Pepper Bowl

menu icon
go to homepage
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • About Us
  • Recipe Index
  • Subscribe
×
Home / Recipes / Dips & Spreads Recipes

Jalapeno Cheese Sauce

Published: Sep 29, 2021 · Modified: Jun 5, 2025 by Sujatha Muralidhar · This post may contain affiliate links · 6 Comments

Jump to Recipe Pin Recipe
JALAPENO CHEESE SAUCE

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.

A creamy jalapeño cheese sauce served in a black bowl, garnished with sliced jalapeños

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?
  • Ingredients
  • How To Make Jalapeno Cheese Sauce?
  • ♨️How To Adjust The Heat?
  • Storage Ideas
  • How To Use?
  • FAQ
  • Other Sauce Recipes
  • 📖 Recipe

Why You'll Love This Recipe?

⭐️Family's favorite.

⭐️Perfect for burgers, fries, pretzels, or nachos.

⭐️Easy to make and make ahead-friendly. 

Close-up of a bowl of jalapeño cheese sauce with jalapeño slices on top, ready to serve.

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?

Butter melting in a saucepan, the first step in making jalapeño cheese sauce.
  1. Melt butter over low to medium heat in a pan. Whisk in flour until the mixture is smooth.
cheese added to the pan
  1. Add minced jalapeño, garlic powder, whole milk, paprika, cheese, and salt;
cheese sauce started melting
  1. Whisk to combine. Cook for 4 minutes, stirring regularly.
Cheese melting in a saucepan with a smooth, creamy jalapeno cheese sauce.
  1. 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

Can I make this sauce ahead of time?

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.

How do I fix a lumpy cheese sauce?

To smooth it out, press the back of a spoon against any lumps, whisk well, or use a hand blender.

Other Sauce Recipes

  • creamy, flavorful chipotle lime sauce in a spoon
    Chipotle Lime Sauce
  • Spicy and sweet: Jalapeño Cranberry Sauce is a delicious, quick, for Thanksgiving!
    Jalapeno Cranberry Sauce
  • Creamy Spicy Cashew Dressing in a bowl, garnished with fresh cashew nuts.
    Spicy Cashew Dressing
  • Roasted veggie sauce with tomato and garlic in a white bowl with a spoon.
    Roasted Veggie Sauce

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, a quick, delicious, and customized recipe to replace the store bought cheese dipping sauces.

Jalapeno Cheese Sauce

Jalapeno cheese sauce is a quick recipe to replace store-bought dipping sauces. It tastes delicious when paired with nachos or fries.
5 from 6 votes
Print Pin Rate
Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 5 minutes minutes
Servings: 4 servings
Prevent your screen from going dark

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

  1. Over low to medium heat melt butter in a pan.
  2. Add in flour and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
  3. Stir in minced jalapeno, garlic powder, whole milk, paprika, cheese, and salt.
  4. Whisk continously and bring the sauce to low heat.
  5. 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.

Nutrition

Calories: 118kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 9g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 2g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 25mg | Sodium: 211mg | Potassium: 116mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 586IU | Vitamin C: 9mg | Calcium: 142mg | Iron: 1mg

Additional Info

Course Dips and sauces
Cuisine American, Mexican
Author Sujatha Muralidhar
Subscribe to Pepper BowlSign Up Today! Join By Clicking Here!

More Dips & Spreads Recipes

  • chimichurri aioli served in a bowl and dipped with cracker
    Chimichurri Aioli
  • mango corn salsa garnished with cilantro served in a bowl lime wedges.
    Mango Corn Salsa
  • Sriracha BBQ Sauce, made with simple ingredients in under 15 minutes.
    Sriracha BBQ Sauce
  • chili aioli in a spoon to serve as a dipping sauce.
    Chili Aioli
  • Facebook

Comments

    5 from 6 votes (3 ratings without comment)

    Leave a Reply Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




  1. Cara Campbell says

    June 28, 2023 at 11:29 am

    YES! I love jalapeno, and this recipe was perfect. We had it as a dipping sauce with our fries and it was so delicious!

    Reply
    • pepperbowl says

      May 23, 2024 at 1:23 pm

      Hi Cara! Love it! Thanks for sharing!

      Reply
  2. TAYLER ROSS says

    June 28, 2023 at 11:41 am

    I used this cheese sauce on nachos I made last night and OMG was it delicious! Perfectly spicy and cheesy!

    Reply
    • pepperbowl says

      May 23, 2024 at 1:23 pm

      Hi TAYLER! So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thank you for this kind review!

      Reply
  3. dana says

    June 28, 2023 at 12:25 pm

    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.

    Reply
    • pepperbowl says

      May 23, 2024 at 1:22 pm

      Great to hear! Thank you dana!

      Reply
The author image of the food blog pepperbowl.com

Hi, I'm Suja! I'm the person behind PEPPER BOWL, based in Pennsylvania. I focus on easy, simple-to-make recipes inspired by rich flavors with a hint of heat. I enjoy simplifying recipes with minimal ingredients to suit today's busy lifestyle.

More about me →

Recent Recipes

  • Baked BBQ Boneless Chicken Thighs are garnished and served in a plate.
    BBQ Boneless Chicken Thighs
  • Delicious chimichurri rice served in a bowl with spoon, garnished with lemon slices and cucumber.
    Chimichurri Rice
  • 11 best delicious aioli recipes to spice up the dishes
    Spicy Aioli Recipes
  • spicy saltine crackers served with spicy dipping sauce for the party
    Spicy Saltine Crackers

Trending Recipes

  • jalapeno mustard in a dipping bowl.
    Jalapeno Mustard Recipe
  • This sauteed jalapeno is excellent as a side dish, in the salad, pizza, or the sandwich. Every bite is packed with flavors. with a mild heat.
    Sauteed Jalapeno
  • This delicious black pepper sauce is a Asian style sauce perfect to pair up with barbequed/grilled meat like steak or chicken or shrimp.
    Black Pepper Sauce
  • This stuffed cherry pepper, perfect to serve as an appetizer in the party or to serve the family. This cherry stuffed recipe is simple and ready in less than 30 minutes.
    Stuffed Cherry Peppers

Footer

About

  • Privacy policy and disclaimer
  • Work with Us
  • Contact Us
  • About Us

Fabulous spicy

  • Meat & Seafood Recipes
  • Meatless Main Dishes
  • Salad Recipes
  • Soup Recipes

Make it hot

  • Dips & Spreads Recipes
  • Sauces & Dressings
  • Appetizer Recipes
  • Side Dish Recipes
  • Curry Recipes

Copyright © 2025 - KODI Innovations LLC - ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Rate This Recipe

Your vote:




A rating is required
A name is required
An email is required

Recipe Ratings without Comment

Something went wrong. Please try again.