• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • meet the team
  • blogger resources
  • Contact Me
My Account
Member Dashboard
40 Aprons Premium (Ad Free!)

40 Aprons

Delicious, Healthy-ish Meals for the Whole Family

  • All Recipes
  • Most Popular
    • Cheryl’s Favorite Recipes
    • 30-Minute Recipes
    • Creamy Soups
    • Copycat Recipes
    • Casseroles
    • One-Dish Wonders
  • Method
    • Air Fryer
    • Baking
    • Crockpot
    • Grilling
    • Instant Pot
    • Sous Vide
  • Course
    • Appetizers
    • Cooking Basics
    • Breakfast
    • Condiments
    • Dips & Salsas
    • Dessert
    • Main Course
    • Meal Prep
    • Salads
    • Side Dishes
    • Soups
  • Cuisine
    • American
    • Asian
    • Indian
    • Italian
    • Mediterranean
    • Mexican & Latin
    • Southern
Home Blog Course Condiments & Sauces

Taco Bell Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe

Cheryl Malik
Cheryl Malik Posted: 09/09/20 Updated: 01/16/22
4.20
/5
8 Comments
Jump to Recipe
GF Gluten Free

This post may contain affiliate links. Please read our disclosure policy.

Love Taco Bell’s nacho cheese sauce and want to make the recipe at home? Whether you’re craving cheesy fiesta potatoes, nachos, or a cheesy burrito, this copycat recipe is super quick and easy and tastes so much like the fast food fave.

A triangular tortilla chip being dipped into a clear glass of Taco Bell nacho cheese sauce while surrounded by broken tortilla chips

This Taco Bell nacho cheese sauce recipe may be totally different from my usual recipes, but with Taco Bell retiring so many of their beloved items (Mexican pizza! Cheesy fiesta potatoes!), I knew I had to whip up some copycats, stat. While this may not be the healthiest cheese dip recipe on my site, it will definitely curb that craving for fast food. It’s also really ridiculously easy to make (literally one step) and healthier than the powdered nacho cheese Taco Bell makes its dip with. (Just sayin’.)

What Makes This Recipe So Good

Cheeze Whiz cheese dip – I know, I know. This is not a normal ingredient here at 40 Aprons. However, if you want that real Taco Bell flavor, prepackaged cheese dip is the way to go.
Pickled jalapeño juice – Brine from a jar of pickled jalapeños gives this sauce a little heat and an extra burst of flavor.
Milk – Helps make the cheese sauce extra creamy.
Cayenne pepper – As much or as little as you like for a little peppery spice.

How To Make It

The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!

Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl.

That’s it!

A white bowl filled with Taco Bell nacho cheese sauce and a whisk

Chef’s Tips

  • If you don’t have Cheeze Whiz, you can really use any kind of plain cheese dip.
  • If you’d like your cheese sauce warm, microwave it in 15 second increments, stirring between each cook time.
  • This cheese sauce is great on tacos, quesadillas, tortilla chips, or even with french fries!
Overhead shot of a clear glass of Taco Bell nacho cheese sauce surrounded by a white napkin with a red line of embroidery and broken tortilla chips

More Delicious Copycat Recipes

  • Cheesy Fiesta Potatoes
  • Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Recipe
  • Whole30 Panera Fuji Apple Salad with Chicken (Paleo, Dairy-Free)
  • Healthy Chick Fil A Frosted Lemonade Recipe (Paleo, Vegan)

Hey – you’ve made it this far, so now we’re basically best friends! If you make this recipe, I’d love for you to give it a quick review & star rating ★ below. Make sure you follow me on Instagram, Pinterest, TikTok, and Facebook, too!

A triangular tortilla chip being dipped into a clear glass of Taco Bell nacho cheese sauce while surrounded by broken tortilla chips
4.20 from 5 votes

Taco Bell Nacho Cheese Sauce Recipe

Prep:5 minutes minutes
Total:5 minutes minutes
This copycat recipe tastes so much like the fast food fave and is so easy to make
Print Save Saved! Click Here to Remove Ads
4 servings

Ingredients

  • 1 15-ounce jar Cheez Whiz cheese dip
  • ½ cup milk
  • 4-5 tablespoons brine from pickled jalapeños
  • cayenne pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Whisk together all the ingredients in a small bowl.
    A white bowl filled with Taco Bell nacho cheese sauce and a whisk

Notes

  • Cheeze Whiz sub: Use any type of plain cheese dip or Velveeta if you don’t have Cheeze Whiz.
  • Warm sauce: Microwave in 15 second increments, stirring between each cook time.
  • Serving suggestions: Tacos, quesadillas, tortilla chips, french fries, etc.

