Creamy Cheese Sauce (Easy 15-Minute Recipe)

Making a smooth, rich cheese sauce at home is easier than you might think. This simple recipe comes together in just 15 minutes and uses real ingredients you likely have in your kitchen right now. It is a wonderful way to dress up steamed vegetables or add something special to a weeknight burger.

Why This Recipe Works

• No Lumps: Warming the milk before adding it to the roux prevents the sauce from seizing or getting lumpy.
• Super Creamy: Using a block of cheese (instead of pre-shredded) ensures it melts perfectly without any gritty texture.
• Ready in 15 Minutes: It tastes like a gourmet sauce but comes together faster than a box of mac and cheese.

What You Will Need

• Butter & Flour: These two create the roux, which is the thickening agent. Cooking them together removes the raw flour taste and creates a stable base for the sauce.
• Milk (Warmed): Warming the milk prevents the sauce from seizing or becoming lumpy when it hits the hot roux. It ensures a velvety smooth consistency.
• Block Cheese (Monterey Jack): Shredding cheese from a block is crucial because pre-shredded cheese contains anti-caking agents (like cellulose) that prevent smooth melting. Monterey Jack is high in moisture and melts beautifully.
• Sea Salt & Black Pepper: Simple seasoning that cuts through the richness of the dairy.

How to Make the Cheese Sauce

1. Prep the ingredients: Start by shredding the cheese and warming the milk in the microwave for about 60 seconds (it should be warm, not boiling).
2. Make the roux: In a medium saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes, stirring constantly. The mixture should be bubbly and pale—this cooks out the raw flour taste.
3. Add the milk: Slowly pour the warmed milk into the saucepan while whisking vigorously. Continue whisking and cooking for 2-3 minutes. The sauce will thicken until it can coat the back of a spoon.
4. Melt the cheese: Reduce the heat to low. Add the shredded cheese a handful at a time, whisking constantly until each batch is fully melted and smooth.
5. Season and serve: Stir in the sea salt and black pepper. Taste and add more seasoning if desired. If the sauce is too thick for your liking, whisk in an extra tablespoon or more of milk to reach your preferred consistency. Serve immediately.

Making the Roux

The combination of cooked butter and flour is called a roux. This mixture is the secret to a thick, creamy sauce.

How to make it:

1. Melt the butter over medium heat.
2. Add the flour and whisk constantly for about 3 minutes.
3. Watch it closely: You want it to bubble and turn a pale golden color, but not burn.

While the butter is melting, it is a good idea to warm your milk for about one minute in the microwave (use a microwave-safe cup!).

Why warm the milk? If cold milk hits the hot roux, the sauce can seize up and become lumpy. Warming the milk ensures the two ingredients combine smoothly. Once the roux has cooked for 3 minutes, slowly pour in the warm milk while whisking. Continue mixing for 2-3 minutes until the sauce creates a smooth, thick consistency.

Variations on the Sauce

There are many variations to this cheese sauce. Add ground cumin, garlic powder, onion powder, and a bit of diced tomato you have a queso. Or add caraway seeds to a Swiss cheese sauce and you add a rye taste to it. Add hot sauce, pepperoni, or anything you like. However you change up the 15 minute cheese sauce recipe, make it your own!

Use my Cheese Sauce recipe on my 2 Ingredient Turkey Burger or try it on my Loaded Cheeseburger Enchiladas recipe

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