This deliciously creamy gluten free cheese sauce is your secret weapon - once you've mastered it, you can use it to make gluten free macaroni and cheese, drizzle it over roasted vegetables, add it to nachos, and more!
I love this homemade gluten free cheese sauce! It relies on sweet white rice flour to create a thick and creamy sauce that's lightened up a bit from other sauces with whole and 2% milk rather than heavy cream. You can use any cheese you like (my suggestions below), too. I love this in my recipes for gluten free baked mac and cheese or butternut squash mac and cheese, and it's also super good dolloped on roasted cauliflower.
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Why This Gluten-Free Recipe Works
Rather than using a gluten-free flour blend (like my homemade gluten free flour blend), which contains flours other than starchy flours, sweet white rice flour is the only flour needed to create a thick roux (flour-butter paste). You'll build off of that by adding milk and cheese. The final sauce is thick and creamy with not a bit of grittiness or graininess.
What You'll Love
- So versatile. You can whip up this sauce and make one-pot gluten-free macaroni and cheese (skip the oven) or use it as a white sauce with another pasta. Spoon it over steamed broccoli or baked sweet potato cubes for extra flavor. Drizzle it over a pan of homemade nachos, use it to top baked potatoes, make gluten free Welsh rarebit, and so much more!
- Adaptable. I've outlined the types of cheese you can use to make this sauce - I love that you can mix and match. I prefer a saltier, sharper sauce, but it's easy to adjust the flavors to accommodate every palate. Experiment!
- The BEST gluten free cheese sauce. It is ... because you can't tell it's gluten-free. This sauce is creamy and rich, just like a regular cheese sauce.
Ingredients Needed
Here's a look at what you'll need to make this sauce. Make sure to scroll down to my recipe card at the bottom of this post for the full ingredient amounts and instructions!
- Butter - Unsalted or salted butter works.
- Sweet white rice flour - Substitute cornstarch if needed. I do NOT recommend using a gluten-free flour blend because it won't work as well.
- Milk - I use a mix of whole milk for a bit of richness and 2% milk so that it's not overly rich.
- Cheese - You choose your cheeses! I like a mix of sharp cheddar and Parmesan cheese. Try to grate your own cheese from a block of cheese because pre-shredded cheese can contain anti-caking agents.
- Salt and pepper - To taste. If using salted butter or a particularly salty cheese, you may want to limit the additional salt. I love a bit of black pepper to balance the creaminess of the sauce, but this is optional.
Variation Ideas
- Dairy-free/vegan sauce- Swap non-dairy butter for the butter, use non-dairy milk or cream, and vegan cheese.
- Herby sauce - Add 1 teaspoon of fresh chopped herbs or dried herbs of your choice, or to taste.
- Add mustard - For a slightly different flavor, stir in 1 teaspoon of dijon mustard when you add the cheese.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Here's an overview in photos of how to make gluten free cheese sauce:
1. Make roux: Melt butter in a saucepan, then whisk in the sweet white rice flour and cook for a few minutes.
2. Add milk: Whisk in the milk and cook until a thick sauce forms.
3. Add cheese: Stir in the cheese.
4. Stir until smooth: Whisk and stir in the cheese until completely melted and the sauce is smooth.
Tips & Recipe Notes
- What kind of cheese to use? Almost any cheese will work here! As mentioned, I love sharp cheddar cheese and parmesan for bold flavor and salt. But a medium or mild cheddar is also great, especially when cooking for younger palates. Other nice options include Gruyere, pepper or regular Jack cheese, Swiss, Gouda, and Fontina.
- Cook the roux fully. After whisking in the sweet white rice flour, make sure to cook the mixture for the full two minutes. It should be slightly browned. This ensures you won't taste any flour in the finished sauce.
- Keep cooking the sauce. Note that the 5 minutes to thicken the sauce in the recipe directions is a baseline. Sometimes it takes a bit longer for the sauce to fully thicken. This is fine! You want it to be pretty thick, so keep cooking until it is pourable but not liquid.
- Melt the cheese completely. When adding the shredded cheese, keep stirring until it fully melts into the sauce. Meaning: you will not see any bits of cheese in the sauce!
- Double up. This recipe increases nicely. For a larger portion of cheese sauce, double the ingredients.
- Can I make it ahead? Yes, this is a great sauce to make ahead. You can store it in the fridge for a few days, then either reheat or stir it into cooked pasta for a quick pot of mac and cheese.
Storage and Reheating
- Fridge - Place cooled sauce in an airtight container and store it in the fridge for up to 5 days.
- To Reheat - Place the sauce in a pot set over medium-low and rewarm, stirring often, until heated through.
More Sauce Recipes
Happy baking! If you make this gluten free cheese sauce recipe, I'd love to know. Please leave a comment below, reach out with any questions, and tag me on Instagram @Cucina Nicolina ❤️
Recipe
Gluten Free Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup sweet white rice flour (40 grams)
- 1 cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups 2% milk
- 1 ½ cups shredded cheese (see notes)
- ½ teaspoon fine sea salt , or to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Instructions
- In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the ¼ cup unsalted butter. Whisk in the ¼ cup sweet white rice flour and cook for about 2 minutes, whisking, until a paste forms. Whisk in the 1 cup whole milk, whisking constantly, until smooth, then whisk in the 1 ½ cups 2% milk until a smooth sauce forms. Cook, whisking often, until a thick sauce forms, about 5 minutes.
- Remove the sauce from the heat and stir in the 1 ½ cups shredded cheese until melted. Stir in the ½ teaspoon fine sea salt and ¼ teaspoon black pepper.
Notes
- What kind of cheese to use? Almost any cheese will work here! As mentioned, I love sharp cheddar cheese and parmesan for bold flavor and salt. But a medium or mild cheddar is also great, especially when cooking for younger palates. Other nice options include Gruyere, pepper or regular Jack cheese, Swiss, Gouda, and Fontina.
- Cook the roux fully. After whisking in the sweet white rice flour, make sure to cook the mixture for the full two minutes. It should be slightly browned. This ensures you won't taste any flour in the finished sauce.
- Keep cooking the sauce. Note that the 5 minutes to thicken the sauce in the recipe directions is a baseline. Sometimes it takes a bit longer for the sauce to fully thicken. This is fine! You want it to be pretty thick, so keep cooking until it is pourable but not liquid.
- Melt the cheese completely. When adding the shredded cheese, keep stirring until it fully melts into the sauce. Meaning: you will not see any bits of cheese in the sauce!
- Double up. This recipe increases nicely. For a larger portion of cheese sauce, double the ingredients.
- Can I make it ahead? Yes, this is a great sauce to make ahead. You can store it in the fridge for a few days, then either reheat or stir it into cooked pasta for a quick pot of mac and cheese.
I'd love to hear from you! Please leave me a note.