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As a classically-trained chef, I’m always looking for shortcuts. Everyone loves to thicken sauces with a roux (a mixture of fat and flour), but cornstarch is a fuss-free, foolproof alternative that I turn to time and time again for soups, sauces, and gravies.
I’ve been making this easy 3-ingredient, 5-minute homemade cheese sauce for years. I ladle the cheese sauce over broccoli, serve it with appetizers like soft pretzels, and even toss it with cooked macaroni for the easiest homemade mac and cheese.
If you’re looking for a spicy nacho cheese sauce, stir in a tablespoon (or more) of diced pickled jalapeños. There are many ways to enjoy the simplest cheese sauce on the planet!
Table of Contents
Cheese Sauce Ingredients
At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.
- Shredded cheese: It’s okay to use pre-shredded cheese here. Although they are tossed with agents to prevent the cheese from sticking together, it will still melt and thicken up fine.
- Cornstarch: The perfect thickener for this easy cheese sauce, an naturally (accidentally) gluten-free.
- Evaporated milk: This pantry-friendly milk substitute lends the perfect consistency.
- Salt and pepper: It’s so important to taste your sauce as you season it or it might be bland. I keep a jar of tasting spoons next to my stove-top just for this purpose.
How to make Cheese Sauce
- In a small saucepan, combine cheddar cheese and cornstarch. Toss until cheese is evenly coated.
- Stir in evaporated milk and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until cheese is melted and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and keep warm until serving time. Or, transfer to a slow cooker on the “warm” setting for serving.
Recipe tips and variations
- Yield: This recipe makes about 2 cups.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Slow cooker: Make the recipe as directed below, on the stove, and then transfer it to your favorite slow cooker (I used one of the “mini sizes” and there is room for a double batch of this cheese sauce recipe). I’ve left it on the “warm” setting for a few hours and all it ever needs is a little stir. It works really well!
- Spicy: You can stir in a can 4-ounce of diced green chiles, drained, for some extra flavor and heat. You can do that on the stove or in a slow cooker. If you add them to the slow cooker, just be sure the cheese sauce is back to “hot” before serving (the chiles might cool it down temporarily).
Homemade Cheese Sauce FAQs
You can thicken cheese sauce by creating a roux on the front end (usually with butter and flour) or with a thickening starch such as corn starch, tapioca starch, or arrowroot starch. I prefer cornstarch because it produces a smoother, silkier sauce without the taste of flour.
Cheese sauce thickens as it cools, so if yours is getting too thick to handle, stir in milk (a tablespoon at a time) while heating your cheese sauce over medium-low heat.
Medium cheddar cheese melts easily without graininess, so I reach for that over sharp cheddar. Mozzarella, gruyere, Monterey Jack, and Havarti are also excellent melters. They will give a different flavor to your cheese sauce, though.
Either thickener can work. I reach for cornstarch because it’s powdery consistency leads to a smooth, silky cheese sauce that doesn’t have a raw flour taste. Cornstarch is also a stronger thickener, so you can use less overall compared to how much flour you’d need to thicken the same amount of sauce.
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Homemade Soft Pretzels that are soft and chewy on the inside and crackly brown on the outside. Knot or twist your way to the BEST soft pretzels you’ve ever had! The Oktoberfest pretzels in Munich are…
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Drizzle cheese on these
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Homemade Cheese Sauce Recipe (Cheddar Cheese Sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 (12-ounce) can evaporated milk
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, combine cheddar cheese and cornstarch. Toss until cheese is evenly coated.
- Stir in evaporated milk and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until cheese is melted and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
- Reduce heat to low, cover, and keep warm until serving time. Or, transfer to a slow cooker on the "warm" setting for serving.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Shredded cheese: It’s okay to use pre-shredded cheese here. Although they are tossed with agents to prevent the cheese from sticking together, it will still melt and thicken up fine.
- Yield: This recipe makes about 2 c.
- Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- Slow cooker: Make the recipe as directed below, on the stove, and then transfer it to your favorite slow cooker (I used one of the “mini sizes” and there is room for a double batch of this cheese sauce recipe). I’ve left it on the “warm” setting for a few hours and all it ever needs is a little stir. It works really well!
