Name: Candied Jalapeno Cheese Sauce
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 5 min
Total time: 15 min
Ingredients: 8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese (grated on large holes of a box grater); 1 tablespoon corn starch; 1 (12 ounce) can evaporated milk; 2 tablespoons candied jalapenos (chopped)

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Candied Jalapeno Cheese Sauce is a great rich gooey cheese sauce with a nice sweet heat from the candied jalapenos. So delicious and easy – great for game day!

This cheese sauce pours nicely too, rather than stretching and stringing like pizza cheese does. Just a smooth, silky cheese sauce.

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Candied Jalapenos

I made those Easy Refrigerator Candied Jalapenos the other day, and I’ve been coming up with all kinds of ways to use that sweet heat.

The first one I came up with is the classic spicy dip, Candied Jalapeno Ranch Dip.

Can I make it hotter?

Of course! Add as many candied jalapenos as you like to the sauce. I suggest 2 tablespoons as a nice starter. Feel free to add more.

I even added a whole sliced jalapeno on my dipped pretzels as I ate them.

Pretzels with cheese sauce, the classic combination

We went out for a bite the other day to a local gastropub, and ordered some pretzels. They came with a delicious little cheese dip with chopped jalapenos in it.

Which, of course, got me thinking about those candied jalapenos.

And, this cheese sauce is the bomb! It’s everything I wanted it to be. A little spicy, but not overpowering. Even my husband, who isn’t a big fan of jalapenos, loved this Candied Jalapeno Cheese Sauce.

There’s just something about rooting on your team during football season that calls for cheesy, gooey, indulgent comfort food, and this jalapeno cheese sauce dip totally delivers!

Can I reheat this sauce?

Yes! To reheat the sauce, microwave on high heat, stirring every 30 seconds until it’s soft and cheesy. You can also add a little more evaporated milk to thin it if desired.

So that means you can make this cheese sauce ahead of time, and keep it covered in the fridge until you are ready to serve it.

How to serve this sauce?

Pretzel bites and this sauce rock. They could be the perfect football snack. Find my Homemade Pretzel Bites recipe here.

Pour this sauce over baked potatoes for a delicious cheesy potato. Try tossing in some steamed broccoli too.

Use on French fries, nachos, onion rings, burgers, hot dogs, chips, or crackers.

Try it on pasta for an easy mac & cheese.

Easy to make recipe

The best part – this recipe takes about 5 minutes to cook on the stove. It’s super easy to make. Just some cheese shredding, a little mixing, and a few minutes on the stove.

Recipe Notes

The cheese mixture may look thin and grainy at first but will thicken and come together after heating. If desired, thin the cheese sauce with additional evaporated milk.

And remember, evaporated milk is not the same as sweetened condensed milk. You simply want the evaporated milk can for this recipe. I even found an organic canned evaporated milk that cost about the same as the non-organic counterpart.

Kitchen Items you may need to make this recipe