A silky smooth Nachos cheese dip that doesn’t harden or congeal as it cools!! It is just as good served warm, at room temperature or cold. When warm, it can be used as a cheese sauce to pour over nachos, chips or whatever else takes your fancy. It takes just over 5 minutes to make and is great to make ahead as it reheats well.
Use this to make a Ripper Beef Nachos!
“This Nachos Cheese Dip was an invention out of necessity. Because I love cheesy dips, and I wanted one that did not harden or congeal as it cooled.”
I am yet to meet a cheese I don’t love. Plus I have a weakness for all things snacky. If there’s something to nibble on within reach, it’s like my arm is on auto pilot.
Therefore, this Nachos Cheese Dip is pretty much all my weaknesses bundled into one bowl. Place this with a pile of corn chips in front of me and I stand no chance.
I know there are loads of cheese dip recipes “out there”. And I tried quite a few of them (the ones without processed cheese), but the thing that I found inconvenient was that as the dip cooled, the cheese in the dip would harden. And when the dip was reheated, the dip would split (the oil would separate).
Being a Cheese Loving Snack Monster, I went on a mission to create a warm cheese dip/ sauce that would not harden as it cooled and was not made out of processed cheese. I was actually quite amazed that every recipe I looked at had a fairly similar base to the ones I had already tried, so I knew they would not achieve what I was after. Mind you, this was about 5 or so years ago. So maybe the internet is flooded with non-congealing warm cheese dips now!
“The secret ingredient in this is evaporated milk. That’s how this stays creamy – warm or cold.”
This dip is made with evaporated milk which makes all the difference. I was making an Alfredo Sauce using evaporated milk when the thought occurred to me that it might work for a dip too. Bit of corn starch / corn flour to thicken it, plenty of cheese (it is a Cheese dip!) and some additional flavourings to make it a nachos cheese dip.
So cutting to the chase, here are 7 reasons why I am obsessed with this Nachos Cheese Dip / Sauce:
1. It is ridiculously easy (5 ingredients, < 10 minutes);
2. Perfectly smooth;
3. Easily adjustable to your own taste. Increase, decrease or remove the spice factor, add your own flavourings;
4. Doesn’t use processed “plastic” cheese;
5. Can be made ahead. It keeps perfectly in the fridge for at least a week (it has never lasted longer in my house);
6. Reheats without splitting; and
7. Is a 2 in 1 recipe – a dip and a sauce. When warm, it is quite loose, like a thick sauce. It is pourable over nachos, chips or whatever else takes your fancy. (UPDATE: I just got a great tip from a reader to use this over tots! Never thought of that – that’s a step up from fries!!) When it is cool, it thickens up to a thick dip consistency. And when it is refrigerated, it is a spreadable consistency, like peanut butter. It can also be thinned out simply by adding a bit of milk (ordinary or evaporated).
Now please excuse me, I need to go and blow my my calorie budget for the entire week. Happy snacking! – Nagi x
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Nachos Cheese Dip & Sauce
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cups / 225g / 8oz shredded cheese (Cheddar, Monterey Jack, Colby, etc), shred your own (Important – read Note 1)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (corn flour)
- 1 can evaporated milk (375g / 12oz)
- 2 tbsp finely chopped jalapeño peppers (fresh or canned)
- 1 tbsp hot sauce (or adjust to your taste)
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (optional – adds extra flavour)
- 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional – adds extra flavour)
- 1 tsp salt
Instructions
- Toss the cheese and cornstarch together in a saucepan.
- Add all other ingredients, cook over medium heat, whisking often until the cheese is melted and smooth.
- Adjust to your taste if required – with extra hot sauce and salt.
- While hot, it will have a sauce like consistency – perfect for pouring over nachos.
- As it cools, it will thicken and become a dip-like consistency. Whisk occasionally to mix in the skin that forms on the top.
- Stir in additional evaporated (or even normal) milk to achieve the desired consistency if you want to use it as a pourable sauce. Note that when you reheat it, it loosens up.
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
WATCH HOW TO MAKE IT
PS Watch how easy to this to make in my Nachos Cheese Dip / Sauce VIDEO!
Easiest I’ve made yet. Added 1/8 tsp Cumin. Beats canned and jar Cheese. Quick and tasty!
Wow that was DE-LI-CIOUS !!! I used a cheddar/Colby mix and plain flour because I keep forgetting to buy cornstarch, I just cooked it a tad longer. I also used a Cajun spice mix.
