and almond milk, nixed the salt and added sriracha instead of chili powder. Quick, easy, tasty. Thanks! Yikes! Forgot to rate.
I can already tell this recipe is going to be good haha but i don’t have a shredder for block cheese so can I just cut the block cheese into small cubes?
Yes I’d dice them up as small as you can.
At which point do I add the can of Rotel?
This recipe was amazing and delicious highly recommend someone else to try it!
It amazes me how people rate a recipe poorly when they didn’t even follow the directions. I have made this recipe 3 times when we eat nachos for dinner and it is amazing! My whole family loves it! Thank you so much for the easy recipe!
For those complaining:
1. DON’T use pre-shredded cheese
2. Buy good quality cheese (not store brand)
I feel like some people were expecting something else when they made this. Queso dip and nacho cheese are not the same thing.
I am 14 and have never cooked anything on the cooker. It was really easy and my family loved it! I’d put in 1 teaspoon instead of half a teaspoon of spice for those wanting a bit more of a kick. And semi skimmed milk works fine too. Amazing recipe to cure my craving. :D
It turned out so good! I used Lactaid milk because it’s what I had in my fridge, but it came out thick and creamy :D
Most delicouse recipe ever
My whole family loved it. Great easy to follow and make.
How long does the cheese sauce last?
How can I scale it down to only make 1/4 cup? Sometimes I want cheese sauce for a soft baked pretzel, and that’s it.
I kept mine in the refrigerator for a few days and reheated it in the microwave (short intervals, stirring between) and it reheated to a smooth consistency. You can adjust the recipe servings down and the ingredients will adjust to your liking!
Very easy way to make a quick nacho cheese sauce! I had some heavy cream that needed to be used up, so I used that instead of milk and thinned out the sauce with a little water after the cheese had incorporated. I drizzled it over tater tots with pulled beef ,diced bell peppers and salsa to make a sort of nacho cheese loaded tater tots.
I LOVE THIS AND ITS SO EASY!
I didn’t have all the ingredients at home but I managed to make it anyways! Infact I barely followed the recipe and it still worked. I used LACTOSE-FREE milk and it still turned out fine, I also used a whiter cheese (mozzarella or something) AND I used half the recipe. Not to mention I’m 13 and have never cooked something aside form eggs without messing up. ITS SO FREEKIN EASY.
Well I gotta say it came out good and delicious! My entire family love it!
Thank you for your recipe!
Terrible just terrible. This turned into a big gooey cheese glob. I will never ever make this again.
I know right its the absolute worse recipie
Mine turned out fine, you must be mentally challenged or just not pay attention to detail.
🤣🤣. Mine turned out as a big glob of melted cheese also! With cooked hamburger and chips dipped in it…then into my kids bellies because one suggested nachos for lunch. They were overly satisfied! Ridiculous recipe! If you like a nacho cheese recipe that’s easy to make and good then don’t follow these simple directions! Negative 88 stars for making my afternoon an absolute heaven!
This recipe tasted horrible and the texture was too thick and gross. The cheese ruined my pan and I am disappointed. I will find a better recipe, this needs better, not so vague instructions.
I’m sorry to say, you just don’t know what you are doing… Theirs nothing with the recipe. I don’t think it’s fair to blame elsewhere.😕
I’d have to say if the cheese ruined your pan, your heat may have been too high. Not sure of any other way that could happen. This recipe is amazing!
I love this!! I end up using 1/2 teaspoon chili powder. I’m interested in flavoring it differently and trying different cheeses!!! …. My husband wanted nacho cheese for cinco de mayo, but it was unavailable for our grocery pickup order. A week later, he requested this again! (He rarely requests things!) Thanks for an awesome recipe!
How do u save left over?
You can store in an airtight container in your refrigerator.
I would rate this recipe lower if I could. The end product is bland, the cheese melts great on the stove but when you take it off it thickens up way too much to the point there’s just globs of it. It just tastes like cheese, nothing special about this recipe
Word of advice: do NOT try this with almond milk. I just had this for dinner and it was so bad. I’m upset because I know it would have been so good with whole milk 😫 my stomach hurts now 🤢 I’ll update you when I copy the recipe verbatim 😂
I could not get the flour and butter to become bubbly and foamy. It just would clump together like dough…
if it was clumpy, u added to much flour
Super easy and delicious. The cheese you use will make a difference in the flavor. Choose wisely. Also shred your own cheese for a smoother sauce. Pre shredded has a tendency to not melt well.
I made this. Very easy to make. Thats the good news.
In a pinch when you have no salsa or even cheez whiz, and really, really need a nacho fix, it will do. Otherwise, its just too much like having a cheesy glue-y mouth feel tasting dip.
The consistency of dip is good, but there is a glue-y mouth feel , and it is not because i undercooked the flour as i had it on for @1.5 to 2 min to make sure i cooked out the floury taste. Its possible that 2 tbs flour maybe too much.
I dont know how it should be fixed, but i wont be making this again.
I added the recommended butter, milk and flour. I used 1% milk. I added cheese until it was what I wanted then added a little more milk. I added chili powder but it didn’t seem to make a difference so I added cayenne pepper and jalapeños for more of a quick. Came out great! Thanks !
I made this using preshreaded cheese and my end product was a rubbery mass that tasted faintly like cheese.
It specifically says *not* to use that stuff. It’s unfair of you to rate it poorly when you didn’t follow the instructions!
I just ate nachos that I made that were delicious. I used this recipe for the nacho cheese sauce. It was easy to make. I was happy to see I had all the ingredients right here in my kitchen. I added not only chili powder but some I also added taco seasoning. The taco seasoning gave the sauce more flavor. Yum! I plan to make this again. My husband loved it. Thanks!
I’m confused with the cheese amount, it says 6 oz of cheese or 1.5 cups, but 1.5 cups = 9oz. How do you measure it?
Go by volume, 1 1/2 cups. :)
I made this. It turned out good. I booked milk mixture a little too much so I had to add some extra milk to keep it’s consistency.
So good! I halved the recipe but it’s still too much sauce for just me. Can this be refrigerated and reheated ok?
I have not made this yet but I wondered could you put this in a crockpot on low
If you make the roux first you can
Really easy and tastes great!!! I have made it 2 times and have not been disappointed either times!!!!
Thought I bought medium cheddar but apparently didn’t and we only had sharp. It was grainy but I’m trying again today with the right cheese! I love how easy this is compared to other recipes I’ve tried
Can you use raw milk cheese in this dip?
Yes that would be delicious!
Mine was a bit to thick how do I thin it a bit?
You can add a splash of milk if it gets too thick. Or previous commenters have added a favorite salsa to thin it out. Worth a try!
I followed the recipe but it came out like that white paste I had in elementary school, just slightly off white. I almost tripled the about of milk and doubled the amount of cheese but is was still incredibly plain and didn’t even taste like cheese.
I followed all the extra tips, which were super helpful! Finally I made a cheese sauce that isnt grainy. Thanks for the recipe!
You’re very welcome Haley!
Eh Avquick dip to whip up if your feeling lazy at the house . It’s Ok .
This was a great starting point & just what I was looking for. I subbed 1/2 heavy cream & 1/2 2% milk because I didn’t want to buy whole milk. I also added about 2-3tbsp pickled jalapeños, minced (and some of the juice from the jalapeños) to nail the right kind of cheap spicy nacho cheese flavor. Salt and spice to taste. Perfection
I hate buying canned nacho cheese because it’s never quite right. With this recipe I can get it right every time. Thank you!
That’s awesome to hear Lana! Thank you for sharing
Hello , my question is can you use 2% milk instead of whole milk ? I read the comments and didn’t see anyone ask this , I’m sorry if I just missed it if they did ask . Thank you and have a good day.
