Need a gooey sauce for dipping? Try this easy Cheese Sauce recipe! It’s lusciously smooth and creamy, ideal for draping over broccoli spears or pooling on top of fries. Even better: it’s so simple to whip up! It takes just a few minutes and requires a handful of ingredients. But if you’ve ever worked with melted cheese: you’ll know there are a few tricks to working with this magical golden drizzle. Here’s what to know about cheese sauce!
Ingredients for this cheese sauce recipe
You’ll need just a handful of ingredients to make a lusciously smooth cheese sauce at home! Homemade cheese sauce can be notoriously grainy or chunky. Here’s what you’ll need for this recipe:
FlourButterMilkCheddar cheese, in a block preferrableOnion powder, garlic powder and kosher saltApple cider vinegar (or red wine or white wine vinegar)Hot sauce (optional)
Tips for the best cheese sauce
Why do you need block cheese for a cheese sauce? What does vinegar do: is it really necessary? Using these ingredients is key to cooking up a smooth sauce at home. Here are a few tips for the best cheese sauce:
Use block cheese if possible. Bags of shredded cheese have additives that can make it come out grainy. If you can, shred your own cheese off a block.Vinegar makes a glossy finish. It makes for a glossy sheen to the sauce and rounds out the flavors.Hot sauce is optional but delicious. Use 1 teaspoon and it gives a subtle complexity without much heat. Add more to taste if you’d like some heat!
How to make cheese sauce
There are two parts to making a cheese sauce: making the roux and melting the cheese. A “roux” is a mix of equal parts flour and butter cooked together that’s used to thicken sauces. This provides the stretchy body and glossy texture to the sauce. (You can make it without a roux too, like our Easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce, it just has a different texture.) For the best sauce, making a roux is where it’s at. Here’s the basic process:
Measure out all the ingredients first. The cooking process goes quickly, so you don’t want to have to stop to measure an ingredient.Add flour and whisk constantly. This part is important. The flour can overcook in an instant, turning a brown color. Only cook it until it’s golden.Whisk in the milk gradually. Add just a little milk, then whisk it in. Continue adding little bits until the sauce is smooth. Cook 2 to 3 minutes. Use low heat and add the cheese gradually. You’ll want to add a handful of cheese, then whisk it in until it’s smooth and then add another handful.
Make it into nacho cheese
Want to make this cheese sauce into nacho cheese? It’s simple: just add 2 teaspoons Cholula at the end with the vinegar. It adds the best zingy flavor and makes it taste just like store-bought nacho cheese…but even better. Or, go to our Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe, which is made with evaporated milk. More on that below!
Leftover storage / reheating
Got extra sauce, or want to make it in advance? Cheese sauces made with butter and flour don’t reheat well: the sauce is not nearly as creamy and stretchy as on the day it is made. (Trust us, we’ve tried it!) For that reason, we recommend consuming most of it the day it’s made! Or, you can try this alternative method below.
Alternative method: evaporated milk cheese sauce
An alternative to the standard flour and butter cheese sauce is using evaporated milk instead! Evaporated milk is fresh milk where about 60% of the water has been removed, which makes it very thick. It’s also known as unsweetened condensed milk. Why use evaporated milk in a cheese sauce?
Evaporated milk makes a thick, creamy and stretchy sauce. The texture is a bit more glossy and gooey than a butter and flour sauce.A cheese sauce made with evaporated milk can be refrigerated and reheated. A standard cheese sauce splits when you try to reheat it. A cheese sauce with evaporated milk is ideal for keeping in the fridge, then you can microwave and eat what you’d like and re-refrigerate.How to make it? Go to this Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe and omit the hot sauce to make it a classic cheese sauce.
Ways to use cheese sauce: broccoli, fries, chips and more
There are so many ways to use cheese sauce! While we originally created it for cheese fries, we love it for brocolli, veggies, and of course as a nacho cheese. Here are some ideas on how to use it:
Broccoli: Add it to Sauteed Broccoli, Steamed Broccoli or Pan Fried BroccoliCauliflower: Drizzle over Steamed Cauliflower or Perfect Roasted CauliflowerFries: Make Chili Cheese Fries or Cheese FriesChips: Make the Nacho Cheese variation and serve with chipsMac and cheese: Add a bit more milk and serve with 8 ounces pasta.
This cheese sauce recipe is…
Vegetarian. For gluten-free, use gluten-free flour. 5 from 1 review
1 tablespoon flour* 1 tablespoon butter ¾ cup milk 6 ounces mild to medium cheddar cheese**, grated (1 ½ cups) ⅛ teaspoon onion powder ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar Optional: 1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce
Cheese sauce with evaporated milk (works for leftovers)***
Go to Nacho Cheese Sauce and omit the hot sauce
**Avoid using an aged cheddar: the flavor is much too strong. ***The Nacho Cheese recipe is a cheese sauce made with evaporated milk, which has an even creamier texture and holds up as leftovers for up to 1 week. It’s easy to reheat on the stove or in the microwave.
