Cheese Sauce

A good cheese sauce starts with a roux — a simple mix of flour and butter cooked together, then thinned with milk and finished with cheese.

Base Ingredients

  • 1–2 Tbsp butter
  • 1–2 Tbsp flour
  • Milk (start with 1½ cups and adjust as needed)
  • Grated cheese (as much or as little as you like!)
  • Salt + pepper to taste

Optional extras

  • Splash of cream (try 2/3 milk, 1/3 cream)
  • Roasted garlic (mashed and added at the end)
  • Sautéed onion or garlic (cook first before adding flour)
  • Add Mustard wholegrain, hot or Dijon for additional depth of flavour great for accompanying beef dishes

Method

  1. Make the roux
    • Melt butter in a pot over medium-low heat.
    • Add flour and stir until bubbly and just lightly golden.
    • Tip: Don’t skip this — cooking the flour now stops your sauce from tasting raw later.
  2. Add the milk — slowly!
    • Take the pot off the heat.
    • Add a small splash of milk and whisk constantly to avoid lumps.
    • Keep adding milk, a little at a time, whisking after each addition until smooth and thick.
  3. Return to the heat & stir
    • Once all the milk is added, return the pot to low heat.
    • Keep stirring until the sauce thickens — this will take a few minutes.
    • Taste it: if you can still taste flour, it needs more cooking.
  4. Add cheese
    • Once it’s smooth and thickened, stir in grated cheese.
    • Adjust the amount depending on how cheesy you want it.
    • Season with salt and pepper.

Texture Tips

  • Thicker = great for pouring over steamed veg or baked potatoes.
  • Looser = best for mac ‘n’ cheese (pasta will absorb liquid and thicken the sauce).

Bonus Tip:

If it gets lumpy — don’t panic! Keep whisking over gentle heat. A smooth sauce can often be rescued with a little patience.

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