Cheese Sauce

Try this recipe for a smooth and creamy cheese sauce! How to make an easy sauce for broccoli, fries, fries and more.

Need a gooey sauce for dipping? Try it out Cheese sauce recipe! It’s deliciously smooth and creamy, perfect for draping over broccoli wedges or pooling over fries. Even better, it’s so easy to make! It only takes a few minutes and requires a handful of ingredients. But if you’ve ever worked with melted cheese, you know there are a few tricks to working with that magical golden streak. Here’s what you should know about cheese sauce!

Ingredients for this cheese sauce recipe

You only need a handful of ingredients to make a delicious, creamy cheese sauce at home! Homemade cheese sauce can be notoriously grainy or thick. What you need for this recipe:

• Plain Flour
• butter
• milk
• Cheddar cheesepreferably as a whole
• Onion powder, garlic powder and kosher salt
• Apple Cider Vinegar (or red wine vinegar or white wine)
• Hot sauce (Optional)

Tips for the best cheese sauce

Why do you need block cheese for cheese sauce? What is vinegar used for: is it really necessary? Using these ingredients is key to making a smooth sauce at home. Here are some tips for the best cheese sauce:

• If possible, use block cheese. Bags of shredded cheese contain additives that can make it grainy. If you can, grate your own cheese onto a block.
• Vinegar gives a shiny finish. It gives the sauce a brilliant shine and rounds out the flavors.
• The hot sauce is optional but delicious. Use 1 tsp and there’s subtle complexity without too much heat. Add more to taste if you want a little heat!

How to make cheese sauce

The preparation of a cheese sauce consists of two steps: the preparation of the Ginger and melt the cheese. A roux is a mixture of equal parts flour and butter cooked together and used to thicken sauces. This gives the sauce its stretchy body and glossy texture. (You can also make it without the roux, like our Easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce, it just has a different texture.) For the best sauce, making a roux is just the ticket. Here is the basic process:

• First measure out all the ingredients. The cooking process is fast so you don’t have to stop to measure an ingredient.
• Add the flour and stir constantly. This part is important. Flour can overcook and turn brown in no time. Cook it just until golden brown.
• Gradually add the milk. Just add a little milk and then whisk it. Keep adding small pieces until the sauce is smooth. Cook for 2 to 3 minutes.
• Bring to the boil and gradually add the cheese. You should add a handful of cheese, then stir until smooth, then add another handful.

Turn it into nacho cheese

Want to turn that cheese sauce into nacho cheese? It’s easy, just add 2 teaspoons of cholula at the end with the vinegar. It adds the best savory flavor and makes it taste like store-bought nacho cheese…but even better. Or head over to our Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe, which is made with condensed milk. More on that below!

Storage / reheating of leftovers

Do you have extra sauce or want to make it? Cheese sauces made with butter and flour don’t reheat well: the sauce won’t be as creamy and melt-in-the-mouth as it was the day it was made. (Trust us, we’ve tried it!) For this reason, we recommend consuming most of it on the day it’s made! Or you can try this alternative method below.

Alternate method: condensed milk cheese sauce

An alternative to the standard flour, butter and cheese sauce is to use condensed milk In place! Evaporated milk is fresh milk that has about 60% of the water removed, making it very thick. Also known as unsweetened condensed milk. Why use condensed milk in cheese sauce?

• Evaporated milk makes a thick, creamy, and stretchy sauce. The texture is a bit shinier and stickier than a butter and flour sauce.
• Cheese sauce made from condensed milk can be refrigerated and reheated. A regular cheese sauce will tear open if you try to reheat it. A cheese sauce made with condensed milk is great for storing in the fridge, then you can microwave it and eat whatever you want, and chill again.
• How it goes? Head over to this nacho cheese sauce recipe and omit the hot sauce for a classic cheese sauce.

Cheese Sauce Uses: Broccoli, chips, fries and more

There are so many ways to use cheese sauce! Although we originally created it for cheese fries, we love it on broccoli, veggies, and of course, as nacho cheese. Here are some ideas on how to use it:

This cheese sauce recipe is…

Vegetarian. For gluten free use gluten free flour.