Nacho Cheese Sauce

Make this easy Nacho Cheese Sauce at home with a variety of cheese options, including Velveeta, cheddar, Monterey Jack, and more. Learn my secret trick that makes this the BEST Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe you'll find!

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: American

Servings: cups

Calories: 510kcal

Author: Stephanie

Ingredients

2 Jalapenos
3 Tablespoons Butter
2 Tablespoons Flour
1 cup milk
1/8 teaspoon cayenne pepper
1 Teaspoon hot sauce
8 oz. cubed Velveeta Cheese see notes
1 teaspoon paprika

Instructions

Slice the jalapenos in half. Remove the stem and seeds and cut into smaller slices.
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the jalapenos (skin-side-up) and cook for 2 minutes or so, until softened. We want to transfer as much jalapeno flavor into the butter as possible without browning the butter.
Remove the jalapenos and whisk in the flour. Cook for 2 minutes or until you can no longer smell the flour.
Add the milk, one splash at a time, and whisk continuously to incorporate. If it’s added too fast it could break the roux. Be sure to whisk the whole time until the milk is all incorporated.
Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Add the cayenne, hot sauce, and paprika.
Reduce heat to low. If the base is too hot when the cheese is added, you’ll end up with a grainy consistency. Add the cheese and stir continuously until melted and smooth.
Serve immediately with Chili Cheese Dogs, French Fries, Potato Wedges, Tortilla Chips, Crusty bites of bread, or vegetables.

Notes

American, Cheddar, or Monterey Jack are all great variations of cheeses that you can use. I find that Velveeta is the best way to replicate classic nacho cheese sauce at home.
Rotel tomatoes with green chilies makes a great addition to this nacho sauce.
I use Frank's Hot Sauce in this recipe.

Storage
• Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days.

To Reheat:
• Reheat in a skillet over medium-low heat. Add splashes of milk to loosen it up and restore it back to it’s original form.

This recipe makes approximately 2 cups of Nacho Cheese Sauce. Nutritional facts are per cup.

Nutrition

Recipe Source: TheCozyCook.com - For pro tips, step-by-step photos, storage information, and to save it to your account, visit https://framework-keystone.live/nacho-cheese-sauce/%3C/strong%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-37593":{"type":"food","name":"Nacho Cheese Sauce","slug":"wprm-nacho-cheese-sauce","image_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Nacho-Cheese-Recipe-f.jpg","rating":{"count":20,"total":100,"average":5,"type":{"comment":20,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":0,"amount":"2","unit":"","name":"Jalapenos","notes":"","id":6307,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"","timestamp":1778512588000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"3","unit":"Tablespoons","name":"Butter","notes":"","unit_id":12930,"id":3648,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"3","unit":"Tablespoons","timestamp":1778512588000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3","unit":"Tablespoons","unitParsed":"Tablespoons"}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"2","unit":"Tablespoons","name":"Flour","notes":"","unit_id":12930,"id":3770,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"2","unit":"Tablespoons","timestamp":1778512588000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"Tablespoons","unitParsed":"Tablespoons"}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"1","unit":"cup","name":"milk","notes":"","unit_id":12934,"id":3650,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"cup","timestamp":1778512588000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"cup","unitParsed":"cup"}}},{"uid":8,"amount":"1\/8","unit":"teaspoon","name":"cayenne pepper","notes":"","unit_id":12938,"id":3826,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1\/8","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1778512588000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\/8","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}},{"uid":10,"amount":"1","unit":"Teaspoon","name":"hot sauce","notes":"","unit_id":12938,"id":7796,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"Teaspoon","timestamp":1778512588000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"Teaspoon","unitParsed":"Teaspoon"}}},{"uid":12,"amount":"8","unit":"oz.","name":"cubed Velveeta Cheese","notes":"see notes","unit_id":12936,"id":7874,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"8","unit":"oz.","timestamp":1778512588000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"8","unit":"oz.","unitParsed":"oz."}}},{"uid":14,"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","name":"paprika","notes":"","unit_id":12938,"id":3871,"conversion_item_snapshot":{"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","timestamp":1778512588000},"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"teaspoon","unitParsed":"teaspoon"}}}],"originalServings":"2","originalServingsParsed":2,"currentServings":"2","currentServingsParsed":2,"currentServingsFormatted":"2","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"favorite":false,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"collection":{"servingsUnit":"cups","servingsUnitRaw":"cups","originalServings":"2","originalServingsParsed":2,"type":"recipe","recipeId":37593,"name":"Nacho Cheese Sauce","image":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2021\/04\/Nacho-Cheese-Recipe-f-500x500.jpg","servings":2,"parent_id":"37576","parent_url":"https:\/\/thecozycook.com\/nacho-cheese-sauce\/","cachedAt":1778512588,"modifiedAt":1747221761}}}