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.
One reader, Gemma, commented: “Love this sauce with homemade soft pretzels… each dip got bigger and bigger until the sauce got on my hands and the pretzels were so loaded with it 😉 Thanks for another great recipe, Sally! ★★★★★“
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
- Ciabatta Bread
- Breadsticks
- Biscuits
- Baked Sweet Potato Fries
- Artisan Bread
- Pretzel Crusted Chicken Bites
- 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) freshly 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!
- Cheese: For best taste and texture, shred cheese off the block yourself with a cheese grater. Pre-shredded cheese is drier than freshly shredded, and contains anti-caking agents.
- Spiciness: You can leave out the hot sauce and/or cayenne.
Reader Comments and Reviews
Excited to make this recipe! Can I use pre-shredded cheese or do you have more success with freshly grated?
Hi Denise! For best taste and texture, I recommend freshly grated cheese.
if i wanted to make this batch and convert it to yield 12 cups instead of 2; how much flour should i use? i wouldn’t imagine it being 1 1/2cups, or is it?
Hi Luka, We haven’t made that large of a quantity before, but the ratio of ingredients *should* stay the same.
How many days can this last in the fridge?
According to the recipe:
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.
Used this recipe today, only had 1% milk and fiesta mix cheese. I think the whole milk would make it creamier. As for taste — I omitted hot sauce and added 1/4 tsp Tobasco, 1/4 tsp. Garlic powder and 1/4 tsp cumin. Really delicious!!
Just made the soft pretzels (so easy), and this sauce is next with the pretzel bites I’m making Monday! Can’t wait!!
Mine turned out a little grainy? Is that too much flour? Also my butter and flour never turned pasty, just thick? Suggestions?
Hi Jill, it sounds like the butter and flour weren’t cooked long enough– and that’s why it tasted a little grainy. Cook the butter and flour until it forms a paste before adding the milk.
This is the third recipe I’ve made from your site in the last two weeks and every one was perfection. My kids and I made your soft pretzel recipe (you’re my hero) and at the last minute I decided I HAD to have this cheese with them. I didn’t have all the right ingredients and it still came out perfect! I used shredded Mexican cheese mix, oat milk (because I didn’t have any cow milk – yes, it came out great!) chili-lime seasoning and a mix of sriracha and cholula. Omg.
I can’t find block cheddar in rome (where I live) do you think I can use thick prepackaged slices? And then just make thin pieces from that?
I’m getting a huge craving for this!
You can certainly try, Janel!
I love love love spice. My husband does not. On a scale of 1-10, how spicy is this?
I would say a 5 or 6, but– of course– our spice tolerance could be different. You can add however much/little spice you want. Feel free to adjust.
What a fun recipe! In this time of stay-in-place due to COVID-19, my husband was home and we made the pretzels together. They turned out great. Also made the cheese sauce with a bit extra Frank’s. Definitely a keeper recipe. Thanks Sally
If I’m doing Keto is there a substitute I could use for the flour ?
Love this sauce with homemade soft pretzels…..each dip got bigger and bigger until the sauce got on my hands the pretzels were so loaded with it 😉 Thanks for another great recipe Sally!
I love this stuff! It cam together so quickly! It was really hot so next time I think I will leave the hot sauce out!
Could this work with 2 % milk?
You can use 2% milk if you can’t get your hands on whole milk.
Oh my goodness! Best cheese dip. i made it with homemade pretzels..i bet sooo good w nachos too
Have you tried this with Almond milk?
I used almond milk because that’s all I had on hand. still turned out amazing! love it, love the spice.
Hi Sally
This sauce was so good but I have a ton leftover. Can I freeze this?
Thanks
Neha
You should be able to freeze leftovers. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then heat over stovetop or in the microwave before serving again.
Such a good recipe although I like it better with Colby jack and Sriracha
I would like to make the pretzel bites and this sauce. I only have half & half and fat free milk on hand. Can I mix the two or can I use just the half & half?
Half-and-half would be great here– or use 1 and 1/2 cups half-and-half and 1/2 cup skim milk.
What is the best hot sauce to use?
Just made your pretzel recipe. They are delish and so easy. Now will try your nacho cheese sauce. Both are so easy and fast.
Wow, that’s good! I used Cholula instead of Franks and it’s awesome. Thanks so much
I substituted scirracha sauce & red pepper flakes—sooo delicious!! Thank you for this recipe!!!
What kind of hot sauce do you use??
Hi Tasha! I usually use Franks red hot sauce.
Absolutely amazed. The sauce is great and so are the pretzel bites.
Just by chance I used Franks Red Hot sauce as well.
Looks amazing, planning to make for my daughters bday along with the pretzels.
Do you think I can use low fat milk or whole milk is better?
Thanks !
I recommend sticking with whole milk for a thicker creamier sauce!
Can this be frozen once cooked?
Absolutely. Thaw in the fridge, then heat up to your liking.
Can I use cheese powder? If so, should I reduce the grammage of flour?
Hi Adinda, fresh cheese is best. We haven’t tested this recipe using cheese powder. If you try anything, let us know how it goes!
Ok- this recipe is so easy and amazing with homemade pretzels! Love it!
I made the cheese sauce for a dip, but it came out plain it wasn’t taking like anything and it was doughy. Do you think I may have put too much flour in it?
If it tasted doughy then yes, it’s likely too much flour.
This happened to me , too- followed the recipe but no taste at all and very floury. I may try again with half the flour.
have you ever tried heating this in a crock pot? I’d love to make it for my sister’s bridal shower (she loves pretzels and cheese), but I wonder how it would do.
Hi Andrea! I haven’t tried this in a crockpot. The butter, flour, and milk mixture would need to cook according to the directions. You could do that in the crockpot though. Let me know how it goes!
Walmart sells tiny crock pots that would work better than a big one for things like this unless you plan on making that much. I bought a 2 quart with a lid and it had high and low settings for under $15. I don’t see the one I bought there anymore but I see some others with 4 1/2 star reviews. If you live close enough use the free pickup option and you don’t have to pay for delivery if it lets you.
This sauce is delicious! I made it today with your homemade pretzel recipe. We ate quite a bit over the stove, right out of the pot! Thank you for the recipe!