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.
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!
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!
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!
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!
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
Broccoli with Cheese Sauce
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.
Can the cheese sauce be made ahead of time ?
I don’t recommend making the sauce ahead of time as it will not be as smooth when reheated.
My daughter absolutely loved this recipe! Thank you so much!!
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.
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
Great cheese sauce! I didn’t have any evaporated milk and used half and half instead. We served it over broccoli and baked potatoes.
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 🙂
What is craft cheese?
She means Kraft cheese of course. Its the most popular cheese in America I think
What can be substituted for be cornstarch?
Unfortunately there is not a substitute for cornstarch in this recipe, the cheese will clump together without it.
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.
Can you eat that on macaroni?
Yes that works!
Even the kids will eat this broccoli recipe!
I don’t have a cheese grater, can I cube or thinly slice the cheese instead?
You could try chopping it into small pieces.
Instead of evaporated milk. Can regular milk be used ?
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!
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.
Keeper. And that’s rare for my wife. Thanks for sharing. Oh yes. Looked like glop, but all of sudden cheese sauce came together.
So happy to hear you enjoyed it, thank you for reporting back!
“looked like glop”
Buy miracle comes out beautiful. Great recipe
Can heavy cream be subbed for evaporated milk?
Yes that should work!
Everything is better with cheese! I’m thinking this cheese sauce could be used even for nachos.
My family loves anything with melted cheese. Maybe the kids will eat more broccoli if I top it with melted cheese!
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!
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!