Easy Cheese Sauce
When it comes to food, even some of my favorite things only get even more delicious when you add cheese. Thanks to this Easy Cheese Sauce, you’ll want to dip all the things in cheese. At the top of my list of favorite thing to dip in cheese sauce is soft pretzels. YUM! We have a great recipe HERE for soft pretzels. You can also dip fries, potato wedges, or steamed vegetables. You will love it on broccoli or cauliflower! This recipe uses cheddar as the main cheese, but if you like the idea of trying different flavors of cheese, go for it. In fact having a blend of different cheeses is a great way to go! You can use any combination of Mozzarella, Cheddar Jack, Pepper Jack, Monterey Jack, or any kind of cheddar. I usually go for the extra sharp cheese but I love mixing it with Pepper Jack for a delicious nacho cheese sauce.
Nacho Cheese, Please
To make nacho cheese sauce, just swap out half of the cheddar cheese in this recipe for Pepper Jack. Follow the recipe as written and then at the end, add a couple tsp. of hot sauce (like Frank’s Hot Sauce, Tapatio, Valentina’s etc..) and a tsp. or two of finely diced jalapeño. For the jalapeño, I always use the kind in the can or jar because fresh will add a crunch to your cheese dip that you may not want. If you find your cheese sauce is getting grainy or gritty, nine times out of 10 this is because it has either melted too FAST or has been OVERHEATED. There is definitely a sweet spot when it comes to cheese. You want your cheese to heat up SLOWLY. It may seem like it is taking forever but it will be worth it. Once it is melted and where you want it to be, reduce the heat even more so you can keep it right where you want it. If you continue to heat it the proteins will separate and it may start to get lumpy and gritty.
Why is my cheese sauce bland?
That’s on the cheese. I like to use EXTRA sharp cheddar when making cheese sauce because I love the flavor. Your cheese sauce will ultimately end up tasting like the cheese that you use, because that is exactly what it is. If you use milk cheddar cheese, you aren’t going to get a rich, cheesy flavor. The dry mustard in this recipe helps to enhance that flavor but don’t overdo it on the mustard. Still want more flavor? Try adding some hot sauce, jalapeños, or worcestershire sauce.
Take Note
Gluten free eaters, rest easy, this recipe for cheese sauce has NO flour in it. It is completely GF. Other recipes I have seen have you toss the cheese in flour but because we use cornstarch in this recipe is is gluten-free. If you’re hoping to reheat this cheese sauce, sorry, you’re barking up the wrong tree. It does not reheat well. Try to make as much cheese sauce as you think you will need in one sitting. Typically when the cheese cools and is re-heated it will turn out gritty. You can try heating it again over the stove over very low heat but we have never had success doing this without it getting grainy.
How To Make Easy Cheese Sauce
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