How To Make Shake Shack Cheese Sauce At Home

I’m absolute trash for a cheese fry, and I tend to favour a smooth, creamy sauce over stretchy, melted strands. Shake Shack makes a pretty good cheese sauce, but I rarely eat there because I live in Oregon and we do not have one (yet). Also I’m not really leaving my home right now (duh). Others are avoiding the chain because they’re mad the company didn’t give its $15 million PPP loan back fast enough. We all have our reasons for not going to Shake Shack right now, is what I’m saying, but we can still enjoy their cheese sauce at home.

The good news is: This sauce fucks. The better news is that I now have almost a pound of cheese sauce in my fridge, which is actually half of what the video above tells you to make. (If you have a “family” or something like that, maybe make the full recipe.) There is no bad news (except for the fact that I don’t have a family).

I like this recipe because it is easy and tastes good, but I love it because it’s very riffable, and you know how much I love to riff. You start by sautéing some onions, jalapeños, and peppercorns in some oil, but you could just as easily add garlic, or Thai chillis, or caraway seeds, or any other allium or spice you desire. Next, you hit it with some white wine vinegar and white wine, but no one would be mad if you went with, say, champagne vinegar and sherry. You could even get crazy and change up half the cheese, though I would leave the American alone, because you want things to melt and stay melty. The video can walk you through the process, but I’ve also typed out some instructions, should you prefer to read the recipe.

To make two entire pounds of the Shake Shack cheese sauce, you will need:

  • 1 tablespoon canola or vegetable oil

  • 3/4 cup slice onion (like half of a small one)

  • 2 tablespoons peppercorns

  • 6 thin slices of fresh jalapeño

  • 1/2 teaspoon salt (The original recipe calls for half a tablespoon, but I went with a 1/4 teaspoon for a half batch and it was plenty salty. Do with that what you will.)

  • 2 tablespoons white wine

  • 2 tablespoons white wine vinegar

  • 2 cups heavy cream

  • 2 cups American cheese

  • 2 cups shredded cheddar

Heat the oil over medium heat in a medium saucepan. Add the onions, peppercorns, and jalapeño, and cook until the onions are completely soft. (I let my brown on the edges, though the video does not say to do this.) Deglaze the pan with wine and vinegar, let it reduce until it is syrupy and almost evaporated, then pour the cream on top, remove the pan from the heat, and cover and let steep for half an hour.

After half an hour has elapsed, strain out the solids, then return the cream to the pan and heat over medium-low until bubbles start to form around the edge of the pan. Add your cheese, and cook and whisk until it melts into a luscious sauce. Serve on crinkle-cut fries, burgers, or—I don’t know—broccoli or something.

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