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Homemade Cheese Sauce is versatile, kid friendly and tastes great on everything from broccoli to bread. This may be the best cheese sauce ever!
If you are looking for a great cheesy appetizer, try Mozzarella Sticks. Or, make Pretzel bites to dip into this amazing homemade cheese sauce.
Homemade Cheese Sauce
Homemade cheese sauce has a perfectly creamy texture and mild seasonings your family will love! The flavors are gentle enough that kids will go crazy over it, but it can also very easily be spiced up for a more vibrant sauce that can liven up nachos like my beefy enchilada nachos. It is soo good you will be pouring this cheese on everything!
This made from scratch sauce is so much better than the processed version from the grocery store. This is the most amazing sauce and it is ready in minutes! Since it is so quick and easy to whip up, it is great for an afternoon snack for hungry kids to enjoy with chips or pretzel bites or to smother veggies like broccoli or cauliflower. This is a must have recipe that is uncomplicated and easy to make, but will be a huge hit!
Easy Ingredients for Creamy Cheese Sauce:
With just 4 simple and familiar ingredients, you can make a cheese sauce that is so tasty you will want to drizzle it on everything! Basic ingredients you most likely already have in your pantry and fridge will combine easily and make a creamy sauce everyone will enjoy.
- Butter: Gives the sauce rich flavor.
- Flour: Thickens the sauce.
- Milk: Thins the sauce out a bit and adds sweet flavor.
- Sharp cheddar cheese: Freshly grated cheese will melt better and give a stronger flavor than the coated shredded cheese you can buy in a bag at the store.
How Do You Make Cheese Sauce From Scratch?
This homemade cheese sauce is ready to enjoy in almost no time because the recipe is so simple. It uses well known ingredients that are easy to work with and prepare. You will be so glad you have this recipe in your collection!
- Melt butter: In a medium size sauce pan over medium high heat, then add the butter and melt.
- Whisk: Now add in the flour to the butter, then slowly whisk in the milk. Next, add in the cheese. Continue to mix until the cheese is melted.
- Serve!
The Recipe Critic Pro Tip:
Your cheese will start to get clumpy or stringy if it gets too hot. To avoid this, add the cheese end at the very end, then promptly remove it from the heat.
Variations:
This may be one of the most versatile family favorite recipes that you will ever make! It literally goes with anything. Here are some amazing ideas on how to use this savory cheese sauce with your next meal.
- What to serve with Cheese sauce: Pretzel bites, Cauliflower fritters, Sheet Pan Nachos, rice, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, or even roast beef sandwiches.
- What cheese works best: Use a mix of cheeses and change them up depending on how you plan to use this savory cheese sauce. For example, swiss and Gruyère are great cheeses that will melt easily and create a perfectly smooth and creamy dip for bread. Whereas, montery Jack would work very well with a Mexican dish like nachos or enchiladas. Or use half cheddar and half parmesan for a homemade macaroni and cheese.
- How to make a spicy cheese sauce: If you prefer a spicier cheese, try adding hot sauce, chili peppers, or cayenne pepper. Rotel diced tomatoes and green chilies would also make great additions if you are making Queso Burgers.
Storing Cheese Sauce:
If you want to make this yummy cheese sauce ahead, or you are in the rare position of having leftovers, this cheese sauce stores well and is easy to heat and use again. You will need to keep your cheese sauce in a sealed container. It will keep it in the refrigerator for up to 2 days. To reheat it, microwave it for 30 seconds then stir and repeat until it is heated throughout.
More Cheesy Recipes:
- The Best Broccoli Cheese Soup
- Three Cheese Zucchini Au Gratin
- Slow Cooker Cheesy Bacon Ranch Potatoes
- Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Slow Cooker Chicken Cordon Bleu
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Homemade Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons Butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk
- 2 cups sharp cheddar cheese freshly grated
Instructions
- In a medium size sauce pan over medium high heat, add the butter and melt. Whisk in the flour and slowly whisk in the milk. Add in the cheese and mix until cheese is melted and serve.
