You’ll like this cheese sauce– an undeniably velvety sauce that can go from nachos to enchiladas to pasta. Like a number of our other favorite sauces, cheese sauce is easy to make and an excellent recipe to keep in your back pocket to take standard taco night to fantastic, or to turn a plate of steamed broccoli into your kids’ favorite side dish.

Learn how to make cheese sauce, and keep this recipe prepared to go for all sorts of meals.

Active Ingredients for Cheese Sauce
To make cheese sauce, you’ll require just six ingredients:

Salted butter: Adds richness to the sauce, and deals with flour to develop a roux.
All-purpose flour: Helps thicken the sauce.
Milk: The base of the velvety sauce. Can replace with evaporated milk, 2% milk, or half-and-half if needed, although it might thicken or thin the texture somewhat.
Colby Jack cheese: A moderate, creamy, buttery flavor for an abundant cheese sauce. Can substitute with Colby, Monterey Jack, pepper Jack, Cheddar, or other preferred cheeses.
Sliced green chiles: For a mild, tangy flavor and subtle heat. Can be overlooked depending on what you’re using the cheese sauce for.
Salt: Enhances the flavor of the sauce.
How To Make Cheese Sauce
If you believe making a cheese sauce from scratch is tough, prepare to be impressed. 2 steps, and you’ll have a decadent, homemade sauce prepared to serve. Complete guidelines are below, but here’s a brief recap before you begin:

Action 1. Prepare a roux: Melt butter in a heavy saucepan, and whisk in flour; cook 1 minute.
Action 2. Add milk and cheese: Gradually whisk in milk and cook up until thickened. Add cheese, chiles, and salt.
Variations for Cheese Sauce
A timeless cheese sauce is made first by preparing a roux, then including milk for a bechamel, and lastly, including shredded cheese to ultimately create a mornay sauce (or cheese sauce). While the classic components are very important, they can be altered to fit what you have on hand and what you’re using the sauce for.

Flour: Substitute with half the quantity of cornstarch, potato, or arrowroot starch, or an equivalent quantity of rice flour or gluten-free flour. You can likewise cook the roux up until golden in color for a nutty, deep taste.
Milk: 2% milk, evaporated milk, half-and-half, and plant-based milks can all be utilized in the place of entire milk. Keep in mind that depending on the texture and richness of the selected milk, the sauce texture may be thinner or thicker appropriately.
Cheese: This sauce can be altered to couple with practically any dish. Sub in Gruyère, Cheddar, pepper Jack, Fontina, or other preferred cheeses.
Flavorings: A pinch of nutmeg, touch of cayenne pepper, mustard, garlic, sliced herbs, truffle oil, bacon, and more can be included the place of chiles to take this sauce in a totally different instructions.
Ways To Use Cheese Sauce
While this cheese sauce was initially indicated for our Breakfast Enchiladas, the uses are limitless. Pour over nachos, quesadillas, cheese french fries, or steamed veggies, spoon over baked potatoes or tacos, serve as a dip for crudité or chips, and stir into grits for a cheesy twist on a Southern favorite. One would argue that whatever is better topped with cheese sauce.

Can I Make Cheese Sauce Ahead?
This sauce can be made and saved in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to two days. Reheat gently on the stovetop, adding a splash of milk if required to loosen it up.