You can, but it won’t be as creamy. :)
Yummy and easy. I added some Thai hot chili paste I had in a jar in the fridge. Gave it some good zip. Now I have something to use my Chile paste for besides sweet and spicy chicken.
Delicious!
What other cheese would u recommend that would go well with this recipe
I actually only suggest cheddar or Monterey jack for this sauce. Unlike a lot of other cheeses they melt in smoothly instead of getting stringy, like a mozzarella would.
Can you make ahead and store in fridge?
Yes you definitely can!
Ok . I see what a comment above meant . It was kind of bland like a stouffers. Here’s what I suggest to tweak this . (Also to get rid of the semi flour taste.) bring it to a boil once you have added the cheese and whisk countinously . Add 1/2 cup of Colby jack then 1 tablespoon of taco seasoning . It has almost all of the spices mentioned above . This is only if your doing nachos or a dip with any corn chip . It gives it a great kick . I hope this helps .
This is my go to cheese for nachos! In addition to the spices above, I also add 1/4 tsp each cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and cayenne. Love it!
Yum! Thanks Caroline!
didnt taste like nacho cheese. tasted like stouffers mac n cheese.
oh snap! i love stouffers. off to the kitchen i go lol
How long would the dip be good for? Sealed & refrigerated
We say safely 3-5 days.
Can I keep
This in a crock pot on low once cooked? Or will it overheat? I need to make it for tomorrow!
Yes you can keep it on the warm setting. Have fun!
Hey, this recipe is just what I was looking for to try out! Something quick and simple. What type of block cheese brands would you recommend? Thanks!
I like Borden as a good quality, mid-priced brand. :)
This is my go-to nacho cheese sauce recipe! It’s so easy and quick. I make it as directed but add in roughky chopped pickled jalapenos at the end before serving. Thank you!
Yum!!
Can I use 1% milk?
I wouldn’t suggest it. That will affect both the flavor and texture of the cheese sauce.
I did it with 2% and it turned out beautifully!
How long is this good for in the fridge?
This one is definitely best eaten when it’s first made. It may not stay smooth when reheated. I have another cheese sauce that is more stable and holds up really well to refrigeration and reheating. It uses evaporated milk instead of a flour roux to emulsify the cheese. You can find the recipe within this post: Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce
Made this cheese sauce it was awesome. I made it to go on horseshoe sandwiches. This sandwich is from the Midwest. I didn’t use the chili powder I only used salt. Came out great.
Oooh those sound good!
Thank you for this recipe! I used sharp cheddar because it was on sale and I used Kosher salt and Penzey’s taco seasoning and it was fabulous!
Why add flour?
It helps to thicken the sauce.
It thickens, like Kelly said, but it also helps emulsify the cheese into the milk. Without it the cheese just sort of clumps up into a melted blob, separate from the milk.
Thank you for the recipe suggestion! I used your “concept” but incorporated my flavor …. I replaced the flour with steel cut oats turned to flour in my Bullet blender. I also used almond milk (unsweetened) bc it’s the only milk type product I consume. I also used Gouda cheese (block shredded as suggested) so your recipe with my “flavor” (what I’m used to eating). I used the spices you suggested. I also made this over my range (as you suggested). In a slow cooker, I added salsa (organic from Costco … strong flavors) and shredded roasted breast meat chicken … on low (temperature). When the cheese dip was complete, I folded it into the slow cooker. Homerun! I really like your dip suggestion bc I’m NOT a Velvetta fan. Thank you for your recipe. Accolades from my visitors too!
WOW! I’ll have to try it out your way and see! Sounds delicious.
This is a really good base. I added extra salt, more chili powder, and used a few splashes of hot sauce. I used almond milk because it’s all I had and it worked fine. Thanks!!
Great base for a cheese sauce, but tasted more like a gravy than a cheese sauce. I added more milk and cheese, and some chopped jalapeños with juice. You really have to play around with it.
Kids loved this recipe Thankyou
This cheese sauce has a great consistency either cold of hot. If you want more of a kick, substitute cayenne pepper for the chili powder and add more to taste.
Add in an extra 2/3 cup of milk, more salt + chili powder, use sharp cheddar and it becomes edible
Maybe Lucy just really wanted some cheese okay? Maybe she was real hungry and just wanted some classic nacho cheese in her life, but no. Lucy if you ever read this I hope you got the nacho cheese you deserved.
P.S. will be trying this recipe tho I’m hungry for totchos
Would’ve given zero star if it would have let me. This is the blandest nacho cheese ever do you not have taste buds? This is awful, I wish I would’ve bought a jar of cheese instead. Learn how to cook.
I’ve made this sauce before and spiced it to my own taste, which is what mature adults do who know how to cook. What we don’t do is leave snarky troll-like comments. This is a solid recipe…for whomever is reading this, play with the flavors to make it your own.
I’m thinking she doesn’t know how to cook and that’s why it came out bland 😂😂😂😂
Wow. How rude! If you didn’t like it you should have said it was not to your taste or it lacked seasoning. No need to insult!
Also, people have different expectations from recipes. Some people prefer less seasoning. I have friends that are like that. So just because you didn’t like it doesn’t mean that someone else might not. Would you talk that way if you weren’t hiding behind a computer? Learn some manners!
The first time I made this I grated my own cheese…..came across the recipe again a year later and used shredded cheese….omg it tastes like 2 completely different recipes the only way to make this is if you grate your own cheddar.
The problem with pre-shredded cheese is that it’s usually coated with something (sometimes flour) to make it not stick to itself. This will severely alter the flavor of anything you are making. Definitely agree–shred your own cheese!
perfect, simple, fast cheese dip!
The best way to avoid the floury taste is to use cornflour instead of wheat flour. Also you can just put the butter, flour and milk in the microwave, cook for a minute at a time until it’s thick enough, then add the cheese and other stuff then briefly nuke again. No risk of burning it in the microwave. A little bit of English or french mustard really brings out the cheese flavour. And there’s no reason to ever use pre-grated cheese for anything ;)
It is a nice base recipe, but I add more seasonings and taco meat for more flavor. Its a hit in my house even with the 5 year olds.
I’m planning a party. Do you think this will be ok left on a low heat on the buffet table?
Hmm, honestly I’m not sure how this will hold up over prolonged heat.
Very good base! I added more spices and a can of drained Rotel, and it was delicious on our burritos! Nice and creamy, even with sharp cheddar. So excited to add this to our tex-mex arsenal
I tried this cheese dip.. It is grainy and flavorless.. I used the remainder with noodles and its no better..Guess the only way to make cheese dip is with velveeta.
Mine is never creamy. Always a little lumpy or grainy texture. I’ve tried so many things. The roux is smooth before I add the milk but after adding the milk and cheese at some point it fails. :(
How many calories are in this??
New family favorite. Super simple to make. Love it!
this is so good! even my most picky eater loves it
Hi! I tried out the recipe(minus the chili powder, not big on spices) and I am very happy with it. However, there are some parts of it that have a bit of a more powdery taste to them, which I think may be due to not mixing the flower right early on. Is there any way to get rid of that?
I don’t think there is any way to get rid of that flavor after the sauce is already made. Another thing that can cause a powdery flavor is using pre-shredded cheese, which is often coated in cellulose to prevent sticking. That cellulose can have a powdery flavor and can not be cooked out.
Ah, I see! That may be the case then, as the cheese I’m using is pre-shredded. Thank you for the advice!
Can you add this tip to the beginning of the recipe, or is it too late?
I’ll add it in a paragraph above the recipe box. :)
Can you use 2% milk in this or does it have to whole milk
2% would probably work, it will just be less creamy.
This cheese dip is delicious! Thanks for the recipe. YUM!
