Wanna get your kids to eat vegetables? Rich and creamy Cheese Sauce For Broccoli is a game changer. Made with cheddar cheese and basic ingredients, it's the perfect topping for broccoli or any other veggies.
Jump to:
- Why You'll Love Broccoli & Cheese Sauce
- Ingredient Information and Substitutions
- How To Make Cheese Sauce For Broccoli
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Tips For Making Broccoli Cheese Sauce
- What To Serve With This Broccoli Cheese Sauce Recipe
- Other Recipes Featuring Broccoli And Cheese
- Cheese Sauce For Broccoli
Why You'll Love Broccoli & Cheese Sauce
Wanna know my favorite way to get kids to love broccoli? My Grandma's homemade cheese sauce is my secret weapon! It's creamy, delicious, and so easy to make. Your family will be fighting for seconds!
Growing up, I had always heard that some people don't like broccoli. This was always baffling to me because I love broccoli and so do my kids! But whichever veggie you love to hate, my favorite way to turn people into veggie believers is this cheddar cheese sauce recipe. It's a pretty simple and quick recipe. It does require a little love. Trust me when I say, your efforts will be well rewarded!
Why you'll love this recipe:
- Incredibly easy to make
- Super simple, common ingredients
- A tried and true recipe
- Kid approved
- 15 minutes, start to finish
- Easy to follow directions
- Tastes incredible
Ingredient Information and Substitutions
- Cheese-My go-to cheese for this recipe is shredded cheddar cheese. Hand-shredding will allow it ot melt easier but it also works with pre-shredded. You can totally use your favorite cheese like Monterey jack or white cheddar.
- Roux- Melted salted butter and flour mix together to thicken this sauce. I always cook my roux for a couple minutes before adding the milk to get rid of the raw flour flavor.
- Milk- Adds just the right liquid component without making it too heavy. YOu could always use half and half or heavy cream, but I think whole milk makes it just the right texture.
- Seasoning- Garlic powder and ground black pepper round out the flavors in this. Once it's ready and you've tasted it, you can totally add salt, but Grandma never felt it was needed additional salt.
- Steamed broccoli- This is my preferred veggie to go with this cheese sauce but I've also enjoyed it with cauliflower. That said, this would be delicious on whatever veggie you love most.
How To Make Cheese Sauce For Broccoli
Step 1: Make a roux
Begin by melting the butter in a medium size pan over medium heat. Once melted, add in flour and whisk to combine. Allow it to cook for 1-2 minutes.
Step 2: Add ingredients
Whisk in the milk. Sprinkle with garlic powder and pepper.
Step 3: Cook
Cook the sauce base for 10 minutes or until thickened enough to coat the back of a spoon. Be sure to stir continuously, so the milk doesn't scald.
Step 4: Add cheese
Add shredded cheese to the pan and stir until melted. Serve over cooked broccoli or any other veggie that you like. Enjoy!
Frequently Asked Questions
Sure — feel free to change up the cheese. I always make this cheese sauce with cheddar because it's our favorite, but you can certainly swap it for something else. The key is choosing a cheese that will melt easily, so you get the perfect creamy sauce every time!
If you can shred the cheese yourself, that always melts better because it doesn't have the anti-caking element on it.
Another thing I have found that makes a big difference is using full fat cheese. It melts better and gives you a much creamier result.
I've heard that King Arthur 1:1 GF Flour behaves very similarly to regular AP flour. That said, I cannot guarantee results since I I haven't tested this recipe using GF flours. If you try it, please comment and let me know how it works for you!
I like to make a roux by melting butter, whisking in equal parts four and cooking for a few minutes. Then I add the liquid and cook until thickened. The roux adds the perfect texture without being grainy.
I generally don't recommend making ahead and reheating, as the cheese sauce tends to coagulate as it cools. If you do want to reheat it, this is best done in a small pan over medium heat on the stove. I whisk in a little milk the thin it out a bit and add a little creaminess.
Tips For Making Broccoli Cheese Sauce
- Cook down the roux before adding liquid. Cook the flour mixture while whisking often for a couple of minutes to get rid of the floury flavor.
- Don't scald your milk. In general, when you do anything involving milk on your stovetop, you'll want to give it a good amount of attention — constantly stirring so as not to scald the milk. Also, make sure you don't cook it over anything higher than medium heat.
- How to tell when your sauce has thickened- A good way to tell that the milk has thickened enough to add the cheese is by sticking a spoon into it. Once it coats the back of a spoon, you're ready for cheese.
- Hand shred the cheese if you can for optimal melting.
- Turn off the heat before you whisk in the shredded cheddar cheese so it doesn't scald.
- Keep broccoli the same size. Be sure to cut your broccoli florets to a similar size for evenly cooked steamed broccoli.
- Prep ahead- You can clean and cut broccoli and shred the cheese ahead.
- Leftovers and storage- Leftover cheese sauce can be stored for up to 3 days covered in your refrigerator and reheated over medium heat in a small sauce pan- whisk in a small amount of milk to thin it out.
What To Serve With This Broccoli Cheese Sauce Recipe
Round out your meal with these tasty recipe options:
Other Recipes Featuring Broccoli And Cheese
Love this recipe? Please leave a 5 star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ rating in the recipe card below ⬇️ and/or a review in the comment section further down. Check out my Amazon Store for all my favorite tools, including those used in this recipe. And follow @thelifejolie on Instagram and TikTok!
Cheese Sauce For Broccoli
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoon salted butter you can use unsalted, but you may want to add a little salt if you do
- 2 Tablespoon flour
- 2 cups whole milk
- ¼ teaspoon garlic powder
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- 2 cups shredded cheddar cheese or any other shredded cheese that you like
- Steamed broccoli florets
Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium size pan over medium heat.
- Sprinkle in the flour and whisk until combined. Let it cook for a minute or two.
- Add milk, garlic powder and pepper.
- Cook until thickened stirring often, about 10 minutes until it coats the back of a spoon.
- Turn off the heat and whisk in your cheese until well combined and serve immediately over the broccoli or the vegetable of your choice.
Video
Notes
- Cook down the roux before adding liquid. Cook the flour mixture while whisking often for a couple of minutes to get rid of the floury flavor.
- Don't scald your milk. In general, when you do anything involving milk on your stovetop, you'll want to give it a good amount of attention — constantly stirring so as not to scald the milk. Also, make sure you don't cook it over anything higher than medium heat.
- How to tell when your sauce has thickened- A good way to tell that the milk has thickened enough to add the cheese is by sticking a spoon into it. Once it coats the back of a spoon, you're ready for cheese.
- Hand shred the cheese if you can for optimal melting.
- Turn off the heat before you whisk in the shredded cheddar cheese so it doesn't scald.
- Keep broccoli the same size. Be sure to cut your broccoli florets to a similar size for evenly cooked steamed broccoli.
- Prep ahead- You can clean and cut broccoli and shred the cheese ahead.
- Leftovers and storage- Leftover cheese sauce can be stored for up to 3 days covered in your refrigerator and reheated over medium heat in a small sauce pan- whisk in a small amount of milk to thin it out.
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