Easy Sauce Recipes is an Amazon Associate and may receive compensation for purchases made through affiliate links.
My recipe for Béchamel Sauce uses just 4 ingredients and is ready in 10 minutes! This classic French white sauce recipe makes the creamiest sauces, perfect for pasta, savory pie fillings, casseroles, and so much more. You will wow everyone with this easy béchamel sauce recipe!
Jump to:
- Best Béchamel Sauce
- FAQs about Béchamel
- Béchamel Sauce Ingredients
- How to Make Béchamel Sauce
- Recipe Tips
- What is the difference between béchamel and a roux?
- How to Freeze Béchamel Sauce
- How to Reheat Béchamel
- Béchamel Cheese Sauce
- How to Use Béchamel
- More Easy Sauce Recipes
- 📌 Pin it for later!
- 📖 Recipe
Best Béchamel Sauce
Making the perfect béchamel sauce is easier than it sounds, and mastering how to make béchamel will change your kitchen game completely!
Béchamel sauce, also referred to as white sauce, is one of the five French "Mother Sauces" that acts as a starting sauce or base for all other sauces you can make.
Adding a béchamel sauce to a dish is the best way to elevate a standard recipe into an elegant affair, or even better, as a quick sauce to add the perfect touch to a main course!
I love using a béchamel sauce to make a silky, cheesy, and buttery Mornay sauce for macaroni and cheese, as a cheese sauce for lasagna, or a savory mustard sauce for pork and chicken. The possibilities are endless!
FAQs about Béchamel
A traditional béchamel sauce is made using a white roux with added warm milk. The ingredients include flour, butter, salt, and milk.
By itself, béchamel is a silky cream sauce with a buttery flavor. As a traditional white sauce, béchamel takes on the flavors of whatever is added to it, including cheese, spices, and herbs.
The consistency of béchamel depends on how much milk is added, and you should vary the thickness based on what the béchamel is being used for. If the sauce seems too thick for your recipe, simply add more milk. If you need the consistency thicker, cook the sauce for longer to thicken it up.
The type of milk used in a béchamel adds a varying fat content. For instance, 2% milk will create a less rich and thinner sauce than heavy cream. Traditionally, béchamel is made using whole milk.
Béchamel lasts in an airtight, sealed container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.
Béchamel Sauce Ingredients
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk
- Sea salt
How to Make Béchamel Sauce
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat.
- Once the butter melts, sprinkle flour over the butter. Cook for 3-5 minutes to form a paste-like consistency (this is your roux). It is ready when it has a slight nutty smell but is still pale in color. Reduce the heat to low. Slowly and gradually add in milk while whisking.
- Whisk now and then as the sauce begins to thicken. When the sauce is ready, it will be thick enough to cling to the back of a spoon or your whisk, about 20 minutes. You can continue to thicken it by cooking it further, if desired.
- Sprinkle with sea salt to taste, and your béchamel sauce is done.
Recipe Tips
- When adding the milk to the roux, be sure to turn down the heat and add your milk slowly! The milk may curdle if it is added too quickly.
- When a roux is finished, it should have a slightly nutty smell. This means the flour has cooked through and the butter has slightly browned.
- Don't let your roux brown too much. For a béchamel you want a "light" or white roux, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Béchamel sauce is finished when it perfectly clings to the back of a spoon or whisk. This ensures a nice, thick sauce ready to use!
- Warm the milk before adding it to the roux. This makes it easier to incorporate all the ingredients. I like to do this gently over low heat on the stove or in the microwave.
What is the difference between béchamel and a roux?
A roux is required to make a béchamel, as it is simply equal parts flour and butter cooked together to create a paste-like consistency acting as the base of the sauce.
A béchamel is what is made when warm milk is added to a white roux to make it have a creamier consistency, forming it into a white sauce.
Learn more about making a roux here: How to Make a Roux
How to Freeze Béchamel Sauce
Béchamel sauce can be frozen, making it super convenient for dinner ideas in a pinch. Follow these instructions to freeze:
- Once the béchamel sauce has cooled completely, transfer to a freezer bag or airtight container.
- Label and date the outside of the container.
- Freeze for up to 3 months.
Tip: Portion out the béchamel in smaller quantities to freeze it. This is perfect for individual portions or for using only what you need. Plus, it will thaw more quickly!
