Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce

After having crafted a grainy (and horrible) cheese sauce several times in a row, i've finally found an idiot proof way to make it perfect every time. Before adding in any cheese turn off the burner and let the white sauce cool to almost room temperature. At that point you can add the cheese and return the sauce to the burner on LOW until the cheese melts into the sauce.

DELICIOUS! If you have the time and are using good cheeses, this is an amazing nacho cheese sauce. If you watch the video, you'll see how to avoid getting a grainy texture (low temp). Also..."cold milk + hot roux = no lumps." Will make this for the Super Bowl!

I made this for the Redskins vs Seahawks wildcard game, and it did come together nicely, but it was deemed a bit bland. Most of my guests added some of the fresh diced jalapeño I had sitting beside it. It was nice and creamy when freshly made right before the game, but by half-time it was grainy and just awful, after sitting in a 2-qt slow cooker on "warm". Not one I'll make again, a rare miss from Chef John.

this is a big big hit with my husband and his buddies......i throw in a can of rotel tomatoes as well, adjusting the flour to thicken things up to the proper consistency. i added about 1t of cayenne, but we like things really really spicy! for those of you whose nacho cheese came out grainy, lower your heat! and for those whose product came out lumpy, always remember, hot roux, cold liquid equals lump free product. yes, this is more expensive, and more work than store bought nacho cheese, but is vastly superior. another hit for chef john!!!!!!!!!!

Came out grainy. I may have done it wrong. I scorched the butter a little and the butter and flour mixture was very brownish colored. The rue didn't come together well so that may be the reason for the graininess. Aside from the texture the flavor wasn't all that great. Ancho chile powder is hard to find too. I might try again but will probably look for a new recipe. May need to use some velveeta instead of the other cheeses for texture.

This is such a great recipe if you are making nachos for a crowd. For the past few years I made this a staple at my football parties. I make a batch, and then make it a part of my 'nachos' bar. I have chips, chopped veggies (onions, tomato, olives, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, etc.), cooked ground beef and turkey with taco seasoning, guacamole, sour cream and salsa. The guests can each make their own custom batch of nachos to meet their preferences and creativity. I keep it warm in a crock pot so it stays liquidey.

Excellent recipe! Thank you Chef John for teaching us all how to make a proper roux! I have always had such trouble with good sauces and now that I have the beginning steps down, I have been able to create tons of successful variations. Btw this recipe can be altered to make some wonderful homemade mac and cheese. :)

Loved this! I will definitely be making this again! As for the reviews that said it came out grainy, it sounds as if the cheese separated, which will happen when allowed to get too hot. A crock pot on warm for several hours is just too long. This is definitely worth the effort!

So easy when you follow the video! To save time, used 1 lb combined of sharp cheddar and pepper jack cheese in place of all the spices. Served atop warm tortilla chips with fresh pico de gallo. Devoured at work Happy Hour. Thanks, Chef John!

Best nacho cheese I've made and even better is that it doesn't use processed cheese! I didn't have ancho powder but I chopped 5 jalapeno slices and added a teaspoon of pickled jalapeno juice. Very tasty!

This came out very thin. I ended up adding an additional 1 1/2 cups of cheddar cheese. The flavor was just ok for me. I actually preferred it cold when it had set up a little. The recipe was easy to follow. Went along with the video on this one!

Probably the best nacho sauce I've ever had!

This was such a hit at my mini super bowl gathering! I made a few moderations: I made the mistake of measuring the butter solid so I had to add more by eye. I made a taco-seasoning, used half of it for ground turkey and the rest for the sauce. I used half a 1lb bag of cheddar and half a 1lb bag of Monterey Jack. I mixed it in slowly and tasted to see if it had the taste I was going for. I added just a bit more of each and then poured in my ground turkey. I mixed it up and ladled it over some tortilla chips. Topped it with pico de gallo and it was gone before I could make myself a plate! Thanks Chef John, this is a staple in my brain's recipe book!

My daughter likes the very "yellow" nacho cheese sauce; I simply added 1/2 t. of tumeric for coloring.

Really Yummy!! Made Lots.

Love Chef John's Nacho Cheese Sauce recipe! I use this for mac & cheese or with cheesy potatoes. I tweak it a bit by using a pint of heavy cream and one cup of milk.

Came out great! not grainy at all, even when I reheated the next day. 4 stars because it was a bit bland however this was easily remedied! Added a few Chipotle peppers in adobo sauce... tasty! Also skipped the hassle and just bought a quality bag of shredded Mexican blend cheese.

An overall good cheese sauce. Made as directed. Felt like it would need some more spices and flavors next time. Could see adding Rotel or similar depending on how you are serving it.

We LOVED this cheese sauce! I did use velveeta in place of the cheddar, but kept the other cheeses the same. I also tasted it and adjusted the seasonings accordingly, even adding in a bit of garlic powder. Made earlier in the day and just reheated it in my small slow cooker, which worked out great. Served over nachos with all the fixings. HUGE hit at our house for 'dip night'. Another winner from Chef John! Thanks for sharing. :)

We made this to go with burritos. It was delicious and only took a few minutes to make. We used 1/2 cheddar and 1/2 pepper jack because that it was what we had on hand, but I think the pepper jack really added an extra spiced flavor. Would definitely recommend. Didn't have any problems with it getting chunky, as some reviews mention. For all cheese sauces, it is super important to add the cheese on low heat, you will get clumping if you put the cheese in too hot.

This was yummy! I added more seasoning because of the reviews but wish I hadn’t. I also added garlic and no hot peppers as my kids wont eat hot spicey stuff. I also just used mozza cheese, marble cheese and fresh parmesan.

This is super good!

Tastes like cheezwiz.... Not good

it tasted strange and was a weird texture

Absolutely delicious!!!

I gave it a four because I didn't have the called for cheeses. I used the bulk Mexican cheese from Sam's club or all the spices. I think it could have more of a kick, but other than that it was great!

This was easy to make but it was pretty bland. I even put onions and jalapenos to the nacho cheese sauce. It reminded me a lot of Fuzzy's taco nacho cheese sauce.

I never see a bad recipe from Chef John so even though I didn't have many of the ingredients I made this. I only had sharp cheddar and Monterey jack cheese. No cayenne or ancho chile powder. I did have some chipotle smoked paprika and some Goya brand adobo spice. I also threw in some cajun spice. It was creamy and delicious. I can't wait to make it with the right ingredients so I ordered them. My husband is not a spice lover so he loved it but I added fresh jalapeños for mine. I don't think it would be good to keep this in a crock pot for a long time. I would not do that. It is not the goopy "cheese" junk that comes in a bar. It is delicious and has real ingredients. The proper use of this is to make fabulous nachos and serve right away. Fabulous!

Well..... oh I love almost all of chef John’s recipes they always turn out perfect. However, maybe I added a bit too much flour? It kind of stretched like rubber when I when it was hot and it just wasn’t very appealing looking. Don’t think I will make this again.

jaime la basse de la preparation option d'utiliser un parmesant change trop le gout et le rend legerement granuleur