How to make cheese sauce recipe

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Watch our easy-to-follow video recipe for cheese sauce - it's delicious with pasta, macaroni or cauliflower.

How to make cheese sauce
(Image credit: TI Media Limited)
  • healthy
Serves4
SkillEasy
Preparation Time5 mins
Cooking Time20 mins
Total Time25 mins
Cost RangeCheap
Nutrition Per PortionRDA
Calories163 Kcal8%
Fat11.8 g17%
Saturated Fat7.2 g36%
Carbohydrates9 g3%

If you want to know how to make cheese sauce then this easy recipe will show you how.

Cheese sauce is perfect tossed through fresh penne, baked with cauliflower to make a classic cauliflower cheese or drizzled over your favourite steak recipe for a cheesy finish. It's the base of many indulgent comfort food recipes.

We've added 20g of cheese which gives a mild flavour and keeps the recipe lower in fat. However, you can add more for a stronger flavour. Also, try using other cheese such as blue cheese or Italian hard cheese such as Parmesan. And don't feel guilty about using cheese; we've got six reasons why cheese is good for you.

Whichever way you plan on serving your cheese sauce, follow our step-by-step video recipe or use our simple method below. You'll have this creamy wonder made in no time.

Ingredients

  • 1 sliced onion
  • Salt and pepper
  • 425ml milk
  • Parsley stalks
  • 1 bay leaf
  • 10 black peppercorns
  • 40g butter
  • 20g plain flour
  • 20g Cheddar cheese (feel free to add more for a more intense flavour)
  • Pinch of nutmeg

WEIGHT CONVERTER

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Method

  1. Add cold milk into pan. Next add onion, bay leaf, parsley stalks, peppercorns and stir. Bring to simmering point and cook on a low heat for 5 minute. Drain the mixture through a sieve and transfer milk back into measuring jug
  2. Put pan on low heat and add in butter until it melts then add the flour. Stir until it forms a thick past. Keep stirring for roughly 5 minutes so that it doesn't stick to pan.
  3. Take off heat and stir in small amounts of milk slowly - use a whisk to remove any lumps. Transfer pan back to heat and cook for another 5 minutes while the sauce thickens.
  4. Turn heat down, season with salt and pepper.  Add the cheese and grate in a pinch of nutmeg
  5. Finally add more salt and pepper and continue to stir until it becomes a smooth sauce
Top Tip for making How to make cheese sauce

You can make cheese sauce with plain milk rather than infused milk if you'd rather

Jessica Dady
Food Editor

Jessica Dady is Food Editor at GoodtoKnow and has over 12 years of experience as a digital editor, specialising in all things food, recipes, and SEO. From the must-buy seasonal food hampers and advent calendars for Christmas to the family-friendly air fryers that’ll make dinner time a breeze, Jessica loves trying and testing various food products to find the best of the best for the busy parents among us. Over the years of working with GoodtoKnow, Jessica has had the privilege of working alongside Future’s Test Kitchen to create exclusive videos - as well as writing, testing, and shooting her own recipes. When she’s not embracing the great outdoors with her family at the weekends, Jessica enjoys baking up a storm in the kitchen with her favourite bakes being chocolate chip cookies, cupcakes, and a tray of gooey chocolate brownies