Easy Bechamel Sauce (Classic French White Sauce)

If there’s one sauce worth learning by heart, it’s this bechamel sauce. It’s just three ingredients — butter, flour, and milk — but once you can make a smooth, creamy bechamel, you’ve unlocked lasagna, gratins, mac and cheese, croque monsieur, and a dozen other dishes. I make it so often I could do it half asleep, and after a couple of tries, you will too.

Bechamel (pronounced besh-ah-MEL) is the French name for a basic white sauce. Don’t let that intimidate you — it comes together in one saucepan in about ten minutes, no special skills required beyond a whisk and a little patience.

What Is Bechamel Sauce?

Bechamel is a classic French white sauce made by whisking milk into a roux (a cooked paste of butter and flour). It’s one of the five “mother sauces” of French cuisine, which means it’s a foundation that many other sauces are built from. Add cheese and it becomes mornay; add onion and it becomes soubise. On its own, it’s the creamy layer in lasagna and the silky base of a good gratin.

Why You’ll Love This Bechamel Sauce

• Just 3 core ingredients — butter, flour, and milk.
• Ready in about 10 minutes with one saucepan.
• The building block for countless other dishes and sauces.
• Naturally vegetarian, and easy to make in big or small batches.
• Once you know the technique, you’ll never buy jarred white sauce again.

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground white or black pepper, to taste

How to Make Bechamel Sauce

1. Make the roux. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells lightly toasted but hasn’t browned.
2. Add the milk. Slowly whisk in the warmed milk, a little at a time, whisking out any lumps as you go. Warm milk added gradually is the secret to a smooth sauce.
3. Thicken. Continue cooking, whisking often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
4. Season and serve. Stir in the nutmeg, salt, and pepper. Use it right away while warm, or keep it covered until you need it.

Tips for the Best Bechamel

• Warm the milk first. Cold milk hitting a hot roux is the number one cause of lumps.
• Cook the roux for a full minute or two so the sauce doesn’t taste of raw flour, but don’t let it brown.
• Whisk constantly as the sauce thickens to keep it silky and even.
• For a thicker sauce (for lasagna), use a little more flour and butter; for a thinner pouring sauce, use less.

What to Use Bechamel Sauce For

• Layered into lasagna or moussaka
• As the base for a cheese sauce or homemade mac and cheese
• Poured over vegetable gratins
• In a croque monsieur
• As the starting point for other sauces, like mornay

Speaking of which — stir in some Gruyere and Parmesan and this becomes my classic mornay sauce. It’s also the base I use for the sauce in my baked mac and cheese, if you want to see it in action.

Storage

Store bechamel in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. It thickens considerably as it cools, so reheat it gently over low heat, whisking in a splash of warm milk to bring it back to a smooth, pourable consistency. Press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface before storing to stop a skin from forming.

Easy Bechamel Sauce (Classic French White Sauce)

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• Author: Sarah
• Total Time: 10 minutes
• Yield: 2 cups 1x
• Diet: Vegetarian

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Description

A smooth, creamy bechamel sauce made with butter, flour, and milk. This classic French white sauce comes together in about ten minutes and is the perfect base for lasagna, gratins, mac and cheese, croque monsieur, and more.

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Ingredients

Scale 1x2x3x

• 3 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
• 2 cups whole milk, warmed
• 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg
• 1/2 teaspoon salt, plus more to taste
• Freshly ground white or black pepper, to taste

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Instructions

1. Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
2. Whisk in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells lightly toasted but hasn’t browned.
3. Slowly whisk in the warmed milk, a little at a time, whisking out any lumps as you go.
4. Continue cooking, whisking often, until the sauce thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes.
5. Stir in the nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
6. Use the bechamel right away while warm, or keep it covered until you need it.

Notes

Warm the milk before adding it to the roux to help keep the sauce smooth and lump-free. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days and reheat gently with a splash of warm milk.

• Prep Time: 5 minutes
• Cook Time: 5 minutes
• Category: Sauce
• Method: Stovetop
• Cuisine: French

Nutrition

• Serving Size: 1/4 cup
• Calories: 130
• Sugar: 3g
• Sodium: 170mg
• Fat: 9g
• Saturated Fat: 5g
• Unsaturated Fat: 3g
• Trans Fat: 0g
• Carbohydrates: 9g
• Fiber: 0g
• Protein: 3g
• Cholesterol: 25mg

Keywords: bechamel sauce, white sauce, French sauce, bechamel, homemade sauce, mother sauce

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