I am looking for great dinner ideas slow cooker , Dutch oven, grill , stovetop thank you and good job on your cheese dip congrats on your success
Can you reheat this sauce at all if you store it properly in the fridge or freezer? It looks absolutely delicious and so easy I’ll try it either way, but I’ll certainly make more if you can!
This one doesn’t reheat so well, but if you do a cheese sauce with evaporated milk instead of a butter and flour roux, it reheats great. You can find a recipe for that type of cheese sauce here: Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce.
Love the real ingredients, and that they are available everywhere!!!
Not a fan of nacho cheese but this is amazing. So good in raw broccoli and chips. Definitely a keeper.
Can this be refrigerated or frozen?
Flour-thickened sauces generally don’t freeze well, and if you refrigerate this you just have to be careful not to overheat it later when reheating, or else it can separate. I have another type of cheese sauce that doesn’t use flour and it refrigerates and reheats VERY well. You can see it in this recipe for Spicy Roasted Cauliflower with Cheese Sauce. It’s super simple and very stable compared to the flour thickened version.
Not what I was looking for. I was expecting traditional nacho cheese like you get at the movies, this has a distinct cheddar-y taste.
Agreed I was thinking more nacho cheese taste. Tasted like cheddar cheese😣
Great recipe!! Perfect first try! Delicious, quick, and easy!
love that conversion calculator I had half a gallon of milk i wanted to use up quick , made it easy with the ready changes thanks never seen that for recipes before!
Hi! I tried it twice and both times you could really taste the flour in the dip. Any way to get rid of that? Thanks!
If you stir and cook the butter and flour a little longer it should slightly toast the flour and get rid of that raw floury flavor.
I love you. Gonna go make this right now.
What kind of flour is used? Plain flour, cake flour, self raising flour?
All-purpose flour.
My sauce turned out thick. I added to noodles with more milk and it made a bomb Mac n cheese!
My 12 y/o son and his best friend made this a few months ago for an after school snack. They made it again tonight for the rest of the family. It’s delicious! Thanks for a simple, yummy recipe!
I made this today, I added taco seasoning because I didnt have chili powder, and add some taco sauce to flavor it more… was so easy and quick to make!! I will make this again!!
Making this sauce today and wondering if it can be made in advance…and held in a warmer? (Crock-Pot on Low)
I’m not sure how this sauce will hold up to prolonged heat. I’ve had success with reheating leftovers in the microwave (stirring often), but I’m not sure how the constant heat of a slow cooker would affect it.
I changed this slightly to make it safe for me (I have allergies, celiac disease, and a mast cell disorder): changed from regular white flour to sweet rice flour, from cheddar to mild colby jack, and eliminated the chile pepper.
Oh my gosh, SO GOOD! Silky smooth and delectable!
And it really only took 5 minutes!
Thank you so much <3
Thanks. I’ll never buy processed cheese again.
I’m sure the recipe is great when made properly. I used a fiesta blend cheese and it still came out grainy. Maybe too much cheese? Not sure but I did follow all directions.
If you used a pre-shredded cheese, that’s probably the reason for the graininess. Those bags of cheese contain an anti-caking agent so it doesn’t clump together. So they never melt quite as smoothly as cheese you shred at home.
I only use pre-shredded, and my cheese sauces don’t go grainy, even the think mac and cheese sauces. When you try to melt the cheese too fast over too high heat, the curds separate from fat and it goes grainy. You really must have low heat and just stir stir stir. It won’t look like it’s melting. It is. It’s slow, even for five minutes. I do this with sharp cheese even, which is supposed to be harder to melt. I’ve added double the amount of called for cheese when I wasn’t saving leftovers, chilled/reheated texture didn’t matter, I wanted something really cheesy, and the immediate texture was still great. You just need to be patient. The roux makes things trickier because you have to heat it higher initially to thicken, and then you have to bring it back down for the cheese. You’re better off over-cooling it and then putting it on a low burner than you are rushing things. Also a pinch of ground mustard enhances the cheesy flavor, try it out. I also subbed evap milk for milk (less water, smoother melt), added diced canned serranos, and topped it with sliced green onions. This is a great base recipe though.
Have tried, it was amazing, i made in a good quantity, can i store it to use tomorrow? for how long i can keep it without refrigerate?
Mine was good for at least a few days, but I ate it all before I could test its storage any further. :)
Yesterday was my middle son’s third Birthday. He kept changing his mind about what he wanted for supper, until he finally settled on one of our favourites – soft baked pretzels with nacho cheese sauce for dipping. “Perfect!”, I thought. I always used a packaged sauce mix, it took 5 minutes to make, super easy. And then I found out that I didn’t have any left. I rushed to the store, only to find there were no packages of nacho cheese sauce mix in any of the 4 local grocery stores! So I turned to the internet and found this recipe. I had all ingredients on hand, so I quickly whipped it up. What a winner!! I added a little pepper jack cheese, some extra chili powder, and some garlic powder. My son was thrilled, he devoured all of his food (which is actually a minor miracle), and the day was saved.
Thank you so much!!
Will do in a pinch, no soice factor in the original recipe & took me 15 minutes, not 5. Not enough cheese flavor.
Will it keep in the fridge to reheat? I only had 1% milk but did 2/3 milk and the rest heavy cream and it’s fantastic!
Mine reheated well. Just make sure to heat slowly and stir often. :)
Hello, I was wondering what I’m doing wrong:
I follow the instructions. My roux is lumpy before I add the milk, and when I add it I end up with milk in a pot, lumps of flour on the bottom, and butter floating on top. After adding the cheese, it doesn’t seem to melt and the water and fat in the milk separate. I end up with water, milk fat and butter floating on the top, globs of flour at the bottom, and lumps of cheese throughout. My pan doesn’t seem to be too hot or cold, and I mix the roux for long enough that it should be smooth. I have tried this recipe many times. Any ideas?
Try increasing the butter a bit so that you can get a smooth roux going. Also try whisking in the milk a little at a time to keep things smooth instead of lumpy. If that roux doesn’t get whisked completely into the milk to the point where there are no lumps, the cheese will not incorporate properly.
also make sure you whisk very fast to incorporate everything properly and its one way to prevent lumps
Made this today for Mothers Day. Thank you so much for the easy directions. I only had no fat milk so used the tip from a different post and doubled the butter. Turned out perfect! I know this will become a new family favorite when the kids come home.
I made this tonight and it was so good! Really easy too!
The recipe should melt the butter before adding flour.. Once the flour/butter (roux) has cooked (bubbling) over low heat for 30 seconds add a 1/4 cup of the milk to “temper” the roux.. Constantly stirring when adding 1/4 cup of milk.
Then slowly add the remainder of the milk to the roux, constantly stirring & bring to a full simmer.. Then add half of the grated cheese & incorporate it while stirring over low heat.. Now add the remainder of the cheese & incorporate..again stirring over low heat.. It won’t break if you tempered the roux properly! This is the key to any cheese sauce!
Now season & it should be great..
Do yourself a favor if you like to cook. Get a notebook & write down what you did or didn’t do to this recipe. This way the next time you have a better feel for making it with your notes to help you achieve an even better product..
I developed recipes for 30 years.. Document…document..document! Good luck..
I made the sauce but double the flour and butter, use only one cup of 1% milk with 12 oz of velveeta cheese. It came out really smooth. I didn’t add salt nor the chili powder since the tortilla already have salt. Thank you for the recipe.
I made this exactly as the directions stated and it came out with the consistency and taste of cheesy dough.
The recipe should melt the butter before adding flour.. Once the flour/butter (roux) has cooked (bubbling) over low heat for 30 seconds add a 1/4 cup of the milk to “temper” the roux.. Constantly stirring when adding 1/4 cup of milk.
Then slowly add the remainder of the milk to the roux, constantly stirring & bring to a full simmer.. Then add half of the grated cheese & incorporate it while stirring over low heat.. Now add the remainder of the cheese & incorporate..again stirring over low heat.. It won’t break if you tempered the roux properly! This is the key to any cheese sauce!
