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!
This is awesome! This proves that there is no need to bother with a roux. This sauce will not break. My brother used leftovers to make a quick and delish mac and cheese. I added the liquid from pickled jalapenos to thin it out. Sharp cheddar and jalapeno jack cheese made this awesome. Thank you, Magic!?
Hey Nagi. Auto correct changed your name to magic!
And I’m TOTALLY ok with that! Ha ha! So glad you love this too, I am obsessed with this, as are my friends!
Hi Nagi! This sounds delish! I would like to use this recipe in something I’m making for a party and I need about 4 cups of nacho cheese sauce. Can you please tell me about how many cups of sauce this recipe makes? Am I able to simply double the recipe? Thank you for your time! 🙂
Hi Teresa! This is shy of 4 cups, would suggest making 1 1/2 batches, or just double it to make it easier, It keeps well for ages – I’ve often keep it around 1 1/2 weeks!
Can I keep this warm in a crock pot?
Gosh yes, what a great idea!
This recipe was omg delicious!!! Probably the best nacho cheese recipe I’ve EVER tasted!! This includes all restaurant nachos I’ve had–and I’ve had MANY. I used 8 oz whole milk instead (didn’t have evaporated canned) and it still turned out fabulous! I also added 1 small can of diced jalepnos–seemed too much at first, but actually was perfect amount. My sauce tasted quite salty, but it might be because a few of my ingredients/portions differed from original recipe; next time I will start out w/ 1/4 tsp, and add more to taste if necessary. Despite being slightly salty, the nachos were still a BIG hit with the family! Thanks for the awesome recipe, Nagi!!
I made this recipe with no salt and it was great. I also used pepper jack cheese with the regular cheddar cheese and loved it.
Thanks Colleen, so glad you enjoyed it! N x
Woah! You made this with ordinary milk and it worked?? I have tried this with milk before and it didn’t work!
Could one add rotelle tomatoes and not have it separate? Do not know if those tomatoes are available in Australia.
No they aren’t 🙁 But yes you certainly can!
Thank you, will give it a try. I will let you know how it turns out.
I made this with Rotel tomatoes. I drained the liquid this time, it worked well, stayed at dip consistency and everyone liked it, I thought it was a bit too mild. I will try it with the liquid next time.
The regular Rotele Chile con queso is made with Velveeta so I was happy to have a recipe that I can make with non-processed cheese, also the original Velveeta version hardens quickly this stayed ‘dipable’.
I was looking for something a bit different and cheesy to put into a layered dip… this looks like it might work!
Oooh yes it WILL!!!!
Very tasty recipes.
Thank you Ritu!
Made this last night and was pleasantly surprised. I used 2 TBS flour instead of cornstarch because I didn’t have any, and added some chili powder and cumin to taste. FYI – you can make this without evaporated milk by making your own quick version. 1 C milk powder dissolved in 3/4 C water will give you the equivalent of a 12 oz can of evaporated milk. The end product s the same – stays creamy, hot or cold. Thanks for the recipe.
Virtual high five! YESSS!! So glad you enjoyed it Amanda, thank you so much for coming back to let me know! N x
CORRECTION!!! Use 1 C of milk powder mixed with 1 1/4 C water. Sorry for the mistake in my previous comment.
I just made this tonight because my kids asked for nachos in their lunch and I am trying to get away from processed foods. Even though the milk is somewhat processed, it’s better than the really fake nacho cheese! I used mild cheddar, left out the peppers but kept in the hot sauce, and only used half the salt. Yum! And so easy! I gave the kids a sample and the picky one (the reason I left out the peppers) was licking the bowl.
Thank you for posting this recipe!
WOO HOO! I’m so glad you enjoyed it Sabrina, thank you for letting me know! N x
Hi Nagi, I just saw you video for this and was wondering what your recipe is for the seasoned ground beef you used? Thanks!
