This post may contain affiliate links. For more information, please see our affiliate policy.
An easy Homemade Cheese Sauce for appetizers, cooked vegetables, pasta, and baked potatoes. It’s ready in 5 minutes with just 3 ingredients.
Table of Contents
Recipe ingredients
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
- 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 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).
Homemade Soft Pretzels
Homemade Soft Pretzels that are soft and chewy on the inside and crackly brown on the outside. Knot or twist your way to the BEST soft pretzels you’ve ever had! The Oktoberfest pretzels in Munich are…
View Recipe
Drizzle cheese on these
Working with Fruits and Vegetables
How to Blanch Broccoli
Side Dish Recipes
How to Bake Potatoes
Side Dish Recipes
Buttered Noodles
30 Minute Meals
Cheeseburger Quesadillas
Join Us
HUNGRY FOR MORE? Sign up for our weekly newsletter and follow along on Facebook, Pinterest, and Instagram for our latest recipes! Tag all your glorious creations #culinaryhill so we can eat vicariously through you.
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.
Ingredients
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese (see note 1)
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
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
Did you make this recipe?Tag @culinaryhill on Instagram so we can admire your masterpiece! #culinaryhill
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.
I thought this recipe was too good to be true but I went ahead and tried it. IT IS SO GOOD AND EASY!!!!
Hi Sunshine Ray, thank you for your comment! I’m glad you loved it! – Meggan
Easiest cheese sauce to make. I am Gluten Free and appreciate this recipe not calling for flour.
So great! Super easy and delicious, and it’s alot! Can you use whole milk, I want to try a half recipe!
Forgot to rate the recipe in my last comment… 5 stars for simplicity and speed, 5 stars for taste, 4 stars for texture… But not worth docking it overall!
I love how dead easy this is! I had some cauliflower gnocchi in the air fryer and wondered what the heck I would eat it with them decided I needed a cheese sauce, and this hit the spot! I’ll use this as a quick Mac n cheese dupe for my daughter who’s currently obsessed with the powdered crap. And I love that it’s coeliac friendly…. Making a roux with gf flour just doesn’t work well for me. Thank you!!
Thanks Bree, I’m so glad you loved it! – Meggan
I think I may have used too much corn starch. I’ve seen this recipe sans corn starch, and I may try it that way next time. It’s still good–a a Dijon or dry mustard might be a good add-in, but delish!
I don’t comment on blogs. I have to say after many failed cheese sauce recipes this is PERFECT. I’ve tried so many different things and this gets it just right and it’s so easy which is the best part. It has opened the door to try so many new things and cheeses. I have even begun grating my own cheeses to use with this recipe. Highly recommend!!!!
The flavor and instructions are amazing! I found that the original size of the pretzels was fairly large so I cut each piece of dough in half. I literally couldn’t stop eating them!
Glad it was a hit! Thanks Dani! -Meggan