Béchamel White Sauce
A béchamel, or basic white sauce, is a multi-purpose sauce that can be used for many different dishes, including casseroles, salads, and cheese sauces for pastas.
Bechamel is a white sauce flavored with onions, herbs, and spices. In fact, it is an essential cooking skill for French mother sauces taught in French culinary schools.
In French cooking, it is mainly used to make a variety of dishes, such as macaroni and cheese, gratins, and soufflés. But, most importantly, it is the classic sauce for making a variety of other sauces in French cuisine.
In fact, if you’ve ever made a roux, then you have probably made a version of this sauce already. Ever made mac & cheese?
Why make this sauce?
- It sounds fancy, but it has many wonderful and multiple ways to use it.
- It is very simple and easy to make, yet very impressive to serve.
- And, it can be used with almost anything from simple steamed vegetables to grilled chicken, roast beef, lamb, or pork.
- Also, the list of ingredients is very minimum and all are pantry staples.
- You can save leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week.
Ingredients and substitutes
- Fat – I like to use a combination of olive oil and butter. The oil prevents the butter from burning and the milk from curdling.
- Flour – I use simple all-purpose flour to thicken this sauce. Cornstarch does not work the same way in this recipe.
- Liquid – Today, I am using full-fat dairy milk with at least 3% fat. You can also use half-and-half or half milk with half cream.
Similarly, you can also make a variation of this sauce with broth, such as beef broth for making a brown sauce and chicken/turkey/fish broth for making a velouté sauce. - Flavorings – Some like to sauté onions in the butter, but I prefer a smooth sauce. So, I prefer just a little nutmeg, garlic powder, and a seasoning of salt and pepper.
- Optional ingredients – When using this sauce to serve over steamed, boiled, or roasted veggies, I like to add a tablespoon of Parmesan cheese for flavor.
Step-by-step: Bechamel white sauce recipe
- Flour – In a saucepan, over medium-low heat, add the oil and butter. Then, add the flour and cook for at least two minutes on medium-low heat.
Pro tip – The mixture will be bubbling, so keep the heat to medium to low.
- Milk – Start adding the milk gradually, about 1/4 cup at a time, cooking the sauce in between to thicken. This will cook out the taste of flour.
Pro tip – Adding milk gradually will prevent lumps. - Seasoning – Add the nutmeg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper, and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning.
Pro tip – I like to add the garlic powder at the end to prevent it from becoming too strong.
- Consistency – If the sauce is too thick, add more milk. Then, remove from heat and pour into a bowl or jar.
Pro tip – The sauce will thicken as it cools. And, removing it from the hot pan will stop it from cooking.
Tips for Success
- Keep the heat to medium or low to prevent burning.
- You can omit the oil, but use low heat to prevent burning or browning.
- Use warm or hot milk to prevent lumps.
- And, use a whisk to prevent lumps.
- Add the milk gradually and continue to cook the sauce in between additions. This helps cook the flour and prevents the starchy taste.
Frequently asked questions
How long can you keep the bechamel white sauce?
Leftovers can be kept in the fridge for up to a week. You can even freeze the white sauce for up to months!
Can I make bechamel sauce in advance?
The best time to use bechamel is as soon as it is made. That said, you can make this sauce up to 3 days in advance. To reheat, add a little more liquid to the recipe and use a whisk to make it smooth.
How to use white sauce?
It can be used over steamed, boiled, or roasted vegetables. Try it over grilled chicken, roast beef, lamb chop, or pork chops. Serve it alongside glazed ham slices. Of course, it is also used as a base for other sauce variations I mentioned above, from simple cheese sauce to sausage and mushroom gravy.
Béchamel White Sauce
A bechamel, or basic white sauce, is a multi-purpose sauce that can be used for many different dishes, including casseroles, salads, and cheese sauces for pastas.
Video
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp Olive oil
- 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter
- 4 tbsp (30 g) Flour
- 2 cups (473 ml) Whole milk or half and half
- ¼ tsp Nutmeg
- ¼ tsp Garlic powder
- ¼ tsp Kosher salt
- ¼ tsp White pepper
Method
- Flour – In a saucepan, over medium-low heat, add the oil and butter. Then, add the flour and cook for at least two minutes on medium-low heat. Pro tip – The mixture will be bubbling so keep the heat to medium to low.1 tbsp Olive oil , 2 tbsp Unsalted Butter , 4 tbsp Flour
- Milk – Start adding the milk gradually, about 1/4 cup at a time, cooking the sauce in between to thicken. This will cook out the taste of flour. Pro tip – Adding milk gradually will prevent lumps.2 cups Whole milk
- Seasoning – Add the nutmeg, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and stir well. Taste and adjust seasoning. Pro tip – I like to add the garlic powder at the end to prevent it from becoming too strong.¼ tsp Nutmeg, ¼ tsp Garlic powder, ¼ tsp Kosher salt, ¼ tsp White pepper
- Consistency – If the sauce is too thick, add more milk. Remove from heat and pour into a bowl or jar. Pro tip – The sauce will thicken as it cools. And, removing it from the hot pan will stop it from cooking.
Notes
- Keep the heat to medium or low to prevent burning.
- You can omit the oil but use low heat to prevent burning or browning.
- Use warm or hot milk to prevent lumps.
- And, use a whisk to prevent lumps.
- Add the milk gradually and continue to cook the sauce in between additions. This helps cook the flour and prevents the taste of starch.
Variations
- Mustard sauce – Add 1 teaspoon up to 1 tablespoon of mustard paste to the sauce.
- Cheese sauce – Add 1 cup of mixed cheese such as shredded cheddar cheese, mozzarella cheese and Swiss cheese to the sauce
- Curry sauce – Add 1 teaspoon of curry powder and ½ teaspoon of ground ginger to the sauce
- Mornay sauce – is made with half milk, half broth, ½ cup shredded Swiss cheese, and a generous sprinkle of nutmeg.
- Brown sauce – Use beef broth instead of the 2 cups of milk in this recipe, omit the nutmeg
- Veloute sauce – Use chicken or turkey broth instead of the milk and omit the nutmeg
- Brown butter sauce – Use only butter and brown the butter before you add the flour.
This is such a versatile sauce!! So easy to make thanks to your amazing instructions. Thanks so much for making it so easy for us to make!
Such an awesome sauce recipe, it looks so delicious and yummy! Perfect to pair with any of our fried dish that needs a dip. Love the creamy texture too!
This sauce was just perfect – the right amount of nutmeg and a beautiful flavor! It’s my new go-to for dinner party lasagna 😉 Thanks!
Great recipe! I made it yesterday for dinner and everyone loved this sauce! Was very easy to make and goof flavors.
Thank you for the lovely feedback, Veronika
Bechamel is one of my favorites…it’s so comforting and really transforms a dish. Yours looks perfect!
This bechamel sauce is so simple, easy and perfect to go along with so many different dishes. I love your step by step instructions-it was so helpful to me.
Thank you, Kathryn
Well, let me just put it this way: this is one of those sauces that you have got to learn how to make. Fantastic recipe!
I am new to this sauce. It sounds very delicious and versatile for a lot of dishes! My kind of sauce 😉 Thanks for the recipe share!
This took me back to my days in culinary school learning about the mother sauces. Béchamel was my favorite because it was so easy to make and could transformed into so many other sauces.
I remember the first time I realized that I was making bechamel every time I made mac and cheese. I thought I was pretty smart lol. It is a very easy and extremely useful recipe to know. You have included great tips and tricks to make a perfect bechamel.