Nacho Cheese Sauce
The creamiest nacho cheese sauce that only takes 10 minutes to make. This cheese sauce is smooth, packed full of flavour & perfect on nachos & fries, as a dip for tortilla chips & lots more.
This is the perfect nacho cheese sauce. It’s incredibly creamy, perfectly smooth and packed full of flavour. It takes less than 15 minutes to make from start to finish and is made with 2 types of cheese plus a spoonful of mustard and pickled jalapeño brine for the perfect balance of texture & flavour.
Forget ultra processed nacho cheese, this is a homemade version that’s easy to prepare and made with proper ingredients. It tastes so much better! It’s perfect with nachos (of course!) but goes great in burgers, fried chicken sandwiches & loads more. There’s some handy tips & tricks included for the ultimate nacho cheese sauce that’s never grainy, always velvety smooth with the perfect pourable texture.
For more sides & sauce recipes, check out our collection of side dishes! Here you’ll find fries, triple cooked chips, homemade sauces, salads, pickles & lots more.
Ingredients For Nacho Cheese Sauce
Here’s what you’ll need to make a batch of homemade nacho cheese sauce!
- Cheese – To make the best cheese sauce, you’ll need to use a mix of melty cheeses. The best choices are sharp cheddar cheese for flavour & American cheese slices to help emulsify the sauce, giving it the smoothest texture.
- Butter & Flour – This style of sauce is made like a bechamel sauce, with a roux made with butter & plain flour.
- Pickled Jalapeño Juice – A splash of Jalapeño pickling juice adds a touch of spice to this sauce & the acidity from the vinegar cuts through the creaminess from the cheese. Apple cider vinegar or lime juice can be used instead.
- Mustard – Stirring a spoonful of mustard into the sauce adds some tanginess to cut through the rich cheese flavours. I used French’s yellow mustard but for a sharper flavour, use Dijon instead.
- Garlic – Cheese & garlic work incredibly well together & we’re adding in garlic powder for a milder, more subtle flavour that complements the cheese instead of over powering it.
- Cayenne Pepper – A pinch of cayenne pepper seasons thesauce whilst adding a subtle amount of heat.
How To Make Nacho Cheese Sauce (Step By Step)
Homemade nacho cheese sauce is super easy to make and takes less than 15 minutes to make from start to finish.
1. Make A Roux
This cheese sauce is made like a béchamel, so it’s thickened with a roux. To start the sauce, melt butter in a pan set over a medium heat, stir in plain flour then cook out for 1 minute.
2. Add Milk & Cook To Thicken
Once the roux is cooked, gradually whisk in milk letting the sauce thicken up after each addition before adding in more.
When all of the milk has been incorporated, turn the heat down to low then gently cook until thickened up for a final time. The sauce will take around 5 minutes to cook out & should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon when ready.
3. Add Seasoning, Pickle Juice & Mustard
Once the sauce is thick, stir in pickled jalapeño juice, mustard, garlic granules and cayenne pepper then season to taste with sea salt & black pepper.
4. Stir In Cheese To Melt
Next, take the pan of sauce off the heat, add in American cheese slices & grated cheddar then stir to melt. Adding the cheese in off the heat prevents the sauce from splitting & turning grainy.
5. Blend Smooth
A handy trick for making the smoothest nacho cheese sauce is to give it a quick blend with a stick blender once you’ve stirred in the cheese. Once you’ve done this, it’s best to serve your sauce straight away whilst it’s warm!
Serving Suggestions
Homemade nacho cheese sauce is perfect for drizzling over nachos but it’s good with loads of every other things as well!
Spoon it over loaded fries, use it in burgers and fried chicken sandwiches instead of sliced cheese, serve it as a sauce with tortilla chips or use it instead of classic cheese sauce in mac & cheese. I’d highly recommend using it for the mac & cheese filling in my macaroni cheese pulled pork pie!
Tips & Tricks For The Best Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Use American Cheese
Using American cheese helps emulsify the sauce & gives it it’s signature smooth texture & orange colour. - Balance Flavours
To balance out the rich, creamy flavour from the cheese, stir in tangy mustard and jalapeño pickle juice for acidity and a touch of spice. - Grate Your Own Cheese
Pre shredded cheese doesn’t melt very well so it’s best to grate your own cheese, from a block. - Cook Over A Low Heat
To avoid splitting the sauce & making it grainy, it’s best to cook it over a low heat then add the cheese in off the heat. - Season Well
To get the most flavour out of your cheese sauce, season it well with salt, pepper, garlic powder and cayenne.
