Having the perfect creamy and smooth cheese sauce can make or break a dish. However, it’s not uncommon to end up with a sauce that’s too thick or pasty. Don’t worry – with a few quick fixes, you can thin out that stubborn cheese sauce and save your recipe.
Why Did My Cheese Sauce Thicken Too Much?
There are a few potential culprits that can lead to an overly thick cheese sauce:
- Too much flour or cornstarch – Using too much thickening agent like flour or cornstarch when making a roux or slurry will create a pasty sauce.
- Overcooked roux – Cooking the flour and butter roux used to thicken the sauce for too long can make it lose its thickening power and become clumpy.
- Too much cheese – Grated cheese contains very little moisture. Adding too much cheese, especially low moisture varieties like Parmesan, can make the sauce too thick.
- Evaporation – Allowing the sauce to boil rapidly or simmering it for a long period can cause excess moisture to evaporate, resulting in a thick sauce.
- Curdling – If the sauce gets too hot or too much acid (like wine or lemon juice) is added, the cheese proteins can separate into clumps, leading to a lumpy thick sauce.
How to Thin an Overly Thick Cheese Sauce
Luckily, there are several easy methods you can use to loosen up a cheese sauce that’s turned out too dense. Here are some handy tips:
Add More Liquid
The most straightforward way to thin a thick cheese sauce is by slowly stirring in more liquid until you achieve the desired consistency. Good options include:
- Milk – Whole milk or half and half work well for loosening cheese sauces.
- Broth – Chicken, vegetable or beef broth can infuse more flavor.
- Wine – Stir in some white wine or lemon juice a little at a time.
- Water – As a last resort, you can use water to thin the sauce.
Start by adding just a tablespoon or two at a time, allowing it to fully incorporate before assessing if you need more liquid. Go slowly to avoid ending up with a sauce that’s too thin.
Add More Fat
Incorporating some additional fat is another great way to smooth out a thick cheese sauce. Try whisking in a bit of:
- Butter – A tablespoon or two of melted butter or plain butter cut into bits can help loosen the sauce.
- Cream cheese – Softened cream cheese blends easily into hot liquid.
- Heavy cream – The high fat content of heavy cream makes it an ideal thinning agent.
The extra fat helps bind the ingredients together and dilute the thickening agents like flour or starch for a smoother consistency.
Simmer Over Low Heat
If your cheese sauce thickened up too much because too much moisture evaporated, try placing it back over very low heat. Gently simmer, stirring slowly, allowing the steam to slightly loosen the sauce again. Be careful not to let it overheat and break.
Use an Immersion Blender
If you have chunks of thickened flour or badly curdled cheese sauce, an immersion blender can help smooth it out. Blend the sauce briefly right in the pot to shear the solids into finer particles suspended in the liquid.
Add a Cubed Potato
Here’s a neat little trick – toss in a large cubed potato and simmer it in the thick sauce for 10-15 minutes. The potato will absorb excess thickness, helping thin out the surrounding liquid. Just remove and discard the potato cube when done.
Strain Out Lumps
For a sauce that’s lumpy from flour clumps or curdled cheese, push it through a fine mesh strainer. This will catch the solids, allowing only the smooth liquid to pass through into a clean pot.
How to Prevent a Cheese Sauce From Becoming Too Thick
While it’s handy to know how to fix an overly thick cheese sauce, it’s even better to prevent it from happening in the first place. Here are some tips:
Use a Proper Roux
- Mix equal parts butter and flour.
- Cook the roux for 2-3 minutes to remove raw flour taste.
- Don’t make the roux too dark when cooking it or it will be gritty.
Add Cheese Gradually
Grate cheeses and add them a handful at a time, stirring until melted before adding more. This prevents the proteins from clumping.
Use Starchy Pasta Water
When making a sauce for pasta, ladle out some of the starchy cooking water to use instead of plain milk or cream. The starches help emulsify the sauce.
Watch the Heat
Cook over medium-low, stirring often. High heat and rapid boiling can make cheeses clump and sauces break.
Use a Double Boiler
Melting cheese in a double boiler or bowl over a pot of simmering water prevents scorching on the bottom of the pan.
Tips for Getting Cheese Sauce Consistency Just Right
It takes some finesse to end up with a properly thickened cheese sauce. Keep these pointers in mind:
- Err on the side of thinner – It’s easier to thicken a thin sauce than thin a thick one.
- Simmer gently after adding cheese – Let cheese melt slowly into the liquid for a smooth sauce.
- Watch for “coats the back of a spoon” consistency.
- Remove from heat before final consistency – Sauce will continue to thicken slightly off heat.
- Taste and re-season once thickness is corrected – Flavor may need a boost after thinning.
Conclusion
Dealing with a cheese sauce that’s turned out unpleasantly dense or lumpy can be frustrating. But armed with the right techniques, you can relax knowing you can bring that sauce back from the brink. Whether it needs more liquid, a bit of blending, straining or gentle simmering, you’ll be able to transform that stubbornly thick cheese sauce into the smooth, creamy version you intended. With a few precautionary steps, you can avoid overly thick sauce and keep your dishes deliciously cheesy.