This spicy homemade nacho cheese sauce recipe is easy to make and tastes just like movie theater nachos with a trick I learned behind the concession stand. Learn how to make nacho cheese!
How to Make Nacho Cheese at Home
It's time to make Homemade Nacho Cheese, my friends! As a spicy food lover, I'm sure you love a good bowl of nachos. Nachos are a quintessential snack food, with crispy tortilla chips slathered with spicy, melty cheese, heaped with all your favorite toppings.
Aside from the awesome fixings, the real key to the best nachos is the best nacho cheese sauce! You must have great nacho cheese for great nachos. Period.
Today I'm bringing to you my favorite way to make nacho cheese. It's incredibly quick and easy to make, and it incorporates a little trick I learned when I worked at a movie theater during my teen years.
The secret? Pickled Jalapeno Juice!
In the concession stand, it was my job to dump a big can of unflavored processed American cheese into a nacho cheese warmer. To make nacho cheese, we swirled in pickled jalapeno juice, along with a healthy portion of pickled jalapenos, into the cheese and served it up over corn tortillas.
It doesn't get any better than this! It gives your nacho cheese that spicy kick that it needs. Brings me back to my old movie theater days. I still love movie theater nachos. We love this recipe, and I'm happy to share it.
It's perfect for game day, or any day!
Let's talk about how to make nacho cheese, shall we?
Easy Nacho Cheese Sauce Ingredients
- Butter.
- Flour.
- Milk. Use whole milk for richer flavor.
- Cheese. You need a good melty cheese. Processed American cheese melts best for nacho cheese, but cheddar is great for flavor. See the Recipe Notes section below for options.
- Pickled Jalapeno Juice. From a jar of pickled jalapenos.
- Salt. If desired.
How to Make Nacho Cheese - the Recipe Method
Melt the Butter. Heat a small pot or saucepan over medium heat. Add the butter and melt it.
Make a Simple Roux. Stir in the flour and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes to form a roux.
Add the Milk. Stir in the milk and allow to simmer. It will bubble just a bit around the edges.
Stir in the Cheese. Reduce the heat to medium low heat, then slowly add the cheese a bit at a time. Continue stirring until it all melts through.
Add the Pickled Jalapeno Juice. Stir in the pickled jalapeno juice (and some of the pickled jalapenos, too, if you want!). Keep stirring until the nacho cheese sauce is nice and smooth.
Adjust and Serve. Taste and adjust for salt, then serve with tortilla chips! Such a great recipe, the best nacho cheese sauce ever.
Boom! Done! Your spicy, homemade nacho cheese sauce is ready to go! Someone grab a bag of tortilla chips, please! I need some nachos, stat!
This will make you about 2 cups of nacho cheese.
Recipe Tips & Notes
Best Cheese for Nacho Cheese
Processed American cheese, like Velveeta brand, makes the smoothest nacho cheese sauce. However, any melty cheese will work. I love sharp cheddar cheese for this, but you can use other cheddar, Monterey jack cheese, pepper jack, swiss, colby, or others.
These can produce slightly grainy nacho cheese, though the flavor is fantastic. Consider a combination.
Don't use pre-shredded cheeses for this, as they contain anti-caking ingredients and don't melt consistently.
Pickled Jalapeno Juice is Key
This is the trick I learned from working at the movie theater for years. It works great, and gives you that authentic theater nachos experience.
If you can't use the pickling juice for some reason but still want the heat factor, add in a few dashes of hot sauce, or swirl in some cayenne pepper or other spicy chili powder. You might try added green chiles as well.
Tips for Making Nachos
Simple nachos are basically nacho cheese drizzled over tortilla chips, but you can add so many other ingredients. Consider spicy chorizo or seasoned ground beef, sliced jalapeno peppers, diced tomato, diced avocado, so many options.
What's your favorite way to make nachos?
The Perfect Cheese Sauce
Use your nacho cheese for something other than nachos! Spoon some onto your hot dog for a great Nacho Cheese Dog. Swirl it into soups for a cheesy version, like my Southwest Chicken Soup. Swirl it into a bowl of chili or to make Chili Cheese Mac.
Keep Your Nacho Cheese Warm and Creamy
It is best to keep your nacho cheese warm in a small crockpot or slow cooker, or on low heat on the stove. Stir it regularly, as it can begin to clump and harden if even heat is not applied.
Stir in a bit of milk if it starts to lose its creaminess.
Storage Information
You can store nacho cheese in the refrigerator in a sealed container for up to 5 days. To reheat it, add it to a pot and slow add in a bit of butter or milk while heating on medium-low. Continue stirring until it melts again to the consistency you prefer. Be careful not to overheat the cheese.
That's it, my friends. I hope you enjoy my nacho cheese sauce recipe. Let me know if you make it. I'd love to hear how it turned out for you. Keep it spicy!
Try Some of My Other Popular Recipes
Got any questions? Ask away! I’m happy to help. If you enjoy this recipe, I hope you’ll leave a comment with some STARS. Also, please share it on social media. Don’t forget to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure to share! Thanks! — Mike H.
Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter
- 2 tablespoons flour
- 1 cup milk use whole milk for richer flavor
- 8 ounces melty cheese processed American cheese melts best for nacho cheese, but cheddar is great for flavor - you can easily add more cheese for cheesier nacho cheese
- 2-3 tablespoons pickled jalapeno juice
- Pinch of salt optional, if desired
Instructions
- Heat a sauce pan or small pot to medium heat. Add the butter and melt it.
- Stir in the flour and stir continuously for 2-3 minutes to form a roux.
- Stir in the milk and allow to simmer. It will bubble just a bit around the edges.
- Reduce the heat to low, then stir in the cheese a bit at a time. Continue stirring until it all melts through.
