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.
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.