Best Mac and Cheese Sauce
Published 11/1/2023 • Updated 8/16/2024
This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.
No matter if you’re making stovetop mac and cheese or baked mac and cheese, this is the best mac and cheese sauce on the internet!
Made with simple ingredients such as a mac and cheese roux, cheddar cheese, salt, and pepper, this cheese sauce for mac and cheese is creamy and scrumptious.
This mac and cheese sauce recipe is hands-down our most popular recipe on The Cheese Knees and rightfully so. It’s thick, creamy, and truly best best mac and cheese sauce you’ll find on the internet.
Every cheese website deserves to have a signature mac and cheese sauce that’s easy to make, creamy, and perfect on any noodle! Ours is made with 7 simple ingredients and is ready in less than 15 minutes. You’ll need the basics and also a dash of hot sauce (our secret ingredient).
What You Need for Mac and Cheese Sauce
Like we mentioned above, you only need 7 simple ingredients to make the creamiest, cheesiest mac and cheese sauce on the internet. Check it:
- butter
- all-purpose flour
- 2 % milk
- shredded cheddar cheese
- salt
- granulated garlic (or garlic powder)
- buffalo hot sauce (we used Franks)
Technically the hot sauce is optional, but I promise it makes this cheese sauce SO GOOD. A little vinegar really does bring out the flavor of the cheese sauce.
What cheeses can I use in my mac and cheese?
Try mixing things up and use your favorite cheese. Whatever you do, we recommend shredding your own cheese so that there are no added preservatives.
- Colby Jack
- Mexican Cheddar Blend
- Gouda
- White Cheddar
What is a mac and cheese roux and why do I need it?
A roux is essentially a way to thicken a sauce or liquid. You need a fat (such as butter or olive oil) and a flour in order to make this thickening agent and then you need to heat it to activate it.
The reason why you don’t want to skip the roux for this mac and cheese sauce recipe is that the roux is what helps make it thick and luscious.
How to Make a Roux
First time making a roux? No problem! Check out this super simple tutorial:
- Start by heating a large pot or dutch oven over medium/high heat. Then add butter, and allow it to melt fully.
- When the butter is melted add the all-purpose flour and whisk (consistently!) until the butter and flour form a crumble or paste.
- Slowly add milk to the pot by pouring slowly, and whisking constantly. Continue to whisk the roux over medium/high heat for about 4-6 minutes or until the roux thickens.
- When the roux is thick, remove from heat, and then it’s time to melt the shredded cheese!
Congrats, you’ve made your roux! This will give your mac the thick and creamy texture you’re looking for.
Easy Roux Swaps
- Butter –> olive oil – like we mentioned above, you need a fat in order to make a roux. We’ve use olive oil many times in place of butter and it works like a charm!
- All-purpose flour –> white whole wheat flour – looking to make your homemade mac and cheese sauce a bit healthier? Try using white whole wheat flour instead.
Variations for this Cheese Sauce
- For a richer flavor: use whole milk or half-and-half instead of 2% milk.
- For a sharper flavor: use a mix of cheddar cheese and another sharp cheese: such as Gruyère or Parmesan.
- For a milder flavor: use a milder cheese, such as Monterey Jack or American cheese.
- To make a different flavor of cheese sauce: add different seasonings, such as Italian seasoning, taco seasoning, or herbs and spices.
Can you smoke this mac and cheese?
We tested this recipe on the smoker last Thanksgiving and it worked great! 45 minutes at 225ºF in a pellet smoker gave it just enough smokiness. Check out our smoked mac and cheese recipe for a more in-depth tutorial.
Can you freeze this cheese sauce recipe?
We don’t recommend freezing this cheese sauce because of the dairy content. You risk curdling when reheating.
Use this Mac and Cheese Sauce in Other Ways!
Love this sauce and want to mix things up? Here are some ideas on how to repurpose this sauce for something other than mac!
Use on any noodle – all out of macaroni noodles? You can literally use 1 lb. of any noodle under the sun!
Nachos – we love using this sauce on top of nachos. Think – loaded nachos with all the fixings + this cheese sauce.
Burgers/Sandwiches – how good would this easy mac and cheese sauce be on top of a burger or sandwich?! I’m drooling.
Chili Mac and Cheese – mix this cheese sauce with 1 lb. of noodles and a batch of homemade beef chili for some chili mac! Check out our sister site’s Chili Mac and Cheese recipe!
