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.
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!