Homemade Cheese Sauce – easy recipe – 4 ingredients and 10 minutes (NO Velveeta!). Great for nachos, cheese fries, mac and cheese or drizzle over vegetables.
This easy Homemade Cheese Sauce may be the best tool in my kitchen arsenal. No joke. It perks up any vegetable – especially a baked potato, makes killer stadium style nachos (without processed cheese) or tossing with pasta for the ultimate Mac and Cheese.
It whips up in less than 10 minutes from simple grocery store ingredients. If you’re a cheese lover like I am, I strongly urge you to give it a try.
Why I make this Homemade Cheese Sauce all the time:
- Easy, 4 ingredients and takes just 10 minutes.
- Tastes way better than the stuff in the jar.
- Ingredients I can identify and pronounce.
- Makes so many food taste even better.
Ingredients needed to make Homemade Cheese Sauce:
- Butter
- All purpose flour
- Evaporated milk (canned)
- Freshly shredded cheese
What kind of cheese is best for Cheese Sauce?
There’s no one best cheese to use for a cheese sauce. That said, use a good melty cheese:
- sharp cheddar: best for vegetables, dipping pretzels or cheese fries
- pepper jack: use for spicy nacho cheese sauce
- smoked gouda: great for adult mac and cheese, dips for parties
- monterey jack or swiss: good with any recipe involving ham
- a blend of any of these
The key to a smooth, decadent cheese sauce is grating or shredding your own cheese. Pre-shredded or pre-grated cheese contains additives that keep it from melting into the into the creamy sauce we crave.
How to make a very simple Cheese Sauce:
- Grate cheese and set aside.
- Melt butter in a medium sauce pan than sprinkle flour over the top. Whisk until smooth. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute.
- Stir in evaporated milk. Season with salt and black pepper to taste (my preference is 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon black pepper). Increase heat to medium, continue whisking 2 minutes letting it thicken.
- Remove from heat and add cheese a little at a time, stirring until ilt melts completely. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve right away or transfer to a slow cooker on ‘warm’ setting.
Tips for the best Homemade Cheese Sauce:
- Shred or grate cheese from a block. Avoid pre-packaged cheeses. They don’t melt as well.
- Gather and prep ingredients before you start. This cheese sauce comes together fast.
- Evaporated milk recommended for a creamier, more decadent sauce.
Subs, variations and flavor boosters:
- cayenne pepper
- a dash or two of hot sauce
- diced pickled jalapenos
- a splash of jalapeno brine (from the jar)
- garlic powder
Cheese Sauce for Fries:
I love a good French Fry and this Cheese Sauce makes the perfect dip for fries – homemade or frozen.
Creamy, cheesy and dipable. Give it a try next time you’re making fries.
Other ways to use Homemade Cheese Sauce:
- Drizzle over steamed broccoli
- Spice it up for stadium-worthy nachos
- Dip for French Fries, pretzels or breadsticks
- Blend with pasta for Mac and Cheese
Storage and reheating:
Cool to room temperature Store in an airtight container in the fridge up to 3 days. Reheat in the microwave or stove top. Add a splash of any kind of milk to restore creamy texture.
More Homemade Cheese Sauce Recipes:
Slow Cooker Nacho Cheese Sauce – easy, dump-and-go queso perfect for game day or any gathering. No Velveeta, stays smooth and creamy until you bottom it out.
Flourless Cheese Sauce – gluten free and no Velveeta. Perfect for nachos, topping vegetables, French Fries and more!
Chili’s copycat Queso Dip – creamy, meaty and packed with all the delicious spicy flavor of Chili’s Skillet Cheese Sauce.
Cowboy Queso – the ultimate cheese dip -with chorizo sausage, black beans, corn, tomatoes and cilantro. Stovetop or slow cooker – this is my family’s most requested appetizer.
Enjoy!
Did you make this recipe?
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Best Homemade Cheese Sauce
Equipment
- box grater or other style to grate/shred cheese
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 12 ounce can evaporated milk not condensed milk
- 8 ounces sharp cheddar cheese block freshly grated
- 1/4 teaspoon salt or more to taste
Instructions
- Grate the cheese and set aside.
- Melt butter in a medium sauce pan than sprinkle flour over the top. Whisk until smooth. Reduce heat and simmer 1 minute.
- Stir in evaporated milk. Season with salt and black pepper to taste (I start with 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/4 teaspoon pepper). Increase heat to medium, continue whisking 2 minutes letting it thicken.
- Remove from heat and add cheese a little at a time, stirring until ilt melts completely. Taste and adjust salt as needed. Serve right away or transfer to a slow cooker on ‘warm’ setting.
Notes
- cayenne pepper
- garlic powder
- a dash or two of hot sauce
- diced pickled jalapenos and a splash of jalapeno brine (from the jar) for nacho cheese sauce
This is a fabulous appetizer. Great flavor, a little zing, add a margarita. Bring in the mariachi.
