Did you grow up eating Jalapeno Cheese Sauce as a dip for everything in your childhood? Today, I have a recipe incredibly dedicated to you: jalapeño cheese sauce, a delicious point where your all-time favorite meets your spicy cravings.
Learn how to make this spicy cheese sauce using fresh and pickled jalapenos. It is rich, creamy, and requires less than 5 minutes to whip up using a single skillet.
It is incredibly delicious to serve up with jalapeno poppers or jalapeno nachos.
This creamy, luscious jalapeno cream cheese sauce melts in every bite and enhances the main dish. In simple words, it is nothing but that bowl of deliciousness.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Recipe?
⭐️Family's favorite.
⭐️Perfect for burgers, fries, pretzels, or nachos.
⭐️Easy to make and make ahead-friendly.
Ingredients
- Butter. What else can we consider when making a creamy sauce without butter?
- All-purpose flour makes the cheese sauce rich and velvety. However, you can also use arrowroot powder or tapioca flour as an alternative.
- Fresh & pickled jalapeno. Adding both these gives an intense flavor and provides a peppery smack.
- Garlic powder. Feel free to substitute with minced garlic.
- Whole Milk: I've used whole milk; you can use low-fat or vegan milk.
- Paprika. Adds an appetitive orangish color, bridging the jalapeno’s heat and the creamy cheese.
- Cheddar cheese. Sharp cheddar gives a depth of flavor. However, mild cheddar or pepper jack cheese would also be equally good.
How To Make Jalapeno Cheese Sauce?
- Melt butter over low to medium heat in a pan. Whisk in flour until the mixture is smooth.
- Add minced jalapeño, garlic powder, whole milk, paprika, cheese, and salt;
- Whisk to combine. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring regularly.
- Until the sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, leaving a clear trail when you run your finger through it.
♨️How To Adjust The Heat?
This jalapeno cheese sauce has noticeable heat. To make it milder, remove the seeds and pith of the jalapeno peppers and reduce the amount of minced and pickled jalapeños.
Choose the paprika type, mild or hot, based on your spice preference.
Increase the jalapeños and add a pinch of cayenne pepper or red pepper flakes for more heat.
Storage Ideas
The leftover jalapeno cheese sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for up to three days and in the freezer for about three months.
To reheat, warm the sauce over low heat on the stove(stir regularly) or gently in the microwave at 30-second intervals; add a splash of milk if needed if the sauce becomes thick.
How To Use?
- Spicy dishes. Serve with hot and spicy appetizers like jalapeno poppers.
- As a base sauce, use it to make mac and cheese.
- Nacho. Serve over a bed of crispy nachos and make a quick and delicious game-day snack in a flash of a second.
- Burger. Add up as a layer in your burger and feel the punch.
- Others. It is also excellent with French fries, pretzels, garlic knots, and hot dogs.
FAQ
Yes, you can make jalapeño cheese sauce ahead of time. Store it in the refrigerator for 3-4 days and reheat gently on the stove or microwave.
To smooth it out, press the back of a spoon against any lumps, whisk well, or use a hand blender.
Other Sauce Recipes
If you enjoyed this recipe, please consider leaving a ⭐ star rating and let me know your thoughts in the 📝 comments section below the recipe.
📖 Recipe
Jalapeno Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 tablespoon jalapeno minced
- 2 tablespoon pickled jalapeno
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ cup whole milk
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- ½ salt
- 1 cup sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Over low to medium heat melt butter in a pan.
- Add in flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Stir in minced jalapeno, garlic powder, whole milk, paprika, cheese, and salt.
- Whisk continously and bring the sauce to low heat.
- Cook by stirring regularly until the sauce thickens for about 4 minutes.
Notes
- To Store: The leftover jalapeno cheese sauce is good for up to 3 days when refrigerated in an air-sealed container.
- To Freeze: Store up to 3 months in the freezer.
- To Thaw: Thaw it by placing it overnight in the refrigerator.
Cara Campbell says
YES! I love jalapeno, and this recipe was perfect. We had it as a dipping sauce with our fries and it was so delicious!
pepperbowl says
Hi Cara! Love it! Thanks for sharing!
TAYLER ROSS says
I used this cheese sauce on nachos I made last night and OMG was it delicious! Perfectly spicy and cheesy!
pepperbowl says
Hi TAYLER! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!
dana says
Ugh, yes. Just a big fat YES. This has become my favorite cheese sauce. I love the flavor of jalapeño and it comes through so beautifully in this.
pepperbowl says
Great to hear! Thank you dana!