- Stir in the pickled jalapeno juice (and some of the pickled jalapenos, too, if you want!). Keep stirring until the nacho cheese sauce is nice and smooth.
- Taste and adjust for salt, then serve with tortilla chips!
Video
Notes
Nutrition Information
NOTE: This recipe was updated on 1/27/23 to include new information and video. It was originally published on 2/7/22.
Cam says
I love your nacho cheese recipe. I like to add some of my roasted, peeled and diced Hatch Chiles. I just put 9 dozen roasted and peeled in the freezer last week. I don't use it just on nachos. It's good on eggs, burritos, pizzas (depending on topping), baked potatoes and dozens of other foods. As for your nachos, I've been making these for about 40 years for the kids and their friends. I called them Taco Nachos. Now, my grandkids and great grandkids also ask for them. I top them with everything you would find on a taco.
Mike Hultquist says
I love it, Cam! Sounds like perfection to me! Thanks!
Greg says
I made this recipe last night for dinner. The only change I made was that I added 3 table spoons of chopped habanaro, ghost and scorpion peppers. It added a little extra heat. The wife added some of the left over cheese sauce on my omelet this morning.
Mike Hultquist says
Boom! Perfection! I LOVE that added HOT peppers. Nice heat! I love how you roll, my friend.
Jason says
This looks great, but my girlfriend can't have gluten. What should I use instead of flour for thickening for this sauce?
Mike Hultquist says
Jason, a gluten free rice flour is good for making a roux. Use the same amount. Let me know how it works out for you.
Timothy H. says
A squeeze of lemon juice in melting cheese keeps it from clumping or getting stringy. It works in fondue as well.
Craig says
I have not made this recipe, but have a question. A trick to making queso (especially with Velveeta and a can of Rotel) that I read about is to use a can of evaporated milk to prevent graininess upon reheating. The roux should help it in this one I would think, but have you tried a can of evap milk instead of the cup of whole milk??? How did it turn out if so? I would think the flavor would amp up too(?).
Also I saw a post about heat and which brand of jalapeño. I live in TX and I can make a good guess on when chilis are harvested and where based on grow season. There will be a wave of hotter ones when the Mexican crops are starting to get really hot, and then they will get milder because they start getting sourced from south Texas. Likewise, as summer comes on and they ripen with 100+ temps, the “heat” compounds concentrate up. When you buy canned, you can’t know exactly when they were picked. But, look for any product codes that may be printed on the can/jar that may hint at a date. Also, if it is “product of Mexico”, or a brand from TX or LA, or even SE USA, or CA, those regional brands are easier to narrow down. I lived on the coast south of Houston and had a jalapeño bush that produced all year, but the heat changed. Plus, without weather cold enough to kill it, the peppers got mild with the aging of the bush. I wonder how many plants in Mexico are multi seasonal. But, peppers from a big company like ConAgra May come from anywhere. I know orange juice companies blend so that they can keep a consistent taste all year, and maybe the bigger companies try to mix their peppers to a certain heat level per can/jar, but I doubt it. Orange juice is concentrated for this reason but a chili is not the same thing!
Mike Hultquist says
Craig, you can use evaporated milk, yes, but it contains less liquid so you'll get a thicker consistency. I use evaporated milk in this Queso Dip Recipe (https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/queso-dip/). Also, yes, jalapenos can vary quite a bit in heat levels, particularly based on growing and harvesting variables.
Judy Pennington says
I LOVE the flavor of Jalapenos, but can't handle the heat. I've discovered the brand La Preferida pickled ones that are wonderfully flavorful but not the heat. Are there specific kinds of peppers that aren't hot? Surely it's not just because they're pickled?
Mike Hultquist says
Judy, yes, there are many sweeter peppers that have very little heat or none at all. I have a list of chili pepper types that you can review, categorized by heat types. Check it out: https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/chili-pepper-types/
Lorraine says
I use jalapeno juice in my potato salad recipe. Delicious.
Mike Hultquist says
I love that! Very nice.
BILL ROWELL says
Is this dip freezeable or able to be canned if you wanted to make a larger batch for future use?
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Bill, you can freeze it. Let it cool, then transfer to sealable bags or a freezer container, then seal. To use it, thaw completely, then gently warm it and stir it all back together. Let me know how it goes for you.
Mary Ann Brand says
I have added a can of Rotel original and that is really good!
Mike Hultquist says
Nice addition!
Craig says
I will have to try this but I had a question first. One of the best tricks this Texan has learned for queso is to use evaporated milk. It is not grainy the next day, using the easy queso recipe of Velveeta, Rotel, and milk to desired thinness. I tend to add diced pickled jalapeños too. However, the vinegar can cause problems if too much is used. Applying that to this, ever tried evaporated milk? What about with the cheeses you said are grainy? I know some folks mix velveeta and other cheeses, especially cheddar. I’m thinking some habanero Jack would be a good partial for the heat, not sure about consistency though. Ps- pepper brine in bean dip is the key!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Hey, Craig. Yes, a lot of recipes use evaporated milk to make nacho cheese or other cheese dips. I actually use it in this Queso Dip Recipe and it works great! https://www.chilipeppermadness.com/recipes/queso-dip/. I just prefer to make the nacho cheese this way, but either is good for sure. I enjoy all kinds of melty cheeses and don't have any grainy issues, but some people talk about that, so I used a processed cheese, which basically guarantees super smooth nacho cheese. Definitely use your favorites! Enjoy!
Peter Parris says
Love adding the pickled jalapeno juice, I did that and added a few diced habanero!
Michael Hultquist - Chili Pepper Madness says
Nice! Thanks, Peter. I LOVE the addition of the habanero. Spice it up!