Gluten-Free White Sauce (with cornflour)

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If you want a delicious tasting Gluten-Free White Sauce in a hurry then this recipe will become indispensable. It’s a quick and easy sauce which is ready in 5 minutes using only 5 ingredients and no roux making involved. This velvety smooth Gluten-Free White Sauce will become the building block to so many sauces you love and you’ll wonder what you did without it.

Now this doesn’t happen very often so when it does we need to celebrate it. How many times have you known a gluten-free version of a recipe to be actually easier than the regular version? Ever? I mean no weird ingredients, gluten mimicking products or special trips to the free from aisle of the supermarket.

Hold onto your hats when I proclaim this Gluten-Free White Sauce actually more simple with fewer ingredients than the usual wheat flour based version.

This basic white sauce with no flour will become the most versatile recipe in your gluten-free kitchen. It is a basic white sauce which doesn’t need regular flour and can be used as the building block for a variety of sauces including:

• cheese sauce
• onion sauce
• bread sauce
• parsley sauce
• pasta bake sauce
• mornay sauce
• cream sauce
• supreme sauce
• moussaka sauce
• lasagne sauce
• mushroom sauce

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Versatile. You can use this white sauce in place of a béchamel in any recipe.
• No roux. You don’t need to make a roux for this sauce.
• Super quick. It only takes 5 minutes to make from start to finish.
• 5 ingredients. Which I’m sure you already have in.
• Easy to make vegan. You just need to swap the whole milk for a plant based milk.

Watch the video to see how to make it

If you need a gluten-free béchamel or white sauce with no flour then chances are you might be reaching for the gluten-free flour before mixing it into a roux with melted butter and adding your milk. Just like you would a regular béchamel. Stop right there. This recipe is so much easier than that and you don’t need that gluten-free flour.

Instead you are going to need…

Cornflour (Cornstarch)

This is a perfect choice for sauces. It is a naturally gluten-free flour and due to its high starch content it is perfect at thickening sauces all by its lonesome. No roux needed.

Just whisk in the cornflour to a cold liquid (in this case milk) and then once absorbed you can heat it and it will slowly develop into lovely smooth and thick sauce.

Substitutions

You can substitute the cornflour for other naturally gluten-free flours which are also high is starch. Arrowroot or tapioca starch can be swapped like for like. The only caveat I will say is that these alternatives can have more of a gloopy texture.

Only 5 ingredients needed

• Milk. This recipe uses whole milk but you can swap for a plant based alternative.
• Cornflour (cornstarch). This is the super fine powdery white flour. Not cornmeal!
• Nutmeg. This adds a gentle backdrop of flavour. Use whole nutmeg and grind it fresh for this recipe. The flavour is so much better than ready-ground.
• Salt. This gives great depth of flavour.
• Pepper. You can use ground white pepper if you want it to be invisible but I like the black speck so I use ground black pepper.

Step-by-step instructions

For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post. 

1. Whisk the cornflour (cornstarch), nutmeg, salt and pepper and whole milk into a large saucepan with the heat turned off.
2. Once smooth continue to stir and turn on the heat.
3. Carry on stirring until the sauce is thick and bubbling.
4. Remove from the heat and use immediately.

Pro tips and troubleshooting

• You can weigh the cornflour, the milk and the seasonings directly into the saucepan you are going to be using to cook the sauce. This really saves on washing up.
• Only switch on the heat once you are sure all the cornflour has been absorbed by the liquid for an ultra smooth sauce.
• It’s imperative to keep whisking the sauce continually whilst it is cooking otherwise it can get lumpy.
• Use a ball whisk or a French whisk (which is a little thinner) to really get into the nooks and crannies of the saucepan.
• If your sauce does get a bit lumpy towards the end of the cooking then you can just sieve out the lumps before using.
• Unless you are using immediately I recommend placing a sheet of cling film onto the surface of the sauce as this helps prevent a skin from forming.

Equipment I love

Ball Whisk

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Digital Weighing Scales

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Make in advance

Even though this sauce is super quick to make you can also make it in advance.

