Easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce

This cheddar cheese sauce recipe is so easy to make with just 3 ingredients! Make it when you need to whip up a sauce in a flash.

Need a cheese sauce in minutes? Try this easy Cheddar Cheese Sauce! Make no mistake: this isn’t a traditional cheese sauce…but it tastes just as good as one. If you’ve made a cheese sauce before, you’ll know it typically includes flour and butter to make a roux to thicken and add body. This sauce though? There are just 3 ingredients: milk, cheese and salt! Use it anytime you’re in a rush: it’s seriously delicious and beyond easy to make.

3 ingredients in this cheddar cheese sauce recipe

Again, this cheddar cheese sauce is a quick and easy trick. If you just cooked some broccoli or made chili fries and need a fast sauce, this is your best bet! A standard cheese sauce uses flour and butter to make a roux, a traditional French way to make a creamy dairy-based sauce. But for this sauce, we wanted something quick and dirty. Turns out, you can make a cheddar cheese sauce with just three ingredients:

• Shredded cheddar cheese
• Whole milk
• Salt

How to make it, and the tradeoff

This cheese sauce is so quick and simple, it’s perfect for weeknights or when you’re cooking meals with lots of components. There is a bit of a tradeoff in texture, but to us it’s well worth it! Here’s what to know about the process:

• Heat the milk, then gradually add the cheese. Keep adding small handfuls of cheese until it comes together into a smooth sauce, stirring constantly.
• The sauce is slightly less stretchy than a sauce with a roux. You’ll notice the texture is slightly different than when you make a cheese sauce with a roux. But we find it’s worth the tradeoff with the ease of making this recipe!
• Want a classic gooey cheese sauce instead? Go to Cheese Sauce (made with a roux) or Nacho Cheese Sauce (with evaporated milk).

Whole milk is preferable

Another thing to know about this cheddar cheese sauce: whole milk is best. Because the recipe is so simple, we recommend using it if at all possible. Here’s why:

• Whole milk makes the richest, creamiest texture. It helps hold the sauce together with the milk fat.
• You can use 2% milk, but it has a grainier texture. We tested it with both, and the 2% sauce was definitely not as desirable texture-wise. If it’s all you have you can try it, but we recommend using whole milk.

Ways to use this cheddar cheese sauce

This cheddar cheese sauce works in so many different ways! A few caveats: don’t use it for mac and cheese, but it’s great for vegetables, fries, and for drizzling. Here are a few ideas:

• Broccoli: Try it on Pan Fried Broccoli or Epic Roasted Broccoli
• Cauliflower: Add it to Lemony Steamed Cauliflower or Roasted Cauliflower Pasta
• Fries: Add to Baked Fries to make cheese fries, or try it on Chili Cheese Fries
• Nachos: Try it on Sheet Pan Nachos
• Baked Potato: Add it to a Loaded Baked Potato or Baked Sweet Potato

This cheddar cheese sauce recipe is…

Vegetarian and gluten-free.

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