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.
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)