Now season & it should be great..
Do yourself a favor if you like to cook. Get a notebook & write down what you did or didn’t do to this recipe. This way the next time you have a better feel for making it with your notes to help you achieve an even better product..
I developed recipes for 30 years.. Document…document..document! Good luck..
I am an amateur cook and messed this up TERRIBLY. The cheddar did not melt into the sauce. What did I do wrong? I do not think added the cheddar too quickly, but maybe I did.
The cheese won’t melt if the bechamel (flour/butter/milk)isn’t hot enough..
It should be at a simmer before adding the cheese.. Then add while stirring..to incorporate the cheese..
It sounds like the sauce congealed from not being hot enough!
Good luck..
Tried it and it was a hit with my family. Thanks for sharing this simple yet delicious recipe!
Thanks for sharing this recipe! Easy to follow. It was a hit my family!
I like these recipe just way too much flour! I used 1/2 tbs instead and it came out great with the same measurements. The salt I did to my taste and it was worth it. Good recipe for everything else just way too much flour
Will it work with 1% milk?
I wouldn’t suggest it. It wouldn’t be creamy enough, in my opinion.
I used no fat milk and added an extra tablespoon of butter and it came out great.
If you already using real cheese what’s the point of using no fat milk with it instead of regular?
Because sometimes that’s all you have on hand!
I used lactaid and a lactose free Vermont cheddar, and it came out fantastic! I mixed it with pasta and baked it for some excellent mac and cheese
honestly, I am bad at cooking and I really messed this up because mine didn’t have any nacho flavor at all and just tasted off. it looked right but had no flavor. I added hot sauce to make it spicy, then a bit more of chili powder which made it better. next time I’m adding in salsa. maybe I did something wrong but it turned out ok.
Yesterday I bought some tortilla chips and was wondering what dip to go with it… then googled and found this super recipe with all ingredients in hand…. made my day! Thanks!
how long it can be preserved in refrigerator and does the texture remains the same?
I kept mine in the refrigerator for a few days and reheated it in the microwave (short intervals, stirring between) and it reheated to a smooth consistency.
Yeah your equal parts flower butter mixture makes dough lol just saying need more butter then flower…. typo maybe?
Nope, not a typo. I’ve made this recipe countless times. As the butter melts it should become liquid and simmer with the flour. You can see it in action in the video in the middle of the blog post.
I’m pregnant and want nachos 🤗🤗🤗 Thank you!
It was turning out a bit thick, and though you said to add a splash of milk if it gets thick, I decided to add a bit of my favorite salsa to thin it out, it turned out amazing! I would recommend adding salsa when it starts to get too thick, this is so good!
Great idea!!
It’s too salty 😭. What can I do?
Lovely recipe, thank you!
Could add an 1/8th tsp, ground cinnamon.
I buy medium cheddar when on sale for $2.00 a pound. Estimate the cup and half at: $.75
Thus making this cheese dip about $1.35 total
Made my day. Leftover ground meat from Wednesday’s lasagna, nachos i hid from the kids and this…beats the $$$ I was going to spend on pizza. Thank YOU!! 👍👍
How much ground beef did you use?
5 minutes ago i was sitting thinking about going to the Gym……….now i’m sitting eating Nachos with an AMANZING cheese sauce! Thanks for the super easy recipe!!! :)
My work here is done. 😂
I made it today for our super bowl party. Seemed to be a hit. We put tortilla chips in a dish and added taco meet, salsa and the nacho sauce. Made for a great appetizer. Thanks for the recipe!
How much ground beef did you use?
What could I use if I don’t have milk?
My mom replaced the chili powder with curry powder. Still gud ma bro
Delicious and easy. I added some cumin powder. I’ve seen this with a bay leaf as well Thanks for sharing.
The best and easiest nacho cheese recipe I’ve ever tried! So tasty! I used 2% lactose free milk and added garlic powder, a little mild aleppo pepper, and salt to it. I used Monterey Jack, pepper jack, and a tiny bit of cream cheese since that’s all I had. Perfect and now my go to recipe! Thanks!
Beth, what I could add to make the meal heartier? Lentils ? Other veggies?
This is really just an appetizer or dip, so I don’t think you could really add anything to it. Perhaps you could use vegetable sticks as the dippers instead of chips?
Hi there! Any experience on how this stores to reheat and about how long? Thanks!
I had success with reheating it in my microwave (30 seconds at a time, stirring between, until hot). It will probably last about 3-4 days.
Can u substitute velveeta for the cheddar cheese
That will change the recipe quite a bit. Velveeta already has ingredients that emulsify it into liquid, so you won’t need to do the butter and flour. You can basically just melt the Velveeta and be done. :P
Beth, I crave spicy so I am thinking some jalapeno might be good in this. Do you have a recommendation on fresh vs pickled jalapeno? Thanks in advance.
I would use fresh because sometimes the acid in the brine of pickled jalapeños can cause the cheese sauce to curdle. Or, you can just add your pickled jalapeños to the top of your nachos instead of stirring them into the sauce. They aren’t likely to curdle the sauce that way. :)
So easy and good! Whipped it up right when I saw your FB post! Didn’t have whole milk so I used 2% with a dash of half n half, and consistency was nice and thick. Next time I will use better cheese(mild store brand a bit flat) but I added a dash of garlic powder to bring out more flavor. Yum
I only have half-and-half. Can I just substitute it for the whole milk?
That will make the sauce extremely thick. You may need more half and half than the amount of milk I used to get the proper texture.
I made this two weeks ago for my kids watching a film .
They loved it so much they paused the TV and started talking about how good this dip is.
Trust me it takes a lot to stop my kids in there tracks.
Can i use 1 percent milk?
I wouldn’t suggest it. The end result will not be very creamy.
I use 2% milk .. it turn out extremely good …
Nice recipe. I enjoyed this. I added extra ingredients and we had it as a meal today. Thank you!
Although it didnt come out the same color. It was still delicious.
Seriously so amazing and easy! I do a charity event party every year for Christmas and I made this for 75 people. It was affordable and easy. I had so many people all for any leftovers and the recipe. Thank you
If you were to mix ground beef in there, how would you do it?
You can either brown the beef in a pot and then add the butter and flour to the browned beef and go from there, or brown the beef separately and stir it into the sauce at the end.
if you’re thinking about making it with lactose-free milk, don’t. it’s 1:30 am and i just made a massive pot of decently awful cheese and my bad day just got a lot worse. (rating it good still because i trust you)
Grayson. What happened with the Lactose Free milk? What was awful about if?
I just made it with 2% lactose free milk and it was excellent!!
THIS IS AMAZING! YOU’RE AWESOME!
How in the world do you make a roux out of butter and flower? All they do for me is clump together.
If that happens add more butter but mine always lumps together. When you add the milk and wisk it will be smooth.
If still clumpy after adding the milk, try using an immersion blender it works amazing
Super easy n simple to make… Tastes amazing… thanks alot for sharing
can you make the cheese sauce in the microwave will it give you the same product?
No, you need to do this one on the stove top to make sure the flour roux cooks correctly doesn’t end up tasting like glue.
When reheating, can you use the microwave, or does it have to be over the stove?
You could probably do it on the stove as long as you keep the heat low and stir often. You may want to add a splash of milk if it gets too thick.
I tried this yesterday and OMG it was soooo good. The best cheese sauce recipe!!
Made it at 1 in the morning after a bottle of wine. Didn’t take 5 mins, but added garlic and lots of pepper. Tastes amazing! Thanks for this!
This recipe is horrible I tried it and my cheese turnt out thick like puddly.
