The EASIEST recipe for concession-style nacho cheese sauce made totally from scratch! All it takes is a small handful of ingredients you probably already have on hand.
This cheesy nacho sauce is ideal for serving with just tortilla chips, but we also like to add it to our Loaded Nachos, or even Taco Salad. You can pair it with almost any Mexican dish!
Bring on the Chips!
Have you ever made homemade Nacho Cheese before? We hadn’t until just a few months ago and we couldn’t believe just how easy and quick the recipe was!
Now, I’m going to come right out and say that this recipe is very similar to the classic nacho cheese sauce you’d find at the movies, a ball game, or from the school cafeteria. It’s a little lighter in color, but tastes just like that popular nacho cheese. The best part is that you can make it using ingredients that are usually on hand!
You can use this nacho cheese sauce like a dip, and just dip your chips into it, or you can make it like classic nachos and pour it over a pile of tortilla chips. Either way, chips are the #1 companion for this nacho cheese!
How to Make Nacho Cheese
More than anything, we love that the recipe is so simple. All it takes is mixing the ingredients together in a saucepan in this order:
BUTTER + FLOUR. Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour.
ADD MILK. Pour in milk and stir until mixture thickens.
CHEESE. Add cheese and salt. Stir over heat until cheese has melted and ingredients have blended together.
Tip: If you like spice, add chopped jalapeños to the cheese mixture. The jalapenos add some spice, but if you don’t want that, you can also add salsa or even some hot sauce for a bit of nip. 😉
Crockpot? I don’t make nacho cheese in the crock pot because it is so simple and quick. However, I do use the crockpot to keep it warm.
Troubleshooting and Storage Tips
To get the desired consistency, you can add ¼ cup grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese and a bit more milk. Do not use pre shredded cheese as it is coated to keep it from being sticky.
There may be several reasons that the texture of the sauce doesn’t turn out. Here are a couple common mistakes:
- It was heated too quickly and or cooked for too long.
- Another way to keep a smooth texture is to slowly add the milk to the roux. Whisk thoroughly and make sure that all of the roux has been mixed into the milk.
- Your milk did not have enough fat —use 2% or whole milk
- Keep the nacho cheese warm, otherwise it may begin to harden and solidify.
STORE leftover nacho cheese in the fridge in an airtight container for 4-5 days. Reheat in a saucepan over low heat.
For more dips and sauces, check out:
- Avocado Lime Ranch Dip
- 7 Layer Bean Dip
- Homemade Salsa
- Salsa Verde
- Queso Blanco
- Chili’s Skillet Queso
Nacho Cheese Recipe
Ingredients
Instructions
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Stir in flour.
- Pour in milk and stir until mixture thickens.
- Add cheese and salt. Stir over heat until cheese has melted and ingredients have blended together.
- If you like spice, add jalapenos, salsa or even some hot sauce to the cheese mixture. Serve immediately.
Probably the best homemade nacho cheese I’ve tried
May i ask what brand American cheese you use? It seems like different brands vary slightly in flavor, so that could make a difference in taste of the dip. ? Thank you!
I like to use Kraft, but really any will work 🙂 Enjoy!
I’m confused. You stated not to use pre-shredded cheese as it has a coating. Then the recipe says American cheese slices. I don’ t think I have ever seen American cheese pre-shredded.
Slices, not shredded.
Oh, my..sometimes, I crave this!! So, glad I can make my own when that craving hits! Looks easy & so delicious!
Wish i had this tecipe when i was first married. I was asked to bring cheese sauce to an event. In the days before Recipe websites so i used velveeta and I dont even kNow what, but There was a lot Left Over. This recipe, on the other habd, was so delicious and was Gobbled right up!!!
This nacho cheese is so addicting!! It’s very easy to make & I love the little kick the jalapenos give!
This is the perfect Appetizer or Main dish for some of us! We love homemade Nacho Cheese! It’s the BEST!
