This is my favorite recipe for cheese dipping sauce. This spicy nacho cheese sauce is absolutely awesome with veggies, soft pretzels, and nachos! None of that processed stuff, either.
Seriously! What is better than a bowl of silky, creamy, spicy nacho cheese sauce? Nothing. A far cry from processed, this spicy nacho cheese sauce is to die for. I love serving it with soft pretzel bites or pouring on top of a big bowl of broccoli. It’s how I get everyone to their vegetables. Just kidding… but not really.
Making nacho cheese sauce at home is not difficult. It’s actually one of the easiest and quickest little recipes around. There is no excuse to buy anything from a can or from a jar. Homemade cheese sauce, made from real sharp cheddar cheese, is the only way to go. Plus, it tastes worlds better.
I love serving this spicy nacho cheese sauce right from the stove when it’s warm. But this cheese sauce keeps well covered tightly in the refrigerator for about 1 week. Just heat it up before serving—it’s a great item to make ahead before the guests arrive.
How Spicy is this Nacho Cheese Sauce?
That completely depends how spicy you want it. I can tolerate a little spice and I LOVE this homemade cheese sauce. In fact, sometimes I add even more hot sauce and cayenne than the recipe lists below. If you don’t like spice, leave both out.
Feel free to adjust the amount of spice based on your heat tolerance.
What to Serve with Spicy Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Soft Pretzel Bites
- Homemade Soft Pretzels or Jalapeño Cheddar Soft Pretzels
- Jalapeño Cheddar No Knead Bread
- Soft Pretzel Rolls
- Breadsticks
- Biscuits
- Pretzel Chicken Bites
- Baked Onion Rings
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Artisan Bread
- Tortilla chips and pretzels
- Or drizzled over baked potatoes, steamed broccoli, baked chicken, and homemade nachos
Everyone is going to go bonkers over this stuff.
Print
Kicked-Up Cheddar Cheese Sauce
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: about 2 cups
- Category: Appetizers
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Description
This is my favorite recipe for cheese dipping sauce. This spicy nacho cheese sauce is absolutely awesome with veggies, soft pretzels, and nachos! None of that processed stuff, either.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 cups (480ml) whole milk
- 2 cups (250g; 8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
- 2 Tablespoons hot sauce
- 1 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt + pepper to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle the flour over the top, stirring constantly until a thick paste forms, 1 to 2 minutes.
- Slowly add the milk to the flour/butter paste in a steady stream, whisking constantly. Continue cooking, whisking constantly until the mixture thickens, about 5 minutes. It should be thick but still pourable. Add the cheese, whisking constantly until it is melted. Add the hot sauce and cayenne. Taste, then add salt and pepper to taste. Add more cayenne and/or hot sauce if preferred.
- The sauce will thicken upon cooling. Store leftovers covered tightly in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Heat over stovetop or in the microwave before serving again.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Cover cooled cheese sauce tightly and freeze for up to 3-6 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature. Reheat over medium heat on the stove, whisking constantly, until warmed through.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): Large Saucepan (like a Dutch oven) | Silicone Spatula or Wooden Spoon | Box Grater
- Half Batch: You can easily halve this recipe!
- Spiciness: You can leave out the hot sauce and/or cayenne.
My sauce came out perfect. I used ancho chilies in pepper sauce since I couldn’t find hot sauce and only 1/4 tsp paprika since I was sharing with my toddler. It was perfect.
Loved this! Perfect to go with pretzel bites!
Is it possible to make a version of this with unsweetened, unflavored almond milk? We don’t do well with milk, however cheese doesn’t bother us (thank goodness).
Hi Tanis, Should be fine!
Hi! Would 18% cream be too heavy to use for this recipe? I only have 18% or 2%, any advice on which to choose would be appreciated! Thank you so much!
Hi Greg, heavy cream is a bit too thick for this cheese sauce. It’s really best to stick with milk if you can!
I didn’t use the cayenne pepper or the hot sauce because I do not like spice, but it was delicious!!! Will be making again!!
This came out horrible. Way to much flour. Followed the recipe to the letter.
Never making an internet recipe again
Wow, dramatic or what haha
Standard white sauce/roux is 1tbsp flour:1 tbsp fat:1 cup milk. However, most cheese sauces I’ve seen use half the milk because you want a thicker sauce. This recipe is fairly consistent with what you’d expect. I would say that cooking the flour in the fat for a bit before adding the milk makes it taste better. I think it’s too bad that you will “never use an internet recipe again” because one didn’t turn out. I use the internet recipes all the time and Sallys baking addiction almost always has the best recipe for anything I’m looking for. I hope you are able to branch out of your comfort zone and try new things.
I love all of your recipes! This pretzel recipe was soo good, In one day my children and husband (who doesn’t really like pretzels) ate the whole batch! Thank you so much for providing families and individuals with delicious recipes, because we all know if it is on your website it must be amazing.
My sauce tasted alot like flour not cheese what can I do different
Hi Dee, was the flour over measured by chance? That’s often the culprit when the sauce tastes more “doughy” than cheesy. It’s also possible the butter and flour weren’t cooked long enough– and that’s why it tasted a little grainy/like flour. Cook the butter and flour until it forms a paste before adding the milk.
I love all your recipes and have made so many of them but for some reason my butter/flour mixture never turned into a paste so I could begin the next steps, might I be doing something incorrectly? Everything is weighed before I began so I know the measurements were right.
Hi Roxanne! It might help to use a smaller pan, if you have one, so the butter isn’t so spread out.
When freezing, put a wee bit of either wax paper, freezer paper or cling wrap on the surface of the sauce. This helps keep the integrity of the sauce and prevents ice crystals touch the surface of the sauce.
8oz is one cup but the recipe says two. Could you clarify please?
Hi Cherry, 8 ounces = 2 cups in shredded cheese. Hope this helps!
Desales University in Center Valley, PA Has an awesome theater program. Their concession sells a “rice crispy treat” that stands about 3” high and 4” square. I’ve never seen or tasted anything else like it! It looks more chocolate than typical rice treats. It is peanut buttery and also has pretzel pieces and round chocolate cereal balls (Cocoa Puffs)in it. I have yet to meet another krispy treat to match. It is one special concoction! Anything in your repertoire similar?
Hi Pam! Sounds delicious. We love our Rice Krispies recipe, and our scotcheroos recipe. You could try adapting those recipes by adding pretzel pieces and Cocoa Puffs in the place of some rice ksripie treats. We would love to hear what you try!
I would like to make your Spicy Nacho Cheese Sauce for Super Bowl on Sunday. I’d like to add some acidity and am wondering if I did, would that sauce the sauce to break? I would appreciate your feedback. Thank you.
Hi Elise, while we haven’t tested it with this sauce, many recipes for cheese sauce call for a small amount of either lemon juice, vinegar, or even white wine so it should work. Let us know if you give it a try!
Can I use a crock pot to keep it warm ?
Can’t see why not!
Can I sub reg 1% milk for whole?
Hi Laura! The cheese sauce won’t be quite as creamy, but it should work fine.