Homemade Nacho Cheese {real cheddar} - Self Proclaimed Foodie (2024)

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Velvety smooth Homemade Nacho Cheese with real cheddar is incredibly easy to make. Just a few ingredients and a few minutes is all you need!

Never again will you even think of buying pre-made nacho cheese from a jar or using a block of Velveeta. This cheese sauce is creamy, delicious, and packed with flavor. Create an easy dinner your family will love by combining this nacho cheese sauce with some tortilla chips and mytasty secret ingredient taco meat!

Why this nacho cheese sauce is the best:

Once you make my homemade nacho cheese, you’ll never again make nachos by sprinkling shredded cheese on chips and sticking them in the oven or microwave, or by using a pre-made nacho cheese, or by using one made from a block of non-dairy cheese. It’s that delicious and easy!

Ingredients needed to make this recipe:

Real shredded cheese, corn starch, and evaporated milk. That’s it!

How to make homemade nacho cheese:

Full ingredient list and detailed step by step instructions are listed in the recipe card below, but here is a summary.

1. Mix: In a small saucepan, toss the grated cheese with the corn starch. Then stir in the evaporated milk.
2. Heat: Over medium heat and whisking occasionally, within a few minutes you’ll have a warm, creamy, homemade spicy cheese sauce.

While the cheese is nice and hot, smother those tortilla chips and serve it alongside your favorite nacho fixings!

Recipe tips for best results:

• Cooking tips: I love stirring with a flat ended wooden spoon so that I can scrape the entire bottom of the pan.
• Cheese selection:
  • Cheese grated from a block is the best choice when making homemade nacho cheese as opposed to using pre-shredded cheese. It just melts better.
  • If you can find peppered cheddar like I used in this recipe, I think it’s the best. However, it can be hard to find. If using plain mild, medium, or sharp cheddar, you can add spice by using salsa, roasted green chile, or hot pepper sauce.
  • You can also make this recipe using pepper jack or a combination of cheeses.
• Keep it warm: If not using all of the cheese right away, you can keep it warm in the pan on the lowest heat setting on the stove or you can transfer to a slow cooker. The crockpot method works exceptionally well when making a big batch and feeding a crowd.
• Storage and Reheating: Leftover homemade nacho cheese sauce should be stored in an air tight container in the refrigerator and used within 3-5 days . It will thicken when cold. To reheat, heat in a saucepan over low heat or in the microwave in 30 second increments on 50% power, stirring frequently.

Nacho cheese isn’t just for nachos!

You can easily make this recipe as written, or double or triple it if you’re feeding a crowd. You can make it for family dinner or a large batch for a potluck or tailgating.

Simply set out a ton of tortilla chips, some cooked taco meat or pulled pork, some diced jalapenos, green onions, tomatoes, and olives, and a tub of sour cream. You’ll have people raving over your nacho bar! You can also add it to my Warm Taco Seven Layer Dip.

This post was originally created for The Salty Marshmallow where I was a contributor and then shared with my readers because I knew you would love it! It was originally posted on my site in January 2020 and has been updated with additional information to help my readers.