Name: 5 Minute Nacho Cheese Sauce
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 4 min
Total time: 5 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 1 cup heavy whipping cream; 2 cups colby jack cheese, freshly grated; 1/4 teaspoon paprika; 1/4 teaspoon chili powder; 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder; 1 tablespoon cornstarch

The easiest way to make homemade nacho cheese! This recipe is so simple and comes together in just 5 minutes!

This is the best easy nacho cheese!

This 5 minute nacho cheese sauce is one of my favorite things to make for Mexican night!

All you need is heavy cream, cheese, and pantry ingredients to make this simple delicious cheese sauce.

Ideal when served with tortilla chips, over nachos, on tacos, quesadillas, mexican themed casseroles, you name it!

Nacho Cheese Sauce Ingredients

heavy cream
colby jack cheese
paprika
garlic powder
chili powder
cornstarch

How to make nacho cheese sauce

Step 1: add the heavy cream to a pan and warm it to medium heat, but do not boil.

Step 2: Once your heavy cream is warm, add the paprika, chili powder, garlic powder, cornstarch, and freshly grated colby jack cheese.

Stir or whisk the cheese sauce often for three to five minutes, until thick. The longer you stir over low to medium heat, the thicker it becomes.

nacho cheese sauce ingredients in a sauce pan

Using Fresh Grated Cheese

Pre shredded cheese is not the way to go for this recipe, as fresh just tastes so much better and makes a big difference in the quality of the nacho cheese sauce.

For a thicker sauce, just leave it on the heat a little longer, watching and stirring so that it doesn’t burn.

This recipe is similar to my cheese sauce for broccoli, but made with colby jack cheese and mexican spices to create a nacho cheese flavor.

cheese sauce for broccoli

How Do You Make a Quick Cheese Sauce?

The answer is simply: cornstarch. By using this as a thickener, you spend much less time and the taste is just as good!

Once I realized the cornstarch trick, I make all of my quick cheese sauce recipes this way! Cornstarch is now a time saving staple in my home. You can’t taste it, and it makes dinner prep so much easier.

Once we first made this recipe, I had to make it three times in one week because I just could not get enough of it! The homemade nacho cheese just takes nacho night to the next level.

From easy dinners to party appetizers, you really can’t go wrong with a batch of this cheesy goodness!

What to eat with nacho cheese sauce

nachos
burrito bowls
quesadillas
tacos
burritos
stuffed peppers
roasted veggies
enchiladas

What is the best cheese for nacho cheese sauce

I find colby jack my favorite, but this sauce would also be delicious with monterey jack cheese, sharp cheddar cheese, or pepper jack cheese.

Nacho Cheese FAQs

We do not recommend this as freshly grated cheese will melt better and result in a smoother sauce.

Leftover nacho cheese sauce can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat leftovers in a sauce pan or in the microwave until heated through.