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    Home » Recipes » Butter Sauces

    Easy Bechamel Sauce

    Published: May 28, 2023 Modified: May 28, 2023 by Isabel Laessig

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    My easy Bechamel 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. Armed with this recipe for bechamel sauce, you can make so many more sauces and meals!

    bechamel sauce in a bowl next to pan of sauce
    Jump to:
    • What is bechamel sauce?
    • Bechamel Sauce
    • Bechamel Sauce Ingredients
    • How to Make Bechamel Sauce
    • Easy Bechamel Sauce Tips
    • How to Freeze Béchamel Sauce
    • Bechamel Sauce Recipe FAQs
    • What is the difference between béchamel and a roux?
    • How to Reheat Béchamel
    • How to Use Béchamel
    • Béchamel Cheese Sauce
    • Creamy Sauce Recipes
    • 📌 Pin it for later!
    • 📖 Recipe
    • 💬 Reviews

    What is bechamel sauce?

    Bechamel sauce is the combination of a roux (flour and butter cooked together to form a paste) and milk. It is a creamy white sauce typically used as a base for other sauces, such as cheese sauce.

    Bechamel Sauce

    One of my favorite sauce recipes to make is easier than you might think: it's bechamel! This simple white sauce recipe comes together quickly and uses simple ingredients you most likely already have on hand.

    Mastering how to make bechamel will change your kitchen game completely! This sauce, also known as "white sauce", is one of the five French "mother sauces" that acts as a starting base for other, more complex sauces.

    Add a little cheese, for example, and you have a cheese sauce you can use for macaroni or lasagna, or just as a dip for your favorite foods! But, bechamel is really delicious on its own, too. It has a delicate, creamy flavor that's easy to love!

    I love using this easy bechamel sauce to make a silky, cheesy, and buttery Mornay sauce for macaroni and cheese, as a cheese sauce for lasagna, or even using it to make a savory mustard sauce for pork and chicken. The possibilities are endless!

    lasagna using bechamel sauce on a plate and in a dish

    Bechamel Sauce Ingredients

    • Butter
    • Flour
    • Milk
    • Sea salt
    bechamel sauce ingredients

    How to Make Bechamel Sauce

    1. Melt butter in a skillet over medium heat. butter melting in a skillet
    2. Once the butter melts, sprinkle flour over the butter. Cook for 3-5 minutes to form a paste-like consistency (this is your roux). roux in a skillet
    3. 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.adding milk to roux in a skillet
    4. 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.bechamel sauce in a skillet

    Easy Bechamel Sauce 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. For more info on cooking a roux, see How to Make a Roux Sauce.
    • 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.

    How to Freeze Béchamel Sauce

    Bechamel sauce, although it contains dairy, can be frozen for up to 3 months in an airtight freezer-safe container. Let it cool first, then add it to a container or freezer-safe bag labeled with the date.

    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! I love freezing it in cup-sized servings so I can easily defrost one at a time for any sauce I'm making.

    bechamel sauce in pan and bowl

    Bechamel Sauce Recipe FAQs

    What does béchamel sauce taste like?

    By itself, béchamel is a silky cream sauce with a buttery flavor. As a traditional white sauce, it takes on the flavors of whatever is added to it, including cheese, spices, and herbs.

    How thick should a béchamel sauce be?

    The consistency of béchamel depends on how much milk is added, and you should vary the thickness based on what the sauce 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.

    What type of milk is best for a béchamel sauce?

    Traditionally, béchamel sauce recipes are made using whole milk, but other kinds of milk can be used. The milk used in a béchamel adds fat content, so keep that in mind when choosing what to add. For example, 2% milk will create a less rich and thinner sauce than heavy cream.

    How long does béchamel last?

    Béchamel lasts in an airtight, sealed container for up to 5 days in the refrigerator.

    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 Reheat Béchamel

    To reheat, pour leftover béchamel sauce into a medium saucepan and heat over low. Or, you can place the 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.

    How to Reheat Frozen Bechamel Sauce

    1. 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.
    2. Gently reheat in a medium saucepan over low heat.
    creamy bechamel sauce in a bowl

    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 cheeses for a velvety sauce perfect for fondue, dipping sauce, or sandwich spread. I like to add creamy blue cheese for a decadent, creamy steak sauce!
    • Pasta: Béchamel makes a perfect addition to lasagna, in macaroni and cheese, and even acts as the perfect base for a homemade alfredo sauce! It perfectly coats pasta, making every bite delicious.
    • As a filling: Homemade chicken pot pie begins with the perfect béchamel cream sauce. Or, add to any of your favorite casseroles. It is delicious in vegetable bakes, stroganoffs, or as a base for gumbos and chowders!
    • Put it on top: Use it to start off a perfect sausage gravy for biscuits, or white sauce served right over top of salmon, pork loin, or chicken!
    bechamel sauce used for scalloped potatoes in a baking dish
    Scalloped potatoes with a bechamel cheese sauce

    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 use in so many recipes! For each variation, make the béchamel according to the 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 of 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.
    bechamel cheese sauce in a pan
    Cheese sauce for mac and cheese using a bechamel base

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    📖 Recipe

    bechamel sauce in bowl and pan

    Easy Béchamel Sauce

    Isabel Laessig
    Learn how to make Béchamel sauce using 4 simple ingredients in just a few easy steps! Béchamel sauce makes a perfect cream sauce for pasta, casseroles, gravy, and more.
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe
    Cook Time 25 minutes mins
    Total Time 25 minutes mins
    Course Sauce
    Cuisine French
    Servings 1 cup or so
    Calories 617 kcal

    Equipment

    • 1 non-stick pan
    • 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.
      2 Tablespoons butter, 2 Tablespoons flour
      butter melting in a skillet
    • 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.
      roux in a skillet
    • Reduce the heat to low. Slowly and gradually add in milk while whisking. Whisk now and then as the sauce begins to thicken.
      2 cups milk, sea salt to taste
      adding milk to roux in a skillet
    • 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.
      bechamel sauce in a skillet

    Video

    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.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 617kcalCarbohydrates: 46gProtein: 19gFat: 40gSaturated Fat: 24gCholesterol: 112mgSodium: 214mgPotassium: 644mgFiber: 1gSugar: 25gVitamin A: 1529IUCalcium: 551mgIron: 1mg
    Keyword bechamel, bechamel sauce, bechamel sauce recipe, easy bechamel sauce
    Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
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    About Isabel Laessig

    Isabel Laessig, better known as Family Foodie and the founder of the Sunday Supper Movement, is passionate about food and family! She is the author of the Boujee Steak Cookbook, and hosts Family Foodie Friday on WTSP's Great Day Tampa Bay along with other television appearances to spread her mission of bringing Sunday Supper back around the family table in every home.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Leslie Mcdowell says

      December 04, 2022 at 6:30 pm

      5 stars
      I have been making this for years instead of buying cream soups that have too much salt. Makes any recipe that calls for sauce base so much better and healthier. With cream soups $1.50 a can you can make this for the cost of 2T. margarine, 2 T. flour, 2 c. milk less than $1.

      Reply
      • em says

        December 08, 2022 at 2:45 pm

        Leslie, thank you for your comment! It really is the best. So handy and tastes amazing!

        Reply

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