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!
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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!
What’s in This Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe?
- Cheese: Shredded cheese is easy to melt evenly. I recommend using sharp cheddar cheese, and pepper jack for a little bit of spice. Freshly shredded cheese will melt best.
- Evaporated Milk: Evaporated milk is thick and creamy, which lends to the perfect texture for our cheese sauce. Use unsweetened milk.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch is used here as a thickening agent. I prefer it over flour since cornstarch simply has more thickening power.
- Hot Sauce: Use any hot sauce you like. Something classic like Frank’s works great. You can leave this out if you don’t want any heat, but it’s delicious.
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Tips for Success
- 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, so it’s important to whisk 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.
- This sauce makes a great dipping cheese for nachos, but you can also use it to make a regular plate of nachos. Spread out tortilla chips on a tray or plate, pour the cheese sauce on top, and add any toppings you like (make sure ingredients are already cooked, heated, or prepped as desired).
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.
I also use it for this Pretzel Crust Pizza. You’ll find so many ways to use this 5-minute cheese sauce, it’ll be your new go-to for Cinco de Mayo food, football food, and quick snacking.
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
Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe
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Ingredients
- 8 ounces freshly shredded extra-sharp cheddar cheese
- 4 ounces freshly shredded pepper jack cheese
- 1½ tablespoons cornstarch
- 12 ounces evaporated milk
- 2 teaspoons hot sauce 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.
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
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 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.
Doesn’t really taste like the ball park diamonds nacho cheese but still delicious!
I have not tried that yet!
this sauce has great flavor but is gritty because of the extra sharp cheddar..was trying to find a recipe that didn’t use Velveeta..
I am sorry it wasn’t quite up to taste!
Was it prepackaged cheddar? Freshly grated may work better.
Yum!! Great Recipes🤤😋
Thanks for stopping by, Melody!
Thanks! Quick, easy, and yum!
Thanks for stopping by, Michele!
Great recipe, but as with most that I find I tweak it to make my own, I used 1-tsp of Cholula (a little hotter than Frank’s) and 1/8-tsp Red Pepper Flakes and then topped it with chopped fresh cilantro and chopped scallions.
Sounds amazing, Scott!
Will this keep well in a crock pot over the course of an evening?
Yes! I would keep it on warm and check/stir periodically to make sure that it doesn’t get too hot, and turn down accordingly!
Was looking for a homemade recipe not from a large Costco can. It was delicious and easy to make. Will be using this recipe again. Thank you for sharing!
You’re welcome, Rebecca! I’m so happy to hear you enjoyed the sauce!
AWESOME! We enjoyed nachos for lunch. Then I used the leftovers for Caldo de Queso. Best soup ever. I didn’t have any jack cheese so, I used havarti. Probably made it a little more creamier, but delish no matter.
I always love a good substitution! Sounds yummy!
Delicious! Appreciate that no processed cheese is used!
Thanks, Bay!