5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce

$2.83 recipe / $0.47 serving
by Beth - Budget Bytes
4.17 from 264 votes
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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.

Chip dipping into thick and creamy 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce

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!

Big bowl full of rich and creamy 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce
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5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce

4.17 from 264 votes
This rich and tangy homemade nacho cheese only takes about 5 minutes to make and uses only real, simple ingredients.
Chip dipping into a bowl of nacho cheese sauce.
Servings 6 (1/4 cup each)
Cook 5 minutes
Total 5 minutes

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.

See how we calculate recipe costs here.


Nutrition

Serving: 1ServingCalories: 183.1kcalCarbohydrates: 4.92gProtein: 8.13gFat: 14.65gSodium: 337.23mgFiber: 0.32g
Read our full nutrition disclaimer here.
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Video

Chip mid-dip into 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce

How to Make Nacho Cheese – Step by Step Photos

Flour and Butter for 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce - BudgetBytes.com

Start by placing 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour in a small saucepot.

Flour and Butter Roux for 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce - BudgetBytes.com

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 Milk for 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce - BudgetBytes.com

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).

Thickened Milk for 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce - BudgetBytes.com

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.

Melt in Cheese for 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce - BudgetBytes.com

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.

Season Cheese Sauce for 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce - BudgetBytes.com

Finally, season the nacho cheese sauce with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp chili powder.

Finished Nacho Cheese Sauce for 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce - BudgetBytes.com

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. 

Chip dipping into a bowl of rich and creamy 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce

This post either just ruined your life or made your day. Or maybe both.

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Comments

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  1. no need for flour, ask a native Texan, we make queso all the time and it comes out fine and plenty thick

  2. This is how I was taught to make the cheese sauce for mac and cheese (minus the spices, but I was a spicy young girl and added them in anyway). Thanks for a blast from my past, Beth.

  3. Follow the directions as they are shown, use the exact ingredients listed, and this will come out pretty much perfect. I did find I had to add a bit more milk (and I warmed the milk a bit, as one of the other reviewers recommended), but otherwise this blew me away as to how easy it was to make, and how good it tasted. The only thing I’ll be doing different next time is skipping the chili powder and going with three drops of Blair’s Sudden Death hot sauce, so that I can actually notice the heat. lol.

    Had no idea what whole milk was, so I looked it up and it seemed to be also known as 3.25% milk. Never bought it before, but from now on, it’s the way to go.

    To those who said it didn’t come out right (too runny, bland, etc), I suspect you completely failed to follow the instructions. If a guy like me can bang this out almost perfect the first time I tried it, most people should be able to do it too.

  4. I tried this recipe and wasn’t very impressed. The taste was fine and I was able to alter it using cumin, but the texture was horrendous. It was grainy felt like gritz. Would recommend using other spices to enhance flavor.

    1. It sounds like your cheese sauce “broke” which is what makes it have a grainy texture instead of staying smooth. That can sometimes happen when the sauce gets too much heat. A little garlic powder will give the flavor more oomph, and you may just need a pinch more salt. Sometimes a pinch of salt can go a long way towards making flavors pop.

  5. I made this tonight! It’s wonderful! The only thing I did was substitute the chili powder for about a fourth of a cup of medium chunky salsa! It turned out delicious and I made some homemade tortilla chips to go with it!

  6. i might have to save and try this. i want to try and have some veggie fries instead of a poutine(very canadian i know) and the best part not a ton of ingredients or onions(im allergic to raw and cooked in some varieties) so this is good.

  7. It was a really great base. I added salt and pepper to the melted butter and flour, added 1/4 cup salsa verde after the cheese had melted, and 2 tablespoons diced pickled jalapeรฑos. It’s our new favorite appetizer!

    1. Pepper Jack also melts really well (apparently Monterey Jack is just young cheddar?), so I think it would work just as well.

    1. probably because it made of REAL ingredients instead of just shoving BS into your mouth like you usually do

      1. Coming from the person making their food off of “Budgetbytes.” I’d be embarrassed if anyone made this for more than themselves. I’m sorry, but you don’t know anything about food if you think this is good

    2. Sounds to me you didn’t season the nacho cheese sauce according to taste!!! DUH!!!!

    1. Unfortunately mozzarella is much more stringy when melted, so you probably won’t get a nice smooth sauce like you would with cheddar.

  8. I think it should be two tea spoons of flour and not two tbsp.
    I made it with two tbsp of flour and it became so thick and tasted like flour.
    Not a good portion.

    1. It’s tbsp – always equal butter to flour ration. You need to cook the butter/flour for about a minute before adding the milk.