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.
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….