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Home » Side Dishes » Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

Published: April 3, 2018 Last Modified: March 23, 2019 By Sara 46 Comments

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

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Broccoli with Cheese Sauce Recipe | Homemade Cheese Sauce | Broccoli Side Dish

Skip the freezer section and make homemade broccoli with cheese sauce instead! Steamed broccoli florets are smothered in an easy 3 ingredient cheese sauce for a delicious and kid friendly side dish.

Broccoli with cheese sauce has been a classic side dish for ages, when you make it fresh it’s SO much better than the frozen kind you grew up eating.

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce Recipe | Homemade Cheese Sauce | Broccoli Side Dish #broccoli #cheese #lowcarb #sidedish #dinneratthezoo

A pan of broccoli with cheese sauce that's full of steamed broccoli florets and homemade sauce.

Growing up, my mom used to always serve me broccoli with cheese melted on top. It’s a classic flavor combination that never goes out of style! This broccoli with cheese sauce recipe features fresh steamed broccoli and a homemade sauce. It’s the perfect easy side dish that goes great with almost any meal!

How do I make a cheese sauce?

This is pretty much the easiest cheese sauce ever. It’s a combination of shredded cheddar cheese, cornstarch and evaporated milk. That’s it!

Evaporated milk, shredded cheese and cornstarch in a skillet.

The cheese is tossed in the cornstarch, then added to the evaporated milk and melted until smooth. The end result is a smooth, creamy and flavorful cheese sauce that’s perfect for vegetables, potatoes, mac and cheese, nachos and more!

A pan of melted cheese sauce.

How to make broccoli with cheese sauce

I lightly steam my broccoli, season it with salt and pepper, and then pour the pan of cheese sauce over the top. It’s as simple as that!

A pan of steamed broccoli smothered in melted cheese sauce.

You want to be sure to use freshly shredded cheese here, the pre-grated stuff is coated with additives and won’t melt smooth. Also, since the ingredient list is so short here, the higher quality cheese you use, the better flavor you’ll end up with. I like to use a high quality medium cheddar cheese. You can also make this sauce with other cheeses like Monterey Jack!

A pan of broccoli topped with cheese sauce.

Broccoli with cheese sauce is best served immediately, while you can refrigerate and reheat the leftovers, the cheese sauce will be a bit grainier upon reheating.

My family adores this dish, I typically serve it alongside chicken, fish or steak. No one can resist all that cheese!

More fabulous side dishes

  • Bacon Wrapped Asparagus
  • Candied Carrots
  • Garlic Butter Mushrooms
  • Bacon Roasted Brussels Sprouts
  • Slow Cooker Creamed Corn
A pan of broccoli with cheese sauce that's full of steamed broccoli florets and homemade sauce.
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5 from 15 votes

Broccoli with Cheese Sauce

Skip the freezer section and make homemade broccoli with cheese sauce instead! Steamed broccoli florets are smothered in an easy 3 ingredient cheese sauce for a delicious and kid friendly side dish.
Course Side
Cuisine American
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 10 minutes
Total Time 15 minutes
Servings 4
Calories 223kcal
Author Sara Welch

Ingredients

  • 3 cups broccoli florets steamed
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 6 ounces shredded cheddar cheese use freshly grated cheese
  • 2 teaspoons corn starch
  • 3/4 cup evaporated milk

Instructions

  • Add the cheese and corn starch to a bowl and toss to combine. 
  • Place the cheese mixture and evaporated milk in a sauce pan over low heat. Cook, stirring occasionally, until cheese has melted and sauce is smooth and thick.
  • Add additional evaporated milk if needed to thin the sauce.
  • Season the broccoli with salt and pepper to taste. Pour the cheese sauce over the broccoli and serve.

Nutrition

Calories: 223kcal | Carbohydrates: 10g | Protein: 15g | Fat: 13g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 58mg | Sodium: 337mg | Potassium: 402mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 965IU | Vitamin C: 61.8mg | Calcium: 464mg | Iron: 0.9mg
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Filed Under: Gluten Free, Side Dishes

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    Comments

    1. Ginny Rusch-Mills says

      December 25, 2020 at 8:33 am

      All I have is sharp cheddar in a block. I’ll shred it in my Vitamix. Is it going to taste bad that it’s sharp cheddar? I’m going to try it and I’ll let you know.

