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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).
Can you substitute 2% Milk for the evaporated milk
Hi Tina, thank you so much for your question. I haven’t tried it myself, sorry about that! I don’t see why it wouldn’t work. Evaporated milk has a higher fat content than 2% milk, so you may need to adjust the amount of cheese or milk. Sorry again, hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any more questions! – Meggan
Delicous
Thank you for your comment, Shastina! I’m glad you loved it! – Meggan
I thought this recipe was too good to be true but I went ahead and tried it. IT IS SO GOOD AND EASY!!!!
Hi Sunshine Ray, thank you for your comment! I’m glad you loved it! – Meggan
Easiest cheese sauce to make. I am Gluten Free and appreciate this recipe not calling for flour.
So great! Super easy and delicious, and it’s alot! Can you use whole milk, I want to try a half recipe!
Forgot to rate the recipe in my last comment… 5 stars for simplicity and speed, 5 stars for taste, 4 stars for texture… But not worth docking it overall!
I love how dead easy this is! I had some cauliflower gnocchi in the air fryer and wondered what the heck I would eat it with them decided I needed a cheese sauce, and this hit the spot! I’ll use this as a quick Mac n cheese dupe for my daughter who’s currently obsessed with the powdered crap. And I love that it’s coeliac friendly…. Making a roux with gf flour just doesn’t work well for me. Thank you!!
Thanks Bree, I’m so glad you loved it! – Meggan
I think I may have used too much corn starch. I’ve seen this recipe sans corn starch, and I may try it that way next time. It’s still good–a a Dijon or dry mustard might be a good add-in, but delish!
I don’t comment on blogs. I have to say after many failed cheese sauce recipes this is PERFECT. I’ve tried so many different things and this gets it just right and it’s so easy which is the best part. It has opened the door to try so many new things and cheeses. I have even begun grating my own cheeses to use with this recipe. Highly recommend!!!!
The flavor and instructions are amazing! I found that the original size of the pretzels was fairly large so I cut each piece of dough in half. I literally couldn’t stop eating them!
Glad it was a hit! Thanks Dani! -Meggan