Easy to make from scratch, this nacho cheese sauce is perfectly melty and creamy. It’s made with natural ingredients (no processed cheese) so it has the real cheesy flavor that is so good.
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It’s nacho cheese, it’s nacho cheese!
That’s one of those lines that sticks in my head from my childhood. Do you ever have random phrases that pop up occasionally and you can’t remember exactly where they came from? Yeah that’s one of those. Probably a taco commercial or something? Anyone know?
Anywho, I’ve been on the lookout for a good homemade nacho cheese sauce for several years. It’s our Halloween tradition to serve mummies and nachos for dinner. You know what mummies are, right? Hot dogs wrapped round and round in breadstick dough so they look like a mummy. Here’s a visual.
Yeah they’re cute and fun and I know our kids look forward to when I make them every year on Halloween.
Serving them with nachos is perfect because nachos are quick and easy and just yummy (not to mention the orange color which is kinda festive).
So in honor of it being almost Halloween I decided I wanted to perfect my recipe for Homemade Nacho Cheese sauce to share with you. And oh is it good.
How to make this nacho cheese sauce
This is a fairly straightforward recipe, but I’ll walk you through it anyway. We all like a little hand holding now and again, don’t we?
Warm up some heavy cream in a saucepan along with some spices. Then just when the cream starts to get bubbles along the edges it’s time to add the cheese. Add a little at a time, whisking to combine after each addition.
You don’t want to heat the cheese sauce too hot after the cheese has been added otherwise it may separate, rather than staying nice and creamy.
Add the canned green chilies – this is what gives the sauce a little kick. If you like more of a kick, use hot chilies or canned jalapenos. You can leave them out too if you are looking for more of a regular cheese sauce to go over baked potatoes or cooked broccoli or something.
And then with the green chilies in there, I actually like to stick the whole thing in a food processor and process it until it’s super smooth. You can also use an immersion blender or keep it chunky if you like.
And that’s it! It’s ready to go. Takes 15 minutes tops and that includes grating the cheese.
The best types of cheese to use
I’ve made this with different types of cheese and the best kinds actually seem to be the milder varieties. We love colby jack and usually have it on hand so that’s what I use normally. You can also make it with a blend of mild cheddar and jack or pepper jack which would be good.
I wouldn’t try getting all fancy and go for aged cheeses here. Even sharp cheddar. They tend to have less moisture in them and don’t give you as creamy of a texture (plus too strong of a flavor for my liking in this cheese sauce).
Can I use pre-shredded cheese?
Well, let me just say that freshly grated cheese melts much better than pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese is coated with a powdery substance to keep it from clumping, It doesn’t melt as nicely and also tends to dry the cheese out making it a different consistency when it does melt.
Because of this, I recommend using freshly grated cheese, however I won’t stop you from using pre-shredded if you want to give it a try to save some time and aren’t super picky about texture.
Making ahead and reheating
This cheese sauce reheats well if you keep in mind these words: Slow and easy.
Repeat them over and over if needed.
Slow and easy, slow and easy, slow and easy.
Use a low temperature and stir it often. Whisk in a little milk if it’s too thick.
I haven’t tried it but I bet a slow cooker on low would probably work.
Microwaving this nacho cheese sauce to reheat it is not the best idea here (at least a full power –I’ve never tried lower power). I expect the microwave heats super uneven even at lower power. The high temperature makes the cheese separate and turn into an oily mess. It still tastes mighty good but doesn’t look pretty.
Creamy, drippy, ooey, gooey cheese that tastes like a million bucks. That’s what we are going for my friends.
And this is it.
Nacho Cheese Sauce
Easy to make from scratch, this nacho cheese sauce is perfectly melty and creamy. It's made with natural ingredients (no processed cheese) so it has the real cheesy flavor that is so good.
Ingredients
- 1 cup (8 ounces) heavy whipping cream
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon chili powder
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon onion powder
- ¼ teaspoon ground mustard
- 2 cups (8 ounces) freshly grated colby jack cheese see note
- 1 4-ounce can green chilies undrained, see note
Instructions
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In a small saucepan whisk together the heavy cream, cornstarch, paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, onion powder, and ground mustard. Then heat over medium heat, whisking constantly until bubbles form on outside of pan.
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Add about a quarter of the freshly grated cheese and whisk to combine. Repeat with next quarter and so on until all the cheese has been incorporated and melted and sauce is creamy.
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Stir in the green chilies. You can serve the sauce at this point (with the chunky texture of the green chilies). But my preference is to blend it with an immersion blender or a food processor until it's really smooth. Return to pan and heat until warmed through and serve hot.
Recipe Notes
1. You can switch up the type of cheese, but we prefer milder cheese in this sauce. I wouldn’t recommend anything aged as it will tend to be drier and not give you that creamy texture, plus the flavor will probably be too strong.
2. Keep in mind that pre-shredded cheese is coated with a powdery substance to keep it from clumping which may adversely affect the consistency and texture in this sauce.
3. We like mild green chilies, but feel free to use spicier if you enjoy the heat.
4. The prepared cheese sauce can be reheated slowly at low temperature, stirring often. Whisk in a little milk to thin, if needed. Do not microwave (the temperature is too hot) or you will be left with an oily mess.
Recipe Source: Heather @ The Cook’s Treat
All images and text © The Cook’s Treat
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