      Reply
    2. Deatra Smith-Mauldin says

      September 14, 2020 at 9:07 am

      Looking forward to making this later today for our Dinner guest.. I’m sure by all the comments, it’s going to be a winner! I’m using evaporated milk, along with shredded cheddar cheese..
      Dee Mauldin. 09/14/2020

      Reply
    3. LB says

      June 24, 2020 at 2:43 pm

      5 stars
      Great cheese sauce! I didn’t have any evaporated milk and used half and half instead. We served it over broccoli and baked potatoes.

      Reply
    4. Tricia Reinholz says

      June 14, 2020 at 2:40 pm

      can we use craft cheese mixed with cheddar? and what other milk substitutes can i use i only have milk. will butter work with some milk? or no? gotta get my kids to like it or he wont touch it again lol 🙂

      Reply
      • Sara says

        June 15, 2020 at 8:02 pm

        What is craft cheese?

        Reply
        • Maryellen says

          October 27, 2020 at 3:07 pm

          She means Kraft cheese of course. Its the most popular cheese in America I think

          Reply
    5. Rosemary says

      May 1, 2020 at 12:46 pm

      What can be substituted for be cornstarch?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        May 1, 2020 at 8:36 pm

        Unfortunately there is not a substitute for cornstarch in this recipe, the cheese will clump together without it.

        Reply
        • Maryellen says

          October 27, 2020 at 3:10 pm

          Actually, potato starch works well and so does a little flour mixed with water to make a slurry does too. I use it and it comes out well.

          Reply
    6. Hollie says

      January 29, 2020 at 6:06 pm

      Can you eat that on macaroni?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        January 29, 2020 at 9:52 pm

        Yes that works!

        Reply
    7. Deb says

      November 2, 2019 at 7:10 pm

      5 stars
      Even the kids will eat this broccoli recipe!

      Reply
    8. Rose says

      October 8, 2019 at 10:45 am

      I don’t have a cheese grater, can I cube or thinly slice the cheese instead?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        October 8, 2019 at 9:21 pm

        You could try chopping it into small pieces.

        Reply
    9. Kayla says

      February 17, 2019 at 7:02 am

      Instead of evaporated milk. Can regular milk be used ?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        February 17, 2019 at 9:04 am

        I have never tried this with regular milk, I don’t think it would work as well because evaporated milk is thicker than regular milk!

        Reply
      • Pat Copley says

        November 22, 2019 at 4:42 pm

        My son is lactose intolerant. So… I use a hard white cheddar and a milk that are both lactose free. I spice mine up with a tablespoon of mustard and a tablespoon of chili powder.
        My family love it.

        Reply
    10. Wdriggs says

      February 6, 2019 at 6:10 pm

      5 stars
      Keeper. And that’s rare for my wife. Thanks for sharing. Oh yes. Looked like glop, but all of sudden cheese sauce came together.

      Reply
      • Sara says

        February 6, 2019 at 9:24 pm

        So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thank you for reporting back!

        Reply
      • Wdriggs says

        February 8, 2019 at 5:48 am

        “looked like glop”
        Buy miracle comes out beautiful. Great recipe

        Reply
    11. Jessica H says

      November 24, 2018 at 6:05 pm

      Can heavy cream be subbed for evaporated milk?

      Reply
      • Sara says

        November 24, 2018 at 7:41 pm

        Yes that should work!

        Reply
    12. Beatrice says

      April 9, 2018 at 5:38 pm

      5 stars
      Everything is better with cheese! I’m thinking this cheese sauce could be used even for nachos.

      Reply
    13. Debbie says

      April 9, 2018 at 4:30 pm

      5 stars
      My family loves anything with melted cheese. Maybe the kids will eat more broccoli if I top it with melted cheese!

      Reply
    14. Marysa says

      April 6, 2018 at 10:30 am

      I love how simple and easy this recipe is. I’ll have to make this for the whole family. So much better to make my own cheddar cheese sauce than to buy a premade one!

      Reply
    15. Amanda says

      April 6, 2018 at 6:07 am

      I always skip the preservative filled food and make my own spin on food, too. Your broccoli with cheese sauce looks oh so delicious and heartwarming!

      Reply
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