• About
  • Work with Me
    • Contact
  • Food Photography
  • Newsletter

Chef Janet

So good, they'll never know it's gluten-free.

  • Gluten-Free Recipes
    • Appetizers and Snacks
    • Baked Goods
    • Breakfast
    • Dessert
    • Main Course
    • Salads
    • Sauces and Dressings
    • Side Dishes
    • Soup
    • Vegan
    • Vegetarian
  • Cooking Basics
  • Gluten-Free Diet Tips
Home Β» Sauces and Dressings Β» 10 Minute Gluten-Free White Sauce for Pasta

August 23, 2022 (last updated October 25, 2022)

10 Minute Gluten-Free White Sauce for Pasta

No ratings yet
Leave a Comment Jump to Recipe

This gluten-free white sauce is smooth, creamy and ready in just 10 minutes. The recipe has simple ingredients with a hint of Italian flavor that is perfect on pasta.

Be sure to check out more of my easy gluten-free sauces including my creamy vegan pasta sauce and super simple creamy pesto pasta sauce.

Glass carafe on small gray plate with gluten-free white sauce. Cutting board in back with shallot, garlic cloves and fresh herbs. Pink background.

Tips for a Creamy, Lump-Free Gluten-Free Sauce

This sauce is thickened using a butter and flour roux. A roux is a mixture of cooked fat, butter in this case, and flour (gluten-free flour blend). This method allows you to add liquid and not have the sauce turn lumpy.

There are a few tips that will assure that your sauce turns out smooth and creamy.

Use a room temperature or lukewarm liquid so that it doesn’t cause the butter to curdle. This recipe uses milk (or a dairy-free sub). If your milk is cold, heat it in the microwave for 40-50 seconds to take the chill off.

Unfortunately all gluten-free flour blends are not created equal. They each have a different mix of gluten-free flours and starches which means they won’t all work exactly the same in a sauce. I use King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour. If you use a different gf flour, you may need to use a little more or a little less liquid to get the proper sauce consistency. I’ll walk you through it all in the recipe card below.

Finally, if a few lumps remain in the finished sauce, run it through a fine mesh strainer to make it completely smooth.

Overhead view of ingredients for gluten free white sauce for past on pink backdrop. Fresh cut shallot, wood bowl with flour, wood bowls with dried oregano and peppercorns, white bowl with sliced butter, cloves of garlic, salt shaker and milk bottle.

Ingredients

Gluten-free flour blend – I use King Arthur Measure for Measure Flour because that is the one I have in my pantry. I use it for almost all of my baked goods but it also works well as a thickener for sauces. If you use a different brand of gluten-free flour, don’t fear, this recipe accounts for the possibility that you use a different flour.

Butter – Butter is my favorite to use in a sauce because the flavor and texture are unmatched. Using unsalted butter will allow you to better control the salt level in the sauce.

If you prefer to keep this recipe dairy-free or vegan, I recommend using either olive oil or Miyokos Vegan Cultured butter. You may need to reduce the amount of salt in the recipe if you use a salted vegan butter.

The liquid in this sauce is milk or a dairy-free substitute. I am lactose-free, so I use whichever milk substitute I’ve got in the fridge. I’ve used coconut milk, soy milk and almond milk, all with good results

The sauce is flavored with chopped shallot and a garlic clove. If you prefer to avoid chopping, you can use granulated garlic and granulated onion instead – β…› tsp of each.

Dried Italian herbs or just straight dried oregano give a hint of Italian flavor to this sauce. If you have a favorite herb, feel free to sub it in. This sauce is a great neutral base for many flavors.

Finally, salt and pepper bring all the other flavors together.

Glass carafe with gluten-free white sauce in front right. Wood bowl with spaghetti, white plate underneath, in in backg. Fresh herbs in foreground.

Variations

This sauce is lovely on its own, but here are some simple options to give it more pizzazz.

  • Add 1/4 cup finely grated pamiggiano or romano cheese to the thickened sauce and stir for a minute over low heat.
  • Use fresh herbs including basil, oregano and thyme instead of the dried herbs, for a pop of fresh flavor.
Wood bowl with spaghetti. White plate underneath with fork and fresh herbs. Glass carafe above pouring gluten-free white sauce onto spaghetti.
Wood bowl with spaghetti. White plate underneath with fork and fresh herbs. Glass carafe above pouring gluten free sauce onto spaghetti.

