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This easy Gluten Free White Sauce is so simple to make using only 3 ingredients in just 10 minutes. It’s rich and creamy and the perfect base for gluten free lasagne, mac and cheese, pie fillings and more. A simple gluten free bechamel sauce anyone can make!
What you need to know at-a-glance:
- Why choose this recipe? This easy white sauce is rich, it’s creamy – and it’s the way I’ve been making white sauce for two decades. No lumps and so quick!
- Top Tip: Don’t rush this and add all the milk in one go. Adding the liquid gradually is what ensures this gluten free béchamel is always lump-free.
- Flour of choice: This gluten free white sauce will work with any supermarket gluten free plain flour blend.
- How can I use it? Use this bechamel sauce as a base for gluten free lasagne, pie fillings, creamy potatoes, soups, mac and cheese and much, much more!
This easy gluten free white sauce recipe is one of those absolute gluten free basics that will make life in the kitchen so much easier.
It’s really easy to make white sauce gluten free, and you only need 3 simple supermarket ingredients and 15 minutes to make this recipe.
I make a traditional roux white sauce, which is where you cook equal parts of gluten free flour and butter into a paste, before adding milk.
Why make a roux? Because it’s the way I used to make white sauce before being diagnosed with coeliac disease. And sometimes we just want to feel normal, right!?
You can batch cook this sauce, freeze it, use it in tonnes of different recipes and customise it however you like. Turn it into a cheese sauce, or add a little nutmeg or mustard.
Use this gluten free white sauce for lasagne, as a filling for a chicken and ham pie, poured over tender leeks or stirred through with fresh parsley to serve with my air fryer gammon.
Table of Contents
Ingredients and Substitutions
There’s a printable recipe card for this gluten free bechamel recipe. But here are the main ingredients and ideas for any easy swaps.
- Butter: If you want to make this recipe dairy free, use a vegan margarine instead.
- Plain Gluten Free Flour: I use a plain gluten free flour blend like FREEE. Any supermarket blend should work – or a 1:1 gluten free flour in the US.
- Milk: I use either full-fat or semi-skimmed milk. Dairy free milk such as soya milk or gluten free oat milk will also work for a gluten free vegan white sauce.
- Salt and Pepper
How to Make Gluten Free White Sauce
Here are some step-by-step photos to show you how easy this gluten free white sauce is to make – there’s also a printable recipe card below.
Place a large saucepan on a low heat and add the butter. Once melted, add the flour and use a whisk to mix together into a thick paste.
Continue to cook for around 30 seconds to one minute, stirring constantly. This paste is what is called the roux.
Pour in approximately 100ml of the milk and continue stirring until it forms a smooth, thick paste with no lumps.
Continue to add the milk, around 100ml at a time, stirring constantly. Each time, only add the next lot of milk when all the lumps are gone.
Once all the milk has been added, you should have a smooth, thick white sauce.
Continue to stir until it starts to bubble, simmer for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. Generously season with salt and pepper and stir well.
Storing and Freezing Instructions
TO STORE: This gluten free white sauce can be kept in the fridge for up to 5 days. Cool to room temperature then decant into a tub and refrigerate. Reheat to eat.
TO FREEZE: Cool the white sauce to room temperature, portion into tubs and freeze. You can reheat it from frozen or defrost overnight first if you prefer.
TOP TIP: This gluten free white sauce will thicken a lot when it cools. It should thin out a little when reheating. Make sure you stir it well and add a little milk if needed.
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Gluten Free White Sauce {Bechamel}
Equipment
Ingredients
- 50 g unsalted butter
- 50 g gluten free plain flour
- 500 ml milk
- Salt and pepper
Instructions
- Place a large saucepan on a low heat and add the butter.
- Once melted, add the flour and use a whisk to mix together into a thick paste. Continue to cook for around 30 seconds to one minute, stirring constantly.
- Pour in approximately 100ml of the milk and continue stirring until it forms a smooth, thick paste with no lumps.
- Continue to add the milk, around 100ml at a time, stirring constantly. Each time, only add the next lot of milk when all the lumps are gone. Once all the milk has been added, you should have a smooth, thick white sauce.
- Continue to stir until it starts to bubble, simmer for 30 seconds, then turn off the heat. Generously season with salt and pepper and stir well.
Notes
- TOP TIP: Don’t rush and add all the milk in one go, this will make the sauce lumpy. Adding it gradually is what stops you getting clumps in the sauce.
- Storing: Any leftover gluten free white sauce can be portioned into tubs and either refrigerated for up to 5 days or frozen. Reheat before serving.
- Reheating: When cooled this bechamel sauce will thick. To reheat, stir well when reheating in a pan (or stir regularly if microwaving) and add a little extra milk if you need to thin it out.
- Step-by-Step Photos: Check out the blog post above for step-by-step photos of this method if you find a visual aid helps.
- Like this Recipe? It would mean SO much to me if you could leave a 5* rating and a little comment if you make this bechamel sauce and love it. It really helps support my blog and get the recipe out there to more people!
Nutrition
More Basic Gluten Free Recipes
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I find it much easier and just as tasty to make white sauce with cornflour – it doesn’t go lumpy.