I would try it again Ali. It’s a pretty basic recipe,
Hi! I have a question… I can’t find cheddar in the country where i live. Which kind of cheese can i use? Thanks :)
Hi Vanessa, unfortunately I don’t know what is available in your country that might be comparable to the cheddar.
You could try any hard cheese, really. Typically Gouda or Swiss cheeses will work.
How will this hold up if I make it earlier in the day and reheat it a couple hours later??
I reheated my leftovers over a couple of days and it smoothed right out upon reheating.
Can’t wait to try this recipie. My children r gonna love it.
Just tried this simple tasty recipe. Really enjoyed it, so glad I found you. Very best wishes with your inspirational, innovative site. 😊
Thanks for the awesome simple recipe. I’m obsessed with it now. I made it with several different cheeses. My favorite is with pepper jack. So delicious!
This recipe tastes like shit.
Thanks for leaving such a constructive review.
Looks like you don’t know how to cook!!
wow, so simple and quick to make! i swear ill never buy canned nacho cheese again
i made it with the bagged processed shredded cheddar bc thats all i had, lol. im sure if i used better quality cheese itd taste even better
Made this Gluten-free, as I have celiac disease, & I successfully subbed Ottos cassava flour for the AP flour. :) Now playing around with the spices to get the heat I want.
I’m gonna follow the recipe, but probably put a few spoons of salsa into it. Wish me luck!
How long you can stored it?
A few days in the refrigerator.
This recipe is a keeper. It was fast and delicious. I added some pepper jack cheese and a small can of diced green chiles.
Omg! I just made this.. Sooooo good!! We tasted it as is and it was delicious but to kick it up a bit we added about 1/4 cup salsa and a couple of tsp of Franks Red Hot… My new addiction!!
I made this with less flower and a Little more butter and melted the butter first. Added a Little more cheese added Frank’s hot sauce plus the chilli powder. Mine was creamy and turned out really good. Use less flour and do not cook it for to long
I really wanted to like this recipe. My kids love queso, and I hate buying the chemically rich jar version. So I thought this might be the answer. I also read the feedback, and made sure that I followed the recipe to a tee. Medium cheese, removed the heat, whisked the roux for a full minute, etc. etc. My kids each ate one chip with the queso and that was it. It’s floury, bland, and not as smooth as queso should be. I appreciate the effort put into this recipe, but I will not make it again.
It’s just bechamel sauce with cheese melted in it… if it had a floury taste you need to cook the flour longer to toast it… and actually whisk it while it’s cooking so it doesn’t clump.
Im sure he meant the texture of the sauce. It’s gritty and tastes like crap.
I made this, it tasted good. I added cyan, salsa, and smoked paprika on top when it was done. With practice you should bet right, normally recipes don’t come out right even following the recipe perfectly. I almost never follow the recipe completely because normally there are ways to improvise. Also it is usually best to look at other recipes then come back to the original so that you have some knowledge of how you should treat certain things.
(2-3 stars for original, 4 after I modified it)
Ron, you are correct. It’s just nasty. Texture is gritty, floury… so much so that it overshadows the cheese. As I said, I followed the recipe EXACTLY. If I’m supposed to “toast” it, then the recipe should give that direction. Sorry, Seraphim, not all of us know how to properly make a bechamel sauce to toasty perfection… and yes… I DID actually whisk it. I was trying to be nice before, but Seraphim, don’t blame me for this recipe tasting like crap. Something’s wrong with the recipe…. you notice that everyone who actually likes this made modifications. The recipe sucks.
If you got a grainy texture you probably used pre-shredded cheese which has an anti-caking agent on it, like starch or cellulose. Shred it from a block to avoid that.
Did you read the instructions?
No one’s forcing you to make nacho cheese sauce, Ron!!
Hello, I wanted to check something. I’m planning to take this to a party and wanted to check if the sauce will stay the same consistency or do you need to keep it warm? Thanks in advance :)
It will gel up as it cools, but I reheated mine in the microwave after it had been in the fridge over night and it warmed up well. So, if you’re going to bring it to a party and keep in a slow cooker or something (on low heat) that might work, but if you leave it sitting at room temperature it will thicken.
Perfect! I I also added a few tablespoons of frank’s hot sauce for an extra kick
I made this with gouda matches my swedish tastes excellently especially with cheese nachos thanks for a great recipe
Just now made this. Exactly like it is with nothing added. Delicious. I may add stuff later when I get over how good this is now.
I did not want to run to the store for cheese dip and I also wanted a more home made cheese. I looked up a recipe and found this one, chose this because it did not ask for too many ingredients. It was easy to make and good!
I made a large tube of this for the 4th of July (20+people) and everyone loved it so much. I add fresh tomatoes & green onion on top just because it was a party and I had to make it look nice. They gave it a nice extra taste that was well loved.
Yummy!- For seasoning, I used cayenne, salt, pepper, cumin (a tiny, tiny bit) and a fresh chili (1 very small red chili pepper). What I appreciate was the detailed instructions on how to make this, which didn´t involve using a double boiler like some recipes.
I tried to make this using raw milk and coconut powder. I had to throw away like $10+ in ingredients, came out bad. I don’t ever want to use white flour, which is harmful. I spent over an hour trying to get this to work.
White flour is critical to the chemistry of making this thicken properly, so unfortunately you can’t use coconut powder.
No offense but that’s one of the silliest things I’ve read in a while. There is a science to cooking you know, you can’t just throw things that look broadly similar together and expect them the work the same way ;)
Check out King Arthur All-Purpose flour – I think you’ll be surprised. Maybe their white whole wheat flour would also work.
I was in the mood for nachos, but I didn’t have any cheese sauce. I found this recipe and I just made not only was it simple to make but it also tastes quite good.. I did however melt the butter in the microwave before adding it to the flour and used 1/4 cup of heavy cream to the milk to make one cup. It came out creamy.
I wanted to avoid running to the store so I tried your recipe since I had all the ingredients on hand. I agree with the others who said it had too much flour. The sauce wasn’t smooth and had a grainy texture.
Tried this and found the taste ok, but it was WAAAY too thick, even after I added about a whole second cup of milk. I ended up with something about the texture of mashed potatoes, which was tasty but not really what I was looking for. Lol it doesn’t let me rate less than five stars!!
It was ok my family liked it was a bit thick added more cheese and milk
WAY too much flour in this recipe. It was tasteless, and a waste of cheese and effort. Very bland. Didn’t look anything like the pictures. Do not recommend.
Did you season the nacho cheese sauce?
Looks amazing i will try that tonight!!! and i agree that nacho cheese is powerful stuff lol
This made me set my house on fire thanks
Thanks so much for posting this terrific recipe!
Awesome, can’t wait to try it at home. Thank you!
Its ok. Wish i could actually rate this something besides 5 stars but apparently the author isnt appreciative of critiquing. I added sharp cheddar which is a perfect flavor. Author reccommends WAY too much flour, cut it in half if u don’t want a sludge that only tastes like flour. I also appreciate a bit spicier cheese so id go with more chili powder (at least 2x the recommended amount).
Looking to make this in a large quantity for a graduation party…boys want a nacho bar but can’t bring myself to buy the canned stuff. :)
think it would work times 20 and serve from a crock pot?
Honestly I’m not sure. I’ve never tried such a large batch before. Also, make sure you try the smaller batch to make sure you like it first. The reviews are mixed. Some people love it (like I did!), but some people hate it.
I’ll be trying this tonight! I had no clue where to buy nacho cheese for our spicy triple crunch wraps (mock up from taco bell) and so I figured I’d look up if I could make it! Thanks for sharing. I’ll be pinning for later. 😘
So, a thought, can I use this same method of making cheese sauce, without the chili powder, to make sauce for my mac n cheese? I’m always screwing that up, and making it all lumpy and clumpy and I never know what I’ve done wrong!!