Make up the sauce as per the instructions. Allow to cool with cling film pressed to the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming.

You can make the sauce up to 2 days before you need to use it.

How to make dairy-free or vegan

It’s easy to make this sauce a dairy-free white sauce or a vegan white sauce. All you need to do is swap the whole milk for a plant based alternative. I recommend cashew milk, almond milk or even oat milk. Coconut milk can taste a bit too strong.

Variations on the recipe

• Add herbs – woody herbs like bay leaves or thyme will infuse your white sauce with a deep flavour.
• Add a little shredded parmesan (or even infuse it with the rind of a used up block) for a deep umami flavour.
• You can add stock instead of the milk and finish off the sauce with a splash of cream. This adds a really rich flavour.

How much sauce does this recipe make

It totally depends what you need the white sauce for. This amount is the right size for most uses. However, if making a family-sized lasagne I recommend doubling the recipe.

More gluten-free recipe suggestions

• Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce
• Gluten-Free Parsley Sauce
• Gluten-Free Cauliflower Cheese
• Gluten-Free Gravy
• Gluten-Free Lasagne
• Gluten-Free Bread Sauce

I urge you to give this Gluten-Free White Sauce (with cornflour) a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.

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Gluten-Free White Sauce (with cornflour)

Georgina Hartley

This Gluten-Free White Sauce will become an indispensable recipe in your toolkit. It’s a quick and easy sauce which is ready in 5 minutes using only 5 ingredients and no roux making involved. This velvety smooth Gluten-Free White Sauce will become the building block to so many sauces you love and you’ll wonder what you did without it.

5 from 4 votes

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 2 minutes mins

Cook Time 5 minutes mins

Total Time 7 minutes mins

Course sauce

Cuisine British

Servings 6 people

Calories 77 kcal

Ingredients

  

1x2x3x

• ▢ 500 ml whole milk
• ▢ 40 g cornflour - cornstarch
• ▢ ½ teaspoon salt
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon ground black pepper
• ▢ ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg

Instructions

 

1. Whisk the cornflour (cornstarch), nutmeg, salt and pepper and whole milk into a large saucepan with the heat turned off.
2. Once the milk has absorbed all the cornflour and it feels thin and smooth then turn on the heat. Continue to stir.
3. Bring the sauce up to a gentle boil, stirring all the while and making sure you get into the corners of the saucepan.
4. Stir until the sauce has become thick and smooth and is starting to gently bubble.
5. Remove from the heat and use immediately.

Video

Notes

Ingredient substitutions

You can swap the cornflour (cornstarch) for arrowroot or tapioca starch. However, the resulting sauce will be a little gloopier.

Dairy-free & vegan version

Swap out the whole milk for a plant-based alternative. I recommend oat milk, cashew milk or almond milk. Coconut milk can be a bit too flavourful for this sauce.

Cooking tips

• You can weigh the cornflour, the milk and the seasonings directly into the saucepan you are going to be using to cook the sauce. This really saves on washing up.
• Only switch on the heat once you are sure all the cornflour has been absorbed by the liquid for an ultra smooth sauce.
• It’s imperative to keep whisking the sauce continually whilst it is cooking otherwise it can get lumpy.
• Use a ball whisk or a French whisk (which is a little thinner) to really get into the nooks and crannies of the saucepan.
• If your sauce does get a bit lumpy towards the end of the cooking then you can just sieve out the lumps before using.

How much does this recipe make?

It totally depends what you need the white sauce for. This amount is the right size for most uses. However, if making a family-sized lasagne I recommend doubling the recipe.

Make ahead

This sauce can be made up to 2 days in advance. Store in the fridge in an airtight container. I also recommend pressing cling film to the surface of the sauce to prevent a skin from forming.

Freeze

You can freeze this sauce in an airtight container for up to 2 months. Allow to defrost fully at room temperature before re-heating.

Nutrition

Calories: 77kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 3gFat: 3gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 1gMonounsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 8mgSodium: 230mgPotassium: 111mgFiber: 1gSugar: 4gVitamin A: 135IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 95mgIron: 1mg

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