The Best Type Of Cheese For Making Homemade Cheese Sauce Like A Pro

Depending on the occasion, a cheese sauce can be made with numerous types of cheese. The best cheese for a classic macaroni and cheese sauce will likely differ from what you should use to make a spicy queso cheese sauce. If you're going for a bold, bright cheese sauce, whether to toss with macaroni or pour over veggies, you'll need a bold cheese that stands out; sharp yellow cheddar is your best bet.

For something like a queso sauce, white American or pepper jack might be the more sensible choices. Regardless of which type of cheese sauce you're making, one thing is for certain: you always want to choose a cheese that has the most flavor possible — anything too mild might taste bland. While the cheese is the foundation of a creamy, flavorful sauce, there are also a number of other elements that you'll need to combine it with in order to make a standout dish.

Cheese sauce can have plenty of purposes. Of course, you likely think of it as the main component of macaroni and cheese, but it's also a great topping for cooked vegetables, or just as an easy dipping sauce for chips or crackers. There isn't much to a basic cheese sauce — it's just cheese, whole milk, butter, and a few seasonings. Sharp cheeses have more bite to them, and a yellow or orange cheddar is available in sharp (or extra sharp) varieties, giving the sauce a ton of flavor and a bright, appealing color.

Cheddar is a generally affordable cheese, too, and it's available at almost any grocery store, making it an easy and cost-effective option. If you're looking to add a second layer of cheesy flavor, you can try pairing it with a milder, nutty cheese, such as Gruyère. It will add another element to the sauce while still letting the cheddar shine.

Not all cheese sauce warrants a cheddar flavor. If you're making a basic nacho cheese sauce, cheddar will work, but you might actually want to go with a processed cheese like Velveeta or any yellow American variety. It's salty and melts easily, giving the sauce a perfectly smooth texture. For queso, processed cheese works as well, but to ensure there is a hint of heat in every bite, try mixing in some pepper jack. Add it to your desired spice level; making the whole queso batch with pepper jack will likely leave you with a sauce that's too hot. Nacho cheese doesn't require much outside of milk and butter, but queso usually entails at least one spicy element, plus diced tomatoes, all of which creates a creamy, acidic flavor.

If you're making traditional fondue sauce, cheddar isn't your best bet, either (though cheddar fondue is certainly possible). A classic recipe calls for fontina, Gruyère, or Swiss cheese, or a combination of several cheeses that have a mild, nutty flavor perfect for dipping foods that also have a mild flavor, like bread or apples.