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Copycat Taco Bell Nacho Cheese Sauce (No Velveeta, UK-Friendly)
Inspired by Taco Bell Nacho Cheese Sauce Not the official recipe
- 20 min
- Makes 8 servings of 1/4 cup
- ~$0.43 per serving~£0.36 per serving
- Save ~$7 vs Taco Bell
- Not enough ratings yet
A smooth, pourable nacho cheese for chips and Crunchwrap nights, made with evaporated milk and cheddar instead of a processed cheese block. Every ingredient is on supermarket shelves in both the US and the UK.
Clone Score
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Rate the cloneCost at home
Save ~$7
~$0.43 each at home
- Homemade
- ~$3.43 for 8 (~$0.43 each)
- At Taco Bell
- ~$10.32 for 8
That's 67% less.
~£0.36 each at home
- Homemade
- ~£2.90 for 8 (~£0.36 each)
Estimate · prices checked Oct 2026 · vary by location · excl. tax & delivery.
Estimate. Restaurant prices checked Oct 2026. Prices vary by location; tax and delivery fees are not included. Pantry staples (salt, oil…) are not included.
Ingredients
- Pantry
Pantry staples are not included in the cost estimate.
Ingredient cost
- Homemade
- ~$3.43 for 8 (~$0.43 each)
- At Taco Bell
- ~$10.32 for 8
- Homemade
- ~£2.90 for 8 (~£0.36 each)
Method quantities are for the original 8 servings of 1/4 cup.
Kitchen gear
- Medium saucepan
- Whisk
- Box grater
Method
-
Grate the cheddar into a bowl, sprinkle over the cornstarch and toss with your fingers until every shred is lightly dusted.
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Pour the evaporated milk into a medium saucepan and warm it over medium-low heat until it steams and small bubbles appear at the edge. Do not let it boil.
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Turn the heat to low. Add the cheddar one handful at a time, whisking until each handful has melted before adding the next.
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Tear in the cheese slices and whisk until they disappear and the sauce turns glossy and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
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Whisk in the jalapeño brine, cumin, paprika, garlic powder and onion powder. Taste, then add salt a pinch at a time; the brine and cheese are already salty.
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Serve warm. It thickens as it cools, so loosen it with a splash of milk or water when reheating. Keep leftovers covered in the fridge for up to 3 days and reheat gently, stirring often.
Tips for a closer clone
- Grate the cheese from a block: pre-shredded bags are coated with anti-caking powder that can leave the sauce gritty.
- Keep the heat low once the cheese goes in. If the sauce looks oily, take the pan off the heat and whisk in a tablespoon of cold evaporated milk.
- Blend for 10 seconds with a stick blender for the completely smooth, pump-bottle texture.
- Orange cheddar and the paprika give the familiar color; white cheddar tastes the same but looks pale.
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About this dupe
UK and US
Most American versions of this sauce start with Velveeta or Cheez Whiz, which are hard to find in British supermarkets. This one does not need either. Evaporated milk (sold in tins next to the custard) and a spoonful of cornstarch keep the cheddar from turning grainy, and two processed cheese slices give it the glossy, stretchy finish. In the UK, cornstarch is called cornflour, and Dairylea or any burger cheese slices work. A US can of evaporated milk is 12 fl oz; a 410 g UK tin is a little bigger, so leave the last few spoonfuls in the tin.
vs the original
Nacho cheese sauce is on the menu in the US, on nachos and burritos and as a side (menu status reviewed Oct 14, 2026). It was listed at $1.29 a side on the chain’s US online menu with no location chosen; prices vary by restaurant. One serving here is 1/4 cup (2 fl oz). Taco Bell restaurants in the UK have their own menu, which we have not reviewed for this sauce.
Why evaporated milk
Evaporated milk has had part of its water cooked off, so its milk proteins are concentrated. They coat the melting fat in the cheese, which is what keeps the sauce smooth instead of oily, and it reheats well.
What it costs: ingredient costs are estimates for the amount used, from supermarket listing prices checked on Oct 15, 2026 (Target.com in the US, Trolley.co.uk for UK supermarkets). Prices vary by store and week.
Where this recipe comes from
Untested: a starting point written with AI help and checked against our recipe rules. Nobody has cooked it yet. Make it, rate how close it gets, and tell us what you changed. How we label recipes
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Copycat recipe inspired by the restaurant original. Not the official recipe. DupeEats is not affiliated with Taco Bell.
The original
From dupeeats.com/d026 · Copycat recipe, not the official recipe. DupeEats is not affiliated with any restaurant brand.