Video
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Good base. I add a few cracks of sea salt, a teaspoon of paprika, and a tablespoon of mustard.
Very good. So easy. Thank you. I followed it exactly as you said. 😁
Great recipe;I put hard boiled egg slices on toast then topped it with your sauce; delicious !
Thank you, I’m so glad yo liked it! That sounds amazing, I’ll have to try it! My favorite way to enjoy this sauce is with my baked soft pretzels. I’m drooling just thinking about it!
Can you chill this and warm back up for later and if so is there anything special that needs to be done to reheat it?
Thank you for your question! You can refrigerate and reheat it with no issue! I would just gradually reheat so it doesn’t boil in some areas. ie. 30 sec in the microwave, stir, 30 sec, stir. Or on low heat stirring continually. I hope that helps!
Should I warm the milk before adding it to the pan? Thanks!
It would be nice to have a printed recipe with amounts
Hi Glenna! If you click on ‘jump to recipe’ at the top of the page it will take you to the printable recipe card.
turned out yummy i used a little corn starch and also put parm cheese in it to thicken was really good
I tried to make this, but it was not good! I wish that I could have tried it with all the original recipes but I had to make due with what we had, y’know? I subbed chicken broth for the milk, and corn starch for the flour. We did have blue cheese as well which we added to the provolone we melted. Bummer, the family was looking forward to a delicious cheese sauce, and it tasted horrible!
I don’t think it’s fair you post your opinion on the recipe if you didn’t even follow it. You can not substitute chicken broth for milk. You need a cream base for cheese!! Literally this is the base reciepe for any cheese sauce on the internet and it will taste good if you actually follow it.
Guarantee it’s satire. Exactly to get the reactions it did. But you absolutely can use chicken broth in place of milk. It’s rare but I do so sometimes. Done right, it can be used to make overcooked chicken palatable.
This comment is so funny! Oh my goodness I can’t stop laughing. Its one of the easiest, most delicious cheese sauces. Maybe it would’ve tasted better if you substituted the butter for crisco too.
My dude, you literally didn’t do a single thing the recipe said except use butter. That kind of sounds like a you problem!
Corn starch for flour is actually a decent substitute, I use it often as I’m gluten free. But different cheeses make the sauce taste different and in what universe is chicken broth even CLOSE to milk!?
Sorry, that’s your fault. I really truly hope your comment was satire.
So you’re saying you didn’t make this recipe at all. Why are you commenting on this recipe?
I love a good satire post! Especially when people get up in arms over it.
Creamy, Delicious & Quick to make!! I made it to serve with steamed cauliflower, WOW!! Zero cauliflower leftover, everyone LOVED IT!! I only added a bit of low sodium salt & fresh ground pepper, Fantastic! (It gave me an idea, I will make a cauliflower or broccoli cheese soup with it!!) Thank you!!!
Tasted like raw bread
Suggestions please regarding those of us who must be gluten free?
Replace the flour with a cornstarch slurry to thicken.
Dozens of other sites list a cheese sauce using gluten-free flour and no other changes. Most just substitute 1-to-1 but a few recommend against certain flours. Cheap to experiment with. 1/2 tbsp butter melted (or oil, works the same), same amount as flour, stir in 1/4 water and let it simmer. If it thickens, that flour probably works.
Really good, just needs salt!
Something not quite right,1 cup of milk? And it states it’s for 12 people,that’s not a lot of sauce imo.
The sauce is meant to be used to dip. So with the cups of milk, 2 cups of cheese, and other ingredients, it will serve 10-12 people as an dip to some delicious pretzels or bread!
Very easy to make. Made in one pan.
The cheese sauce is creamy and delicious! I will definitely make this again.
Great recipe but you don’t say when to add milk. It is left out of the recipe. I added it in once the butter and flour had dissolved, and then once it became thick I added the cheese.
tried this with broth as substitute for milk… amazing, i do recommend a slightly diluted broth though