I Made Homemade Nacho Cheese for the World Cup (Better Than Any Jar)
I never thought easy homemade nacho cheese would be worth the effort. I used to grab the jar without thinking about it. Depending on the brand some never really tasted like cheese and had a laundry list of ingredients I couldn't pronounce.
Then I tried making it myself with evaporated milk and real cheddar. I brought it out during the Colombia game then again the USA game and put the store-bought jar next to it just in case. Nobody opened it. My friend Elias asked me for the recipe at halftime and I hadn't even written it down yet.
The whole thing takes about 15 minutes in one saucepan. It's not complicated at all.
Why I Make This Instead of Buying a Jar
- I get to pick the ingredients.
- It takes 15 minutes, and it's the best for game day or get togethers.
- It actually tastes like cheese.
- I control the spiciness level. More jalapeno or none at all.
- The ingredient list fits on one hand.
- It stays smooth in a slow cooker for hours without getting that weird skin on top.
Ingredients You'll Need For A Quick and Easy Homemade Nacho Sauce (With Substitutions)
Quantities are in the recipe card below. This section is for ingredient info, and substitutions.
Cornstarch – whisk it into the milk before the cheese. Let it cook for a minute so you don't taste the starch.
Evaporated milk – the base of the whole sauce. Don't try to use regular milk or half-and-half here. It won't work the same way and the cheese will break on you.
Medium cheddar cheese – shred it yourself off the block if you can. The bags of pre-shredded cheese have a coating on them that messes with the texture. I love medium for this recipe, but you can use sharp or regular cheddar cheese.
Monterey Jack or Colby Jack – this one is for the stretch. Pepper jack if you want heat.
Onion powder and garlic powder – don't use fresh. You'll end up with chunks floating around in your cheese sauce.
Pickled jalapeno and the juice from the jar – this is my favorite part. The jar juice gives it tang and a little kick without adding any texture. Skip the diced pepper if your kids are eating it. Keep the juice though.
Smoked paprika – hard to explain what this does but you'll notice when it's missing. If you're not a fan of smokiness in the smoked paprika, go with plain paprika instead.
Tip For The Best Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce
Evaporated milk is the reason this works. I spent a long time trying to melt cheese into regular milk and it always turned into a clumpy, greasy disaster. Evaporated milk has less water in it so the cheese stays smooth and doesn't separate. That one swap fixed everything.
I also whisk in a little cornstarch before the cheese goes in. It thickens the sauce just enough to cling to a chip without getting gummy.
How to Make Homemade Nacho Cheese Sauce
Step 1: Heat the Milk
Pour evaporated milk into a saucepan with the onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Bring it up to a boil and then lower it to a simmer.
Step 2: Whisk in the Cornstarch
Add it while whisking so it doesn't clump. Keep going for about a minute. The milk gets a little thicker and shinier and that's how you know it's ready for the cheese.
Step 3: Melt the Cheese
Add it a handful at a time. Whisk each handful until it's fully melted before you add more. If you dump it all in at once you're going to get a big clump in the middle of your saucepan.
Step 4: Add the Jalapeno
Stir in the diced jalapeno and the jar juice at the end. This keeps the heat and tang fresh instead of cooking it out.
Step 5: Serve
Take it off the heat once it's smooth. It thickens up a bit as it sits. Pour it into a ramekin or one of those small slow cookers if you want it to stay warm.
How I Like to Serve It
Chips are obvious. But I've poured this over nachos, put it on burgers, drizzled it on tacos, and used it for dipping soft pretzels. It works on basically anything.
For watch parties I use the small slow cooker on warm. It stays loose for hours and nobody has to microwave anything.
Storage and Reheating
Keeps about 4 days in a sealed container in the fridge. It gets solid when it's cold. That's normal. Reheat on the stove over low heat with a splash of milk and whisk it back together. Microwave works too, stir it every 30 seconds.
Don't freeze it. Cheese sauce breaks when you thaw it and it's difficult to bring it back to normal after it freezes.
What to Serve With Nacho Cheese Sauce
- Tortilla chips or loaded nachos
- Soft pretzels
- Fries or tater tots
- Burgers and hot dogs
- Broccoli or bell peppers if you want to feel better about eating a bowl of cheese
If You Like This You'll Love
- Taco Bell Nacho Fries (Baked Copycat)
- Mexican White Cheese Dip (Queso)
- Cheesy Taco Dip
I love reading your comments. Let me know if you made this or tried your own spin on it.
I Made Homemade Nacho Cheese for the World Cup (Better Than Any Jar)
Ingredients
Method
- Pour the evaporated milk into a medium saucepan. Add the onion powder, garlic powder, and smoked paprika. Heat over medium until it comes to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
- Whisk in the cornstarch. Keep whisking for about 1 minute until the milk thickens slightly and looks glossy.
- Add the shredded cheddar and Monterey Jack a handful at a time, whisking after each addition until fully melted before adding more.
- Once all the cheese is melted and the sauce is smooth, stir in the diced pickled jalapeno and the jar juice.
- Remove from heat. Pour into a ramekin for serving or transfer to a small slow cooker on the warm setting to keep it hot.