Yep, this is exactly the method you’d use for a traditional mac and cheese, but with more milk so that it’s not quite so thick.
Yes i recommend my recipe:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (feel free to remove this if you dislike a weak spicy kick)
1/4 tsp garlic granules l
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
16oz sharp cheddar
16oz pasta
Steps:
1. Melt butter
2. Add flour, mix till smooth
3. Add salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic
4. Gradually stir in milk & half and half
5. Add half of cheddar
6. Add pasta
7. Add remaining cheese
Enjoy!
I think this recipe could be improved upon by adding Jack Daniels. At what step would it be appropriate to add maybe 1-2 oz?
I’ve never tried adding alcohol to a cheese sauce, so I’m not sure what the best method would be.
This is a such a recipe! I substituted whole milk with 2% milk instead and it was delicious
Such a great recipe*
I made it, used 1/2 mild cheddar, 1/4 white american, and 1/4 pepper jack. Turned out okay. Start with the 2 table spoons and 1 table spoon of flour to start, whisk in once the butter melts, once it’s foamy, add the milk and wait for the mixture to combine into a unified liquid, then add about half a tablespoon of flour to thicken, remove from heat. Add grilled jalepenos and red pepper flakes to preference alongside the cheese, wait for it to be melty and put it back on LOW heat(like one or two) and add small amounts of milk if it’s too thick, more cheese if it’s too thin.
This was the perfect simple and cheap rainy day treat! Thanks for relieving my family’s hunger pangs for less than $5.
mine got all grainy, does that mean i put too much heat? the cheese wasn’t all melting at the end so i turned it on a bit.
Yes, usually when the sauce “breaks” (turns grainy) it is from too much heat. Some cheeses are more susceptible to breaking as well. Sharper cheddars will break easier than mild cheddar.
My daughters always want nacho cheese but they dont like it too spicy. I just made this recipe for them and they LOVE it. Great recipe for picky kids! I will make again. Very delicious☺
Thank you!
I made this tonight and we definitely enjoyed it. I added diced tomatoes and some of the leftover spicy chili I had in the fridge. It gave the dip some substance and kick. Perfect for nachos. Thanks!
Could this be made in the crockpot?
Probably not, unfortunately.
Terrible! even after two attempts…I did however use the wrong type of cheese tho soo maybe that’s why?… My advice: if you want nachos, just go to 7-11…
Id recommend adding in a little tomato puré, hot paprika, smoked paprika and cayenne chilli powder and extra salt
Hi. I’m from Australia. I’ve got mild blocked cheese. Would that work?? Or something like vintage sharp cheese.?? Thanks for a simple recipe that people like me live in another country can understand. Totally going to make this this week.
Cheers
Sometimes sharp cheeses break (separate) a bit easier than milder cheeses. I’d guess the mild blocked cheese would work, but we don’t have anything that goes by that name here in the U.S., so I’m not sure exactly what it is. :)
Will this work in a crockpot, to keep for a few hours? I have to make nachos for 35 this week…
Hmm, I’m honestly not sure how it will hold up to continued heat like that.
This was the easiest cheese dip I’ve ever made-thanks for posting!😍 I added a few tablespoons of rotel and added a little kick!
Absolutely disgusting and inedible. While I am not a professional chef I am a pretty good home cook. I followed the instructions very carefully, and the result was terrible… straight to the trash.
Same with me. Complete waste of time,and ingredients, but it was a great way to realise I shouldn’t be looking on a website such as “Budgetbytes” for any form of real food. I am embarrassed for whoever let this garbage leak on their website.
Your rude comments are not necessary. I have found plenty of wonderful recipes here, but also a few duds. That’s how cooking goes. Constructive criticism is helpful, ideas for how to tweak a recipe are great, but your rude comments are neither helpful or warranted.
I strongly agree with Taryn. I’ve cooked more than one hundred recipes for Budget Bytes, and haven’t experienced any issues at all. Your rude and disrespectful comment isn’t helping anyone, Rob, especially coming from a person who enjoys talking a lot of trash. Sounds to me you don’t know how to cook!!
If it’s bad you’ve obviously not made it correctly and seasoned it to taste
My thoughts exactly, Matthew. It’s unfortunate that none of us can fix stupid!!!
It tastes great. But mine came out a little gritty. Any idea why?
Did you turn off the heat before stirring in the cheese? If the sauce gets too much heat it can cause the cheese to curdle and get grainy. Were you using pre-shredded cheese? Those usually have anti-caking agents that might make it seem grainy?
This is soo good. I make it with sharp cheddar cheese and added a bit of smokes paprika. Yum!! Thank you!
My was a little foamy if that makes sense. Almost like it had been whipped. When I make my roux for soup I only use 1T flour and 1T butter. Do you think that would help? Does this recipe need that much flour? Or did I do something else wrong? I used 2% milk and an extra tablespoon of butter to make up for the missing cream in the 2% milk. Maybe that was the problem.
Hmm, I’m not sure. I’m having a hard time visualizing how yours turned out.
Love love love nacho cheese, but hate hate hate anything spicy. And every single jar or cup of nacho cheese sauce has that kick that i can’t stand. I am going to make this for the up- coming Superbowl, and be able to eat it without my mouth burning! Yay!
How long do you think it will last in the fridge? It’d be good to keep something like this around for easy mac n cheese, and veggies and such.
I had mine in the fridge for a few days before I ate all of it. It reheated really well in the microwave when I did short bursts (30 seconds or so on high) with stirring between.
The first time I made this my picky eater wouldn’t touch it when she finally tried it she ate all gone. She now she askes for every Sunday while she watches football
Very good, quick, easy cheese dip, with real food ingredients! We love nachos & cheese, but store-bought, processed nacho cheese is chuck full of chemical junk! This is great!
I even make it in the microwave! Quick, easy & yummy!
Can I use Gouda instead of cheddar
Gouda should melt pretty well into the sauce.
I can’t wait to try this! I love the idea of not having to buy Velveeta to make an amazing nacho sauce! Add some chiles or salsa – BOOM – queso dip!! I’m really tickled about this, can’t you see?
Holy crap this was the worst thing i have ever tasted ever maybe people arent used to good food but this was horrible i feel bad i even wasted the cheese on this
Exactly the same with me. Ruined a perfectly good bag of cheese, and that stuff isn’t exactly the cheapest thing to be wasting on worthless recipes like this. Absolute trash. I hope to God this gets removed off of the internet permanently.
LOVE THIS
My sisters love it!! One of my sisters has gluten problems and the results with gluten free flour we just as good!
Gritty city yet again. Ugh. I can never get this sauce to come out right. Tastes great- consistency of oatmeal. Fail.
My butter and flour didnt mix right. It nded up with lil balls of butter and flour. Please help
can i make this with coconut milk instead of whole milk?
I’ve never tried to make a cheese sauce with coconut milk, but my guess is that it wouldn’t work very well. :(
This is a good recipe. I used homeade taco seasoning. Added green chilies and salsa.
Good recipe. I used homeade taco seasoning. Added green chilies and salsa.
Awesome recipe. I would change the recipe based on what I did though. Melt butter first, add enough flour to make a thick roux (butter all soaked up). Then I added an ounce of cream cheese until melted in, then add cheese. Added not only chili powder, but garlic powder and cumin to flavor. Yummy and creamy. Make sure flour is incorporated enough or there will be a floury taste.
My cheese dip came out grainy. Is there any way I can fix it ?
Here’s a quick tutorial on ways to fix cheese sauces that have “broken” (that’s what they call it when it starts to get grainy), but you have to do it while the sauce is being made. I’m not sure you can do anything after the fact. :(
What kind of flour is it?, I’m in the UK x
all-purpose flour :)
Yay for the video link on the page that led me to this! Right now we have lots of tortilla chips and I was wanting a dip type cheese, this is the perfect solution. Thank you for your site, ideas and book!
no need for flour, ask a native Texan, we make queso all the time and it comes out fine and plenty thick
This is how I was taught to make the cheese sauce for mac and cheese (minus the spices, but I was a spicy young girl and added them in anyway). Thanks for a blast from my past, Beth.
