Simple Homemade Cheese Sauce Recipe (From Scratch!)

This is our simple recipe for creamy, smooth cheese sauce homemade from scratch. It’s like liquid gold, perfect for drizzling over a wide variety of dishes!

Cheese sauce can be served and eaten so many different ways!

Eat it like dip with your favorite chips like tortilla, corn, pita or regular wavy potato chips. Or, add a drizzle to chili and cornbread, enchiladas or chipotle bowls. Some folks like it on pot roast.

Scroll down for more ideas for serving and eating this simple and delicious cheese sauce.

We have some milk that’s about to go bad, so that inspired me to make cheese sauce.

“And what shall I serve with the cheese sauce?” I wondered to myself.

Ah, haystacks, of course! We even have some chili in the freezer from another time.

And so, haystacks are on the menu for supper tonight, which is what inspired me to share this cheese sauce recipe. (Hey, you can also find our recipe for haystacks here!)

Is it the best cheese sauce in the world? Maybe not, but it’s my favorite recipe for cheese sauce because it’s such a simple and easy recipe to prepare and so tasty!

We hope you enjoy our cheese sauce – it’s a Mennonite original recipe.

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Six Simple Ingredients

Butter – regular salted butter

Flour – all purpose flour, or any kind

Milk – whole milk 

Cheese – Velveeta cheese is our preference for cheese sauce

Salt – your favorite kind of salt

Pepper – ground black pepper

Find the full recipe card down below!

You will need

• a small saucepan – one pot is all it takes for this basic recipe!
• measuring cups and spoons – to measure the ingredients.
• a whisk – to stir everything together!

(And obviously, a heat source – aka, a stove.)

​We linked the things we used, or something similar. Check it out!

How to make our Simple Homemade Cheese Sauce Recipe

Start by melting the butter in the saucepan on medium heat.

Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until the butter and flour mixture is smooth and bubbly.

Add the milk a little at a time, whisking all the while.

Keep stirring until the white sauce mixture has thickened slightly. You can turn the burner up to speed this process, but keep stirring so nothing sticks to the bottom of the saucepan!

Turn the burner to low heat or off or remove the saucepan from the burner completely, then add the cheese and salt and pepper and stir. (It’s always a good idea to taste the sauce so you can adjust the salt and pepper according to your preferences!)

If the sauce seems too thick to you, add a little milk.

Stir until the cheese has completely melted into a creamy and smooth sauce.

Serve and enjoy!

Storage

Store the leftover cheese sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Since there’s obviously a lot of milk in cheese sauce, we don’t really recommend freezing it because the texture may change.

Customize this Simple Homemade Cheese Sauce

Not that this recipe needs any customization, it’s delicious as is! 

Velveeta cheese is definitely our preference in this easy cheese sauce. Really, you can use any cheese you wish like shred your own cheddar or sharp cheddar cheese to make a real cheddar cheese sauce! One thing to keep in mind, shredding your own cheese (especially mozzarella cheese!) can result in a more string-y sauce. We don’t recommend using pre-shredded cheese from the store, since that can cause an undesirable grainy texture. 

If you’re the kind of person who likes a little spice, add a little red or cayenne pepper. (Or any other spice that suits your fancy!) Taste and season and taste again until it’s just perfect for you.

Dishes that are better with cheese sauce

Haystacks, obviously. Cheese sauce is an essential part of any good haystack. Check out our recipe for Potato Chili Cheese Haystacks!

Chipotle bowls. Typically, these would have queso instead, but simple cheese sauce is good too!

Enchiladas or wet burritos or all sorts of Mexican dishes are delicious with cheese sauce.

Broccoli. Add a drizzle of cheese sauce to steamed broccoli.

French fries. Use this cheese sauce recipe to make your own cheese fries at home! 

Baked potatoes. Who doesn’t love a loaded baked potato? Add this creamy cheesy sauce, along with your favorite toppings such as bacon bits and green onions to create your own gourmet potato.

Chili and cornbread. Sometimes we’ll make “stacks” of sorts: cornbread on the bottom, chili on top, and finally a drizzle of cheese sauce over everything!

Mac and Cheese. (This one’s obvious!) Make homemade Mac & Cheese by adding this sauce to your cooked macaroni instead of the bought stuff. (It’s amazing!)

And hey, did you know this cheese sauce can also be a dipping sauce? Tortilla chips, pita chips, corn chips, regular potato chips, and soft pretzels are all good dipping options. (Tip: put the cheese sauce in a crock pot on warm or low to keep it warm for a while at a party or potluck!)

Have you made our Simple Homemade Cheese Sauce Recipe?

If so, leave a comment! We’d love to hear from you…

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And, as always…

thanks for visiting our small town. You’re more than welcome to stay a while and explore!

​Eclair Dessert

Pizza Casserole

​Cream Cheese Bean Dip

’til next time,

Julie