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This quick and easy homemade Cheese Sauce Recipe is perfectly melty, flavorful, and delicious. Made with six simple ingredients and ready in less than 15 minutes, serve it with crispy tortilla chips, pillowy pretzel bites, or poured over steamed veggies like broccoli.
Cheese Sauce for Nachos and Broccoli
Screw popcorn. Who else orders cheese sauce with tortilla chips when they go to the movie theater? Gooey, addictive, salty cheese sauce and an ice-cold soda are about as good as it gets. Unfortunately, movie theater molten cheese is engineered to taste delicious using questionable ingredients. An occasional indulgence is one thing, but what if you wanted it more than just occasionally? Well, that’s what homemade cheese sauce is for!
This homemade version is just as silky-smooth and creamy, with the perfect consistency for dipping or pouring. But it’s made with all-natural, super simple ingredients: milk, butter, all-purpose flour, cheddar cheese, cumin, and paprika. It’s the perfect gooey cheese sauce recipe for transforming impossibly dull broccoli into a side dish everyone will enjoy, and it’s my go-to for entertaining and movie nights at home.
What You’ll Need to Make Homemade Cheese Sauce
Below are the key ingredients needed to make homemade cheese sauce, plus possible substitutions. You can find the printable recipe with measurements for each ingredient in the recipe card below.
- Roux: A combination of melted butter and all-purpose flour. It is used to thicken the cheese sauce.
- Seasoning: This recipe includes ground cumin, paprika, and salt.
- Whole Milk: You could use evaporated milk or half-and-half if you prefer a creamier sauce. If you use evaporated milk instead of regular milk, use half evaporated milk and half water, as evaporated milk is considerably thicker than regular milk.
- Cheese: We use sharp cheddar cheese to make this recipe, but any freshly shredded melting cheese will work. Popular alternatives include Pepper Jack, Colby Jack, or Monterey Jack cheese.
What Can I Use This Cheese Sauce For?
This homemade cheese sauce recipe can be served as a dip or a sauce. Here are some ideas to get you started.
- Serve it with homemade Pretzel Bites, Fries, or Tater Tots for a crowd-pleasing snack or appetizer.
- Pour it over steamed veggies like broccoli or cauliflower.
- Upgrade bland Baked Potatoes with a generous spoonful or two of this creamy cheese sauce, or use it as a dip for crispy Potato Skins and Breakfast Potatoes.
- Drizzle it over crispy tortilla chips with homemade Taco Meat for an unforgettable platter of loaded nachos.
How to Make Cheese Sauce: Step-By-Step Instructions
1. Make the roux. Melt the butter in a medium pot or saucepan set over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the flour, whisking continuously until the flour has fully absorbed the butter, creating a thick paste. Continue mixing for about two minutes until the mixture is smooth and thickened, then add the salt, cumin, and smoked paprika, mixing well.
2. Slowly add the milk. Whisking continuously, slowly add the milk. Mix well to incorporate the milk with the roux, then heat, stirring often to prevent scorching, until the milk bubbles. Bring to a gentle simmer, but do not boil.
3. Simmer. Reduce the heat to medium-low (or lower) and continue to simmer, stirring continuously, for 6-8 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
4. Add the cheese. Reduce the heat to low, then add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring well between each addition, then immediately remove from heat
5. Season and serve. Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste. Best served immediately.
Tips for the Smoothest Cheese Sauce
For the smoothest, creamiest cheese sauce recipe, follow the tips below:
- Add the milk slowly. Adding the milk to the roux in a slow, steady stream while stirring continuously is the first step in preventing a clumpy sauce.
- Shred your cheese. Freshly shredded cheese directly from a block will always produce silkier cheese when melted.
- Add the cheese over low heat. Adding the cheese all at once over high heat can cause it to seize and become grainy. Instead, gradually add the cheese, allowing it to melt before adding the next addition.
Storage and Reheating
Full disclosure: homemade cheese sauce tastes best just after cooking. If you have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (freezing is not recommended). Reheat gently over low heat on the stovetop or in 15-second increments in the microwave, stirring well between each, until the cheese is runny to your liking.
If you love this warm and gooey cheese sauce recipe, be sure to check out my Velveeta Cheese Dip with Sausage, Rotel Dip, and Beer Cheese Recipe!
Cheese Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon salted butter
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon ground cumin, optional
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika, optional
- 2 cups whole milk
- 3 cups freshly shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium pot or saucepan set over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, add the flour, whisking continuously until the flour has fully absorbed the butter, creating a thick paste. Continue mixing for about two minutes until the mixture is smooth and thickened, then add the salt, cumin, and smoked paprika, mixing well.
- Whisking continuously, slowly add the milk. Mix well to incorporate the milk with the roux, then heat, stirring often to prevent scorching, until the milk bubbles. Bring to a gentle simmer, but do not boil.
- Reduce the heat to medium-low (or lower) and continue to simmer, stirring continuously, for 6-8 minutes or until the sauce is thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Reduce the heat to low, then add the cheese a handful at a time, stirring well between each addition, then immediately remove from heat.
- Season with additional salt and black pepper to taste. Best served immediately.
Notes
- Store leftovers in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days (freezing is not recommended). Reheat gently over low heat on the stovetop or in 15-second increments in the microwave, stirring well between each, until the cheese is runny to your liking.
- This recipe makes approximately 4 cups.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
