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.
Great recipe! I happened to have a jar of diced jalapeno on hand, so I added about 1/4 tsp of that to this mixture and that topped it off.
The best I’ve ever tasted
Could you make this and put in a crock pot to keep warm for a party?
Hmm, it’s hard to say without testing it out. Theoretically it should stay melted, but if it’s too hot the sauce can separate and if it’s not hot enough it can start to get clumpy.
Too chalky.
Tasted like chalk. I think I made it wrong. Tried to make it in the microwave. I would not recommend this.
So you didn’t follow the recipe at all and then when it turned out bad you gave it 2 stars… Makes sense?
Is it spicy
No, the chili powder mostly adds flavor. It will not make it spicy unless you add too much I’m assuming.
Needed just half a cup of milk extra as it turned way too stiff.
Otherwise I loved it!
This stuff is way good. I halved the recipe because I was putting it on my broccoli and I didn’t have sharp cheddar, but other than that it was great. I mixed the milk, butter and flour together because for some reason it wasn’t working with trying to melt the butter and flour at the same time. But it worked and it tastes great. Will be doing it again.
How well does this reheat? I’m looking for a recipe I can make and use the next day
I reheated mine in the microwave in short increments, stirring in between, and it went right back to being a smooth sauce. :)
This is a straight up bechamel sauce. It’s easy to make and works well. You could make your own taco seasoning mix and add that instead of just straight chilli powder. Just skip the salt and season to taste.
Note: Light (low fat) cheese does not melt properly and will not work. You have to use full fat cheese. I’ve learned that the hard way once or twice when I accidentally bought the light cheese and it didn’t melt into the sauce.
Actually this is a straight up Mornay (sauce) aka cheese sauce with a Béchamel base.
I’m surprised some had trouble with this. It’s simply a bechamel (white sauce), with cheese added at the end. It’s the basis for so many dishes.
Some tips: the roux should be a light sandy color. (As the recipe says, not browned.) Heat the milk slightly before adding it. (Not hot – just not cold.)
I found I needed more milk because it thickened up too much for my taste. You can always add more milk or flour, just be sure you simmer it enough to get the raw taste out.
Mornay.
this was terrable it hardened right away and it tasted nasty.
Same here.
I just tried making this and it took me 20 minutes and the cheese ended up not melting into it so i had to throw it out
I made this and it turned out aweful!!! It tasted NOTHING like nacho cheese sauce. Would not recommend this recipe.
Hello!
I just wanted to let you know that I have made this receipe with every lactose-free equivalent of the dairies used and it tasted great with good texture!
Good home-made alternative for lactose-intolerant people out there who can’t afford/come across industrial lactose-free products!