Cheddar Cheese Sauce Recipe

Perfect cheese sauce with cheddar cheese, butter, and milk that you can make in just 5 minutes and use with homemade French fries, mac n cheese, or pasta! You’ll love this Cheddar Cheese Sauce Recipe.

There are many flavorful cheese sauces out there you can buy, but there is nothing as thick, rich, cheesy, and smooth as homemade cheddar cheese sauce! It starts with a roux just like basic white sauce, but then just by adding milk and shredded cheddar cheese, you can make your own cheese sauce.

My best tip to make this simple cheddar cheese sauce is to use medium cheddar cheese to balance out the raw flour taste and make it more versatile to go with snacks and chips!

What Is Cheddar Cheese Sauce?

In British cuisine, classic cheddar cheese sauce is probably a staple like Mornay sauce is for French cuisine, or chili con queso in Mexican recipes.

It is a versatile sauce made with cheese, milk, butter and flour, that you will usually see in mac and cheese or as a dipping.

In the US, you will find it in any grocery store, but I promise, homemade cheese sauce is so much better!

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• The creamiest cheese sauce I’ve had!
• Easy recipe that you can use in lots of different ways: for dipping, as pasta sauce, in cooking homemade macaroni and cheese, pies, and casseroles. Sounds delicious, right?
• Customizable. It can be spicy, can use different cheese or add spice for the best flavor.
• Kids absolutely love it. Need to make them eat some veggies? Serve them with this cheese sauce.

Ingredients Notes

• Unsalted butter
• All-purpose flour. You can use gluten-free or plain flour too. Make sure to measure and sift it properly to avoid adding too much flour (will ruin the taste and alter the texture) or lumps.
• Whole milk, plus more to thin the sauce if needed. You can also use evaporated milk or half and half for a thicker sauce. Full-fat milk gives a rich flavor.
• Freshly grated medium cheddar cheese
• Salt and pepper, to taste

Kitchen Equipment

• Medium saucepan

How To Make Cheddar Cheese Sauce

1. Make the roux. In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. 
2. Stir in the flour and cook for 1 minute, stirring constantly so it does not burn.
3. Slowly add milk, whisking constantly, until fully incorporated – cooking for 3-5 minutes until the sauce thickens and starts to bubble.
4. Add cheese, gently folding it in. Continue to cook and stir until fully melted and smooth.
5. Add salt and pepper before serving, if desired.

What To Serve With Cheese Sauce

My main serving suggestions are to ladle this sauce over vegetables, or serve as a dip for soft pretzels, or serve with nachos or crunchy tortilla chips.

• You can also use it as pasta sauce or sauce for mac and cheese
• Pour over tater tots, homemade fries, potato wedges, or just some baked potatoes
• Serve it hot with burgers – it is always a hit!

Storage

Allow to cool before covering. Store leftovers in an airtight container for 3-4 days. 

Reheat over the stovetop in a small saucepan on medium heat. Add a splash of milk to thin and stir constantly until fully heated through.

This simple cheese sauce is not good for freezing.

Substitutions & Variations

• Cheeses. This can be made with different types of cheeses like extra sharp and sharp cheddar cheese, white cheddar, Gouda, Gruyere, Colby Jack, Monterey Jack, Swiss cheese, or Pepper Jack cheese if desired.
• Spicy Nacho cheese sauce: You can add chilli powder, cayenne pepper, taco seasoning, or hot sauce for some spice. Top with fresh cilantro.
• Fancy sauce – add some blue cheese crumbles as a topping.
• If using it as a dip for pretzels, add a little garlic powder or white pepper for deep flavors.
• More seasoning and flavor? Add fresh grated nutmeg, paprika, dry mustard, cumin, green onions or even diced green chiles!

Popular Questions

Can I Just Melt Cheddar Cheese?

While you can melt cheddar cheese, it won’t become a smooth sauce on its own. Cheddar cheese tends to get oily and clumpy when melted without any other ingredients. That’s why we make a cheese sauce using a combination of butter, flour, and milk, which helps the cheese melt smoothly.

You shouldn’t melt pre-shredded cheese from the store – it has some preservatives that will keep it from melting properly.

What Thickens Cheddar Cheese Sauce?

Cheddar cheese sauce gets thick because we start it with a roux – we melt butter and flour together. When you slowly add milk to the roux and heat it, the mixture thickens. The cheddar cheese itself is thick once melted, too.

What If My Cheese Sauce Is Gritty?

If your cheese sauce turns out gritty, it might be because the cheese wasn’t melted properly or you used packaged pre-shredded cheese. To avoid this, make sure you use freshly grated cheese and add it slowly to the sauce while stirring constantly on low heat.

Add a splash of warm milk and keep stirring until the sauce is smooth again.

If you love this cheese sauce recipe, you’re going to love these other homemade sauces, too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Great Recipes to Pair This With

Loaded French Fries

Crab Rangoon Nachos

Auntie Anne’s Pretzel Bites – Copycat Recipe

Cheddar Bay Sausage Balls

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