10 Minute Gluten-Free White Sauce for Pasta

Author: Janet Harlow
Course: Sauces and Dressings
Cuisine: American/Italian
Servings: 6 1/3 cup servings
This ten minute, gluten-free white sauce needs just a few simple ingredients. It has a hint of Italian flavor and is perfect on pasta.
No ratings yet
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 2 mins
Cook Time 8 mins

Recommended Products

  • King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour

Ingredients
  

  • 2 Tbsp roughly chopped shallot
  • 1 small clove of garlic
  • ΒΌ tsp dried oregano or Italian seasoning
  • 4 Tbsp unsalted butter
  • ΒΌ c gluten-free flour blend, King Arthur Measure for Measure recommended1
  • 2-2Β½ c milk or dairy-free milk sub (room temperature/lukewarm)
  • Β½-ΒΎ tsp salt
  • dash of pepper

Instructions
 

  • NOTES:
    A wire whisk works best for stirring sauces.
    If your milk is cold, heat it in the microwave for 40-50 seconds to bring it to room temp.
  • Place a 2-3 quart pot on the stove over low heat.
  • Add the butter and let it melt.
  • Lightly smash the garlic clove using your hand, just enough to loosen the skin and break open the clove, do not chop. Discard the skin.
  • Add the chopped shallot, garlic clove and dried herb(s) to the melted butter and turn the heat to low-medium.
  • Cook for 1 minute, stirring often. Remove the garlic clove.
  • Add the flour and stir well with a whisk until it is incorporated.
  • Cook 30 seconds, stirring constantly.
  • Turn the heat to high and immediately add about 2 cups of the milk. Continue cooking, stirring every 10 seconds, until it boils and thickens. Remove from the heat.
  • If the sauce is too thick, whisk in an additional ΒΌ cup milk. If needed add the remaining ΒΌ cup.
  • Stir in Β½ tsp salt (ΒΌ tsp if you use salted butter) and a dash of pepper. Taste. If it seems a little blah, add more salt 2 pinches at a time until you're satisfied with the flavor.
  • If you prefer, run the sauce through a fine mesh strainer to remove the shallot.
  • Serve over pasta, chicken or fish. Top with fresh basil, oregano or thyme.
  • This sauce will stay fresh in the refrigerator for at least 1 week. I do not recommend freezing.

Notes

  1. Different brands of gluten-free flour may yield different levels of thickening power. The recipe should be able to account for this inconsistency.
Did you make this recipe?Let me know how it was! Tag @chefjanetk on Instagram.
  • Share
  • Tweet
  • Email

Posted In: Sauces and Dressings · Tagged: easy, pasta, sauce

Leave a Comment & Rate this Recipe Cancel reply

If you love this recipe, please consider leaving a star rating and review when you post a comment. Star ratings help people discover my recipes online. Your support means a great deal to me.

Thank you!
Janet

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

About Me
Hi, Welcome! I'm Chef Janet and I create gluten-free recipes that everyone will love, gluten-free or not.

Set up a customized lesson with me to learn basic cooking techniques, gluten-free, menu planning and kitchen tips to make your life easier. Follow me on instagram to keep up with my latest and let me know how I can help.

