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.
Servings: 6 People
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!
Notes
1. To Cook On An Aga - Use the simmering plate to cook your nacho cheese sauce.
2. Cheese - It's key to use melty cheeses so your nacho cheese has the perfect smooth texture. American cheese (burger slices) helps emulsify the sauce & a sharp cheese like cheddar or Monterey Jack adds flavour.
3. Picked Jalapeño Juice - Adding a small amount of pickled jalapeño juice adds a subtle hit of spice & the acidity helps cut through the richness & creaminess from the cheese. Feel free to leave this out if you'd prefer or replace it with apple cider vinegar or half the amount of lime juice.
4. Mustard - Mustard works really well with cheese & adds some tanginess to the nacho cheese sauce. I used French's mustard but Dijon will work for a sharper flavour.
5. Storage & Reheating - Once made, it's best to serve your nacho cheese sauce whilst it's still warm as it will start to firm up slightly as it cools down. Cold nacho cheese sauce will keep in the fridge for up to 3 days & should be reheated in a pan over a low heat.