Homemade Cheese Sauce

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An easy Homemade Cheese Sauce for appetizers, cooked vegetables, pasta, and baked potatoes. It’s ready in 5 minutes with just 3 ingredients.

A bowl of cheese sauce with tortilla chips on a platter.

Recipe ingredients

Labeled ingredients for homemade cheese sauce.

At a Glance: Here is a quick snapshot of what ingredients are in this recipe.
Please see the recipe card below for specific quantities.

Ingredient notes

  • Shredded cheese: It’s okay to use pre-shredded cheese here. Although they are tossed with agents to prevent the cheese from sticking together, it will still melt and thicken up fine.

Step-by-step instructions

  1. In a small saucepan, combine cheddar cheese and cornstarch. Toss until cheese is evenly coated.
Shredded cheese tossed with corn starch in a sauce pan.
  1. Stir in evaporated milk and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until cheese is melted and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce heat to low, cover, and keep warm until serving time. Or, transfer to a slow cooker on the “warm” setting for serving.
Cheese sauce in a sauce pan.

Recipe tips and variations

  • Yield: This recipe makes about 2 cups.
  • Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Slow cooker: Make the recipe as directed below, on the stove, and then transfer it to your favorite slow cooker (I used one of the “mini sizes” and there is room for a double batch of this cheese sauce recipe). I’ve left it on the “warm” setting for a few hours and all it ever needs is a little stir. It works really well!
  • Spicy: You can stir in a can 4-ounce of diced green chiles, drained, for some extra flavor and heat. You can do that on the stove or in a slow cooker. If you add them to the slow cooker, just be sure the cheese sauce is back to “hot” before serving (the chiles might cool it down temporarily).
Drizzling cheese sauce over broccoli.

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Tortilla chips next to homemade cheese sauce.

Homemade Cheese Sauce

An easy Homemade Cheese Sauce for appetizers, cooked vegetables, pasta, and baked potatoes. It's ready in 5 minutes with just 3 ingredients.
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 5 minutes
Servings 8 (¼ cup) servings
Course Appetizer, Pantry
Cuisine American
Calories 118
4.99 from 65 votes

Ingredients 

Instructions 

  • In a small saucepan, combine cheddar cheese and cornstarch. Toss until cheese is evenly coated.
  • Stir in evaporated milk and salt and pepper to taste (I like 1 teaspoon salt, and ¼ teaspoon pepper). Heat over medium-high heat, whisking occasionally, until cheese is melted and smooth, about 3 to 5 minutes.
  • Reduce heat to low, cover, and keep warm until serving time. Or, transfer to a slow cooker on the "warm" setting for serving.

Recipe Video

Notes

  • Shredded cheese: It’s okay to use pre-shredded cheese here. Although they are tossed with agents to prevent the cheese from sticking together, it will still melt and thicken up fine. 
  • Yield: This recipe makes about 2 cups.
  • Storage: Store leftovers covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
  • Slow cooker: Make the recipe as directed below, on the stove, and then transfer it to your favorite slow cooker (I used one of the “mini sizes” and there is room for a double batch of this cheese sauce recipe). I’ve left it on the “warm” setting for a few hours and all it ever needs is a little stir. It works really well!
  • Spicy: You can stir in a can 4-ounce of diced green chiles, drained, for some extra flavor and heat. You can do that on the stove or in a slow cooker. If you add them to the slow cooker, just be sure the cheese sauce is back to “hot” before serving (the chiles might cool it down temporarily).

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cupsCalories: 118kcalCarbohydrates: 1gProtein: 7gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 6gCholesterol: 30mgSodium: 176mgPotassium: 28mgSugar: 1gVitamin A: 283IUCalcium: 204mgIron: 1mg
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Meggan Hill is a classically-trained chef and professional writer. Her meticulously-tested recipes and detailed tutorials bring confidence and success to home cooks everywhere. Meggan has been featured on NPR, HuffPost, FoxNews, LA Times, and more.

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Comments

    1. Hi Jason, I’m sorry your cheese sauce was too thick. My best guess is you may have used a little too much cornstarch or not enough cheese. I hope your next batch comes out fantastic! – Meggan

    1. Hi Confused, the ingredient amounts are listed in the recipe card. Sorry for the confusion! You can access it by clicking the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top right of the page, clicking the “Homemade Cheese Sauce Recipe” link in the Table of Contents, or continue to scroll down the post and the recipe will be in the recipe box. I hope this helps and you love this cheese sauce! – Meggan

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