7 Secret Ingredients To Fix Bland Cheese Sauce

The cheese sauce is a delicious topping for all kinds of dishes, from macaroni and cheese to broccoli.

But what happens when you make your cheese sauce at home and find it lacks flavor?

Well, don’t worry!

There are plenty of ways you can spice up bland cheese sauce.

What is cheese sauce?

You may have heard of or eaten cheese sauce, but you may not know precisely what it is.

The cheese sauce is a creamy sauce mainly made from cheese and other ingredients like starch, dairy products, and seasonings to add texture and flavor.

This popular topping for potatoes originated in the United Kingdom and can be used in many other recipes, such as nachos, burgers, sandwiches, or even pizzas!

Cheese sauce not only works as a topping for various dishes but also as a dipping sauce for French fries, vegetables, fish, eggs, or anything you like.

It has become one of the most popular cooking ingredients or dishes in the world due to its deliciousness and versatility.

What are some common mistakes when making cheese sauce?

While cheese sauce is no different from a white sauce that is fragrant and creamy, it is pretty tricky to successfully make this sauce.

Here are some common mistakes that most of us have made at least once in our lives:

Too thick or too thin texture

The purpose of adding flour to the mixture is to thicken it so that it becomes thick enough for dipping purposes—or even for pouring onto potatoes!

If your cheese sauce ends up too thin or even watery (possibly due to using an inadequate amount of flour), it is because there is not enough flour.

In contrast, too much flour can result in a heavy and thick sauce that is less appealing and hard to eat.

Lack of ingredients and/or seasonings

Another thing that causes a failed sauce is due to insufficiency.

The cheese sauce is a mixture of different ingredients and seasonings.

Although not all of them are compulsory, lacking some can result in a boring sauce.

Use low-quality ingredients

We all know that there are low-quality and high-quality standards for anything in the world.

When it comes to making cheese sauce, using low-grade elements will make your sauce flat and dull, and nobody wants to try it.

Why is my cheese sauce bland?

Several reasons explain why your cheese sauce ends up bland instead of creamy and flavorful:

• You’re missing key ingredients.

Cheeses are the main ingredient in cheese sauce, so if you’re not using enough or not the right kind, the resulting sauce will be bland.

This is especially true when cooking with low-quality ingredients.

• Seasoning isn’t sufficient.

Cheese sauce should always be flavorful because it gets its flavor from adding seasonings and herbs to it during cooking; however, if your recipe doesn’t call for precise measurements of these elements, then your dish will come out bland and unappealing.

• Not cooking the sauce long enough.

All the ingredients that make up a great cheese sauce need time to release their flavors into the mixture.

The resulting sauce can be tasteless if your cooking time is not long enough.

How to fix bland cheese sauce?

There are many ways to add flavor to your bland cheese sauce.

So check out the following tips and never be afraid of a tasteless pot of sauce:

Add salt

The most common way to fix bland cheese sauce is by adding salt, and the simplest way to do this is by sprinkling salt directly into your cheese sauce pot and stirring it with a wooden spoon.

You can also add dried herbs, like parsley, oregano, or thyme (although you should use these sparingly).

The amount of salt needed will vary depending on what type of cheese you are using and how it currently tastes.

So it is best to start from a pinch and then increase it little by little.

Add butter

You can fix bland cheese sauce by adding butter.

Melt the butter first, then add it to your sauce.

You can use unsalted or salted butter, but you should have control over the salinity of your dish.

You can add a little lemon juice or vinegar after adding the butter if you’d like a more acidic flavor that complements the cheese well.

Add milk

Adding milk to your cheese sauce will add richness, sweetness, and saltiness.

However, remember that adding milk will also thinner the sauce, so you might want to reduce it or add some flour.

You can use whole milk or half-and-half for your cheese sauce; there are many options out there to choose from.

Add cream

You can also use cream to give your cheese sauce more flavor.

You can add it directly to the sauce on the stovetop or after it is cooked.

In contrast to using milk, the cream helps make your sauce thicker.

Therefore, this can be a method to thicken your watery sauce.

Add more cheese

If your cheese sauce tastes bland, try adding more cheese!

This is a very common mistake, but it’s also one of the easiest to fix.

If you’re using a milder cheese like cheddar or mozzarella for your sauce, try mixing in a more robust variety like Parmesan or Gruyere.

Grated cheese works better in this case because it melts faster and prevents getting lumps.

Add mustard

Adding mustard to your cheese sauce will give it the kick it needs.

Mustard can be added in many ways—you can simply add one or two teaspoons of prepared mustard to the cheese sauce and stir, or you can do something more advanced like mixing the dry mustard powder into a slurry with water and adding that to your sauce.

Add pepper

Now it’s time to add the pepper.

Add it to taste, and add as much or as little as you like.

Pepper is a spice, so there are no hard-and-fast rules about how much you should use.

If you have a milder cheese sauce or want to keep the flavor of your dish in check, I’d suggest adding just a pinch or two of ground black pepper at first.

You can always add more if needed!

Conclusion

I hope that these tips help you make a delicious cheese sauce.

If you find yourself in a bind and need to whip up something quickly, I highly recommend using cream instead of milk or water, and it makes an excellent substitute for those times when you have no other options!