Classic Gluten-Free Béchamel Sauce
Learn how to make a smooth gluten-free béchamel sauce using a classic roux method. This easy sauce is perfect for lasagne, fish pie and cauliflower cheese.
Servings: 8 people
Calories: 187kcal
Ingredients
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 50 g cassava flour
- 1000 g whole milk
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
Instructions
- Melt the butter on a medium heat in a large saucepan.
- Once the butter has melted, turn the heat to low and add the flour. Using a ball whisk, whisk the flour into the butter on the low heat for 2-3 minutes to create a pale creamy roux, making sure to scrape out the corners so no flour gathers there.
- Pour about 100-200ml of the milk into the roux and whisk until the mixture is smooth. Gradually pour the rest of the milk in, stopping every so often to make sure the flour is incorporating evenly. As you pour in more milk you can turn up the heat a little and switch to a balloon whisk which is more effective at smoothing out the lumps as the sauce increases. Often I use a combination of both whisks so I’m getting into the corners of the pan and smoothing out the lumps effectively.
- Once all of the milk has been added then whisk in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Continue mixing until the béchamel is smooth and creamy and switch off the heat.
- For a final step you can use an immersion blender to really ensure a velvety result. This will also loosen the sauce a little but as the sauce rests it will thicken up once more.
- Press cling film or baking parchment to the surface of the béchamel to stop a skin from forming on the top.
- Whisk the sauce thoroughly before using or serving.
Video
Notes
This recipe makes a good portion of béchamel and is the amount I use for my lasagne recipe. You can half the recipe if you are making a dish for 4 people. Or you can make the whole thing and freeze what you don’t need.
Flour substitution. I don’t recommend swapping the cassava flour out for an all-purpose gluten-free flour, rice flour as you won’t achieve the correct smooth texture. Cornflour is also not a good substitution as you need to use it differently by using a slurry. If you want this version then visit my gluten-free white sauce recipe using cornflour.
Sweet rice flour. If you do need to swap out the cassava flour then the only recommendation I have is to use sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour). Not the same as regular rice flour.
Dairy-free / vegan version. You can swap out the butter for a plant-based butter and the milk for oat milk or almond milk.
Whisks. I use two different whisks to make this sauce, a ball whisk which has metal sticks jutting out of the handle and each one ending in a small metal ball which means the whisk can navigate the corners of the saucepan.
I also use a medium sized balloon whisk as it can be more effective at smoothing out the lumps.
I recommend using an immersion blender to get the sauce ultra smooth. Make Ahead. You can make your béchamel up to 2 days ahead of the time you need it and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator with cling film pressed to the surface. Freeze. This sauce freezes very well. Freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before re-heating. Re-heating. Always re-heat in a saucepan, whisking all the time to avoid any lumps forming. If it’s too thick then add a little more milk to loosen. Ingredient measurements: Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy. US customary measurements: These US measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups Nutrition information: Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification. The nutrition serving is for 1 serving of sauce if you are serving 8 people.
I also use a medium sized balloon whisk as it can be more effective at smoothing out the lumps.
I recommend using an immersion blender to get the sauce ultra smooth. Make Ahead. You can make your béchamel up to 2 days ahead of the time you need it and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator with cling film pressed to the surface. Freeze. This sauce freezes very well. Freeze for up to 2 months in an airtight container. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before re-heating. Re-heating. Always re-heat in a saucepan, whisking all the time to avoid any lumps forming. If it’s too thick then add a little more milk to loosen. Ingredient measurements: Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy. US customary measurements: These US measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups Nutrition information: Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification. The nutrition serving is for 1 serving of sauce if you are serving 8 people.
Nutrition
Calories: 187kcal | Carbohydrates: 11g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 14g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.4g | Cholesterol: 42mg | Sodium: 267mg | Potassium: 192mg | Fiber: 0.1g | Sugar: 6g | Vitamin A: 515IU | Vitamin C: 0.3mg | Calcium: 166mg | Iron: 0.4mg