It’s a well known fact that nachos are my favorite food. My kids know it. The internet knows it. It doesn’t get more official than that. In our younger years, Ben and I even went on a lengthy Tour de Nacho around town, searching for the very best of what central Iowa had to offer in terms of chips, cheese, and all the fixins’. Spoiler alert: any place using nacho cheese sauce was immediately placed at the top of the list. Melted shredded cheese is good, but nothing beats drippy, homemade, gluten free nacho cheese sauce!
Gluten Free Nacho Cheese Sauce Ingredients
Gluten Free Nacho Cheese Sauce is a cinch to make at home, and you don’t need processed cheese to make it creamy and drippy. It’s a simple combination of butter, gluten free flour, milk, broth, cheese, and my secret ingredient for making Nacho Cheese Sauce taste like nacho cheese sauce – and not just regular cheese sauce – liquid from a jar of pickled jalapenos. Oh my, it’s so good!
How to Make a Smooth Cheese Sauce
A common complaint when making cheese sauce without processed cheese is that the sauce turns out grainy. Here are my tips for making a super smooth homemade cheese sauce:
Mix it Up!
This gluten free nacho cheese sauce is obviously stellar all on its own, but it’s also great with mix-ins like:
Browned ground beef or Italian sausage. Beef and cheese nachos have a special place in my heart! Minced pickled jalapenos. They add a touch of heat and tang. SO GOOD. Fresh Pico de Gallo. Top bowls of nacho cheese sauce with spoonfuls of fresh pico – it’s incredible. Here’s my easy recipe: in a bowl stir together 2 vine-ripened tomatoes that have been seeded and chopped, 1/4 white onion that’s been minced, 1/2 jalapeño (or more or less,) that’s been seeded and minced, 1/4 cup chopped cilantro, the juice of 1/2 lime, salt, and pepper.
Alrighty, grab your tortilla chips and let’s get to dipping!
How to Make Gluten Free Nacho Cheese Sauce
Start by melting butter in a small/medium-sized saucepan then sprinkle in gluten free flour (or AP flour if you don’t need to eat gluten free) and whisk while cooking for 1 minute. I use Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour. White rice flour could also work, though I do not recommend using almond flour or coconut flour.
Next, slowly pour in milk and a little chicken broth while whisking to create a smooth sauce. Switch to a spatula then cook while stirring for 3-4 minutes or until the liquid is nice and thick – you should be able to see the bottom of the pan for a split second after scraping the spatula across.
Next, TURN OFF THE HEAT then add freshly shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese in two batches, stirring until completely smooth before adding the next batch.
Lastly, add a little liquid from a jar of pickled jalapenos – plus some minced pickled jalapenos, if you like. This gives the sauce a little je ne sais quoi!
That’s all she wrote! Serve with plenty of tortilla chips and sliced fresh jalapeno, if you please. I hope you love this incredible, gluten free nacho cheese sauce – enjoy!
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