• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
Eat Well Spend Smart
  • About
  • Recipe Index
  • Money Saving Tips
    • Meal Plans
    • Gardening
  • My Products
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipe Index
  • Money Saving Tips
  • Meal Plans
  • About
  • My Products
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • YouTube
  • ×

    Homemade Basic Cheese Sauce

    June 24, 2020 by Tara Buss 16 Comments

    Sharing is caring!

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Basic cheese sauce recipe that can be used in a variety of ways. Top a baked potato, use a dipping sauce, use in mac and cheese, or top vegetables. Never buy store-bought again.

    Cheese sauce dripping from a spoon into a skillet of cheese sauce

    It's one thing to know how to follow recipes, but it's another thing to know how to cook.  If you want to really start saving money on food, you have to start learning how to cook and acquire basic skills in the kitchen.

    Many things fall into the category of must-know recipes when cooking from scratch, but one of the most delicious is a basic cheese sauce.

    How do you make cheese sauce from scratch?

    The easiest and most inexpensive way to make this is with a roux base.

    1. Make a roux by cooking equal parts of butter and flour together in a saucepan over medium heat for a minute or two.
    2. Then whisk in milk.
    3. Cook until it begins to thicken, remove from heat, and slowly whisk in your cheese.
    4. Season with salt and pepper and eat. It's as easy as that!

    baked potato topped with broccoli and cheddar cheese sauce

    What can I put cheese sauce on?

    Homemade cheese sauce is so versatile, so easy, and so delicious.  Here are some ideas for how to use it.

    • inexpensive baked potato topper
    • top vegetables for picky eaters
    • dipping sauce for oven fries
    • dipping sauce for soft pretzels
    • as a base for macaroni and cheese
    • nacho sauce

    Flavor variations

    This of course is a base recipe and can be customized for more flavor combinations.  You could add any of the following for different variations.

    • sauté peppers and onions in the butter for a southwest flair
    • bacon or sausage to kick up the flavor
    • add black beans
    • make it spicy with pickled jalapeño juice or Rotel.
    • add chili powder or cayenne for some kick
    cheese sauce dripping from a spoon into a pan of cheese sauce
    Print Pin
    5 from 1 vote

    Basic Cheese Sauce

    A versatile basic cheese sauce recipe that can be used for topping vegetables, a dipping sauce, nachos, or mac and cheese. Super simple.
    Course condiment
    Cuisine American
    Keyword basic cheese sauce, cheese sauce, cheese sauce from scratch, homemade cheese sauce
    Prep Time 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time 15 minutes minutes
    Servings 4
    Author Tara Buss

    Ingredients

    • 2 tbsp butter
    • 2 tbsp flour
    • 1 ½ cup milk
    • 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese shredded from a block
    • ½ tsp salt or to taste
    • pepper to taste

    Instructions

    • Shred cheddar cheese using a grater and set aside.
    • In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.         
    • Whisk in flour and cook for a minute or two.
    • Whisk in milk slowly.
    • Bring to a gentle simmer and whisk until thickened.
    • Remove from heat or turn heat down to lowest setting, and stir in cheese a little add a time. If your heat is too high, your sauce might "break" and take on a grainy texture.
    • Season with salt and pepper to taste.

    Notes

    A block of cheddar cheese will yield better results than pre-shredded cheese. Pre-shredded cheese contains additives that can create a grainy texture when melted into the sauce.
    Troubleshooting
    Add more cheese if you need it thicker or a cheesier flavor.
    Add a bit more milk if it starts to get too thick.
    Add more salt if it doesn't "pop" in flavor.
     

    I hope you love this easy recipe. If you try it and love it, please leave a rating and comment below.

    I love to hear about your wins in the kitchen!

    « Ridiculously Easy Slow Cooker Salsa Verde Chicken: 5 Ingredients!
    Stuff Frugal Moms Say »

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Meghan

      April 21, 2020 at 1:26 pm

      How much butter?

      Reply
    2. Heidi

      October 05, 2020 at 3:09 pm

      Best and easiest cheese sauce I’ve ever made!

      Reply
      • Tara Buss

        October 17, 2020 at 1:17 pm

        Yay! I love hearing that!

        Reply
    3. Hal

      January 24, 2021 at 3:03 pm

      Turned out great! Thanks

      Reply
      • Tara Buss

        January 26, 2021 at 11:44 am

        Wonderful! Thanks for the feedback.

        Reply
    4. Nikki

      September 04, 2021 at 7:32 pm

      Have you tried keeping this in a small crock pot?

      Reply
      • Tara Buss

        September 06, 2021 at 11:16 am

        No I have not. Sorry I can't give you more help with that.

        Reply
        • Kristen

          December 01, 2023 at 4:11 pm

          5 stars
          Great recipe!!!
          Thank you for sharing.

          Reply
          • Tara Buss

            December 02, 2023 at 8:11 pm

            You're welcome. Thanks for the review!

            Reply
    5. Kyli

      November 13, 2021 at 10:30 am

      Wonderful recipe! Used it for a baked potato bar and kept it warm in a fondue pot. The only problem was that I didn’t make enough!

      Reply
      • Tara Buss

        November 15, 2021 at 4:01 pm

        So glad it worked well for your baked potato bar, Kyli!

        Reply
    6. Mona

      February 08, 2022 at 6:01 pm

      Simple and delicious. I used it for scalloped potatoes and ham

      Reply
      • Tara Buss

        February 09, 2022 at 2:20 pm

        Wonderful, Mona! Thanks for the comment.

        Reply
    7. Shannon

      January 25, 2023 at 4:31 pm

      Would adding a block of cream cheese make it a weird texture? I’m hoping to use this sauce to mix with shredded chicken & I’ve never made one of these sauces or seen any info on adding other types of dairy products!

      Reply
      • Tara Buss

        January 25, 2023 at 4:45 pm

        It would probably make it extra thick and you might need extra milk to thin it. I can't say for sure though because I've never tried it. I hope your experiment turns out well.

        Reply

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Tara Buss headshot

    Hi, I'm Tara! Mom, wife, and frugal living expert. I believe you can feed your family well even when money and time are tight. Let me show you how.

    More about me →

    Popular

    • Sack lunch ideas- no refrigeration
      50 Easy Sack Lunch Ideas (No Refrigeration)
    • Southern crockpot pinto beans
      Crockpot pinto beans
    • Homemade biscuits on a baking sheet
      Easy Homemade Biscuit Recipe (Without Buttermilk)
    • baked potato topped with butter on a white plate
      16 Delicious Ways to Use Leftover Baked Potatoes

    Grab my E-book

    Eat well spend smart ebook

    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Disclaimer

    Newsletter

    • Sign Up! for emails and updates

    Contact

    • Contact

    As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases.

    Copyright © 2022 Eat Well Spend Smart