Follow the directions as they are shown, use the exact ingredients listed, and this will come out pretty much perfect. I did find I had to add a bit more milk (and I warmed the milk a bit, as one of the other reviewers recommended), but otherwise this blew me away as to how easy it was to make, and how good it tasted. The only thing I’ll be doing different next time is skipping the chili powder and going with three drops of Blair’s Sudden Death hot sauce, so that I can actually notice the heat. lol.
Had no idea what whole milk was, so I looked it up and it seemed to be also known as 3.25% milk. Never bought it before, but from now on, it’s the way to go.
To those who said it didn’t come out right (too runny, bland, etc), I suspect you completely failed to follow the instructions. If a guy like me can bang this out almost perfect the first time I tried it, most people should be able to do it too.
That looks so gooooooooooddddddddddd
I tried this recipe and wasn’t very impressed. The taste was fine and I was able to alter it using cumin, but the texture was horrendous. It was grainy felt like gritz. Would recommend using other spices to enhance flavor.
It sounds like your cheese sauce “broke” which is what makes it have a grainy texture instead of staying smooth. That can sometimes happen when the sauce gets too much heat. A little garlic powder will give the flavor more oomph, and you may just need a pinch more salt. Sometimes a pinch of salt can go a long way towards making flavors pop.
I made this tonight! It’s wonderful! The only thing I did was substitute the chili powder for about a fourth of a cup of medium chunky salsa! It turned out delicious and I made some homemade tortilla chips to go with it!
i might have to save and try this. i want to try and have some veggie fries instead of a poutine(very canadian i know) and the best part not a ton of ingredients or onions(im allergic to raw and cooked in some varieties) so this is good.
It was a really great base. I added salt and pepper to the melted butter and flour, added 1/4 cup salsa verde after the cheese had melted, and 2 tablespoons diced pickled jalapeños. It’s our new favorite appetizer!
Added franks red hot and topped with sour cream. Came out delicious
very tasty.
How do you think this would be with PepperJack cheese?
Pepper Jack also melts really well (apparently Monterey Jack is just young cheddar?), so I think it would work just as well.
WORST nacho cheese we’ve ever had!!! This has NO flavor whatsoever!
Does anyone know if this sauce can be frozen? Cheers.
probably because it made of REAL ingredients instead of just shoving BS into your mouth like you usually do
Coming from the person making their food off of “Budgetbytes.” I’d be embarrassed if anyone made this for more than themselves. I’m sorry, but you don’t know anything about food if you think this is good
Sounds to me you didn’t season the nacho cheese sauce according to taste!!! DUH!!!!
Hi, I have mozzerella cheese and not cheddar. Can I use that as well?
Unfortunately mozzarella is much more stringy when melted, so you probably won’t get a nice smooth sauce like you would with cheddar.
I think it should be two tea spoons of flour and not two tbsp.
I made it with two tbsp of flour and it became so thick and tasted like flour.
Not a good portion.
It’s tbsp – always equal butter to flour ration. You need to cook the butter/flour for about a minute before adding the milk.
Thank you
Great recipe! I happened to have a jar of diced jalapeno on hand, so I added about 1/4 tsp of that to this mixture and that topped it off.
The best I’ve ever tasted
Could you make this and put in a crock pot to keep warm for a party?
Hmm, it’s hard to say without testing it out. Theoretically it should stay melted, but if it’s too hot the sauce can separate and if it’s not hot enough it can start to get clumpy.
Too chalky.
Tasted like chalk. I think I made it wrong. Tried to make it in the microwave. I would not recommend this.
So you didn’t follow the recipe at all and then when it turned out bad you gave it 2 stars… Makes sense?
Is it spicy
No, the chili powder mostly adds flavor. It will not make it spicy unless you add too much I’m assuming.
Needed just half a cup of milk extra as it turned way too stiff.
Otherwise I loved it!
This stuff is way good. I halved the recipe because I was putting it on my broccoli and I didn’t have sharp cheddar, but other than that it was great. I mixed the milk, butter and flour together because for some reason it wasn’t working with trying to melt the butter and flour at the same time. But it worked and it tastes great. Will be doing it again.
How well does this reheat? I’m looking for a recipe I can make and use the next day
I reheated mine in the microwave in short increments, stirring in between, and it went right back to being a smooth sauce. :)
This is a straight up bechamel sauce. It’s easy to make and works well. You could make your own taco seasoning mix and add that instead of just straight chilli powder. Just skip the salt and season to taste.
Note: Light (low fat) cheese does not melt properly and will not work. You have to use full fat cheese. I’ve learned that the hard way once or twice when I accidentally bought the light cheese and it didn’t melt into the sauce.
Actually this is a straight up Mornay (sauce) aka cheese sauce with a Béchamel base.
I’m surprised some had trouble with this. It’s simply a bechamel (white sauce), with cheese added at the end. It’s the basis for so many dishes.
Some tips: the roux should be a light sandy color. (As the recipe says, not browned.) Heat the milk slightly before adding it. (Not hot – just not cold.)
I found I needed more milk because it thickened up too much for my taste. You can always add more milk or flour, just be sure you simmer it enough to get the raw taste out.
Mornay.
this was terrable it hardened right away and it tasted nasty.
Same here.
I just tried making this and it took me 20 minutes and the cheese ended up not melting into it so i had to throw it out
I made this and it turned out aweful!!! It tasted NOTHING like nacho cheese sauce. Would not recommend this recipe.
Hello!
I just wanted to let you know that I have made this receipe with every lactose-free equivalent of the dairies used and it tasted great with good texture!
Good home-made alternative for lactose-intolerant people out there who can’t afford/come across industrial lactose-free products!
Just made this and it was very good! The texture was dreamy…so smooth. Flavor was a good building block for all kinds of add ins, like garlic powder, jalapeños or cayenne pepper. I put a couple teaspoons of Trader Joe’s green dragon sauce in at the end and it was perfect for our potato “nachos”. Thanks for sharing!
This was awesome. Amazing. My little sister saw me make this and it came out perfect. Thank you so much for this.
Hello,
Great recipe! Me and my husband love it! Just out of curiosity do you know how many calories this is?
I’m glad you liked it! I’m sorry, though, I do not have the nutritional information.
I make this for broccoli and coliflower all time!
I added jalapeños and the Fiesta blend cheese this time for nachos and the house devoured it!
The 5 Minute Nacho Cheese sauce is absolutely delicious!!! :-)
I’m about to try this. I hope it comes out well, I’m making for my mom and siblings. :) I’m excited
Not my favorite thing I have made! I am not impressed in this recipe.
1c milk is too much. It came out runny & pale.
Maybe next time I’ll just add half of the cup of milk, more later if it’s too thick?
Did you let it come up to a simmer? When it begins to simmer the starch granules in the flour swell and thicken it, but if it never fully simmers it will stay runny.
Can you substitute beer for the milk to make a beer cheese?
Hmm, I’m not sure! I’ve never tried that. :)
This is a good recipe for beginners like me. I made this late one night and I had the munchies. It was delicious if I do say so myself. Can’t wait to let my kids and friends try it. They will not believe that it’s home made. #thanks.
mmm i love nachos, this recipe is great. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
Hi, I haven’t made it yet but I will! So I was wondering how long can you keep this(Refridgerated)? Im not sure I would finish this in one go.
I ate mine over a period of about 3-4 days. To reheat, I just microwaved it in short bursts, stirring in between, until it was warm and smooth again.
