Whenever I’m in need of a serious pick-me-up, I make this homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe, and all feels right with the world again. It’s perfect for those “Ugh, I give up. Just give me some chips and nacho cheese.” moments. Or when you need something quick for New Year’s Eve or a last-minute potluck. This easy recipe is creamy, cheesy, and made with simple pantry staples (meaning it’s also super budget-friendly!). And because it’s ready in just 5 minutes, it ALWAYS comes in clutch for when those cravings strike. Don’t judge. Nacho cheese dip is powerful stuff. ;)
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”This was the best recipe I’ve read in a long time, it instructs clearly and concisely while also providing the reason for each instruction. Easy to follow and even better tasted delicious! Thanks for making my nachos better!”
Sean
NO Processed Cheese, Please
Rather than going totally off the deep end and buying a gelatinous block of Velveeta, I decided to try to make the nacho cheese sauce myself, with real, simple ingredients. To my surprise (and probably to my detriment), this homemade nacho cheese recipe made with real cheddar cheese is extremely fast and easy to make.
Recipe Success Tips
- Use medium cheddar cheese. I much prefer the taste and texture of medium cheddar in this 5 minute nacho cheese sauce. Sharp cheddar tends to “break” or become grainy easier than medium cheddar.
- If possible, buy a block of cheese and shred it yourself. Pre-shredded cheeses have anti-caking agents on them that can affect the melt and make your sauce gritty.
- Melt a little butter and mix in some flour to create a thickening paste (a roux) to help thicken your cheese sauce. Make sure to cook the flour in the butter for one minute. This helps cook out the “floury” flavor. New to cheese sauce? Try making our no-roux Easy Cheese Sauce that melts together smoothly in minutes and is absolutely fool-proof!
- Adjust the seasonings to your taste and spice preferences. The amount of chili powder I’ve listed is just enough to give it a little kick but not too much heat.
- Remove the pot from the heat before stirring in the cheese. Overheating the sauce once the cheese has been added can cause the sauce to seize up and become thick and/or grainy. If needed, use only low heat to help the cheese fully melt.
- Add one handful of cheese at a time, stirring until fully melted before adding more. This also helps the sauce stay smooth and creamy and keeps the cheese from clumping or turning grainy.
5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce
Cost $2.78 recipe / $0.46 serving
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp butter (28g, $0.28)
- 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour (15g, $0.02)
- 1 cup whole milk (8 fl oz., 237ml, $0.19)
- 6 oz. medium cheddar (shredded, (170g, about 1.5 cups) $2.25)
- ¼ tsp salt (about 0.6g, $0.02)
- ¼ tsp chili powder (about 0.5g, $0.02)
Video
Instructions
- Add the butter and flour to a small sauce pot. Heat and whisk the butter and flour together until they become bubbly and foamy. Continue to cook and whisk the bubbly mixture for about 60 seconds.
- Whisk the milk into the flour and butter mixture. Turn the heat up slightly and allow the milk to come to a simmer while whisking. When it reaches a simmer, the mixture will thicken. Once it’s thick enough to coat a spoon, turn off the heat.
- Stir in the shredded cheddar, one handful at a time, until melted into the sauce. If needed, place the pot over a low flame to help the cheese melt. Do not overheat the cheese sauce.
- Once all the cheese is melted into the sauce, stir in the salt and chili powder. Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed. If the sauce becomes too thick, simply whisk in an additional splash of milk.*
See how we calculate recipe costs here.
Equipment
- Small Sauce Pot
Notes
Nutrition
Have you tried this recipe?Mention @budgetbytes or tag #budgetbytes on Instagram!How to Make Nacho Cheese – Step by Step Photos
Make a roux: Start by placing 2 Tbsp butter and 2 Tbsp flour in a small saucepot.
Heat the flour and butter over medium flame and whisk together until they become bubbly and foamy. Continue whisking for about 60 seconds. This mixture is called a “roux” and is what will thicken your sauce. Letting the roux cook for about 60 seconds slightly toasts the flour and gets rid of that raw floury flavor, but you want it to stay “blonde”, so if it begins to brown, remove it from the heat.
Add milk: Whisk in one cup of whole milk. Turn the heat up slightly and let it come to a simmer (whisking frequently). Because the small volume, it should come to a simmer very quickly (about a minute).
When it reaches a simmer, the milk will thicken. When it’s thick enough to coat a spoon like in the photo, turn off the heat.
