Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce
- Liana Brittain
- Nov 18, 2025
- 1 min read
Home cooks use a hot cheese sauce as a dip for snacks like chips and pretzels, as a topping for baked potatoes and nachos, or as a base for dishes like mac and cheese, casseroles, and soups. Traditionally, this sauce is made with Gruyere cheese, but feel free to use whatever you prefer in terms of taste or whatever you have on hand. Professional cooks refer to this essential and versatile sauce as Mornay. It’s always served hot at meal time but can also be used as a dip at parties or snack time.
1
Types of Fat
Any fat can be used in place of the butter. Alternatively, oil can be used. If oil is used, omit direction #1, but if lard or shortening are used it must be melted just as in step #1. Be aware that using butter results in a very rich tasting sauce. The type of oil, lard or shortening substituted will impact the taste of the sauce.
2
Types of Flour
Starches such as cornstarch, tapioca starch or potato starch can be used instead of rice flour. However, in my experience, white rice flour produces a roux that, when turned into a sauce, will hold its consistency better. The alternatives tend to become watery and lose their thick consistency when reheated.
3
Pepper
In cooking, I use freshly ground mixed peppercorns. My tongue and pallet are very sensitive, and black pepper burns my mouth. Instead, I buy or create a blend of mixed peppercorns including: black, white, green and red peppercorns in equal proportions.
4
Milk Substitutes
This recipe uses lactose free cow’s milk, but other milk products can be substituted. NOTE: I haven’t personally used any other type of “milk” so I don’t know how this would impact the end product. If you do use a substitute, please let us know how it turned out by leaving a comment.
5
Critical Information!
Boiling the Cheese Sauce for 1-minute breaks down the rice flour. If you skip this step, your Cheese Sauce will be gritty and have a very unpleasant texture.
6
Serving Suggestions
For best results, if serving as a side, heat the serving container before adding the Cheese Sauce. Fill it with hot water and let it sit for a minute to heat it. Dry the serving container before adding the White Sauce.
Notes
1
In a saucepan, over medium low heat, melt the butter.
2
Add the pepper and salt to the melted butter.
3
Stirring constantly, with a whisk, gradually add the rice flour.
4
When the flour and melted butter have been blended slowly begin adding the milk, reserving ½ cup for later, raising the heat to medium high.
5
When the liquid comes to a boil, hold it at that temperature, on a hard boil, for one minute, whisking vigorously.
6
If the mixture becomes lumpy at any point, remove it from the heat and continue to whisk it vigorously until all the lumps are gone, then place it back over the heat and continue whisking until it has boiled hard for 1 minute.
7
Reduce the heat to medium low continuing to whisk slowly.
8
Gradually begin to add the grated cheese. You may wish to switch from the whisk to a spoon at this point, it's entirely up to you and what you're comfortable with. I continue to use a whisk, but sometimes the cheese gets stuck in the times.
9
Taste the Cheese Sauce and adjust the seasonings to your preference. Add the rest of the milk, if necessary, to make the Cheese Sauce the consistency you prefer.
10
Serve hot.
Instructions
1/4 cup butter
1/4 cup white rice flour
1/2 teaspoon finely ground pepper corns
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups lactose free milk
1 1/2 cups grated cheese (I use 1 cup grated smoky gouda and 1/2 cup aged cheddar)
Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce
Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce
Liana Brittain
A Cheese Sauce begins as a White Sauce. It is also known as a Mornay Sauce. A hot cheese sauce can be used as a dip for snacks like chips and pretzels, as a topping for baked potatoes and nachos, or as a base for dishes like mac and cheese, casseroles, and soup. This Cheese Sauce begins with a White Sauce recipe that uses a basic Roux. If you need further information about how to make a Roux please refer to that particular recipe and video, however this recipe starts with making the Roux and progresses to creating the White Sauce. I recommend that you read the entire recipe and the notes before beginning. Make sure you have no other tasks on the go at this time. This recipe requires your full attention from beginning to end.
Servings :
4
Calories:
Prep Time
5 min
Cooking Time
15 min
Rest Time
0 min
Total Time
20 min
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