Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce

Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce is fast and delicious made with real cheddar cheese. This creamy smooth dip is the perfect game day and party appetizer.

Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce

I always thought it would be a hard task to make homemade nacho cheese sauce, but I’m here to tell you it’s quite easy and super fast to make!

No fake cheese product here, just 6 simple all-natural ingredients combined to make this magical smooth and creamy nacho cheese sauce.

Once you see how easy this is to make and how delicious it tastes, you won’t go back to that jar of orange goo or that non-refrigerated brick of fake cheese.

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The Best Cheese for Homemade Nacho Cheese

Cheddar is a great melting cheese and we find using Sharp cheddar cheese gives this the best flavor. Monterey Jack is another good melting cheese, but it doesn’t have much of a flavor. You can combine the two if you don’t have enough of one.

Pre-shredded cheddar is sometimes dusted with an anti-caking agent which can ruin the smoothness of the sauce. We recommend to buy the block and shred the cheese yourself.

How to Make Nacho Cheese Sauce

1. Grate your cheese and set it aside.
2. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. (I love to use my enameled cast iron dutch oven)
3. Add the flour and briskly whisk until combined. This will form a roux.
4. Add the milk, salt and cayenne pepper and continue to quickly whisk until the lumps are gone.
5. Increase the heat to high and and continue to whisk until the mixture comes to a boil.
6. Remove from the heat and add the shredded cheese.
7. Whisk until the cheese is completely melted and smooth.
8. Serve immediately.

Additions for Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce

• Serve this cheesy bowl of dip with tortilla chips, pretzels or a tray of vegetables.
• You can add ground beef, bacon, ham, diced chicken or sausage for a meatier version.
• Add diced jalapeños to spice it up a bit.
• Top your bowl of nacho cheese sauce with diced tomatoes, green onions, sour cream or guacamole.
• Build your own nacho bar!

How to Reheat Nacho Cheese Sauce

To reheat leftovers, simply place in a sauce pan, add 1 Tbsp milk and heat on medium low until it’s melted and warm. If it’s still too thick, just add a little more milk to reach that smooth flowing consistency. Do not microwave to reheat as it will become grainy.

How to Keep the Nacho Cheese Sauce Warm

Because homemade nacho cheese sauce uses real cheese, it does start to get firm when it cools. Make sure you use it immediately or keep it warm until you serve it. Keep it warm in a slow cooker , fondue pot, or other warming dish. You’ll just have to give the cheese a little stir before dishing it.

More Appetizer Ideas

Do you need some more appetizers for this party? Try some of these other delicious recipes:

• 15 Easy Fruit Salsa Recipes
• The Ultimate Guide to Instant Pot Chicken Wings
• 12 BBQ Chicken Dip Recipes
• BBQ Chicken Pizza Dippers
• Football Deviled Eggs
• Chicken Taco Cups
• The Secret to 7 Layer Bean Dip
• Football Strawberries-DIY
• Simple, Crave-able Creamy Spinach Artichoke Dip

How to make Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce:

Try some of these nacho recipes from my food blogger friends:

• Cheesecake dessert nachos — Ashlee Marie
• Nacho Soup — Creations By Kara
• Hawaiian Barbecue Chicken Nachos — Crumb
• Buffalo Chicken Nachos — Savory Experiments
• Vegan Nacho Cheese — Namely Marly
• Easy Dessert Nachos — Real Mom Kitchen
• Instant Pot Pulled Pork Nachos — 365 days of Slow Cooking
• Chicken fajita nachos — The Baker Upstairs
• Spicy Pulled Pork Nachos — Super Golden Bakes

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