Best Mac and Cheese Sauce
Published 11/1/2023 • Updated 8/16/2024
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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.
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I made this exactly as written, it is VERY important to make a roux correctly and not rush it, it should look almost like sugar cookie dough when you add the first bit of milk. I added 1/3-2/3 cup at a time.
Changes I made: I used apple wood smoked Gouda, Muenster, and marble jack for my cheeses, and I used a LOT more than in ingredients, turned out nice and stringy immediately after heat. I added hot sauce at end because I love it, I also added in pulled pork! DELICIOUS!!
Highly recommend this recipe, and of you need to better understand how to make a good roux, watch a video tutorial so you can see how it should look each step along the way.
Question, I’m a scout leader and want to make the sauce ahead of time to make campfire or stovetop Mac and cheese. Camping meals are always easier when one can make sauces ahead of time. Any suggestions on how to do this for camping?
It was a big hit in our house hold of picky eaters and stomachs with sensitivity to cheese!
So happy to hear it, Jenny!
This is a great recipe! My first time making it and it was so easy and came out perfectly. Used real cheese, not pre shredded which is what I wonder others are doing that didn’t have success with this recipe. Used protein pasta.
Looks so delish, Stacy!
I followed the recipe and it came out super thick! I was making a protein mac n cheese using fat free cheese, so it may have made it a little weird, but If you have this issue and want it a little runnier, add about a 1/4 cup water to the entire sauce or until you reach your desired consistency and readjust your spices. It also felt like it was missing something and i couldn’t quite put my finger on it. It was a little bland for my taste. It really needed some super cheesy ingredient like the fake stuff in a packet haha
I was skeptical of the hot sauce, but added it because life is short and Frank’s is delicious. I have made many mac and cheese sauces at home and this was by far the best. I am amazed and so thankful for the extra notes and details added to this recipe. Thank you! Delicious!
Life is short and Frank’s is delicious — words to live by!
I can confirm that this Mac n cheese sauce is incredible! I’m not a great cook 😆 but this recipe was easy to follow and tastes amazing! I added more cheese than recommended because I wanted maximum cheesiness and some broccoli 😬 Thank you for a great recipe!
Always a good idea to go for maximum cheesiness 😀
First time I made my own cheese sauce. I used bbq sauce instead of hot sauce but WOW is it easy to make and very very yummy! So versatile too; I’m sure I could sub whole wheat for white, oil for butter, and it would be great. It’s very mild and can be pumped up w bold flavor of choice. I mixed some spicy curry miso in mine and it was DELECTABLE. Thank you so much for de-mystifying cheese sauce!
I smoked some Mac and cheese for my family but the sauce wasn’t thick. I found this. How will this do smoking it,then reheat it the next morning?
This is a great mac and cheese to smoke! We’ve done it before. We did it at 225ºF for about 45 minutes. Here’s the post I’m referring to: https://cheeseknees.com/smoked-mac-and-cheese/
If I wanted to substitute olive oil as suggested, how much should I use? The same measurement?
Correct! The same amount — 4 tablespoons 🙂