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2 Comments Bechamel sauce is the basis of many different sauces, so I thought it was about time to share with you this easy basic recipe for this creamy sauce. Once you have mastered making a basic bechamel sauce, there is a world of sauce waiting for you!
I absolutely love bechamel sauce and I use it for so many different things. Most often I use it as the base for something else. It’s pretty versatile and once you’ve made it the first time and get the hang of the different steps, there is no end to what you can do with it. Make a delicious cheese sauce for instance (just add grated cheese and let it melt into the sauce) or add some spices or mustard for a totally different vibe.
Table of contents
Table of contents
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
You need just three simple ingredients to make this delicious creamy sauce. Bechamel is most often used for dishes like lasagna, but you can turn it into so many different sauces like curry sauce, mushroom sauce or a creamy gorgonzola sauce, for example. Just to name a few of the possibilities.
Making béchamel sauce
This white sauce recipe, a classic in the kitchen, was invented in the sixteenth century by chefs at the French court. Soon the recipe for this sauce became the basis of countless other creamy sauces, with all sorts of additional ingredients being added to a bechamel sauce. It’s definitely one of the most versatile sauces.
Today, you can buy the basis for béchamel sauce ready-made in sachets, but the tastiest thing is still to make this basic sauce yourself.
Recipe Ingredients
- butter – use unsalted butter for this recipe you can add salt at a later stage
- milk – if you want it extra creamy you can also use heavy cream instead or a mixture of both
- flour – the binding factor for making the sauce is regular all-purpose flour
Step 1: Melt the butter
First take a small sauce pan and melt the butter slowly. Don’t let it burn you don’t want a brown sauce. Just gently let it melt.
Step 2: Add flour
Once your butter is melted you add the flour. Use a wooden spoon to mix the flour into the butter. This should thicken quickly. You use the same amount of butter to flour ratio. In my case I used 50 grams butter (1.7 oz) and 50 grams of flour.
Step 3: White roux
Once you’ve added the flour and it is properly mixed as you see above you have a white roux. Keep stirring for a brief period so the flour cooks and becomes less raw. This enhances the flavor.
Step 4: Start adding the milk
Always use whole milk for this. It’s not that it’s impossible to make with skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, but for the tastiest end result (and a bechamel sauce is allowed to be nice and creamy) use whole milk. Or you could use heavy cream to make it even richer. Add the milk in stages. First add a splash and stir until it is combined and thickens again.
Step 5: Add more milk
You will get a feel for how much milk you should add. I like to do it in about 3 parts roughly but I let the sauce tell me when it needs more milk. If it becomes too thick you add a bit more milk and repeat the process.
Step 6: Add flavor
Now once all the milk is incorporated and you’ve let the sauce bubble for a bit it should be thick and creamy but still liquid enough to be called a sauce. At this point you add flavor. If you want to keep it plain you just add pepper and salt to your liking.
Add Variations
Now for making a bechamel sauce the ratio is in general 50 grams/1.7 oz of flour and butter to 500 ml of whole milk. (2 cups) Making the sauce thinner is easy by just adding a bit more milk. You can add cheese to the sauce and make a cheese sauce or add any kind of flavor you like.
What can you do with béchamel sauce?
As I mentioned above, it is the basis of many other sauces and can be used on a variety of dishes. But classic béchamel au naturel is also a delicious sauce to use. You can use it over vegetables, for example. My mother used to always make plain béchamel for over cauliflower. At the time I had no idea what it was but now you do! And now it has become one of my favorite recipes.
It’s also the basis for a nice creamy lasagna, Greek moussaka and many other casseroles and pasta dishes. This classic french mother sauce is also used on a croque monsieur and well, too many other dishes to count. And let’s not forget something easy like Mac & Cheese!
Can you store béchamel sauce?
Yes and no. If you store the béchamel in – for example – the refrigerator, it thickens and becomes a bit lumpy. If you want to use it again for something afterwards, you have to reheat it and probably also add extra milk to make it smooth again. It’s more convenient to incorporate it into a lasagna, for example, and then store it in the refrigerator. You can do that.
If you use the sauce for over vegetables, then it is more delicious to make the sauce fresh. And because it’s so quick and easy, that’s also not a whole lot more time than reheating it and making it smooth. If you made too much, you can freeze it. Make sure to use a freezer-safe container, and the best way to reheat is to do that in the microwave. Or let it thaw and rehydrate when needed.
FAQ Bechamel Sauce
If you have lumps in your béchamel sauce, then you probably didn’t stir well enough. At first I use a wooden spoon, but when there is more liquid in the pan I usually switch it to a whisk. After each addition of liquid, make sure you stir well so that any lumps are dissolved. You do not want a lumpy sauce. Also make sure to scrape along the bottom of the pot. Alternatively you can strain it through a sieve to remove any unwanted irregularities. You want a nice smooth sauce and a perfect texture.
If you’ve added too much liquid to your bechamel sauce, you can dissolve it again by adding some cornstarch to your sauce. Mix 1 tsp cornstarch with a little liquid to a smooth paste. Add this to your bechamel and stir until it thickens. If it is still too thin, repeat the process.
While I have not tried this myself yet, I definitely think you can make this sauce with a plant based butter (coconut oil or a margarine) and a plant based milk. The flavor will be different so make sure to adjust seasoning if needed.
I will be making a plant based version soon!
No, the sauce is the same. The name is just different but basically bechamel and white sauce are one and the same.
Pro Tip
If you want your bechamel sauce to be as smooth as possible, it helps to warm the milk in advance so it heats more gradually. You can also infuse the milk with aromatics like bay leaf or nutmeg before adding it to the sauce. This gives a subtle extra flavor and is still easy to do.
Bechamel sauce
How to make bechamel sauce
- Take a small saucepan and put it on low heat with the butter. Melt the butter and now add the flour.
- Fry the flour for a while (make sure it doesn’t burn!) so that the flour is cooked.
- Now add the milk little by little. If the mixture is still thick, use a wooden spoon to stir. If it becomes thinner you can switch to a whisk. This is easier to remove lumps.
- Continue until all the milk is used up or the sauce has reached the desired thickness. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
Nutrition Information per portion:
Disclaimer:
The nutritional values above are calculated per portion. The details are based on standard nutritional tables and do not constitute a professional nutritional advice.
I’m trying tonight, will let you know tomorrow
Making lasagna
Cheers
Enjoy!