Go Back
A person pouring Cheddar cheese sauce from a jar into a shallow bowl.
Print Recipe
4.86 / 68 votes

Cheddar Cheese Sauce

This quick and easy cheese sauce recipe is a versatile homemade go-to to stash in your recipe repertoire. Use it to top veggies, burgers, pasta or as a stand-in for nacho cheese sauce. Here's how to make it.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time15 minutes
Course: Condiments
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 95

Ingredients

  • 1 cup whole milk, more, if needed
  • 2 tablespoons (1 oz) unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup grated cheddar cheese
  • 3/4 teaspoon ground cayenne or store-bought or homemade hot sauce, to taste
  • Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
US - Metric

Instructions

  • Heat the milk in a large saucepan over medium heat until small bubbles ring the edge of the pan.
    Milk heating in a saucepan.
  • Meanwhile, melt the butter in another saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the bubbling butter.
    Flour being added to melted butter in a saucepan.
  • Stir constantly until a thick paste, or roux, forms. It may become quite thick and almost paste-like. This is okay. And if it doesn’t become crazy thick, that’s okay, too. Expect this to take 1 to 2 minutes.
    A person melting butter in a saucepan.
  • Constantly whisking, slowly pour the warm milk into the flour and butter mixture in a steady stream.
    Milk being poured into a roux.
  • Continue cooking and whisking until the mixture thickens, 3 to 5 minutes. It should be thick but still spreadable and pourable.
    A person whisking a roux in a saucepan.
  • Stir in the cheese and whisk until completely melted.
    A creamy cheese sauce mixture being stirred in a saucepan.
  • Season with the cayenne or hot sauce and salt and pepper to taste. Whisk until the sauce is smooth.
    Cheese sauce being whisked in a saucepan.
  • If you’re the fussy sort (um, like me), strain the sauce through a sieve to remove any lumps before serving. The sauce will thicken even more upon cooling.
    Cheese sauce being strained through a fine mesh sieve.

Notes

  1. Avoid boiling--When heating the milk, avoid boiling, as this can cause it to curdle. Likewise, don't let the cheese sauce boil after the cheese is added, or your sauce may be grainy.
  2. Storage--Cheese sauce can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
  3. Reheating--Warm the sauce in a small saucepan over low heat until warmed through. Chances are you'll need to add more milk to loosen it up.
 

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 95kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 8g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 24mg | Sodium: 382mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 1g