Follow along on Instagram

This gluten free red velvet cake is so moist and t This gluten free red velvet cake is so moist and tender they'll never know it's gluten free. Get the full recipe at chefjanetk.com
β™₯οΈπŸŽ‚β™₯οΈπŸŽ‚
#redvelvet #glutenfreecake #glutenfreeredvelvetcake #losangeleschef #glutenfreelosangeles #glutenfreeblog
#glutenfreebaking #glutenfreedessert #glutenfreebirthdaycake #bestglutenfreecakes #glutenfreerecipes
Thanksgiving prep has started in my kitchen! Wheth Thanksgiving prep has started in my kitchen! Whether you need a gluten-free stuffing recipe, gravy or an easy side, I've got you covered. Need a delicious, decadent dessert? I've got that too. Link in my profile to my Thanksgiving recipes.
πŸ—πŸ₯§πŸ 
You'll find tips for perfect silky, smooth gravy, moist delicious stuffing, perfect pies, simple sided dishes and more.
🍠πŸ₯§πŸ—
#glutenfreethanksgiving #thanksgivingrecipes #thanksgivingdesserts #glutenfreestuffing #glutenfreegravy #losangeleschef #glutenfreeblog #glutenfreepiecrust #glutenfreedessert
Pie and cupcakes are my favorite desserts so I put Pie and cupcakes are my favorite desserts so I put them together in one. These gluten-free apple pie cupcakes make for an awesome autumn dessert. Link to the recipe in my profile.
🍎 πŸ₯§πŸ§
These cupcakes have a fluffy cinnamon spiced cake, traditional apple pie filling and an apple cinnamon buttercream frosting.
🍎πŸ₯§πŸ§
#glutenfreecupcakes #glutenfreedessert #glutenfreeapplepie #losangeleschef #cinnamonbuttercream #glutenfreelosangeles #holidaydessert #glutenfreeholidays #autumndesserts #applepiecupcakes
Nothing says holiday brunch more than cranberry or Nothing says holiday brunch more than cranberry orange muffins. Link to the recipe in my profile.
🎈🍊🎈
#cranberryorangemuffins #glutenfreemuffins #holidaybrunch #glutenfreebaking #losangeleschef #glutenfreechef #glutenfreeblog #cranberryorange
This Sweet Potato Frosting is the perfect holiday This Sweet Potato Frosting is the perfect holiday topping for cupcakes, cakes muffins and anything your heart desires. There's just four ingredients and no cane sugar. Link to the recipe in my profile.
 🍠 🧁🍠
Sweet potato puree, cream cheese, butter and maple syrup are all you need for this amazing frosting. Amazing on carrot cake, spice cake, vanilla cake and so much more.
🧁🍠🧁
#sweetpotatofrosting #cakefrosting #glutenfreeholiday #holidaydesserts #glutenfreeblog #losangeleschef #glutenfreelosangeles #sweetpotatodessert #sweetpotatorecipe #cupcakefrosting #glutenfreecupcakes
Do you like your gluten-free pumpkin bread slather Do you like your gluten-free pumpkin bread slathered in a rum icing or a straight up?? Get the recipe - link my profile.
πŸŽƒπŸŽƒπŸžπŸŽƒπŸŽƒ
This recipe is super easy and makes an incredibly moist and delicious pumpkin bread that is good enough for dessert, brunch or a little autumn snack.
πŸŽƒπŸŽƒπŸžπŸžπŸŽƒπŸŽƒ
#glutenfreepumpkinbread #pumpkinbread #glutenfreebrunch #glutenfreebaking #autumndesserts #glutenfreelosangeles #glutenfreechef #glutenfreeblog #pumpkindessert #fallbaking
I hope you didn't miss it last week! This gluten-f I hope you didn't miss it last week! This gluten-free lemon drizzle cake is too good! Link to the recipe in my profile.
πŸ‹πŸŽ‚πŸ‹
#lemondrizzlecake #glutenfreecake #lemonloaf #glutenfreeblog #glutenfreechef #loasangeleschef #glutenfreelosangeles #glutenfreelemoncake
This Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Cake is the cake of This Gluten-Free Lemon Drizzle Cake is the cake of my dreams. Link to the brand new recipe in my profile.
πŸ‹πŸŽ‚πŸ‹
The combination of lemon and butter in a sweet dessert is about as good as it gets, if you ask me. This cake is super moist and somewhere between a pound cake and a fluffy layer cake.
πŸ‹πŸŽ‚πŸ‹
#lemondrizzlecake #lemonloaf #glutenfreelemoncake #glutenfreecake #lemoncake #glutenfreelosangeles #glutenfreeblog #prettycakes #lemondesserts #glutenfreelemondrizzlecake

Copyright © 2023 Chef Janet · Support by Foodie Digital · Privacy Policy · Accessibility Policy · Web Stories