Troubleshooting Nacho Cheese Sauce
Here’s some common issues people face when making nacho cheese & how to avoid them.
My Cheese Sauce Is Grainy
Cheese sauce will turn grainy if it’s too hot when you add in the cheese. To avoid grainy cheese sauce, take it off the heat before adding in the cheese. Using American cheese also helps emulsify nacho cheese sauce properly.
My Sauce Is Too Thick
If your cheese sauce is too thick, either too much flour was used, too little milk was added in or too much cheese was used. If your cheese sauce is too thick once you’ve added in the cheese, adjust the consistency with some more warm milk. For this sauce, we’re using 40g of flour for the roux, to 500g of milk.
Why Is My Cheese Sauce Too Thin?
If your cheese sauce is too thin, you’ve either added in too much milk or haven’t let the sauce cook out fully. To avoid thin cheese sauce, make sure to weigh out the ingredients accurately & let the sauce cook fully.
Why Did My Cheese Sauce Split?
If your cheese sauce has split & become oily, it either got too hot or too much cheese was added in. To avoid splitting cheese sauce, cook it over a low heat to prevent overheating & don’t add in more cheese than stated in the recipe.
To fix split cheese sauce, take the pan off the heat & whisk in a splash of milk and another slice of American cheese.
Why Is My Sauce Lumpy?
If your nacho cheese sauce is lumpy, the cheese hasn’t melted fully or the roux wasn’t whisked into the sauce properly. To fix lumpy cheese sauce, give it a quick blend with a stick blender. I like to do this anyway, to give my sauce the smoothest texture possible.
Frequently Asked Questions
Commonly asked questions about nacho cheese sauce, answered in detail.
To cook nacho cheese sauce on an Aga, use the simmering plate.
For the best nacho cheese sauce, you’ll need to use a mix of cheeses for the perfect balance between flavour & texture. Using American cheese (burger slices) helps emulsify the sauce whilst a stronger cheese like cheddar or Monterey Jack adds flavour.
This sauce needs to be stored in the fridge & is best eaten within 3 days.
The best way to reheat cheese sauce is by warming it up in a pan over a low heat, stirring frequently. Make sure not to over heat the sauce though as you’ll risk splitting it. Alternatively, nacho cheese sauce can be reheated in the microwave, in 30 second bursts.
It’s best not to freeze nacho cheese sauce as the sauce will most likely separate as it defrosts. If you do freeze your nacho cheese sauce, make sure to reheat it over a low heat whilst whisking frequently. You may need to whisk in a small amount of warm milk to bring the sauce back together.
More Sides & Sauces To Try!
- Irn Bru BBQ Sauce
- Candied Jalapeños (Cowboy Candy)
- Rice Krispie Fried Mozzarella Sticks With Hot Honey
- Cherry Cola Whiskey BBQ Sauce
- Beer Battered Onion Rings With Buttermilk Ranch
- Duck Fat Oven Chips
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Nacho Cheese Sauce
Equipment
- Large Saucepan
- Cheese Grater
- Stick Blender
Ingredients
- 40 g Unsalted Butter
- 40 g Plain Flour
- 500 g Whole Milk
- 1 tbsp Pickled Jalapeño Juice (See Notes)
- 2 tsp French's Mustard (See Notes)
- ½ tsp Garlic Powder
- ¼ tsp Cayenne Pepper
- 200 g American Cheese Slices
- 100 g Cheddar (Medium Cheddar Is Best)
Instructions
- Add the butter into a large saucepan then set over a medium heat & leave to melt, stirring frequently.
- Once the butter has melted, stir in the flour then cook out for a minute, stirring constantly.
- Next, pour in a third of the milk then whisk until smooth. Cook out until thick, whisking/stirring regularly. This will take 2-3 minutes over a medium heat.
- Once thick, add half of the remaining milk into the sauce then continue cooking until it has thickened again. Make sure to whisk the sauce regularly.
- Add the rest of the milk into the sauce, turn the heat down to low then cook for another 4-5 minutes, until thickened up for a final time. The sauce should be thick enough to coat the back of spoon.
- Whilst the sauce is cooking over a low heat, prepare the cheese. To do this, unwrap the cheese slices & grate the cheddar.
- Once the sauce is thick, stir in the jalapeño juice, mustard, garlic powder & cayenne. Season to taste with salt & pepper now as well.
- To finish, take the pan off the heat, add in the cheese then stir to melt. Give the sauce a quick blend with a stick blender then serve whilst it's still warm!