Hi Barb! It’s in my Nacho recipe -> https://discountspot.info/ripper-beef-nachos/%3C/a%3E 🙂
Thanks, Nagi!
Hey Nagy I tried this recipe is really yummy.!!! U think if I add more evaporated milk still gona be good l.?
Hi Mike! You can add a little bit more to make it a more sauce like consistency if you like? So glad you love it!
I hate to rate a recipe I modified, but I can’t resist. It’s DELISH! I left out peppers, and only used a few dashes of hot sauce because the hubby hates spice, and used mostly medium cheddar with a tiny bit of american. I can’t believe how smooth it turns out! I might reduce the salt (used table salt) if pouring onto salty chips again though.
For the people looking for a cornstarch sub, I’ve heard arrowroot works…?
YAY! So glad you enjoyed this, THANK YOU!!!
Can your cheese sauce be used as Macraroni and cheese recipe? Thanks
YES it sure can Kathleen! What a great way to make Mac N Cheese – the sauce is so much silkier than the usual!
I didn’t have cornstarch so I used some tapioca flour I had left over. It still turned out fantastic! Thanks for the recipe! It was awesome and I have now made it twice in 2 weeks!
That’s so awesome Sarah! Thank you so much for letting me know it worked with tapioca flour!!! I must update the recipe notes 🙂
Tried this recipe for our Super Bowl dinner menu. It was just as easy as stated. It’s a GREAT basic cheese sauce recipe. I ended up adding more cheese…cuz I like cheesy cheese sauce, LOL. I also added some Rotel, a little Cumin and just a pinch of Tumeric to add a little more color. It was DEFINITELY a hit with the family.
Thanks Randolph! So glad you enjoyed it!!! Love your extra touches 🙂
I just made this sauce to get ready for a new years party I’m attending tonight…..My friend is really sensitive to spice so I just put mild green chilies instead of Jalapenos. So delicious! Thank you!
I’m so glad you enjoyed this Stacey!! Thank you so much for taking the time to come back and let me know. 🙂 And HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!
Going to try this recipe tonight for my loaded wedges.
Great to see Aussie recipes.
Thanks Stuart!! 🙂
Awesome cheese sauce, I used a pack of grated jalapeño cheese. Really good.
My wife and son thought it was a bit rich, but I thought it was awesome. Thanks
YAY!!! So glad you loved it!! It is definitely richer than most sauces but definitely MUCH less rich than most cheese sauces!!
Love this recipe, would like to try thr Rotel tomatoes/green chilis but wouldn’t this be too thin?
Hi Earlene! I’m sorry, I’m not sure what you mean?
Rotel tomatoes and green chiles is a canned item. Rotel is the brand name. It’s used in “cheese dip” here in the US
Oh! I didn’t realise you meant that! 🙂
A few weeks ago, my son said he wanted me to send chips and cheese sauce in his lunchbox. I cringed because I am not a fan of overly orange overly processed cheese products. I thought I’d try an internet search, but I wasn’t very hopeful. And then I found your recipe! I omitted the spicy peppers but added in a couple of pinches of turmeric (could also use ground achiote if available) to make it more similar to the color the kids have seen. It was an immediate hit with the kids and they ate so much I wondered if my son would have enough to take in his lunchbox. Thank you so much!
Gosh this is SO PERFECT for cheese and crackers for the lunchbox! Why didn’t I ever think of that?? So glad your son enjoyed it so much – thanks for letting me know!
evaporated milk is the same with condensed milk ?
Hi Viorica! Unfortunately not 🙂 Evaporated milk is concentrated milk whereas condensed milk has LOTS of sugar added to it so is not suitable to this recipe!
Hi,
Loved your cheesy dip recipe. Just one question. What is evaporated milk. If I buy normal pasteurized milk, boil and cool it and then use it, will that be ok?
Hi Anindya! It’s a long-life milk that is not required to be kept in the fridge. It’s thicker than normal milk. Sorry to say this doesn’t work with normal milk!