• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Simply Delicious

  • Home
  • Recipes
    • Quick and Easy
    • Dinner Recipes
    • Lunch
    • Chicken Recipes
    • Meat
    • Baking Recipes
    • Dessert Recipes
    • Vegetarian
    • Gluten Free
  • Videos
  • In My Pantry
  • Contact
  • About
    • Privacy Policy

Home » Recipes » Learn the basics » How to make Béchamel sauce

How to make Béchamel sauce

March 5, 2021 by Alida Ryder 30 Comments

Pin
Share
Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

Making a classic Béchamel or Cheese sauce is a skill every home cook should have. It’s easy to make and one of the most versatile sauces to cook with.

Bechamel sauce

What is Béchamel sauce?

Béchamel sauce is a simple sauce made with a roux (butter and flour) and milk. Often flavored with mustard or nutmeg, it’s popular in many cuisines and is an excellent sauce to have in your repertoire.

Ingredients

Full recipe and amounts can be found in the recipe card below.

  • Butter.
  • Flour.
  • Milk. Full fat/Whole milk. Half and half can also be used.
  • Cayenne pepper.
  • Mustard. Mustard powder or Dijon mustard.
  • Nutmeg.
  • Salt and pepper.
  • Optional: Cheese, if you want to turn the Béchamel into a Mornay sauce.

Bechamel sauce

How to make Béchamel sauce

  1. Make the roux: Melt the butter in a saucepan. Whisk in the flour then cook for 1-2 minutes until the roux turns a very light golden brown.
  2. Cook the sauce: Whisk in the milk, a little at a time, until the sauce is smooth and the milk has been incorporated. Reduce the heat and allow to simmer gently, stirring regularly, until the sauce is smooth and thick. Add the spices and cheese (if using) and stir in. Season to taste.

Is Velouté sauce the same as Béchamel?

Velouté is made with roux and stock or broth. The sauce is lighter, both in color and richness, than Béchamel.

Tips for making the best Béchamel sauce

  1. Always use enough butter as this coats the flour and helps to prevent lumps from forming. However, using too much as the fat can cause the sauce to split. If this happens just make a slurry of milk and flour and whisk in to the sauce and continue cooking until smooth.
  2. Using warm milk will prevent lumps from forming, resulting in a silky smooth sauce.
  3. Keep your whisk close at all times. Using a wooden spoon is fine (mostly when the cheese has been added), but a whisk makes light work of lumps and ensures the spices are distributed evenly. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the bottom of the pot to make sure everything is well incorporated. And if you’ll be turning your Béchamel sauce into a cheese sauce,  remove the pot from the heat and stir the cheese in. If the sauce boils once the cheese has been added the cheese will split and your sauce will be grainy.
  4. What happens if my sauce is still lumpy? If you are still left with lumpy sauce after whisking, go in with a stick blender or transfer the sauce to a normal blender and blend away. We all have mishaps in the kitchen and what’s the point in having fancy gadgets if we don’t use them? No-one will know your sauce didn’t start off as smooth as silk. I promise!

Easy sauce recipes

  1. Creamy mushroom sauce
  2. Easy creamy pepper sauce
  3. Easy roasted tomato sauce
Béchamel sauce

How to make Béchamel sauce

Making a classic Béchamel sauce is a skill every home cook should have. It's easy to make and one of the most versatile sauces to cook with.
4.38 from 89 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Sauce
Cuisine: French
Keyword: Béchamel sauce, Easy sauce recipe, white sauce
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Author: Alida Ryder

Ingredients

  • ½ cup butter cubed
  • ½ cup flour
  • 2-3 cups full cream/whole milk
  • pinch of cayenne pepper
  • ½ teaspoon mustard powder
  • ¼ teaspoon ground/grated nutmeg
  • salt & pepper to taste
  • 1-2 cups grated mature cheddar cheese

Instructions

  • Melt the butter in a saucepan and add the flour.
  • Whisk until smooth then slowly pour in the milk, a little at a time. (I always reserve approximately ½ cup milk. Some flours will absorb more/less liquid so you might not need all of it and sometimes after adding cheese I like to thin out the sauce just a little with the remaining milk.)
  • Whisk continuously until the sauce is thick then turn down the heat, add the spices and allow to simmer, stirring, until the sauce is thick and cooked through (this takes around 7-10 minutes on a gentle heat).
  • Once the sauce is cooked (the sauce will be completely smooth tasting with no flouriness) season to taste.
  • If making cheese sauce, remove the pot from the heat and stir in the cheese. Season to taste.

 

Pin
Share

Filed Under: Dinner Recipes, Learn the basics, Lunch, Quick and Easy, Recipes, Videos Tagged With: basic Béchamel sauce, basic cheese sauce, classic recipe, easy Béchamel sauce, easy cheese sauce, easy recipe, food video, French cooking, French recipe, How to make Béchamel sauce, How to make cheese sauce, learn the basics, mornay sauce, recipe video, sauce, vegetarian, Video

Subscribe

Previous Post: « Creamy Parmesan Lemon Chicken
Next Post: Lemon Rosemary Air fryer chicken thighs »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Lauren

    November 21, 2021 at 10:24 PM

    How many cups does this make?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 25, 2021 at 7:21 PM

      Approximately 8 cups.

      Reply
  2. Kristen Good

    November 1, 2021 at 10:37 PM

    This recipe was terrific. Surprisingly easy too. I used fresh broccoli and made it keto friendly. Definitely a dish to serve at casual and entertaining meals.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 25, 2021 at 7:32 PM

      So happy to hear that.