Dip – when I dip you dip we dip. Grab your favorite tortilla chip and dip away!
Homemade Mac and Cheese Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons butter
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups 2 % milk
- 3 cups shredded cheddar cheese
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon granulated garlic, or garlic powder
- 1-2 tablespoons buffalo hot sauce, we used Franks
- 1 lb. cooked noodles
Instructions
- First, prepare a roux by heating a large pot or Dutch oven over medium/high heat. Add butter. When the butter is melted, add flour and whisk until the butter and flour form a crumble or paste.
- Slowly add milk to the pot, whisking constantly. Continue to whisk the roux over medium/high heat for about 4-6 minutes or until the roux thickens.
- When the roux is thick, remove from heat and add the shredded cheddar cheese. Whisk until the cheese has melted.
- Add granulated garlic, hot sauce, and salt and pepper to the cheese sauce. Mix well.
- Finally, mix your mac and cheese sauce recipe with 1 lb. of cooked noodles and enjoy!
Tips & Notes
- If you would like a thinner cheese sauce, add 2 tablespoons of milk at a time, whisk it into the cheese sauce, and add more until the cheese sauce reaches your desired consistency.
- This mac and cheese sauce is for 1 lb. macaroni noodles.
- Nutrition information does NOT include noodles.
Watch It
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Don’t forget to tag your posts on social media with the hashtag #cheeseknees, we’d love to see what you’re up to!
I made this today, for a mac & cheese with shredded chicken of the woods mushrooms (great substitute for chicken). Was outstanding! My wife absolutely loved it. I always put some ground black pepper in cheese sauce and usually some taco seasoning too, but I would never have thought to add hot sauce. Genius! We love Mexican hot sauce, so some Valentina (extra hot was what went in mine) and it was delicious. Thanks for a great recipe!
Yum! Valentina sounds like an amazing choice!
Can I freeze this sauce? I want to make a big batch of sauce and then just pull out a portion as needed and add to pasta. Do you think this might work? Thank you!
Hi Jill, Unfortunately we wouldn’t recommend this as the texture of the cheese can change drastically in the freezing and reheating process. Hope this helps!
This recipe was, while simple, hard to follow, for me. I tried three different times to follow your instructions on making the roux and failed all three. I’ve now given up and not once was I able to, while following along with what you said, make roux.
Roux is extremely simple. You just melt the butter in the pot,add the flour and cook it for a bit. You want the color to change from a pale white to a light nutty brown and it should give off a hint of a nutty smell. Then you add the milk, which should be room temperature first. And just stir occasionally until it’s nice and thick.
This cheese sauce was amazing. Will definitely be new “go to”
Yay! So glad you enjoyed it, Heather 😀
I have made this twice and it’s turned out perfect both times. I used sharp chedder, medium chedder and smoked gouda and an extra dash of Frank’s hot sauce. It was absolutely delicious and now a family fave.
Yay! So glad to hear you and the fam loved this sauce, Kesha 🙂
Just made this using radiator pasta, and some super-aged New York cheese I didn’t know what to do with. Used whole milk because that’s what I had and it turned out perfect, very rich. Thank you
Yum!
I needed a solid cheese sauce recipe to use as a base for my alfredo bake, and boy, did this recipe perform. It’s very simple and versatile, allowing me to easily add and change what I needed without compromising in the creamy, cheesy quality. And for a beginner who doesn’t often make sauces, the recipe was so easy to follow. It made an amazing alfredo dish that everyone at my potluck loved! I’ll definitely be using it as my go-to for all my cheesy pasta dishes from now on.
Aw, we’re blushing, Allen! And loveee the idea of using this in an alfredo bake.
Hi, I always encourage myself to eat a healthy and fresh meal that is enriched with vitamins, proteins, carbohydrates, and calcium. I am a regular reader of your blog just because you share wonderful food recipes. Not only these recipes are delicious in taste but having essential ingredients as well. To get food ingredients and items there are websites that offer cashback deals and offers.
Very discouraged first time trying to make home made mac & cheese and it tastes like flour I even cooked it for 7 minutes and added half a block of mild cheddar on top of the sharp cheddar.. 😪
Followed the recipe and it turned out just the way it was supposed to, great 👍
YAY!