Updated
My homemade nacho cheese sauce recipe is so quick and easy, and I love that it only requires 4 ingredients and 5 minutes! It has the best cheddar cheese flavor, with a little bit of spice, thanks to pepper jack and hot sauce. My husband played baseball in college, and if there’s any nostalgic snack that makes him happy, it’s nachos. Ever since I learned how to make nacho cheese sauce, it’s been on repeat at our house!
5-Star Review
“I made this tonight with the Mexican cheese blend. It worked wonderfully. So easy and yes the trick is to not let it boil, but gently melt.” – Ronnie
This easy nacho cheese sauce is so dippable and so easy. Learning how to make nacho cheese sauce has allowed me to whip this up any time, for any meal or snack, game day, or Cinco de Mayo. You’re going to love the creamy and cheesy consistency. I use it to dip nachos, fries, and pretzels or slather it on top of tacos, fajitas, and anything my heart desires!
Tips for Success
- Always use freshly grated cheese for the smoothest, creamiest cheese sauce. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with anti-caking agents that can make your sauce grainy and prevent it from melting properly.
- I sometimes substitute flour in place of cornstarch when I need to, but when doing so I need a bit more of it to achieve the same result. I slowly add more in and stir until I get the desired consistency.
- Make sure all ingredients are mixing and melting evenly to avoid clumping. Cheese sauce needs to be cooked low and slow and whisked constantly until everything is fully combined and melted.
- If the sauce seems too thick, add more evaporated milk (a little bit at a time) and continue heating and stirring until it reaches your desired consistency.
- As soon as the cheese starts to cool, it will harden and change texture. You can keep it over low heat and continue stirring regularly. But you may need to stir in more milk once it’s started to harden, to refresh its creamy texture.
Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 8 ounces freshly shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces freshly shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 12 ounces evaporated milk unsweetened
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce optional, such as Frank’s
Instructions
- In a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan set over low heat, combine cheese and cornstarch. Toss to combine.8 ounces freshly shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese, 4 ounces freshly shredded pepper jack cheese, 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- Add evaporated milk and hot sauce and whisk constantly until cheese is melted. Continue whisking about 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and has thickened.12 ounces evaporated milk, 2 teaspoons hot sauce
- If cheese has thickened too much, add additional evaporated milk.
- Serve immediately.
Becky’s Tips
- Use unsweetened evaporated milk.
- Use any hot sauce you like. Something classic like Frank’s works great.
- Cook on low heat slowly for best texture.
- The cheese sauce is best served immediately.
- To store: Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2 days.
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Did you make this? Leave a comment!
How to Make Nacho Cheese Sauce Step by Step
Toss the Cheeses: In a medium, heavy-bottom saucepan set over low heat, combine 8 ounces of extra-sharp cheddar cheese, 4 ounces of pepper jack cheese, and 1½ tablespoons of cornstarch. Toss to combine.
Melt the Cheeses: Add 12 ounces (1 can) of unsweetened evaporated milk and 2 teaspoons of hot sauce and whisk constantly until cheese is melted. Continue whisking for about 5 minutes or until the cheese is bubbly and has thickened.
Thin and Serve: If the cheese has thickened too much, add additional evaporated milk. Serve immediately.
How to Store and Reheat
In my opinion, nacho cheese sauce is best consumed fresh and hot, because the texture will change when it cools. But you can store leftovers in an airtight container, in the refrigerator for 2 days. Reheat in a pan on the stovetop over low heat. Add small amounts of evaporated milk to help freshen it up, and stir until fully heated through.
I do not recommend freezing nacho cheese sauce.
Serving Suggestions
There are so many ways to use this quick and easy nacho cheese! Of course, it’s ideal for dipping nachos, but that’s not where it ends. I love to use it to dip chips, pretzel bites, French fries, tater tots, taquitos, and any number of things in it. Pour it over beef enchiladas, your favorite tacos, chicken fajitas, or rice.
Of course, this recipe is a huge hit for Football Sundays in my house, and this year, it’s on my menu for Cinco de Mayo alongside some other fan favorites.
How to Spice Up Nacho Cheese
Plain nacho cheese is delicious, but a few simple upgrades can take it to the next level. Here are some easy ways to add more flavor and heat:
- Kick up the heat with diced jalapeños, chipotle peppers in adobo, or extra hot sauce.
- Add flavor depth with seasonings like taco seasoning, garlic powder, or onion powder for extra savory goodness.
- Make it creamier or tangier with sour cream, yogurt, or cream cheese.
- Add in some texture with bacon bits, chorizo, or shredded chicken.
- Mix up the cheeses with smoked gouda, blue cheese, or havarti for a deeper flavor.
Recipe sucks. Corn starch makes the cheese grainy
Hi Jay, that shouldn’t be happening! It sounds like your heat was too high!
yeah it was sorry for saying it sucked
Hi! This recipe looks absolutely delicious! How many people does it serve? What would be the measurements for one person? Can’t wait to make it! Thanks!! :)
Hi Jade, this recipe serves 8! On the recipe card, there is a little slider next to the servings that you can use to adjust the recipe down for just 1 person!
I made this tonight with the Mexican cheese blend. It worked wonderfully. So easy and yes the trick is to not let it boil, but gently melt.
Made this as a late night snack, it’s very good and easy to make. I didn’t have hot sauce so I used smoked chipotle peppers and some dehydrated jalapeños powder I dehydrated and ground. Came out the perfect heat.
Made this today for my small family of 3 so I halfed the recipe and it was delicious! We ate it over nachos with my homemade hot dog sauce (chilli)
Looks delish, Shah! Thanks so much for sharing!
Turned out great, thank you!
Looks delish, Crystal! Thanks so much for sharing!
Incredible
Thank you, Natalie!
To say this was absolutely awful would fall abysmally short of expressing just how bad this recipe was. Followed it exactly. Was grainy and off-putting when first made and even more grainy the next day. Tried to feed some to the dog and he bit me. If anything is misspelled it is because your star rating was super imposed on my comments and could not be relocated.
We’re sorry this recipe didn’t work out for you, Steve! We recommend trying it with freshly-shredded cheese rather than packaged pre-shredded if you’re having issues with graininess. Packaged cheese is coated with starch that can cause it to become gritty when melted. Hope this helps!
I grated the cheese myself from 1 lb and 8 oz blocks. Not sure what happened. ???
It sounds like maybe your cheese mixture got hot enough to boil. If cheese is brought to boiling, it can start to break down and turn grainy. Be sure to heat the mixture slowly and just until bubbling (not boiling!).
Thanks for the tip. I will try that and report back.
Steve is quite the drama queen with his comments. Use quality cheese, don’t overcook, and whisk cornstarch with equal parts liquid to ensure it doesn’t clump. Your failure is not the recipe, it’s you. :)
Doesn’t really taste like the ball park diamonds nacho cheese but still delicious!
I have not tried that yet!