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.
Just made this and it was very good! The texture was dreamy…so smooth. Flavor was a good building block for all kinds of add ins, like garlic powder, jalapeños or cayenne pepper. I put a couple teaspoons of Trader Joe’s green dragon sauce in at the end and it was perfect for our potato “nachos”. Thanks for sharing!
This was awesome. Amazing. My little sister saw me make this and it came out perfect. Thank you so much for this.
Hello,
Great recipe! Me and my husband love it! Just out of curiosity do you know how many calories this is?
I’m glad you liked it! I’m sorry, though, I do not have the nutritional information.
I make this for broccoli and coliflower all time!
I added jalapeños and the Fiesta blend cheese this time for nachos and the house devoured it!
The 5 Minute Nacho Cheese sauce is absolutely delicious!!! :-)
I’m about to try this. I hope it comes out well, I’m making for my mom and siblings. :) I’m excited
Not my favorite thing I have made! I am not impressed in this recipe.
1c milk is too much. It came out runny & pale.
Maybe next time I’ll just add half of the cup of milk, more later if it’s too thick?
Did you let it come up to a simmer? When it begins to simmer the starch granules in the flour swell and thicken it, but if it never fully simmers it will stay runny.
Can you substitute beer for the milk to make a beer cheese?
Hmm, I’m not sure! I’ve never tried that. :)
This is a good recipe for beginners like me. I made this late one night and I had the munchies. It was delicious if I do say so myself. Can’t wait to let my kids and friends try it. They will not believe that it’s home made. #thanks.
mmm i love nachos, this recipe is great. Thanks for sharing.
Simon
Hi, I haven’t made it yet but I will! So I was wondering how long can you keep this(Refridgerated)? Im not sure I would finish this in one go.
I ate mine over a period of about 3-4 days. To reheat, I just microwaved it in short bursts, stirring in between, until it was warm and smooth again.
I want to make mac n cheese with this!
Hi dear,
Can you please let me know what flour did you use, is it all purpose flour ?
Thank you
Suma
Yes, all purpose flour. :)
I am wondering if I could keep this dip in a crockpot? Could I make it a few hours in advance then reheat in a crockpot at the time of the party? Thanks
That might work. You’ll need to stir it often while it’s reheating, though.