Cheese Sauce for Broccoli

Make Cheese Sauce for Broccoli, a perfect melty, cheesy way to enjoy your veggies, or at-least cover them so the kids do! 

Broccoli Cheese Sauce

This broccoli with cheese sauce is the perfect side dish for almost any meal and this homemade recipe pairs perfectly with roasted broccoli or pretty much any steamed vegetable.

You don’t have to settle for cheese in a package when it only takes 5 minutes from start to finish to create your cheese sauce for broccoli!

A few simple ingredients will have your menu going from “Ok, I can eat this” to “Ok, I WANT to eat this.” Vegetables don’t have to be boring, and serving them up with a side of cheese makes you want seconds EVERY time.

It is so easy to learn how to make cheese sauce for broccoli, or really any other veggie you just want to smother with cheesy goodness! 

Scroll to the bottom for a printable version of this post, including all measurements and instructions, so you can follow along in your kitchen without being on your phone. 

Ingredients

• Fresh broccoli, steamed or roasted broccoli is fine
• butter
• flour
• garlic powder
• salt
• paprika
• pepper
• half and half
• shredded cheddar cheese

RELATED SAUCE RECIPES: Keto Alfredo Sauce, Easy Pesto Sauce, Honey Balsamic Vinaigrette

Can you substitute cheese?

Absolutely!

I think cheddar is preferable (and certainly better than Velveeta) but you can also try something more creative like sharp white cheddar, Havarti, or Colby jack.

If you can shred it, you can try it!

Cheese Sauce Recipe for Broccoli

You will be shocked at how easy making your homemade cheese sauce for broccoli is.

To get started, melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.

Butter can burn quickly, so do not walk away on this step as much as it’s tempting.

Keeping mixture on heat, add flour and whisk well for 1-2 minutes until the mixture begins to thicken.

This happens pretty quickly, so if you feel like its burning, remove it from the heat.

You can use a whisk to get the flour really involved with the butter, but I also find a spatula super helpful in this step.

If you pre-measure your spices, you can easily dump all your mixture in at once.

Make sure you mix and blend well so one side of your sauce isn’t spice heavy.

Add half and half and whisk well until the mixture begins to boil/bubble around the edges.

You do not want it to get too hot, or it will thicken up quickly, and you need it for the next step.

Turn off the heat and stir in your cheese.

Your cheese should melt pretty quickly, so make sure you are stirring quickly until all the cheese is liquid and melted.

While I typically use a whisk for all steps in the sauce process, cheese does get stuck in the wire ends, so you can just as easily use a fork, spoon, or spatula for this.

COOKING TIP

IF YOU DO THICKEN YOUR SAUCE TOO MUCH, you can still add your cheese and then, as you are stirring, add about 1/3 cup half and half and stir until completely absorbed and smooth.

You can continue to add half and half OR butter to make sure its back to a sauce base. It won’t really alter your taste (trust me, I am good at over thickening to start, ha!)

Spread your cheese sauce over broccoli or really any of your favorite vegetables. Dip it, pour it, stir it in- the choice is yours!

Steamed carrots, cauliflower or even zucchini welcomes cheese.

This is one cheese sauce you will be amazed at how quickly it makes but also how much you will love it.

Once you learn how to make this cheese sauce for broccoli, you will never go back to fake cheese again. 

Serve this Cheese Sauce with

Need some recipes to serve along side this cheese sauce?

Try cheese sauce with steamed or roasted broccoli, dip some roasted mushrooms in it, pour over cauliflower, or dial up oven roasted carrots. 

Cheese sauce for broccoli Printable

*print recipe below!