I served it with your wedges from the peri-peri chicken burger recipe and we scoffed everything lol double dipping in sauce 😆😋
Thank you very much for that recipe! It’s a keeper !!
Ps: I would give it 6 stars if I could
WHOOT WHOOT WHOOT!!! N xx
What is the best cheese to use?
Just updated with my recommendations! 🙂 N xx
Wow that looks so good.
Hope you try it! 🙂 N x
I’m on my second batch currently and it is so easy, quick, delicious and versatile! I like a mix of colby and edam, with a little bit of vintage cheddar for extra flavour.
I’ve made nachos, used it as a dip for corn chips, chicken nuggets and chunks of fresh sourdough (waaaaay easier than fondue!), put it over pasta and gnocchi and included it in a spicy chorizio, egg and hashrown stuffed breakfast burrito (which was to die for!)
SO GOOD.
LOVE HEARING THAT!!!! N xx
Hello from Singapore. I made the cheese sauce today n it feels really googy n thick. Do we really need to put in the corn flour?
Hi Gina! If it thickened too much just thin it with more milk or even water!
Is it possible to substitute heavy whipping cream for the canned milk? I am so excited to have found your blog! I will be using many of your party ideas. Thank you for sharing your talent.
Hi Melody, I’m so pleased you found me too! unfortunately not, I tried it and it doesn’t work, needs to be evaporated milk!
Hi Nagi,
Thank you for sharing, I look forward to making this for a group of friends this weekend. Wondering if you have ever froze the dip for use at a later time? I am thinking about making a large batch to portion out and freeze. Your feedback would be appreciated!
Thanks in advance
Chris
Hi Chris! I was dubious BUT IT WORKED!!! Just defrost and them microwave to reheat and give it a good mix, it will come together smoothly:)
This stuff is pure magic. Delicious!
I’m having real problems with it going grainy though. It forms a skin quite quickly (faster than i can finish it!) and if you stir that in (regardless of how vigorously) the sauce never returns to smooth. I’ve tried heating it up again, no luck.
I’d really like to get over this issue. Does anyone have any guidance for me? Other than to eat the whole batch quickly?!
Hi Lauren!So the trick with the skin is to stir it every 5 – 10 minutes as it is cooling, then it dissolves in and it’s very smooth. 🙂 Is this the problem with the graininess you are referring too? The other thing I have found is that some brands of tasty cheese don’t melt smooth with evaporated milk and can seem a bit grainy. Typically the better value ones. Are you in Australia like me? If so, I can give you more pointers on this. It’s a very Aussie specific problem – annoying one at that because tasty cheese is so common here!
Possibly but I’ve been stirring it every minute whilst it’s cooling and I only put it in the fridge once it’s room temperature. Hmm.
It probably is related to cheese, I live in Cheddar, England (where the cheese was invented) so it’s hard to find anything but high quality cheese here.
I’ll keep trying and let you know if I find a cure! Failing that, I’ll just start eating it faster!
I made this and it tasted really bland, not cheesy at All! Not sure what I did wrong :,(
I’m sorry to hear that Reina, are you sure you measured the right amount of cheese? There is a LOT of cheese in this!!
Hi, Would this still be tasty if I left out the peppers?
YES!!!
Hi Nagi,
Would this work using half the cheese with Kraft cheddar? The one in the blue box, on shelf,not chilled?
I need this NOW on hot chips LOL
Hi Jax, I’m so sorry , I don’t know! But if it melts when heated then yes it should work!
Thanks!
And does it matter do you reckon to use the light n creamy evap? Or needs to be full fat?
Another reader just reported that light worked just fine!! 🙂 N xx
This is the funny thing, it melts In quiches or amongst hot stuff, but does crazy stuff under direct heat…
I’m not sure, lol.. Might just try n see eh!
I spent 2 hours driving around 6 supermarkets looking for a nacho cheese sauce. I ended up coming home £10 lighter, stressed out and with a primula dipping spread, a Dorito nacho cheese dip and a fresh cheese sauce for pasta (also great for nachos so the tub claimed). Every single one was disgusting and nothing like the cheesy sauce I used to get at the cinema!
After finding your recipe online, literally 10min later from start to finish I had the perfect cheesy nacho sauce I hadn’t tasted since I was a kid!!!
Since then I’ve also used it (with a few alterations to cheese type and seasonings) as a sauce for the best fish pie, lasagne and mac and cheese ever!!
Thank you so much xx
Pleased to hear you enjoyed it Jo, thanks for letting me know! N xx
Great recipe! Converts well to microwave. I have better things to do rather than stand over a stove stirring a pot!
