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.
Tried this and found the taste ok, but it was WAAAY too thick, even after I added about a whole second cup of milk. I ended up with something about the texture of mashed potatoes, which was tasty but not really what I was looking for. Lol it doesn’t let me rate less than five stars!!
It was ok my family liked it was a bit thick added more cheese and milk
WAY too much flour in this recipe. It was tasteless, and a waste of cheese and effort. Very bland. Didn’t look anything like the pictures. Do not recommend.
Did you season the nacho cheese sauce?
Looks amazing i will try that tonight!!! and i agree that nacho cheese is powerful stuff lol
This made me set my house on fire thanks
Thanks so much for posting this terrific recipe!
Awesome, can’t wait to try it at home. Thank you!
Its ok. Wish i could actually rate this something besides 5 stars but apparently the author isnt appreciative of critiquing. I added sharp cheddar which is a perfect flavor. Author reccommends WAY too much flour, cut it in half if u don’t want a sludge that only tastes like flour. I also appreciate a bit spicier cheese so id go with more chili powder (at least 2x the recommended amount).
Looking to make this in a large quantity for a graduation party…boys want a nacho bar but can’t bring myself to buy the canned stuff. :)
think it would work times 20 and serve from a crock pot?
Honestly I’m not sure. I’ve never tried such a large batch before. Also, make sure you try the smaller batch to make sure you like it first. The reviews are mixed. Some people love it (like I did!), but some people hate it.
I’ll be trying this tonight! I had no clue where to buy nacho cheese for our spicy triple crunch wraps (mock up from taco bell) and so I figured I’d look up if I could make it! Thanks for sharing. I’ll be pinning for later. 😘
So, a thought, can I use this same method of making cheese sauce, without the chili powder, to make sauce for my mac n cheese? I’m always screwing that up, and making it all lumpy and clumpy and I never know what I’ve done wrong!!
Yep, this is exactly the method you’d use for a traditional mac and cheese, but with more milk so that it’s not quite so thick.
Yes i recommend my recipe:
1/2 cup butter
1/4 cup flour
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp pepper
1/4 tsp cayenne pepper (feel free to remove this if you dislike a weak spicy kick)
1/4 tsp garlic granules l
1 cup milk
1 cup half and half
16oz sharp cheddar
16oz pasta
Steps:
1. Melt butter
2. Add flour, mix till smooth
3. Add salt, pepper, cayenne and garlic
4. Gradually stir in milk & half and half
5. Add half of cheddar
6. Add pasta
7. Add remaining cheese
Enjoy!
I think this recipe could be improved upon by adding Jack Daniels. At what step would it be appropriate to add maybe 1-2 oz?
I’ve never tried adding alcohol to a cheese sauce, so I’m not sure what the best method would be.
This is a such a recipe! I substituted whole milk with 2% milk instead and it was delicious
Such a great recipe*
I made it, used 1/2 mild cheddar, 1/4 white american, and 1/4 pepper jack. Turned out okay. Start with the 2 table spoons and 1 table spoon of flour to start, whisk in once the butter melts, once it’s foamy, add the milk and wait for the mixture to combine into a unified liquid, then add about half a tablespoon of flour to thicken, remove from heat. Add grilled jalepenos and red pepper flakes to preference alongside the cheese, wait for it to be melty and put it back on LOW heat(like one or two) and add small amounts of milk if it’s too thick, more cheese if it’s too thin.
This was the perfect simple and cheap rainy day treat! Thanks for relieving my family’s hunger pangs for less than $5.