Add cheese: Whisk in 6oz. (or about 1.5 cups) shredded medium cheddar, one hand full at a time, until it is melted into the sauce. If needed, put the pot back over a low flame to help it melt, but the residual heat should do most of the work.
Finally, season the nacho cheese sauce with 1/4 tsp salt and 1/4 tsp chili powder.
Taste the nacho cheese sauce and adjust the seasonings if needed. And that’s it! Now you have a real ingredient, really delicious, homemade nacho cheese dip.
This post either just ruined your life or made your day. Or maybe both.
Spice it Up!
The nacho cheese recipe above is the very basic version of nacho cheese, which you can customize or embellish in many different ways. If you like a bolder sauce, here are some tried-and-true ideas from myself and our readers:
- Swap half of the cheddar for pepper jack to add a little spice
- Stir in a 4 oz. can of diced green chiles or drained Rotel tomatoes
- Add pickled jalapeños or a splash of jalapeño brine for tang and heat
- Boost the seasoning with garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, cumin, chili powder, or cayenne to taste
- Use taco seasoning instead of chili powder for an all-in-one flavor upgrade
- Finish with fresh cilantro, diced tomatoes, or green onions for freshness
- A squeeze of lime juice, a dash of hot sauce or buffalo sauce, or even a tiny bit of Dijon mustard can add depth
- Adjust the thickness with milk, a splash of broth, or even a little pickle juice, which several readers loved
Serving Suggestions
I love serving this sauce with baked tortilla chips (or air-fried tortilla chips) for easy dipping, but it’s also good drizzled over a big tray of nachos, with chicken nachos being a personal favorite around here. It also makes an amazing dip for French fries or soft pretzel bites, and I sometimes add a spoonful of pico de gallo on top for a fresh contrast. It’s one of those sauces that works for everything from casual snacking to potlucks and game nights IMHO!
Storage & Reheating
I’ll be honest, I find this cheese sauce is best served and eaten fresh. Leftovers aren’t quite as good in my opinion. If possible, only make as much as you plan to eat in one sitting.
That said, some readers have reheated theirs and still enjoyed it. If you do have leftovers, store them in an airtight container in the fridge for no longer than 3 to 4 days. Reheat low and slow on the stovetop, stirring often. If it thickens up, add a splash of milk and really mix it well until the sauce is smooth and creamy again.
More Party Appetizers
This homemade nacho cheese sauce was originally published 2/8/16. We updated and republished it 12/27/24.
Very easy and outstanding recipe. Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe.
Excellent! Easy and good
How does it do heated up the day after?
I would recommend enjoying this one same day, but If you try it be sure to add a splash of milk to help bring it back together.
I just made this and will be making it again. Thank you for making it possible to change the serving size so I didn’t have to do math, I always get at least 1 ingredient measured wrong. I love your directions for the roux, I was wondering if it was bubbly or foaming yet and decided to give it more time since it wasn’t darkening, when the bubbling and foaming happened it was very exciting (I might need to get out more).
Can I use 1% milk instead? Can I substitute with other cheeses? Thank you
You could sub other cheeses as long as you shred it yourself! I would recommend keeping the whole milk though as it might be a bit watery with 1%.
a decent base, needs a lot more. this also made a much too thick sauce for me? so i thinned it with milk, a splash of chicken broth, and a little bit of pickle juice. altogether i added a lot more (garlic, onion, paprika, more chili powder, cheyenne, cilantro, a little bit of lime, sour cream, and a teaspoon of dijon mustard) and made a supper out of it with ground beef. but even just as a normal sauce it needs more seasoning. thank you for the base though.
tastes exactly like the nachos at the football stadium
Added some tomatoes, onion, cilantro at the end, turned out great with chips. Also added refried beans and had with chips, better. Used the rest to make bean and beef burritos with some vegs, sour cream & tacobell sauce 👍
it doesn’t taste nice at all
we might add it to macaroni… see how it goes
Mine turned out grainy not creamy :(
Good recipe but I definitely messed up along the lines, my cheese is basically jello, but I’ll try again lol! Thanks for sharing this recipe!
Made it but browned the roux on accident used 2% milk used 2 cups of colby jack cheese added different seasoning to it once it was finished will be making this again
looks good
Good sauce if you do it correctly. It is important to let the flour cook like she says. I added a bit of jalapeno brine and a couple of pickled jalapenos. Used it for nachos.