How to Reheat Béchamel
To reheat, pour leftover béchamel sauce into a medium saucepan and heat over low.
Or, you can place the béchamel sauce in a microwave safe container and reheat on high using 10 second intervals until heated through.
If the béchamel is stringy while reheating, turn down the heat and whisk vigorously! Low heat is best for this type of sauce.
If béchamel is frozen:
- Remove béchamel from the freezer and gently thaw overnight in the refrigerator. If you do not have time to thaw overnight, make a water bath using a large bowl and lukewarm water. Place the container of béchamel in the bowl.
- Gently reheat in a medium saucepan over low heat.
Béchamel Cheese Sauce
One of my favorite ways to make béchamel is to turn it into a cheese sauce. Seriously, this is the silkiest, creamiest, and absolute best way to make a quick and easy cheese sauce for using in so many recipes! For each variation, make the béchamel according to recipe instructions, then follow these guides:
- For Mac and Cheese: Add 1 cup shredded sharp cheddar cheese, 1 cup smoked gouda, ½ cup parmesan, and ½ cup gruyere to the béchamel sauce, then add to cooked macaroni. Bake together with a crunchy breadcrumb topping for a gorgeous creamy mac and cheese!
- Beer Cheese Sauce: Add 1 teaspoon onion powder, 1 teaspoon garlic powder, 1 teaspoon cayenne powder, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce to the sauce. Stir in two-thirds of a cup beer (I recommend using a lager). Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Mornay Sauce: Mix 2 ounces grated parmesan cheese, 2 ounces gruyere cheese, 1 teaspoon Dijon mustard, and a pinch of grated nutmeg into the sauce. Add in 2 bay leaves and allow the sauce to simmer for 15 minutes. Discard bay leaves before serving.
How to Use Béchamel
Béchamel sauce has a variety of uses - everything from a creamy cheese sauce to a fabulous addition to lasagna. Here are a few ideas!
- As a cheese sauce: Add any of your favorite cheese to a béchamel for a velvety sauce perfect for fondue, dipping sauce, or sandwich spread. I like to add creamy blue cheese to a béchamel for a decadent, creamy steak sauce!
- Pasta: Béchamel makes a perfect addition to a lasagna, in macaroni and cheese, and even acts as the perfect base for a homemade alfredo sauce! Béchamel perfectly coats pasta, making every bite perfectly delicious.
- As a filling: Homemade chicken pot pie begins with the perfect béchamel cream sauce. Or, add to any of your favorite casseroles. Béchamel is perfect for vegetable bakes, stroganoffs, or as a base for gumbos and chowders!
- Put it on top: Béchamel can start off a perfect sausage gravy for biscuits, or white sauce served right over top of salmon, pork loin, or chicken!
More Easy Sauce Recipes
📌 Pin it for later!
Did you enjoy this page? Save it on Pinterest for later!📖 Recipe
Creamy Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce)
Equipment
- 1 whisk or spoon
Ingredients
- 2 Tablespoons butter
- 2 Tablespoons flour
- 2 cups milk
- sea salt to taste
Instructions
- Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. Once the butter melts, sprinkle flour over the butter. Cook for 3-5 minutes to form a paste-like consistency (this is your roux). It is ready when it has a slight nutty smell but is still pale in color.2 Tablespoons butter, 2 Tablespoons flour
- Reduce the heat to low. Slowly and gradually add in milk while whisking. Whisk now and then as the sauce begins to thicken. When the sauce is ready, it will be thick enough to cling to the back of a spoon or your whisk, about 20 minutes. You can continue to thicken it by cooking it further, if desired. Sprinkle with sea salt to taste, and your béchamel sauce is done.2 cups milk, sea salt to taste
Notes
- When adding the milk to the roux, be sure to turn down the heat and add your milk slowly! The milk may curdle if it is added too quickly.
- When a roux is finished, it should have a slightly nutty smell. This means the flour has cooked through and the butter has slightly browned.
- Don't let your roux brown too much. For a béchamel you want a "light" or white roux, which should take about 5 minutes.
- Béchamel sauce is finished when it perfectly clings to the back of a spoon or whisk. This ensures a nice, thick sauce ready to use!
- Warm the milk before adding it to the roux. This makes it easier to incorporate all the ingredients. I like to do this gently over low heat on the stove or in the microwave.
Leave a Reply