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Cheese Sauce

Cheese Sauce
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5 from 1 review

Try this smooth, creamy cheese sauce recipe! Here’s how to make a simple sauce for for broccoli, fries, chips, and more.

Ingredients

Scale

Classic cheese sauce

  • 1 tablespoon flour*
  • 1 tablespoon butter
  • 3/4 cup milk
  • 6 ounces mild to medium cheddar cheese**, grated (1 ½ cups)
  • ⅛ teaspoon onion powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon garlic powder
  • ⅛ teaspoon kosher salt
  • ½ teaspoon apple cider vinegar or white wine vinegar
  • Optional: 1 to 2 teaspoons hot sauce

Cheese sauce with evaporated milk (works for leftovers)***

Instructions

  1. In a small or medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the flour and whisk constantly for 1 minute, until bubbly and golden.
  2. Add a splash of milk and whisk it in: the sauce will instantly turn chunky. Constantly whisking, continue to add splashes of milk and whisk them in until the entire quantity is incorporated and the sauce is smooth. Cook 2 to 3 minutes, whisking frequently, until very thick and smooth.
  3. Turn off the heat and stir in the spices. Stir in the cheese 1 handful at a time, only adding more when it has melted. Once you need more temperature to melt the cheese, return heat to low to complete melting. Once fully smooth, it will be thick. Whisk in 2 more tablespoons of milk until it comes to a pourable consistency, then stir in the vinegar (and hot sauce, if using). Serve immediately. Note that leftovers don’t reheat well after refrigeration. Make the Nacho Cheese Sauce (without hot sauce) if you want a recipe that holds up well and works as leftovers.

Notes

*Leftovers don’t reheat well after refrigeration. Consider making a half recipe if you don’t plan to use the entire 1 cup.

**Avoid using an aged cheddar: the flavor is much too strong.

***The Nacho Cheese recipe is a cheese sauce made with evaporated milk, which has an even creamier texture and holds up as leftovers for up to 1 week. It’s easy to reheat on the stove or in the microwave. 

Find it online: https://www.acouplecooks.com/cheese-sauce-recipe/