We have alot of nacho cheese lovers in our family and wHat couldnt be better than making the sauce yourself? Simple and easy to make.
What did I do wrong??? I followed directions exactly. I grated cheddar cheese. It’s been 35 mins and it’s all clumpy. Cheese didnt melt right. Please help I’m trying to make this for a party in a week. Thanks in advance
There may be several reasons that the texture of the sauce doesn’t turn out. Here are a couple common mistakes:
-It was heated too quickly and or cooked for too long.
-Another way to keep a smooth texture is to slowly add the milk to the roux (butter and flour). Whisk thoroughly and make sure that all of the roux has been mixed into the milk.
-Your milk did not have enough fat —use 2% or whole milk
-Keep the nacho cheese warm, otherwise it may begin to harden and solidify.
Hopefully some of these tips help while you try to get the nacho cheese just right for the party!! Best of luck!
Cheddar cheese does not melt smooth the recipe calls for American cheese slices. I’ve never had luck when I’ve tried using cheddar it has always done the same for me it breaks up and looks oily and clumpy. Definitely try it with the American cheese slices.
if i use shredded cheese instead of sliced, how much would you recommend?
I would maybe use 2 cups. Hope that helps!
Can i use all cheddar cheese instead of american?
You sure could 🙂 Enjoy!!
Made it for the son (without spice) and he loved it. I used Boars Head American and threw some Mexican Blend in it. Since we didn’t put any spice, used it with pasta and the son loved it that way too!!
Good idea! Happy he liked it! Thank you!
I made this cheese sauce but added 1 cup shredded cheddar cheese. And one cup shredded mozzarella cheese. It made this cheese sauce stretchy and gooey giving it another level a flavor..
Perfect! Thank you for sharing what you did! That sounds delicious!
I made this Sauce and doubled it so I added. 1 cup cheddar cheese shredded, 1 cup mozzarella cheese. This made the cheese sauce stretchy and yummy. Giving it another level of flavor.
amazing recipe
Thank you for saying that!!
Could this dip be used for cheese fries?
Oh yes! If you would like extra cheesy fries that would surely do it!
I love your site and food is remarkable!
Awe,that’s so sweet of you! Thanks so much for sharing! I’m so glad you enjoy the recipes! 🙂
I love the extra flavor that the Jalapeño adds!
This is a very quick and easy recipe! Thanks for this recipe, nacho cheese sauce is one of my favorite dips! love it!
I’m so glad you liked this dip so much! I love easy, quick and delicious that’s for sure!
3 drops of yellow food coloring and 1/4 tsp of freshly ground nutmeg made it even better
Awesome. Thanks for the feedback!
You say to use 8 slices of american cheese do you shred the 8 slices of cheese? Cause yours looks like shredded cheese.
You can chop up the American cheese slices a bit so it melts easier/quicker. In the troubleshooting section, I mention to get the desired consistency, you can add ¼ cup grated cheddar or Monterey Jack cheese and a bit more milk. Just don’t use pre shredded cheese as it is coated to keep it from being sticky. You’d want to shred/grate that cheese from a block.
Sometimes, there is nothing I am craving more, than nacho cheese! This hits the spot!! Creamy, easy to make, & so so good!
Haven’t tried it yet but can it be made with Sharp Cheddar Cheese instead of processed cheese? I can’t have anything processed!
You sure can! Just note that the Sharp Cheddar Cheese will make a thinner, slightly grainier sauce.
Hey, so all i have is pre shredded cheddar cheese. can i still do this even though it is coated?
We recommend not using the pre-shredded cheese because of the coating. You can certainly still give it a try, but the consistency may not be quite the same as if you used the cheese you shred yourself.
I didn’t find how much of each ingredient to put in the dish in this recipe.
Hi Leticia! So if you scroll to the bottom of the post the recipe card is there with measurements. You can also get to the recipe card quickly by clicking on “Jump to Recipe” at the top of the page. All the ingredients and their amounts are listed there. 🙂