Cheddar Cheese Sauce – The Daring Gourmet

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Luxuriously creamy and delicately, oozingly gooey, this homemade Cheddar Cheese Sauce recipe is one you’ll make again and again! Irresistibly delicious drizzled on everything from steamed broccoli to baked potatoes, in macaroni and cheese or as a dipping sauce. It’s made from scratch with real cheese and is ready in less than 10 minutes!

Homemade Cheese Sauce

Since my earliest childhood, cheese sauces of all kinds are something I just can’t resist. Warm cheese sauces spooned over broccoli or roast chicken, corn chips dipped in nacho sauce, blue cheese sauce drizzled over a grilled steak…heaven. And my first cheese fondue was a revelation. I’m sharing a Cheddar cheese sauce recipe with you today but it’s one that you can use for a number of different cheese varieties. It’s very quick and simple to make and contains just a few ingredients. None of that long-list-of-scary-chemicals jazz you find in the store-bought stuff. This is made from scratch with a whole ingredients.

Cheddar Cheese Sauce Ingredients & Substitutions

This homemade Cheddar cheese sauce uses just a handful of staple ingredients that you likely already have in your fridge and pantry. Here’s what you’ll need to make it:

• Whole Milk: This will give you cheese sauce a creamy texture without contributing more calories than is necessary. But if you want an even richer, creamier cheese sauce you can use half and half. Looking to cut back on calories? You can use 2% or even skim milk, but you’ll be sacrificing considerable creaminess.
• Cheddar Cheese: As with the whole milk, I recommend using full-fat Cheddar cheese. And I also recommend getting a block of cheese and shredding it yourself because the pre-shredded cheese contains other ingredients that can contribute a slight graininess to the cheese sauce. Like a strong, robust cheese sauce? Use mature Cheddar. Prefer it more subtle? Use mild or medium. Want a white cheese sauce? Use white Cheddar. And although this recipe is called Cheddar cheese sauce, you can use other cheese varieties such as gouda, Monterey jack or pepper jack. Feel free to get creative.
• Butter: For flavor, texture and to emulsify your sauce into that wonderfully creamy, smooth texture.
• Flour: For thickening. You’re going to make a roux with the butter and flour which will cook off any flour flavor. Gluten free? You can substitute GF all-purpose flour.
• Onion Powder and Garlic Powder: For flavor depth and that wonderful dose of umami.
• Cayenne Pepper: This is optional for flavor balance and that slightest touch of heat. For a smoky flavor element you can also add a pinch of smoked paprika.
• Salt and Pepper: Just a pinch of each.

Cheddar Cheese Sauce Recipe

The process of making this cheese sauce is simple. Here’s how:

• Melt the butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat. Once it’s melted add the flour and whisk it continually until it’s dissolved. Then continue to whisk it for one minute. This will cook off the flour flavor. Add the garlic powder, salt, pepper and the cayenne if using.
• Slowly pour in the milk, whisking continually to prevent lumps. Increase the heat to medium-high and continue whisking until the mixture comes to a low simmer (do not boil). Continue to whisk until the mixture has thickened.
• Add the shredded cheese and whisk until it’s melted.
• Add more salt and pepper to taste. Serve immediately.

Pro Tips for a Perfect Cheese Sauce

This cheese sauce is super easy to make but to ensure it has the smoothest texture be sure to follow these steps:

• Avoid letting the milk boil or it can curdle, leading to a grainy texture. When you’re heating the milk, keep it to a very low simmer where it’s just barely bubbling.
• Avoid letting the mixture boil after the cheese has been added. This is especially important for avoiding curdling.
• If you do accidentally boil your sauce and it becomes grainy, you can mitigate this to some extent by running the sauce through a fine mesh sieve.

Storage and Reheating

You can store the cheese sauce in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 3 days. It can be reheated – carefully. To prevent it from becoming grainy, the best way to reheat it is the same way it was made: on the cooktop and not in the microwave. Reheat it slowly in the saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently. If the sauce has thickened too much you can stir in a little more milk.

How to Use Cheddar Cheese Sauce

How can you use this Cheddar cheese sauce, you ask? Oh, where to start! Here are some ways that you can put this luscious sauce to use:

• Drizzled over steamed broccoli, cauliflower, asparagus or Brussels sprouts (even better, roasted!)
• On cheeseburgers, roast beef sandwiches, Philly Cheesesteaksliders and hot dogs (chili cheese dogs!).
• In scrambled eggs or omelettes.
• On baked potatoes, Sweet Baked Potatoesor hash browns.
• In burritos, breakfast burritos, quesadillas or on tacos (see my Pork tinga tacos and Tasted Chickn)
• Spooned over chili (check out my Instant Pot Chili, Chipotle Chili with Hominy, White Bean Chili)
• In risotto – stirred in at the end for extra cheesiness.
• Macaroni and cheese – mix this cheese sauce into cooked pasta, top it with breadcrumbs and bake.
• On nachos.
• Drizzled over pizza.
• In cheesy casseroles.
• Spooned over stuffed peppers or mixed into the filling.
• As a dip for corn chips, French fries (see my Cajun Fries!), Baked Potato Wedges, Sweet Potato Friespretzels, mozzarella sticks, tater tots, chicken tenders, and raw vegetables. Also try stirring in some salsa for a delicious Mexican queso dip!

Enjoy!

More delicious homemade sauces: