Gluten Free Nacho Cheese Sauce

Gluten Free Nacho Cheese Sauce is creamy, cheesy, and a cinch to make with everyday ingredients — no processed cheese required!

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Course Sauce

Cuisine American

Keyword gluten free, vegetarian

Method Stovetop

Servings

Calories 136kcal

Melt butter in a medium-sized saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour, whisk until smooth, then cook while whisking for one minute. Slowly stream in milk while whisking to create a smooth sauce. Add 1 Tablespoon chicken broth then switch to a spatula and cook mixture for 3-4 minutes, stirring constantly, until thickened — you should be able to see the bottom of the pan for a split second after scraping the spatula across it.
TURN OFF THE HEAT then add half the cheese and stir until very smooth. Add remaining cheese then stir until very smooth, adding an additional Tablespoon chicken broth if needed to help thin the nacho cheese sauce out.
Add liquid from pickled jalapenos and minced pickled jalapenos (if using) then stir to combine. Serve with tortilla chips.

My #1 tip for creating a non grainy, smooth cheese sauce is to not boil the milk. Keep the heat at a consistent medium during the entire cooking process, being ready to turn it down if the milk starts to boil. Cheese sauce becomes grainy when the cheese breaks down because the liquid was too hot.
I tested this recipe with both unsweetened almond milk and 2% milk with great results. If using cow's milk I don't recommend using 1% or skim.