Although it is neither easier or less expensive to prepare this nacho cheese sauce at home, the amount of food that you gain more than makes up for it.
| Prep Time: | 15 mins |
| Cook Time: | 15 mins |
| Total Time: | 30 mins |
| Servings: | 20 |
| Yield: | 20 servings |
Ingredients
- ¼ cup melted butter
- 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour
- 3 cups cold milk
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ¼ teaspoon ground dried chipotle pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ancho chile powder
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- salt to taste
- ½ pound sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
- ¼ pound Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
- ¼ pound Muenster cheese, shredded
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Sprinkle in 3 tablespoons plus 1 teaspoon flour. Whisk constantly until the mixture is thick and all the flour is incorporated, 3 to 4 minutes.
- Slowly pour cold milk into the butter mixture, whisking constantly until combined. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until slightly thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in paprika, ground chipotle, ancho chile powder, cayenne pepper, and salt.
- Reduce heat to low and add sharp Cheddar cheese, Monterey Jack cheese, and Muenster cheese, a handful at a time; stir until thoroughly melted. Season with salt to taste.
- Test the dip with the chips you’ll be serving them with, since they will affect how much salt you need to add to the dip.
Nutrition Facts
| Calories | 132 kcal |
| Carbohydrate | 3 g |
| Cholesterol | 31 mg |
| Dietary Fiber | 0 g |
| Protein | 7 g |
| Saturated Fat | 7 g |
| Sodium | 168 mg |
| Sugars | 2 g |
| Fat | 10 g |
| Unsaturated Fat | 0 g |
Reviews
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!
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.
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.
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.
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. 🙂
jaime la basse de la preparation option d’utiliser un parmesant change trop le gout et le rend legerement granuleur
Absolutely delicious!!!
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.
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.
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.
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.
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!
Really Yummy!! Made Lots.
My daughter likes the very “yellow” nacho cheese sauce; I simply added 1/2 t. of tumeric for coloring.
it tasted strange and was a weird texture
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 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!
Tastes like cheezwiz…. Not good
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.
Probably the best nacho sauce I’ve ever had!
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!