Cheese Sauce

Name: Cheese Sauce
Prep time: 1 min
Cook time: 7 min
Total time: 8 min
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon butter; 7½ fl oz milk; 1 heaped tablespoon plain flour (all purpose flour); salt and pepper; 4 oz Cheddar cheese

Ready in 8 mins

Recipe by Graham

Cheese sauce can be served hot on lightly cooked vegetables or, in particular, is very good when making Cauliflower Cheese, Gnocchi or Macaroni Cheese. I always use cheddar when making sauces because, frankly, it's probably the best "melting" cheese around. Cheeses like Emmental are too "stringy" when melted, so don't work as well. When cooking, a hard British cheese is hard to beat.

Preparation Time

1 Minute

Cooking Time

7 Minutes

Ingredients for Cheese Sauce

If you are not familiar with any ingredients, please check our International Cooking Terms page.

Currently displaying quantities in US Imperial Measurements

1 tablespoon butter
7½ fl oz milk
1 heaped tablespoon plain flour (all purpose flour)
salt and pepper
4 oz Cheddar cheese

How to Cook Cheese Sauce

Slightly warm the milk in a saucepan over a low heat and, in a separate pan, melt the butter. Add the flour to the butter and cook over a medium heat, stirring continuously, for about 3 minutes. Don't allow the flour to brown. Slowly add the warmed milk, beating the mixture with a hand whisk (or fork) as you do so. Continue to whisk the mixture until the sauce thickens, then cook gently for about 2-3 minutes over a low heat stirring occasionally until it reaches a rich and creamy consistency.
Crumble the cheese between your fingers (or grate it beforehand if you prefer) and add to the sauce. Continue to stir over a low heat until all the cheese has melted. If it is too thick, you can add a little more milk. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

GRAHAM'S HOT TIP:
If, after adding the cheese, the sauce appears too thick, you can thin it with a little more milk. If you are feeling REALLY decadent, you can use double cream (heavy cream)!