Cheese Sauce

Most homemade cheese sauces use cornstarch, or flour, and milk.  This one only uses cheese, liquid, and sodium citrate. Sodium citrate is the magic ingredient for silky restaurant style cheese sauce without all the carbs! It allows the protein and fat in the cheese to combine into an emulsion. 

I ordered mine online. Make sure to get sodium citrate, not citric acid. They aren't the same! 

Experiment with different types of cheeses and spices to make your own tasty combinations. Cool, cover, and refrigerate up to a week, or freeze for up to 2 months. Serve over keto fries, pork rinds, vegetables, or meat. Use it as a sauce for casseroles too. 

Basic Cheese Sauce: 

134 g cold liquid

5.5 g sodium citrate

144 g cheese, finely grated

Finely grate the cheese and set aside. Add cold liquid to a saucepan and sprinkle in sodium citrate. Whisk until dissolved. Bring the liquid up to a simmer. Add the cheese, one small handful at a time, whisking constantly.  When it melts and combines, add more. Do this until the mixture is emulsified and comes to the desired consistency.  The sauce will thicken as it cools.  

Troubleshooting....if the emulsion breaks, bring the pan to a boil and continue whisking until it's smooth. If this doesn't work, add a tsp of heavy cream and whisk until smooth. 

Queso: Use water and pepper jack cheese, OR 1/2 salsa & 1/2 water and gouda or other cheese.

Nacho: Use water and 2/3 sharp cheddar & 1/3 pepper jack cheese.