This Philly Cheesesteak Cheese Sauce turns griddled steak and onions into a sandwich that is special occasion worthy. It is glossy, made with real cheese, and ready in about ten minutes. No Velveeta, no Cheez Whiz, no grainy science experiments. My kids have been known to claim the leftovers for breakfast, which I think tells you everything.
The morning after I first tested this cheese sauce for philly cheesesteak, I found my oldest and youngest huddled at the stove reheating the sauce in a saucepan.
The bread machine hoagie rolls I'd made the day before were split open on a plate. There was leftover sliced steak warming in another pan.
My oldest was whisking vigorously and looked at me a little sheepishly and said “I hope you didn’t need this.” He'd assumed that that the sauce would need a little extra milk to come back to a pourable consistency, and figured anything in the fridge was fair game.
He was right on both counts. I have to agree that this cheese sauce is good enough to ask for forgiveness for taking the leftovers, rather than permission.
We’ve had this with my chicken philly sandwiches and my Blackstone philly cheesesteak, and it is always a hit.
Whats the Perfect Cheese for Cheesesteak?
There are three answers, and Philadelphians will argue about which is the most authentic until the last hoagie roll on earth has been toasted.
- Cheez Whiz
- White American cheese
- Provolone
This sauce ueses a 50/50 blend of white American and provolone, which gives you the silkiness of American with the depth of provolone. If you want a more homemade Cheez Whiz energy, swap the provolone for more American and add a pinch of smoked paprika.
Why this Cheese Sauce Doesn't Break
Most homemade cheese sauce disasters are usually because the sauce breaks or goes grainy. Both are emulsification problems, and both are completely avoidable.
Four Things to Keep in Mind
- Use evaporated milk, not regular milk. Evaporated milk contains more casein and natural stabilizers than regular milk. It's basically a built-in emulsifier.
- Keep American in the mix. It's not glamorous, but American cheese contains sodium citrate. It is the same emulsifier fancy molecular-gastronomy cooks use to make any cheese melt smoothly. American is your insurance policy.
- Choose your provolone wisely. I've made this with packaged provolone slices, and it is good. But then I tried it with a smoked provolone from the counter at Whole Foods. Wow, is all I can say. A good cheese goes a long way with this recipe. One thing to add though. Some cheeses have a lot of salt, so make sure you taste and adjust accordingly.
- Keep the burner at medium or lower. If it gets too hot, the proteins seize up and the fat splits out.
A quick word on Velveeta
Velveeta works. But a lot of readers want a non-shelf-stable cheese version, and the evaporated-milk-plus-American-plus-provolone combo gets you there without Velveeta. If Velveeta is what you have on hand, no shame, but you don't need it for this to work.
Ingredient Notes
- Evaporated milk — the base, and the reason this stays glossy. Don't sub regular milk.
- Cornstarch slurry — a tiny insurance policy against breaking. You don't need much.
- White American + provolone — buy them from the deli counter and dice them yourself. Pre-shredded cheese is coated in anti-caking agents (cellulose, potato starch) that fight against a smooth melt.
How to make it
Recipe card has the full play-by-play, but the short version:
Thinning When You Make it Ahead
As written, this sauce is on the thick side. I do that on purpose so it clings to the ribeye or chicken and doesn't run all over the cutting board. But if you're making it even an hour ahead and letting it sit, you'll want to thin it back out right before serving.
Reheat gently over low heat, and whisk in regular milk a quarter cup at a time until you hit the consistency you want.
Troubleshooting
If your sauce splits, don't panic and don't crank the heat.
Pull the pan off the stove, add a tablespoon of cold milk, and whisk hard. Most of the time, that brings it back. If it's stubborn, blend it with an immersion blender for about ten seconds. This almost always does the trick.
If it goes grainy on reheat, it usually means the cheese got too hot. Pull it off the heat, add a splash of cold milk, and whisk. Going forward, reheat lower and slower than you think you need to. Stovetop on the lowest possible burner setting.
Philly Cheesesteak Cheese Sauce with Provolone and American
Ingredients
- 1 12-ounce can evaporated milk
- 2 tablespoons water
- ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 6 ounces white American cheese diced , 1 ¼ cups
- 6 ounces diced provolone cheese 1 ¼ cups
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon dry mustard
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Milk for thinning
Instructions
- Heat the evaporated milk in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- In a small bowl, stir together the water and cornstarch. Add to the evaporated milk.
- Add the American cheese and provolone cheese to the evaporated milk, and stir until the cheese melts. Whisk in the Worcestershire sauce, mustard, garlic powder, salt and fresh ground black pepper.
- Keep warm until ready to serve. If you want to make the sauce thinner, add milk, ¼ cup at a time until the desired consistency is achieved.
Notes
- The sauce is intentionally thick. Thin with milk right before serving, especially if it's been sitting more than 20 minutes.
- Buy block cheese or sliced cheese and dice it yourself. Pre-shredded cheese has anti-caking agents that fight a smooth melt.
- Store leftovers in a jar in the fridge up to 1 week. Reheat gently over low heat or in 30-second microwave bursts, whisking in milk to bring it back.
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