By Anadi Misra · Updated · originally published
By Anadi Misra · Updated · originally published
By Anadi Misra · Updated · originally published
About this recipe
Make a silky, classic Béchamel sauce from scratch with this foolproof white sauce recipe. Rich, creamy, and ready in minutes — a must-have French mother sauce for endless dishes.
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A classic bechamel sauce was probably the first sauce that I ever learned in our family kitchen when my mom was making us her classic white sauce pasta. White sauce was also served with mushrooms on toast, which is now one of my favorite breakfasts!
In simple terms, this is a really versatile, intentionally bland sauce that can be adapted to make innumerable other sauces, just like the other classic French mother sauces. As a quick lesson, the other mother sauces include:
The key trick to remember to get a perfectly smooth sauce is to use ice cold milk to the roux, which is the flour and butter that is lightly sautéed. It is very simple and something you probably have already prepared without knowing it was béchamel.
I use this recipe in my Ultimate Classic Mac and Cheese and my Creamy Lobster Mac and Cheese. Béchamel is also popular in a classic Bolognese lasagne (recipe coming soon).
Heat a pan on medium heat and add butter.
Once the butter melts, mix in the flour and whisk for 2-3 mins until the rawness of the flour is cooked out. The roux will begin to smell nutty, which is a good indicator.
Pour in your milk, little bit at a time while whisking to work out any lumps.
Once all your milk is mixed in, wait until your sauce starts to come up to a simmer.
As soon as the sauce comes to a simmer, it will begin to thicken. Once the béchamel is thick enough to evenly coat the back of a spoon, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
And that’s it! Now use it in your favorite pastas, casseroles, or creamy soups! Enjoy!
Béchamel is the classic French white sauce — one of the 'mother sauces' — made by cooking butter and flour into a roux, then whisking in milk until smooth and thick. It's the creamy base for so many dishes.
Cook the flour into the melted butter for 2 to 3 minutes until it smells nutty, then add cold milk a little at a time, whisking constantly to work out lumps before adding more. Cold milk into a hot roux is the trick.
A pinch of ground nutmeg is the traditional seasoning for béchamel. You won't taste it directly, but it rounds out and quietly deepens the flavor of the white sauce.
It's endlessly useful — the base for macaroni and cheese (just melt in cheese to make a Mornay), lasagna, gratins, creamy vegetable bakes and white-sauce pastas.
Let me know what you think of this recipe in the comments! If you’ve tried this recipe, be sure to post it on social media and tag it with #cookingwithanadi and mention me @cooking.with.anadi. Thank you!
Recipe by Anadi Misra
Make a silky, classic Béchamel sauce from scratch with this foolproof white sauce recipe. Rich, creamy, and ready in minutes — a must-have French mother sauce for endless dishes.
Stovetop
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1 min
Prep
5 min
Cook
6 min
Total
3
servings
makes 1½ cups
medium
Level
Tap any quantity to scale
Heat a pan on medium heat and add butter. Once the butter melts, mix in the flour and whisk for 2-3 minutes until the raw flavor of the flour is cooked out. The roux will begin to smell nutty, which is a good indicator
Heat a pan on medium heat and add butter. Once the butter melts, mix in the flour and whisk for 2-3 minutes until the raw flavor of the flour is cooked out. The roux will begin to smell nutty, which is a good indicator
Pour in your milk, little bit at a time while whisking to work out any lumps. Once all your milk is mixed in, wait until your sauce starts to come up to a simmer.
Pour in your milk, little bit at a time while whisking to work out any lumps. Once all your milk is mixed in, wait until your sauce starts to come up to a simmer.
As soon as the sauce comes to a simmer, it will begin to thicken. Once the béchamel is thick enough to evenly coat the back of a spoon, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
As soon as the sauce comes to a simmer, it will begin to thicken. Once the béchamel is thick enough to evenly coat the back of a spoon, season with nutmeg, salt and pepper.
154
Calories
5g
Protein
11g
Carbs
10g
Fat
0g
Fiber
6g
Sugar
880mg
Sodium
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