- Spicy: You can stir in a can 4-oz. of diced green chiles, drained, for some extra flavor and heat. You can do that on the stove or in a slow cooker. If you add them to the slow cooker, just be sure the cheese sauce is back to “hot” before serving (the chiles might cool it down temporarily).
Is this sauce something that could be kept on a heated buffet?
Hi Alyssa, off the top of my head I don’t know for sure. Evaporated milk feels like a fairly stable dairy product when I think about it, but without testing this I don’t know for sure. The biggest issue would be whether it separates or congeals, both would be gross. I’m assuming you’re thinking of putting it in a crockpot or something (or were you thinking more like a heated chafing dish?). I can test it and find out, but probably not in time for whenever you would need to know (my next test kitchen day is January 25th). I wish I could tell you with certainty whether it would work! I feel like it would probably be fine, and this is definitely an important question for the recipe. I just would hate for you to be disappointed. Sorry about that. I’ll post my results once I’ve had a chance to test it out! Thanks. -Meggan
Hi Alyssa, I tested this! Yes, it was great in a mini crockpot on the “warm” setting. If I left it uncovered, a skin formed, but it wasn’t anything that couldn’t easily be stirred back in. And, sometimes the sauce looked like it was a little textured from siting (looked like it curdled, maybe?) but a quick stir and it was as smooth as ever, no issues. I let it sit in the crock pot for about 3 hours. It was great! I also tried stirring in a can of diced green chiles (the 4-ounce size, drained) it that was good too. All in all, no issues on a buffet as long as you can keep it warm. It held up really well. Thanks for the question! -Meggan
Best and easiest cheese sauce ever . I used pizza mozzarella and some powdered cheddar, garlic salt, pepper and parsley, dash of cayenne , so good!!!!! Oh, I also did in microwave. Thanks for the awesome recipe👍
Thanks so much Susie! I’m glad you liked the recipe! 😀 -Meggan
Hello, your recipe looks easy and delicious. I need to prepare this for a catering event for 50 people . It will bee drizzled on roasted potatoes. Can you please help modify the ingredient list. Much appreciated!!
Hi Shelia, there is a slider on the recipe that allows you to change the quantity (from 2 cups to say, 20 cups, as an example). The ingredient list will change accordingly. I don’t know how many pounds of roasted potatoes you need to serve 50 people or how much cheese sauce you want to drizzle, I’m sorry about that! I have never had a catering business myself to know these things, but I am very excited for yours! Good luck! -Meggan
Really good and easy to make. I didn’t want to mess a pan so I microwaved for 3 minutes at 30 second intervals and stirred. Came out perfect. Great w pretzels!
Just amazing! My daughter and I have been looking for a cheese sauce for pretzels. This is the first one we tried and we are stopping here! Thank you so much for sharing this recipe.
For chips, consider putting in a half jar of your favorite salsa!
I was looking for a quick and simple cheese sauce to go with my homemade pretzels and this sauce was not only easy to put together- it was delicious! My husband and I loved it and will definitely make it again 😀
Wonderful Laurie! Thank you so much! There are a lot of bad cheese sauce recipes out there, so I appreciate that you tried mine and I’m so relieved that you liked it! And that your husband did (always the true test right?). 🙂 Thank you again!
This is 100% crazy I just went to Disneyland land with my parents and siblings and I had one of there pretzels I was in love!!!! And when I tried this recipe I doubted that it would work but I’m stunned it tastes amazing I’m reliving Disney pretzels all over again!! Thanks so much!
-emma
This is 100% crazy I just went to Disneyland land with my parents and siblings and I had one of there pretzels I was in love!!!! And when I tried this recipe I doubted that it would work but I’m stunned it tastes amazing I’m reliving Disney pretzels all over again!! Thanks so much!
That nacho cheese sauce was gross. No one liked it.
Sorry to hear that, Angela. We really like it in our house, but everyone is entitled to his or her own opinion. I hope you find one you like!
I don’t know what you were talking about it was amazing
Did nobody teach you any manners? You could have said that it wasn’t to your taste, among other things.