Nutrition Information

Calories: 182kcal, Protein: 8g, Fat: 13g, Saturated Fat: 8g, Cholesterol: 47mg, Sodium: 1003mg, Potassium: 182mg, Total Carbs: 7g, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 6g, Net Carbs: 6g, Vitamin A: 455IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 247mg, Iron: 1mg

Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.

 

Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.

 

To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.

© Author: Cheryl Malik

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @40aprons on social and be sure to leave a review on the blog post!

Rate Recipe Tag Me on Instagram
Cheryl Malik

Meet Cheryl Malik

Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She's been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.

Read more...

You may also like...

  • Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce. An amazing way for vegans to get B vitamins, it'll fool even the most skeptical! So versatile, too.
    Vegan Nacho Cheese Sauce
  • Overhead shot of Taco Bell Mexican pizza recipe topped with diced tomatoes and cilantro, surrounded by a glass of beer and lime wedges
    Taco Bell Mexican Pizza Recipe
  • Keto cheese sauce smothering a bowl of broccoli florets
    Keto Cheese Sauce

Reader Interactions

Leave a Comment Cancel reply

Have a question? Submit your question or comment below.

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

  1. Ashley says

    Posted on 12/17/22 at 7:20 pm

    Not close to Taco Bell nacho cheese. Just warm cheez wiz1 star

    Reply
    • Molly | 40 Aprons TeamMolly | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 12/22/22 at 7:59 am

      SO sorry you had that experience, Ashley! We appreciate your feedback.

      Reply
  2. DAVID SCOTT JEFFREY says

    Posted on 7/28/22 at 5:35 pm

    Delicious Cheese Sauce!!!!!!!!5 stars

    Reply
    • Grace | 40 Aprons TeamGrace | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 7/29/22 at 12:37 pm

      It’s the BEST!! ♥

      Reply
  3. RLMRQ says

    Posted on 11/7/20 at 5:05 pm

    Soooooo good, easy, tasty, busy-afternoon food. Served with tortilla chips and the avocado salad, huge hit (but like, obviously right? It’s cheese sauce!)!!!5 stars

    Reply
    • Savannah | 40 Aprons Team says

      Posted on 11/9/20 at 9:38 am

      Thanks for sharing your experience!5 stars

      Reply
  4. Kara D says

    Posted on 9/20/20 at 7:12 pm

    Very quick and enjoyable cheese sauce. Such a good idea to use the jalapeño pickling juice! We are using our leftovers to top off some Mexican pizzas for dinner. Thanks for the great recipes5 stars

    Reply
    • Amelia Camurati says

      Posted on 9/23/20 at 8:44 am

      Who needs drive-thru when you can make it yourself?!

      Reply

Primary Sidebar

What’s Popular?

A casserole dish, angled on a table, filled with banana stuffed french toast casserole topped with strawberries.

Tonga Toast French Toast Casserole

Overhead view of a cast-iron skillet filled with cream cheese sausage dip surrounded by tortilla chip scoops.

3-Ingredient Sausage Dip (Stovetop or Crockpot)

Top-down view of a large bowl, lined with parchment paper, holding several orange-sauced buffalo chicken wings.

Boneless Chicken Wings

Overhead view of one bowl and one partial bowl of cajun chicken pasta soup on a wooden table.

Creamy Cajun Chicken Pasta Soup

In Season

Zoomed out photo of two mimosas glasses holding apple cider mimosas rimmed with brown sugar cinnamon sitting in front of a bowl of apples.

Apple Cider Mimosas

Two slices of Whole30 meatloaf plated with green beans and mashed potatoes on a grey-blue plate with silverware on a table.

Whole30 Meatloaf

Close-up, angled view of soft and fluffy air fryer pizza on a white plate.

Air Fryer Pizza

close up image of king ranch casserole being lifted out of the baking dish

Cheesy King Ranch Casserole

As seen on:

More Goodies + NO Ads!

Become a 40 Aprons Premium Member!

All the 40 Aprons content you love - now even better.

  • Member-Exclusive Recipes
  • Meal Plans & Grocery Lists
  • eBooks
  • NO ADS!
Join now

Privacy Policy

Accessibility

Disclaimers

Contact

© 2023 40 Aprons
Site Credits Designed by Melissa Rose Design Developed by Once Coupled
Back to Top
60653 shares