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.
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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 ($0.28)
- 2 Tbsp flour ($0.02)
- 1 cup whole milk ($0.19)
- 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
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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.
We make this at least once a week and put it over tater tot’s, chips and waffles fries. I use half of a Habanero pepper seeds out while I’m melting the butter and leave it until the sauce is made. Adds a nice spice.
In france, nacho cheese is not easily accessible. Glad I found this quick fix with some mods.
It was late and I was out of butter, stores close earlier here compared to the states. I substituted butter with oil. I used shredded emental cheese and mimolette cheese. Flavored it with some canned chipotle chilies, a dash of salt, and a few drops of viniger to mimic the acidity of jalapenos nacho cheese, jalapenos are also hard to come by in France. Low and behold an amaizing flavorful cheese sauce in 5 minutes. Thanks for sharing
I used gluten free flour, unsweetened almond milk, and a medium spiced beef seasoning. This came out perfect! Next step is to try it with vegan cheese and see how it comes out. I also added sausage crumbles to mine. Thank you so much for this awesome recipe!
I used about 2x the chili powder, a DASH of cumin, onion powder, and cayenne, and a little more milk and 1/2 cup more cheese for a more robust flavor profile but this is a perfect foundation for a nice, quick and easy cheese sauce!
This was awesome. Exactly what I was looking for in a Saturday night movie snack with some pretzel sticks. I added a touch of Sriracha for some extra kick. Thanks a mil.
I got irrationally excited when I saw you had a recipe for this. Haha
ad extra milk but realy good better than store bought
Excellent recipe came out perfect with a little extra milk to make it runny, little tip for more kick whisk in some Jalapeño slices for a delicious taste!
Can you store extra queso? How do you recommend reheating it?
Cheese sauces that are thickened with flour and butter don’t usually reheat that well, but if you make one with evaporated milk, like in this recipe, they reheat really well in the microwave and stay nice and smooth.
This taste great. Mine came out to thick so I added more milk, about a 1/3 cup. Then it came out perfect. I added cumin and some garlic salt. Thanks for the recipe.
In france, nacho cheese is not easily accessible. Glad I found this quick fix with some mods.
It was late and I was out of butter, stores close earlier here compared to the states. I substituted butter with oil. I used shredded emental cheese and mimolette cheese. Flavored it with some canned chipotle chilies, a dash of salt, and a few drops of viniger to mimic the acidity of jalapenos nacho cheese, jalapenos are also hard to come by in France. Low and behold an amaizing flavorful cheese sauce in 5 minutes. Thanks for sharing
This turned out pretty good for my first time attempting a homemade cheese sauce. I wasn’t patient enough for the milk simmer so it came out a little grainy but still good. I added in some chopped up sliced pickled jalapeños, a bit more salt and a little bit of the jalapeño juice. Enjoying it tonight with our ground beef nachos 😋
It was good but could be better. I used store brand sharp cheddar cheese but next time I will look for a better quality cheese. It separated a bit but it was most likely because I couldn’t wait for the milk simmer. My husband & I finished it for a “snack” 😊 Yum!
Sorry that I wasted a pricey block of cheddar on this. Found the flavor far too bland, even after mixing in some extra spices. Also the consistency was pretty thin and grainy.
American cheese melts down a lot smoother. And a spoonful of sour cream does wonders for the taste and texture. I don’t really know what the the flour is about.
We really enjoyed this— simple and great cheese dip. I subbed a gluten-free flour blend (one w no gums) with no problem.
Have also tried adding a can of chopped green chilies at the end. A bit lumpier that way, but really delicious!
Curious how many people would this serve? I would be cooking for 2 adults? :)
It makes about a cup and a half total, so it just depends on how much you plan on eating. :)