Why and How to Make Nacho Cheese from Scratch

In 2012, I embarked on a mission to make one new food from scratch each month. It was quite an adventure, and ever since, I have loved trying my hand at making new foods from time to time.

Not gonna lie. Sometimes, it’s really difficult – like puff pastry! Yikes!

But more often, it’s far easier than I would imagine.

Like when I had a hankering for nachos. Usually, I would just spread some chips on a baking sheet, shred cheese over the top, and pop it in the oven to melt.

But sometimes, I really crave that creamy dipping type of cheese.

Now, the nacho cheese available in jars at the store isn’t something I want in my body. One brand has more partially hydrogenated soybean oil and modified food starch than it had actual cheese! Yellow 5 & 6 and MSG are just a few more ingredients to avoid.

So instead, I did a quick internet search for a from-scratch recipe and found “5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce” at budgetbytes.com. I especially love the tips for success and options for switching up the recipe!

I made some minor modifications and came up with this, which is about right for a single serving:

– 1 Tbs. butter

– 1 Tbs. flour

– 1/2 c. milk (I used 2%)

– 3 oz. sharp cheddar cheese, shredded (it’s what I had)

– pinch of black pepper infused pink himalayan sea salt

– sprinkle of chili powder

You start with a roux – melt the butter and stir in the flour for a minute or so until it's cooked. Add the milk and whisk until the mixture has thickened. I've found that I need to cook on a bit higher heat to get this done. It will take forever on low to medium heat.

Last, stir in the cheese until melted and season. See? Simple!

Scoop it up with some minimal ingredients chips or go all out and top it with all the things.

I'm not going to claim it's healthy, but at least it's avoiding the artificial crap found in the jarred cheese.

And it absolutely satisfies my nacho cheese cravings and tastes so much better than my memories of the store bought version! Just another item I will be making myself from now on!

Is there a food you’ve discovered is better homemade than store-bought? Please share your recipe in the comments and inspire us!

Is there something you want to try? I'm happy to share a recipe if I have one!