Add all ingredients, except cheese, in microwave safe bowl.
Whisk well. Microwave on High 3 minutes. Whisk.
Continue to microwave for 1 minute intervals, whisking after each 1 minute interval, until sauce is thick. (For 900 watt microwave, it should take initial 3 minutes, then 3 single 1 minute interval).
Stir in cheese until melted and smooth.
WOAH! Never tried it in the microwave, now I will! Thanks for the recipe!!!
Hi Nagi
Inexperienced cook here – what do you mean by hot sauce? Is it called that or just any chilli sauce? My first attempt at this sauce to make your beef nachos recipe.😊
I usually use Tabasco or another chilli sauce! N x
I don’t need a low sodium diet, but I don’t like excessive saltiness in food. Since cheese is so high in sodium, I eliminated the salt from the recipe and it turned out great.
Hi Nagi
excellent nacho cheese sauce! im from the UK the only one of found in shops is primula nacho but it’s hard too find as none of the big supermarkets sell it. Yours is excellent and like you said does not set.
Do you know why the evaporated milk makes such a difference to that of cream?
I may have slightly adapted your recipe, I used
Some cheap cheese spread that tastes like dairylea, (I was hoping starting with something already smooth when cold would help) and fresh mozzarella (not pre grated) corn flour, evap milk, smoked garlic, paprika, onion powder, Sriracha sauce & salt.
Next time I’m going to swap out the cheese spread I used for a cream cheese like Philly or possibly a mascarpone or ricotta
Thanks so much for the recipe
P.S – to all those who found it grainy, try better melting cheeses I find cheddar isn’t good enough, try; edam, mozerrella, gruyere, gouda.
and if it splits when ‘reheating add a couple drops of water and stir like mad, it will recombine this works for all cheese sauces.
Ben
Hi Ben! I don’t know actually. 🙂 I discovered it by accident when I was going through a healthy phase and was substituting evaporated milk for cream. Actually, if you let this cool it comes out like that spreadable cheese! It’s amazing. 🙂
I tried it and it was certainly better than other recipes but this perfect nacho cheese sauce recipe stubbornly eludes me, it’s driving me insane. It felt like it had a very, very, very small but noticeable hint of chalkiness and a barely noticeable, very fine, graininess. I don’t know what causes that. Is there like a temperature threshold you don’t want to cross? I might try it again but with a cooking thermometer next time.
Dont boil only heat to just pass melting point to when it looses it’s “stringyness” .
And Try 2 different cheeses like a soft spreadable one and mozzarella for example
A suggestion – If you used pre-shredded cheese (the kind you buy in a bag), it contains anti-clumping agents like potato starch. Real cheese that you shred yourself performs better.
Hi Nathan! I know exactly what you mean, I think it is certain brands of cheeses. I notice it when I make this with good value brands, they just don’t melt quite as smoothly and so I think the cornstarch exacerbates that problem. 🙂
Is there a brand that gives the best results?
Hi Nathan! I’m in Australia and my go-to supermarket cheese is Bega 🙂
Hi Nagi!
I made this sauce in advance for a Mexican party on the weekend. Mine turned out a bit floury, somewhat grainy. Thought I followed the recipe to a T. Just wondering where i might’ve went wrong? Or how I can fix it? (Made a triple batch and don’t want to have to get all the ingredients to make again) ?
Hi Maddie! So the one time I had this problem, I used a good value brand of cheese from the supermarket. Try adding a bit of milk to it and see how it goes (reheat it gently and add a tablespoon of milk at a time, see how that goes). 🙂
Hello! Do you think I could add meat to this recipe and let it all sit in a crockpot for hours without having it separate? Any suggestions to help it keep? Thanks!
Hi Angi! Yes it stays warm for ages without separating and YES to adding meat!
Oh my goodness……I have NEVER been able to make a cheese sauce that didn’t break….until NOW!
Thank you for this GREAT recipe! Now I can make a local tradition, The Horseshoe Sandwich, and not worry about the sauce.
Just found your site yesterday and am so excited to try more recipes!
If your sauce splits add a TINY amount of water to it and stir really well it will combine even if looks like a total mess of oily cheesey lumps just keep stirring
I’m so happy to hear that Kay, thank you for taking the time to let me know! N x
I just tried this but it solidified anyhow
Hi Winnie! How long did you simmer it for? If you cooked it for too long, it would cook down and thicken too much. It does firm up when refrigerated but just reheat it to make it silky smooth again, and it won’t split!