Cheese Sauce for Broccoli
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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!
Cheese Sauce for Broccoli
Ingredients
- 1 crown Fresh broccoli cooked
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon paprika
- 1/4 teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup half and half
- 1-1/4 cup shredded cheddar cheese
Instructions
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat.
- Keeping butter on heat, add flour and whisk well for 1-2 minutes until mixture begins to thicken- this can happen quick so do not walk off from stove.
- Stir in remaining seasonings – salt, garlic powder, paprika, and pepper.
- Add half and half and whisk well just until mixture begins to boil/bubble around the edges.
- Turn off heat and stir in shredded Cheddar cheese until smooth.
- Spread Cheese Sauce over broccoli or any vegetable for an amazing and delicious topping!
Video
Notes
- Make sure you read recipe article for all suggestions on creating cheese sauce and what you need to do if you over thicken.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer: The nutritional data provided here is auto-calculated and intended for your convenience only. As it’s generated via automation, its accuracy may be compromised. For precise nutritional insight, please compute the values utilizing the actual ingredients in your recipe through your chosen nutrition calculator or application.
Did You Make This Recipe?
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Took a chance with this recipe and it paid off!
I made this for my adult children and hubby. They raved about it. Especially my hubby. He’s asked me to make it again. He put the cheese sauce on both his Broccoli and potatoes. Great recipe! Thanks for posting it.
Sodium in this recipe?
I use carbmanager and it does an autocalculation – you would need to double check with your own based on your servings, but its saying 570.1mg for the entire pot.
I made this tonight. I went light on the salt because I used salted butter. Didn’t have half+half so I substituted whole milk which worked perfectly. Taste was great. Tomorrow night the left-overs will be used for baked potatoes. Thanks! MJB
Thanks for coming back to tell me about your changes on the cheese sauce! I think adding to a potato would be DELICIOUS!!
Thank you Trisha and Charlotte for these delicious looking recipes, I plan to try all the roasted veggies and the creamy cheese sauce with them.
I didn’t have half and half so I used milk. Probably would have been better with whole milk but still delish. Tomorrow I’m going to incorporate it with mashed potatoes. Thanks for the recipe!
Yum, mashed potatoes sounds amazing with cheese sauce!
~Trisha
Can you freeze this recipe?
In theory, you can freeze just about anything. But the problem with freezing items with dairy is that when defrosted, the dairy can separate. If you freeze, you just need to make sure that when you will likely have to heat low and slow and stir quite a bit to make sure the consistency is the same.
What can I replace the flour with to make this a keto cheese sauce?
what about Almond Flour?
I have a head of romanesco (cross between cauliflower and broccoli) fresh from the farmer’s market. Looks like a crown! For dinner today, I’m going to roast it whole, bake a couple of potatoes and put this cheese sauce over the whole shebang, maybe with a bit of bacon. No added salt, there’s plenty in the cheese and bacon.
Responding to someone’s question about a sub for flour: I wouldn’t think almond flour would thicken like flour does. Corn starch would be a good option for gluten free. Is Arrowroot acceptable for keto? I think that would work, too.
Risa
This sauce was tasty, but VERY thick. If I make it again will use less flour.
Thinking of trying this for Thanksgiving. Would it work to keep warm in a crockpot? Or just harden or burn?
I haven’t made it in a crockpot to really recommend this yet. I wouldn’t feel comfortable recommending it without thorough testing. I do encourage other chefs/at home cooks to test what may work for them but as far as a site, I would need to do it and then tell you. Ill add it to my radar for the new year!
This recipe was delicious! Do you think I could half the recipe?
Yes, I think you could.
Looks good! Wondering, can you double the recipe? How many servings does this recipe make?
You could easily double it and one portion is about 1.75 to 2 cups of cheese sauce, depending on how thick you melt it down or thin it out.
Trisha
Excellent recipe. Great for queso sauce too 😊
I think sharp or extra sharp cheese would add a lot more flavor.
Just tried this today and all I can say is yummy…thank you for sharing this recipe