I want to make mac n cheese with this!
Hi dear,
Can you please let me know what flour did you use, is it all purpose flour ?
Thank you
Suma
Yes, all purpose flour. :)
I am wondering if I could keep this dip in a crockpot? Could I make it a few hours in advance then reheat in a crockpot at the time of the party? Thanks
That might work. You’ll need to stir it often while it’s reheating, though.
Made this tonight! Love it but definitely wanted more of a kick. We added more chili powder, green chiles, and jalapeños from a jar. Turned out great!
I bet if you made it just the basic sauce and instead of the chili add some rotel with meat it would so good, I looked this up and you could make alfredo with this just add parmasean and volia alfredo just add your chicken yummm
This is great, thank you! Just made it and it turned out perfect. Have you ever tried refrigerating it and reheating it in the microwave if you couldn’t eat it all? Thanks!
Agh, just saw the other comment where you already answered this. Thanks!
I’d like to make this ahead of time for a party, would it keep well in the fridge? And what would be the best way to heat it up again (or maybe it could be served cold? I have approximately zero experience with nacho cheese).
It solidifies to a thick paste when cooled. I did reheat mine in the microwave twice in the days after I made this. It reheats pretty well, but not quite as smooth as when I first made it. I just did 30 second intervals, stirring between, until it was heated through.
Add a little milk when reheating to help make of smoother
How long does this keep in the fridge ? Is it freezable ?
Wondering if I can make batches to keep in the fridge to use throughout the week.
I refrigerated mine, but ate it all within three days. My guess is that it’s best within five days. I wouldn’t freeze this, though. To reheat, I just did 30 second intervals in the microwave, stirring between, until it was hot. It was smooth, but not quite as smooth as the first day.
Ooh this looks so yummy! I’m gonna save this and make it next time i have nachos!
Aleeha xXx
http://www.halesaaw.com
I made this the other night with half pepper jack and half mild cheddar. It tasted good straight from the pan but was lacking and overpowered by our other toppings on the actual nachos. I think it would have been great with some sharp cheddar, but we got the mild block of cheese for free (and free usually wins out!). I can’t wait to make this again with some stronger cheese!
I just HAD to say how much I appreciate your correct spelling of green chile in the intro to the recipe! You are great! Most people don’t know the difference between chile and chili. In fact, my spell checker doesn’t–it’s only recognizing “chili.” For a very simple explanation (I won’t go in depth about the chile industry or how amazing the roasting smells), chiles are hot peppers. Chili is one of the many dishes they can be incorporated into.
Also, while Velveeta is pretty awful on its own, it has its uses. I’ve started buying it so that I can stretch the good stuff. Provided that the scary orange gunk is less than half of the total cheese and the other cheeses are flavorful, it works well.
i don’t care
Since you don’t care, why are you making a comment?!
This looks so easy and delicious! I had queso yesterday after drunken Mardi Gras festivities and now this is making me want some more!
Nothing beats homemade! I like to add a tablespoon of the liquid from a jar of sliced jalapenos. It adds to the flavor but doesn’t add any spiciness, although that wouldn’t be a bad thing.
Is whole milk necessary for this to work, or just preferred? I never have whole milk in my fridge, usually only 1-2%.
Hope you have a better week!
2% will also work, but anything else will probably just be too thin and not taste quite as good.
I used fat free milk and it was perfect! I actually had to add an extra splash of milk at the end to thin it a bit…
Try evaporated milk too! Can keep it in your pantry for recipes like this and baking.
LOVED this! I made it as a sauce to top my Mexican Chicken and waffles (corn bread mix made on my waffle iron, 1 topped with shredded chicken, black beans and 1 can Rotel, and spices similar to tacos) It was amazing! Even my toddler loved it!
I like your style! Hahah Sounds amazing. :)
Oh my! I’m definitely going to have to try that!
I love how simple this recipe is, and this sauce would also be great with vegetables or pasta. As a note, the end of this post has 2 very similar photos, and I’m not really sure what the difference between the photos is.
Do you think this would be nice as a sauce with cooked pasta and some kind of meat or sausage??
P.S. I love that you add tips (e.g. cooking the flour because it toasts it and loses that flour-y taste) – it really helps me understand WHY we do some of the things we do. Thanks for another great recipe!
Yes, absolutely. :) This is basically the same sauce that you make for macaroni and cheese, just slightly thicker and with chili powder. :) It’s a classic “cheese sauce”.
Yum! I love nacho cheese sauce but hate the store bought kind. This looks like the perfect recipe!
While my family usually just wants the Velveeta and Ro-Tel variety of fast queso, I prefer a real sauce like yours. I usually saute half a cup of minced onion, a couple of cloves of finely minced garlic, when I melt the butter and make the roux and then add half a cup–or more–of diced tomatoes and a little bit of green chili (a 4oz can is perfect)
Just wanted to send hugs and say thanks for ANOTHER great recipe! I am so grateful for having a nice cheese sauce that is free of processed junk! I cannot wait to make it! Who cares if it is after the NFL season. LOL
Sorry you are having a crappy week… Figured now was a great time to say thanks for all you do and send some love! Have a great day! :-D
THANK YOU! :D
I love your site and your recipes. Thanks so much for your blog.
That is a beautiful looking cheese sauce. Did you put a dash of chili powder on top for the photo or was it paprika?
Yep, that’s just a pinch of chili powder for texture/color in the photo. :)
Who knew cheese sauce was so easy to make! I need to try this soon.
I absolutely love nacho cheese I could drink it which I know is disgusting and unhealthy and soooo bad but it is soooo good! Haha I have never found a recipe that can recreate it as good but by the looks of this and your pictures it looks like ~I need to have a go!! Thank you for sharing xxx
http://www.sophobsessed.com
Pour it over a baked potato and broccoli! Maybe a sprinkle of bacon? Yummmmm
My mother’s cheese sauce rides again. And you can do it in the microwave. Melt butter, blend with flour, slowly blend in milk, zap, stirring every so often & then add cheese, stirring every so often.
Sorry you had a crappy week.
I wonder how this would be over some cooked elbow noodles? Like a stovetop Mac n cheese?
I actually came here to ask about Mac and cheese. I tried my own nacho cheese yesterday, and it came out too runny. Partly because I swapped out some of the milk for beer instead, and partly because I had less cheese than I thought I did. So I’m wondering how I can doctor it (besides adding more cheese) to make it a good sauce to go over pasta.
@Karen M That is actually how I make Mac n cheese – stovetop, all in one pan. I do often then put it into a 5 1/2 inch deep dish pie thing I have, top with bread crumbs and back for a bit, but it is also great right out of the pan :) !
My Mac n Cheese for 1 = 1/3 T butter, 1/3 T flour, 1/3 cup milk, 1/3 cup cooked pasta, 1/3 cup cheese
@Beth – Sorry you had a bad week – hope this one is better!
This is actually the same sauce that you’d use for mac and cheese, just slightly thicker (it’s just a basic “cheese sauce”). All you need to do to thin it out is add a bit more milk. I’d try an extra 1/2 cup to 1 cup.
Oh, this looks so good and too easy. Good thing we don’t have any chips in the house.
i LOVE it!!! i can’t wait… but will have to… until after this month’s whole 30… er, whole 29.
Life ruiner. I have a huge block of pepper jack in my fridge and zero willpower…….
Oh yum! I never realised this could be so easy – just a basic really cheesey white sauce! Husband and I will give this a go this weekend….
Ruined my life and made my day both ring true! I’m literally going to make this as soon as I get home today.
Oh dear lord!!!! Now I just want this with salsa and chips for supper! Pfff thanks a lot Beth!!!! LOL
Made my day, ruined my diet! But then again, it’s unprocessed, real food, and will bring me joy, so that’s something :) Maybe I can dip veggies in it!