      Reply
  3. Deborah

    October 28, 2021 at 2:49 PM

    Hi, isn’t adding the cheese not make it a bechamel sauce anymore?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 25, 2021 at 7:40 PM

      Yup! As mentioned in the post, adding cheese turns it into a Mornay sauce.

      Reply
  4. Tania Delambert

    September 9, 2021 at 9:54 AM

    Loved it!

    Reply
  5. Jo Porter

    June 16, 2021 at 3:36 AM

    If you place your cold milk, cold butter, flour in sauce pan and whisk gently over a warm heat, the sauce comes together beautifully. No lumps and smooth as. So easy.

    Reply
  6. Joan Bunney

    March 7, 2021 at 12:21 AM

    My French grandfather (I’m 75) taught me to make bechamel decades ago. A young teen in the 50s, he taught me to make creamed codfish and new potatoes using bechamel.
    Using it as a lasagna layer along with crisp prosciutto also is divine.
    I like to fine-grate nutmeg pods to enhance this multifaceted sauce.
    Last but certainly not least, folding a small amount into
    scrambled eggs also works wonders.

    Reply
  7. Trench

    January 29, 2021 at 4:07 AM

    Muah! (chef kiss). Perfect! I just made the family “mac” (flaxseed penne) and cheese using this bechamel recipe & it was a big hit. I have needed to learn how to make this fundamental sauce for a while & it was your recipe that led me to the promised land! I didn’t split it, it was silky smooth and it is a new tool in my cooking toolbox.

    You have my gratitude!

    Reply
  8. Richard

    January 5, 2021 at 6:03 AM

    Delicious! Especially with the veggie pot pie recipe! My only suggestion would be to cut the nutmeg in half. My wife and I felt that it really took over the flavor. Could be personal preference but apart from that, it was fantastic!

    Reply
  9. Rosanna

    November 11, 2020 at 5:11 PM

    Can I jar this sauce and how long does it last

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 29, 2020 at 1:14 PM

      I wouldn’t recommend it.

      Reply
  10. John

    November 9, 2020 at 12:40 AM

    Great no changes needed

    Reply
  11. Shauna

    May 4, 2020 at 10:53 PM

    How many cups does this make? I’m trying to make the pot pie recipe tonight 🙂

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      May 6, 2020 at 12:39 PM

      Approximately 6-8 cups.

      Reply
  12. Lea

    November 26, 2019 at 5:40 AM

    Does anyone know if a double batch of this fits in a standard Circle shaped Dutch oven? It looks amazing but need to make for a bigger family.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      November 27, 2019 at 5:22 PM

      It should!

      Reply
  13. Cindy Tan Mun Yee

    October 17, 2018 at 9:04 AM

    Thank you for sharing this lovely recipe. I would like to know if we could use processed cheddar or stick back to unprocessed cheddar cheese?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      October 17, 2018 at 2:36 PM

      It’s best to use good quality cheddar for this. Processed cheddar has a lot of stabilizers and that can change the texture of the finished sauce.

      Reply
  14. Mary Ann | The Beach House Kitchen

    May 25, 2017 at 1:34 PM

    Thank God for my stretchy pants Alida, because this happens to be one of my favorite sauces! I love mixing it with my bolognese for that deliciously creamy texture!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      May 31, 2017 at 11:54 AM

      Ooooh yum! It’s such a versatile classic, isn’t it?

      Reply
      • Peter

        March 12, 2018 at 12:13 AM

        That just blew my mind, Tomatoey , cheesy creamy, Meaty POW!

        Reply
  15. Hannah

    May 25, 2017 at 8:26 AM

    Your video makes it look so simple. Have you tried this with alternative milks? I’m lactose intolerant so would love to be able to make this and be able to eat it.

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      May 25, 2017 at 8:27 AM

      That’s because it is so simple. 😉 No, I haven’t but you could totally use other milks for this. I think coconut milk would be a bit odd tasting but nut milk would definitely work. You could even use chicken/veg stock which technically makes it a veloute.

      Reply
  16. Naomi

    May 25, 2017 at 8:25 AM

    Could you add other cheese to this?

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      May 25, 2017 at 8:28 AM

      Any good melting cheese will work well here. Gruyere is another favourite of mine. And you could add some finely grated Parmesan to bump up the cheesiness.

      Reply
  17. Gail

    May 25, 2017 at 8:24 AM

    Thanks for sharing this Alida. I always struggle with my white sauce but your video has made it so easy!

    Reply
    • Alida Ryder

      May 25, 2017 at 8:28 AM

      I hope you love this recipe Gail. 🙂

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

Hi! I'm Alida, mom of twins and creator of Simply Delicious. I hope to encourage a love for cooking by creating fool-proof recipes that are easy and delicious. Read More…

Chicken Recipes

Hawaiian chicken skewers

Chicken Parmesan meatballs in tomato sauce with mozzarella

Chicken Parmesan Meatballs

Miso chicken noodle salad

Miso chicken noodle salad

Harissa grilled chicken wings

Curried Grilled Chicken Breast

Easy Curried Grilled Chicken Breast

Grilled chicken burgers

Easy Grilled Chicken Burgers

Seafood Recipes

Grilled garlic butter prawns

Grilled garlic butter prawns

Sticky honey sriracha salmon with coconut rice

Sticky honey sriracha salmon with coconut rice

Seared scallops with lemon caper sauce

Seared scallops with lemon caper sauce

Pasta vongole

Pasta Vongole

Conversion Chart

Simply Delicious conversion chart

DMCA Protection

Website Content Protection

Copyright © 2022 Simply Delicious on the Foodie Pro Theme Privacy