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This homemade creamy cheese sauce recipe is perfect for dipping veggies, or drizzling over soft pretzels, nachos or fries. You only need four ingredients, plus seasonings, and in less than 10 minutes, you have a yummy cheese sauce!

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Tortilla chip being dipped into melted cheese in a small white bowl.

I have never been a big fan of veggies, but with a little bit of this cheese sauce drizzled on top of broccoli or cauliflower, they taste so much better! And it’s so easy to change up the flavor of the cheese by using cheddar or any combination of cheeses!

WHY I LOVE MAKING THIS

I love making this homemade cheddar cheese sauce because it’s fresh and I can make it with my favorite flavors of cheeses and spices. It’s amazing how many foods can taste even better with melty cheese drizzled on top too. 

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This recipe makes a great sauce for fries, or as a sauce on top of roasted potatoes, tortilla chips, or even veggies. And it only takes a couple of minutes to make this sauce with just a few basic ingredients. 

Looking for easy recipes to use with this cheese sauce? Try air fryer crispy tortilla chips, air fryer pretzel bites, air fryer French fries, or air fryer broccoli

INGREDIENTS

Ingredients measured out on a marble table.
  • unsalted butter
  • all-purpose flour
  • milk or heavy cream
  • shredded cheddar cheese 

OPTIONAL: salt, black pepper, or garlic powder to taste

HOW TO MAKE HOMEMADE CHEESE SAUCE

STEP 1
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter on low to medium heat. Once it’s melted, add the flour and stir together with the butter until a paste forms. Keep it on low heat until it begins to turn a light golden brown color. (This will help cook off the flour taste.)

Paste mixture of flour and butter mixed together in a pan.

STEP 2
Pour the milk into the flour and butter mixture and stir everything together. Keep it on medium heat, continuously stirring. After a minute or two, it will thicken, and become creamy. 

Creamy sauce of butter, flour and milk mixed together in a saucepan.

STEP 3
Next, add in the shredded cheese, a little bit at a time, and continue to stir on medium heat until the cheese melts and has a smooth creamy texture. If the cheese sauce is too thick for you, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until it reaches the consistency you want. 

Shredded cheddar cheese being added to the creamy mixture in a sauce pan.

STEP 4
Add seasonings or sauces, like salt and pepper, or hot sauce or salsa, depending on what type of cheese sauce flavor you want. If you want a little extra spicy, you can add a pinch if chili powder or cayenne pepper.

Creamy cheese sauce being stirred in a sauce pan.

TIPS

I usually love using shortcuts to save time on recipes. But for this recipe, you will want to shred the cheese from a block of cheese for best results.

While you can use pre-shredded cheeses, it has a coating with a starch-like powder on them to help prevent sticking. This coating can make your cheese sauce taste extra flour-like, which is why shredding your own cheese is best.

I add an extra 1/4 cup of milk for a smoother and thinner nacho cheese sauce. I also use the thinner creamy cheese sauce when I make cheese fries or I toss it with cooked pasta.

Use the sauce as a dip, which is great for dipping veggies or these air fryer soft pretzels. 

The cheese will thicken once it cools so keep it in a small crock pot or in an electric saucepan to keep it warm while using it as a dip.

This cheese sauce is perfect for pouring over pasta or for homemade macaroni and cheese. Especially if you like to make mac and cheese with flavors besides cheddar. 

Creamy cheese sauce in a white bowl with chips and soft pretzels on the table.

VARIATIONS

While the classic cheese sauce is delicious, you can add a few simple ingredients that can easily change the flavors for variety!

Spicy Cheese Sauce- Use spicy cheese like pepper jack cheese or add hot sauce to the cheese. You can also add a pinch of cayenne pepper or chili powder for some extra heat, as well as adding some chopped jalapeno peppers or salsa to the cheese. 

Cheese and Bacon Sauce- Add crumbled bacon to your cheese sauce. This is great over veggies or an air fryer baked potato.

Beer Cheese Sauce- add beer along with sharp cheddar cheese, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce to the mixture. Then season with salt and pepper. This is also really good with homemade soft pretzels or pieces of pretzel bread. 

STORING AND REHEATING

This cheese is best when you first make it. However, if you do have leftovers, let it cool first, then transfer to an airtight container and store it in the fridge. It will harden a bit as it cools. 

To reheat the cheese sauce, return it to a saucepan or microwave it and melt it again. Sometimes it can have a little bit of a grainy texture so you can add a tablespoon of milk at a time as you are heating it. 

Creamy cheese sauce in a white bowl surrounded by tortilla chips.

FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS

Does it matter what flavor of cheese I use to make this cheese sauce? 

You can use your favorite types of cheese to get different flavors. Or mix cheeses for different flavor combinations. We like to use Swiss, Fontina, and Gruyere, mixed with garlic. Play around until you can find your favorite. 

What can I do if my cheese separates while I’m melting the cheese? 

This will happen if you have the heat too high or if you are using a really high fat cheese. If this happens, then you can try adding in a bit of milk on low heat and whisk it together to see if that can bring it back together. 

MORE RECIPES

Making this cheese sauce is SO easy and fast! Because it makes my veggies taste better, I make it so much more often to add to the table.

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Tortilla chip being dipped into melted cheese in small white bowl.
5 from 1 vote
Servings: 6

Cheese Sauce

This homemade creamy cheese sauce recipe is perfect for dipping veggies, nachos, or soft pretzels, and only needs 4 ingredients to make!
Prep: 5 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 10 minutes
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Ingredients 

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup milk, or heavy cream
  • 1 1/2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

Optional: salt and pepper or garlic powder to taste

Instructions 

  • In a medium saucepan, melt butter on low to medium heat. Once it's melted, add the flour and stir together until a paste forms. Keep it on low heat until it begins to turn a light golden brown. (This will help cook off the flour taste.)
  • Pour the milk into the mixture and stir together. Keep on medium heat, continuously stirring. After a minute or two, it will thicken, and become creamy. 
  • Add in the shredded cheese in increments and continue to stir on medium heat until the cheese melts and has a smooth creamy texture. If the cheese sauce is too thick for you, add a tablespoon of milk at a time until it reaches the consistency you want. 
  • Add seasonings or sauces, like salt and pepper, or hot sauce or salsa, depending on what type of cheese sauce flavor you want.

Notes

Use freshly shredded cheese from a block of cheese. You can use pre-shredded cheese, but it has a flour/starch coating that change the taste and texture of your sauce. 
Add a tablespoons of milk a little at a time until you have the consistency you want. I use thinner sauce for nachos and mac and cheese, and thicker sauce for pouring over veggies and dipping pretzels.  
This cheese will thicken once it cools so keep them in a small crock pot or in an electric saucepan to keep it warm while using it as a dip.
 

Nutrition

Calories: 182kcal, Carbohydrates: 5g, Protein: 8g, Fat: 15g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 3g, Trans Fat: 0.2g, Cholesterol: 43mg, Sodium: 201mg, Potassium: 87mg, Fiber: 0.1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 466IU, Calcium: 251mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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Becky Abbott

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