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Béchamel sauce is key to making the most creamy and delicious casseroles, pastries, and pasta sauces! I’ll show you How to Make Béchamel Sauce quickly and easily so you can use it in all your favorite recipes that will take them from good to show-stopping!
Béchamel Sauce Recipe Ingredients
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk
- Sea salt to taste
Béchamel is a simple sauce made using a roux. You will only need butter, flour, milk, and a little salt. A roux is a start to every bechamel sauce, learn more about How to Make a Roux and use it as a thickener in all kinds of recipes!
For more sauces using a roux, try Espagnole Sauce!
How to Make Béchamel Sauce
- Melt butter over medium heat.
- Sprinkle flour over the melted butter and cook down for a few minutes. It will clump and thicken together. Stir frequently. You don’t want it to brown – you want a light roux!
- Reduce heat to low, then slowly add in the milk. Whisk well and continue to whisk occasionally as the sauce begins to thicken for about 20 minutes. Note: It is very important that you turn down the heat for this step and add the milk slowly. You do not want your milk to curdle and want to make sure there are no lumps! You always want a smooth consistency.
- Sprinkle with salt and pepper to taste, and your sauce is ready!
Bechamel Recipe Tips
- Warm the milk before adding it to the roux! Place it in the microwave for just a few minutes, stir it, then slowly add it to the flour and butter. The sauce will thicken faster using warm milk, and prevent it from splashing as much when you add it to the hot pan. Make sure to turn down the heat when adding your milk, and pour the milk in SLOWLY! If you add it in too quickly or over too high of a heat, it will curdle.
- Don’t let your roux brown too much before adding the milk. You want a light roux so you have a light, creamy sauce. If the roux is too dark, you’ll have too thick of a sauce.
- When the roux is ready for you to add the milk, it will have a slightly nutty smell. You’ll know the flour has cooked enough at this point, so you won’t have a pasty taste.
- You’ll know your béchamel has thickened enough when it clings to the whisk or the back of your spoon. You want a nice thick sauce!
- You can place a piece of cling wrap or wax paper directly on top of the sauce in the container to prevent it from forming a film.
What is béchamel sauce?
Béchamel is one of the French mother sauces recipes. It’s a classic sauce base made using a white roux (butter and flour cooked together) and milk. In the U.S., you might hear people refer to it simply as white sauce.
It’s easy to learn how to make béchamel, but there are a few key steps to making it a perfectly creamy, smooth sauce you’ll want to add to just about everything.
What does béchamel sauce taste like?
On its own, béchamel is simply a creamy, buttery sauce with a very light flavor. Where it really shines is as a base for other sauce recipes, like White Cheese Sauce, or in a dish like Instant Pot Lasagna.
It lends the perfect texture to creamy dishes and makes the most amazing thick sauces to use with pasta, pastry fillings, and more.
What is the ratio for béchamel?
The ratio for béchamel is 1 to 1. For example, use 2 tablespoons of butter with 2 tablespoons of flour and 2 cups of milk.
Recipe for Bechamel Sauce for Lasagna
The most amazing lasagna recipes often feature bechamel sauce. Trust me, this is a must-try for the creamiest lasagna sauce. My favorite lasagna recipe is my Instant Pot Lasagna. You seriously need to try it!
Bechamel Sauce FAQs
I prefer a light sauce, so we use 2 cups of milk. But, you can also thicken the sauce further by using less milk.
A roux is the base of every béchamel sauce: a mixture of butter and flour, cooked down. What separates this white sauce recipe from a roux is the use of milk.
How to Store Freeze & Reheat Béchamel
How to Store Béchamel
Stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator, this easy sauce recipe will last about 5 days. You can place a piece of cling wrap or wax paper directly on top of the sauce in the container to prevent it from forming a film.
How to Freeze Béchamel
You can freeze white sauce by storing it in a freezer-safe container or freezer bags. Label with the date, then store for up to 3 months. I like to portion my white sauce out before freezing so I can always grab exactly what I need from the freezer.
How to Reheat Béchamel
Gently reheat refrigerated white sauce by heating it over low on the stovetop. You can reheat frozen bechamel the same way. Even if it looks separated and grainy, it will warm up perfectly on low heat while stirring constantly.
Bechamel Sauce Recipes Uses
📋 Recipe
Béchamel Sauce Recipe
Equipment
- Whisk or spoon
See our Cooking Conversions Chart for help converting measurements!
Instructions
- Melt butter over medium heat.
- Once butter melts, sprinkle flour over the butter and cook for 3-5 minutes until a roux forms. You want a light roux, so don't let it brown. It should have a nutty smell. See How to Make a Roux for an in-depth guide.
- Reduce the heat to low – this is important, don't skip this! – and slowly add in your milk. Whisk well.
- Whisk occasionally as your sauce thickens. When it's ready, it will be thick enough to cling to your whisk or the back of your spoon. This should take about 20 minutes.Sprinkle with salt to taste, and your sauce is ready!
Video
Notes
- Make sure to turn down the heat when adding your milk, and pour the milk in SLOWLY! If you add it in too quickly or over too high of a heat, it will curdle.
- Don’t let your roux brown too much before adding the milk. You want a light roux so you have a light, creamy sauce. If the roux is too dark, you’ll have too thick of a sauce.
- When the roux is ready for you to add the milk, it will have a slightly nutty smell. You’ll know the flour has cooked enough at this point, so you won’t have a pasty taste.
- You’ll know your béchamel has thickened enough when it clings to the whisk or the back of your spoon. You want a nice and thick sauce!
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