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mac and cheese in bowl
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4.16 from 32 votes

Cheese Sauce for Mac and Cheese

This cheese sauce for mac and cheese is thick, ultra-creamy, and made with just 7 pantry ingredients in under 15 minutes. A simple butter-and-flour roux gets whisked with milk, then loaded with sharp cheddar cheese and a splash of hot sauce for the creamiest homemade mac and cheese you've ever made.
Prep Time5 minutes
Cook Time15 minutes
Total Time20 minutes
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: American
Keyword: mac and cheese sauce
Servings: 8
Author: Lee Funke

Ingredients

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups 2 % milk
  • 3 cups shredded sharp 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. 
    making roux.
  • 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.
    adding hot sauce to mac and cheese sauce.
  • Finally, mix your mac and cheese sauce recipe with 1 lb. of cooked noodles and enjoy! 
    adding noodles to pot.

Video

[adthrive-in-post-video-player video-id="Nl1Ze6kE" upload-date="2021-08-20T00:00:00.000Z" name="Best Mac and Cheese Sauce" description="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!"]

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. of macaroni noodles.
  • Nutrition information does NOT include noodles.
  • August 31, 2025: I recently tweaked this recipe to use slightly less milk and specified to use sharp cheddar cheese based off user feedback! 

Nutrition

Calories: 307kcal | Carbohydrates: 18g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 20g | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 3g