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    Home » Essentials

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    Foolproof Cheese Sauce

    I love cheese sauce. It's so versatile and is one of the ultimate comfort foods. It's the basis of simple meals like Mac & Cheese, or the more sophisticated cheese souffle. If you can make cheese sauce you'll never be short of a meal.

    Jump to Recipe
    Cheese Sauce in a saucepan

    Cheese sauce was a staple for me when I was a student - you can add boiled eggs, pasta or cauliflower for an economical, warming meal. Nowadays I'm more likely to make Tuna Pasta Bake, or layer the sauce with a basic Bolognese sauce to make Lasagne.

    I have even been known to cook cheese sauce for my dogs when they aren't eating very well. Pasta with cheese sauce goes down very well - if you're a greyhound anyway.

    Cheese sauce - or rather the white sauce that it's based on - can have a reputation for being hard to make. In particular, it can be lumpy.

    Why is my Cheese Sauce lumpy?

    The reason the sauce is lumpy is because the milk hasn't been properly incorporated into the roux (which is the butter and flour basis for the sauce).

    Use a whisk or a stick blender to save a sauce that's gone lumpy. Follow the recipe below for foolproof cheese sauce.

    Secrets of Success for Cheese Sauce

    There are two things which have revolutionised the way I make White Sauce or Cheese Sauce.

    Use hot milk

    The first is to heat the milk before you start so that you aren't adding a cold liquid to a hot mixture. The liquids mix together better and the time to make the sauce is cut down.

    This is what really makes the method foolproof, but if you should have any lumps (and occasionally I still do, especially if I'm in a hurry), then you need a whisk or a stick blender.

    Use a stick blender

    The second secret of success is to use a stick mixer or hand blender. If you don't have one, then I suggest you buy one now so that you can start making lump-free sauces. A basic model is quite inexpensive, but it's a real kitchen essential.

    But if you don't have a stick blender, you can use a balloon whisk or a coil whisk to whisk the hot milk in.

    Make a basic Mac 'n' Cheese

    You can use this basic cheese sauce recipe for Macaroni Cheese. Just boil some macaroni, mix with the cheese sauce, grate some cheeses on top and bake in the oven at 180°C fan for about 20 minutes until golden brown and bubbling. For Christmas, and special dinners try my Luxury Macaroni Cheese.

    If you like this...

    ...Why don't you try:

    A dish of deluxe macaroni cheese, ready for the table.

    Deluxe Macaroni Cheese

    Add a couple of ingredients to turn mac & cheese into Deluxe Macaroni Cheese.
    Tuna Pasta Bake in a rectangular glass casserole dish of tuna pasta bake with melted cheese on top.

    Tuna Pasta Bake

    Tuna Pasta Bake is a wonderful combination of cheese sauce, pasta and tuna, with some grated carrot and sweetcorn providing the vegetable element.
    A dish of lasagne, just cooked with browned cheese on top.

    Everyday Lasagne

    Everyday Lasagne is a version of the classic dish with hidden veg, using a portion each of Basic Bolognese Sauce and Cheese Sauce.
    To make from scratch you will need to cook the two basic recipes - about 2 hours to make in total
    Macaroni Ham and Cheese, with a portion removed, in a gratin dish

    Macaroni Ham and Cheese

    Add chopped ham to turn a Macaroni Cheese into a hearty main meal.

    Stockists

    Stick Blender with beaker and mini chopping bowl

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    KitchenCraft Silicone Whisks in assorted colours

    Silicone Balloon Whisk

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    Zeal Coil Whisk used to whisk a bowl of eggs

    Zeal Coil Whisk

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    Recipe

    Cheese sauce in a red saucepan - ready to eat.
    Print Recipe
    5 from 2 votes

    Foolproof Cheese Sauce

    Cheese Sauce is one of the staple recipes that every cook needs. From a simple mac and cheese to a cheese souffle, cheese sauce is the basis for many meals.
    Prep Time20 minutes mins
    Total Time20 minutes mins
    Course: Staple
    Cuisine: British
    Servings: 6 servings
    Author: Susie@Everyday Cooks

    Ingredients

    • 1 litre milk, full-cream is best
    • 100 g butter
    • 100 g plain/all-purpose flour (see note)
    • 1 teaspoon strong mustard
    • Grated nutmeg, (about ¼ teaspoon)
    • Salt and pepper to taste
    • 200 g extra mature Cheddar cheese
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Equipment

    Stick Blender
    and/or
    Silicone whisk

    Instructions

    Preparation:

    • Heat the milk in a microwave or saucepan
      Cheese sauce with only half the milk added, in a saucepan.
    • Grate the cheese (a coarse grate is okay)

    For the Cheese Sauce:

    • Melt the butter in a large saucepan over a medium heat. Add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes
    • Add about a quarter of the milk and stir well as it all starts to bubble. As it begins to bubble the mixture will come together
    • Once you have a solid mixture add the next quarter litre of milk and repeat. The mixture will still be quite solid.
    • Repeat with the next quarter litre of milk. By now the sauce will be less solid. If it's lumpy, use the stick blender or silicone whisk to smooth it out
    • Repeat with the last quarter litre of milk, You will now have a beautiful Bechamel sauce or white sauce
    • Add seasoning - pepper, mustard and nutmeg. Add the grated cheese and taste as you add salt.

    Notes

    Flour: You could use wholemeal flour to add some fibre. It changes the colour, but my family never noticed (or commented, anyway).

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anne says

      July 12, 2022 at 7:28 am

      Hi. Tried this sauce and it worked out well, if a little thin. Would adding more flour help with that? Also, can you store it and if so, what is the best way? Thank you

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        September 09, 2022 at 1:23 pm

        Hi Anne, If you want a thicker sauce, reduce the milk or increase the butter/flour mix. If it's after the event, I prefer to thicken with cornflour mixed with water and added in stages, mixing well and allowing the cornflour to cook and do its work before adding more. (this works for any sauce BTW).

        Reply
    2. Elizabeth says

      October 25, 2020 at 10:55 am

      5 stars
      Thank you thank you thank you! I often struggle with cheese sauce but I followed this to the letter and produced a marvellous cheese sauce. I did add 300g of cheese instead of 200g and it was so cheesy and good!

      Reply
      • Susie Collings says

        October 27, 2020 at 4:06 pm

        Hi Elizabeth, I'm glad you found the cheese sauce recipe useful. It's such a useful basis of many dishes. 🙂

        Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Hi, I'm Susie. Mostly I love cooking and baking, but combining work and home life often leaves me feeling that providing healthy, tasty food for my family is a chore. On those days I am decidedly an Everyday Cook...

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    Cheese Sauce in a saucepan

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