Easy Cheese Sauce

Easy Cheese Sauce in just 5 minutes from scratch! Spoon it over nachos, vegetables, baked potatoes, cheese fries or mac and cheese!

I wouldn’t be so bold as to say a good cheese sauce can solve any problem, but it certainly does make almost everything coming out of the kitchen better. Way better. 

Just 5 minutes and 4 simple ingredients you probably already have on hand and you’re on your way to game-changing homemade cheese sauce for fries, nachos, vegetables and lots more.

Once you try this warm gooey sauce, you’ll see just how simple it is and will never buy that stuff in a jar again. It whips up in just 5 minutes with 4 simple, grocery store ingredients and makes the best topping or even mac and cheese.

Any frozen potatoes (think tater tots) become practically gourmet with this sauce.

What kind of cheese should i use?

There are many options (sharp cheddar being my go-to), but here are a few others to get you started:

• Sharp Cheddar for vegetables, a dipping sauce for pretzel bites, or cheese fries
• Gouda cheese sauce for a more adult macaroni and cheese.
• Pepper Jack for spooning over nachos along with this 5 minute Blender Salsa
• Swiss Cheese for any dishes that use ham for a classic combination

what’s in this cheese sauce?

• butter
• flour
• milk (2% used, can use whole milk; skim not recommended)
• brick of cheese

why grate my own cheese?

I highly recommend grating your own cheese for a few reasons:

• It melts like a champ!
• You get more cheese for your hard earned dollar.
• It tastes better!
• You can consider it your upper body workout without judgement.

how to make cheese sauce:

Gather all the ingredients ahead of time because the sauce comes together really quickly. If you’re using it over Air Fryer Roasted Broccoli, you can make this cheese sauce in less time than it takes to air fry the broccoli (8 minutes in case you’re wondering).

Grate the cheese, then make the roux – a butter-flour blend that thickens the sauce. 

In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium to medium-low heat, then sprinkle the flour over the top and whisk until smooth. 

Pour in the milk and season with salt then continue whisking constantly until the milk and flour mixture are combined. Increase the heat, bring to a full boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the white sauce thickens.

Remove the pan from the heat (overheating may cause the sauce to be too thick or grainy) then slowly add the cheese, gently stirring until it’s melted and the sauce is smooth and silky.

Taste and adjust salt as you like then eat right away. If your sauce is too thick, add a splash of milk and stir.

Enjoy!

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Easy Cheese Sauce

Easy 5 minute Cheese Sauce from scratch! Spoon it over vegetables, nachos, baked potatoes, french fries and add pasta for mac and cheese!

Print Pin Rate

Course: Appetizer, sauce

Cuisine: American

Keyword: cheese sauce, nacho cheese sauce, cheese sauce for fries

Cook Time: 5 minutes

Servings: 4

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon butter
• 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
• 1/2 cup milk 2% used - skim not recommended
• 4 ounces sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated
• 1/4 teaspoon salt or to taste

Instructions

• Grate the cheese then set aside.
• In a medium saucepan, melt the butter then sprinkle the flour over the top. Whisk until smooth.
• Pour in the milk and salt, whisking constantly until the milk and flour mixture are combined. Increase the heat, bring to a full boil then reduce the heat and simmer until the sauce thickens.
• Remove the pan from the heat then add the cheese, gently stirring until the cheese is melted and the sauce is silky. Taste and adjust for salt then eat right away.