I don’t make sauces or gravies very often, but with Thanksgiving and other holidays just around the corner I thought some of you might be interested in a gluten-free homemade cheese sauce recipe.
I made this the other night to put on cauliflower. I’m not a big fan of cauliflower, but I bought a head of it a couple of weeks ago with some recipe in mind. I then forgot where I saw the recipe and the cauliflower just sat in my refrigerator. The other day my husband said, “I keep seeing that cauliflower in the frig, but it never shows up on my plate. Why don’t you just cook it and serve it with cheese sauce.” So that is what I did.
This sauce uses sweet rice flour. If you don’t have any you can use rice flour or even corn starch. Sweet rice flour is worth having around, though. You don’t need a lot, but it’s great for thickening sauces, gravies, and soups.
Homemade Cheese Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 cup milk
- 1 Tablespoon butter
- 1 Tablespoon sweet rice flour (or rice flour)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 ounces or 3/4 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, whisk together the milk and flour.
- Add the butter and salt and heat on medium-high heat, whisking frequently until the sauce starts to boil and thickens a little.
- Reduce heat and stir in the cheese. You can add more cheese if you desire.
- Stir until the cheese is melted.
I like using sweet rice flour too. I find it's not as starchy tasting, and you can freeze meals that have it as an ingredient without any separation occurring (once defrosted).
I love cheese sauce, plus I think it's the only way I could get my wife to eat cauliflower.I'll have to try this out. Thanks
Oh the cheese sauce I miss. Looks great on cauliflower. Thanks for sharing this on Friday Foodie Fix.
Used potato starch since I didn’t find SRF in my flour box. Extra sharp white cheese and a dash of tony satcherie’s cajun seasoning. Came out really good.
My experience has not been so good with tapioca flour and plain rice flour in sauces and graives, but the potato starch worked well. Have to try that next time I make a roux.
Thanks!
This Cheese sause will be easy to make. This is my first Thanksgiving dinner as a celiac. I was diagnosed this past summer, so everything is still new to me.
This looks amazing! I am going to make it and freeze it in ice cube trays so I can make my little one mac and cheese!
Love your recipes!
Thank you so much, Jamie. You made me smile. 🙂
Daughter was recently diagnosed with a wheat and yeast allergy.. been trying to find recipes to help her fit back into our family menu planning. THIS will be wonderful to try for our cheesy rice bakes!! Thank you for sharing!
This is incredible Thanksfor sharing!!!
Thank you for this fabulous tasting and super easy sauce. Its great!
I’m glad you like it. Thanks for letting me know!
As my husband has recently been diagnosed coeliac I’m am new to all this, but made this sauce today and I was very impressed, many thanks
Thank you! I used smoked aged Cheddar, and millet flour (my hubby has gluten issues) and put a dab of cream cheese in it, CAME OUT AMAZING!
Using smoked cheddar sounds like a great idea!
I tried this recipe today, and it was a lovely, smooth sauce. I added a 1/2 tsp. chipotle pepper powder, and a 1/2 tsp. Tabasco Chipotle sauce for a bit of extra flavor. Very yummy over steamed vegetable medley of carrots, cauliflower, and zucchini!
Yippie glad I found a cheese sauce recipe! I will be using either Tapioca or arrowroot flour for thickening.
Can this recipe be made up and served the next day? I would like to usei t at a office party in a crock pot veg dish
Can I use Bob’s Red Mill gluten free flour mix? I’m new to the gluten free diet and I’m craving mac and cheese.
Thanks.
I’m not sure how well a flour mix will work, but it’s worth a try. This really isn’t going to taste the same as a stove top mac & cheese, though. We prefer baked macaroni and cheese. You can find my recipe here: http://glutenfreehomemaker.com/baked-macaroni-and-cheese/
Would a Colby Jack cheese work over broccoli ?
Great substitute but doest freeze well.
Super recipe! So easy and tasty. I use it for scalloped potatoes and everyone always says mine is the best….so the thanks goes to you.
Glad to hear it, Susan! That’s a great way to use this sauce.
I stir in a teaspoon of mustard (Dijon today as my English had gone off) and add white pepper as well as salt. I eat it on cauliflour with two slices of buttered sourdough. Delicious!
Thank you for this recipe! My son has recently been diagnosed with cillaic’s, and his favorite food is mac and cheese. This cheese sauce tastes exactly like the cheese sauce we used to make with regular flour. But I was not prepared with how fast rice flour thickens!
PS: I use brown rice flour as it’s healthier ?
Good recipe and easy to add your own touches, like hot pepper, etc. if you want it. The key is to MIX it very well. Then you can use regular rice flour, tapioca starch or whatever. Easy. Good.
This turned out really well! I used the microwave because I am a heathen. Never would have thought of sweet rice flour. Thank you!
Excellent! Used Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 baking flour–1 rounded tablespoon. I whisked it in and cooked it in the microwave at 2 minute intervals at 5% poweruntil it thickened. I added the cheese and 1/2 tsp of mustard. This is the bomb! I plan to use it on the quesadillas below.
https://elavegan.com/vegan-spinach-quesadillas/
Could I bake precooked meatballs with this sauce in the oven? Or make this sauce and pour over already baked meatballs and cooked noodles? Thanks.
I haven’t tried baking the sauce. I would go with pouring it over meatballs and pasta.
No thickening needed
1cup cold cooked rice
Set it aside
1onion diced sauted in 3Tbspbutter add 1 can gluten free mushroom soup one third cup cheese whizz one quarter cup whipping cream
Once sauce bubbly annd cold rice and enough broccoli that is partially cooked bake in oven til bubbly again
A fav in our g.f. household Ruth
After 40+ Years of cheese sauce separating! Finally a wheat free perfect sauce! Thank you!