Thanks Ramon! Couldn’t agree more. Easy, cheesy – what else do you need eh?
Perfect. I used lots of Gouda and added cheese spread. Places on stovetop until gouda melted. Very good on schnitzel.
Thank you! — and Yum! I love your variation – can’t go wrong with extra cheese right?! Great idea adding to schnitzel. I appreciate you taking the time to comment. Enjoy the day – Bernie
This is an excellent recipe. My husband loved it, and I loved it too. I highly recommend it.
HI Renee – thank you so much for your kind words – I appreciate! I’m really glad you and your husband both enjoyed the cheese sauce. Thanks for taking the time to comment — Bernie
Made the cheese cause tonight to go over some cauliflower and loved it!! Really rich and added a ton of flavor. Made me actually enjoy eating veggies 🙂 I’ll try this over nachos in the future. AND as an added bonus – I was very worried about the cheese sticking to the pot and having a hard time washing and it came out so easily which always makes the end of a meal even better – love an easy clean up!
Thank you so much Lauren! A good cheese sauce makes almost everything better! Definitely a great addition to nachos – or pretty much anything else 🙂
Loved this! I wanted to do something fun for my boyfriend, so I made some cheese sauce to go with my second attempt at air fryer fries. Both went great!
Mine was a little thick and I had forgotten your advice to add some milk, but neither of us minded because it’s cheese! My boyfriend completely cleaned the bowl! The only change I made was adding a couple splashes of Frank’s Red Hot at the end for a little kick.
Hi Sarah – I’m so glad you and your boyfriend enjoyed the recipe so much! What a fun date night idea. Yum – love the addition of Frank’s for a little kick – sounds delicious! Thanks for taking the time to comment ~ Bernie
Thank you so much Lauren! A good cheese sauce makes almost everything better! Definitely a great addition to nachos – or pretty much anything else . And update for article.
Thanks for stopping by! You’re absolute right – never underestimate a good cheese sauce! – Enjoy the day.
Thank you for this great recipe! It’s our new burger topper and dipping sweet potato fries in it is delicious.
Thank YOU!! Now I have new ways to enjoy the cheese sauce – never tried it on burgers OR sweet potato fries – sounds delicious – will be trying ASAP! – Bernie
Hi there – the recipe is indeed there. You have 2 options: hit the Jump to Recipe button at the top of the post that will immediately take you to the printable recipe card – OR – scroll down to the bottom for the same printable recipe card that contains all of the ingredients, amounts and detailed instructions. Please feel free to adjust your recipe rating to reflect this. Have a nice day. — Bernie
Great base! You can use your favorite melting cheese. I saw one comment that someone used preshredded cheese and I cringed-don’t do it chefs! It won’t melt as well with that coating, I love to see people making this sauce instead of that box fake cheese-so many ingredients that aren’t healthy. I also like to add a bit of Tabasco-not enough that anyone would know it was in there but just enough for bit of flavor! Thanks for sharing!
Hi Susie – thanks so much – so glad you enjoyed the recipe but I really love your tips and (thank you!) reminder NOT to use preshredded cheese!! I’ll have to try the dash of Tabasco next time I make it. I appreciate taking the time to comment – enjoy the day — Bernie
Used this recipe for a small batch of Mac and cheese! I used 3 oz of Gouda and about 1.5 oz of medium cheddar and it was delish! My kids enjoyed it, thank you!!
Hi Aaliyah – thank you! I’m happy you (and your kids!!) enjoyed the recipe. That’s a great cheese flavor combo. Thanks for taking the time to comment — Bernie
Can I make this a few hrs ahead of time
Hi Lela – yes – you can make it ahead of time and store in the fridge. I recommend reheating it on the stove (not micro) in a saucepan over LOW heat. Whisk or stir often until it’s heated through, smooth and creamy.
I made some fried potatoes. Then stir fried ham, red onion, jalapeno and peas. Pored the cheese over the potatoes topped with ham mixture and it was Hugh hit. M family loved the cheese sauce.
Hi Dee – Oh.My.Gosh. — I just can’t — that sounds DELICIOUS! Will definitely be trying your recipe with my next batch of cheese sauce. So happy you and your family loved it. Thanks for making it and sharing your review — have a great day! – Bernie
Can you substitute milk for lactose free
Hi Heidi – that’s a great question. I’ve never subbed lactose-free milk but here’s my thought on it: yes – lactose-free milk should work well using a 1:1 ratio. BUT — look out for some lactose-free milks that are a little sweeter. You may have to balance the flavors with an extra pinch of salt, some dry mustard or a little more cheese to balance the sweetness. Hope this helps. If you make this using lactose-free milk would love your free-back for other readers. — Bernie
I drained a couple of tbsp of salsa and added that for a bit of zing! It’s fabulous either way! Thank you!
Hi Debbie – ooooh great idea! Love that addition – thank YOU! So glad you enjoyed the recipe. — Bernie