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.
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 ($0.22)
- 2 Tbsp flour ($0.02)
- 1 cup whole milk ($0.30)
- 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
Video
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.
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!