Béchamel sauce, or white sauce as it's sometimes called, is made with 3 simple ingredients—butter, flour, and milk. Learn two easy ways to make this classic French recipe that's used in everyday casseroles, pastas, and gravy!
Who knew every time grandma made milk gravy or the base of her mac and cheese, she was actually making fancy French béchamel sauce?
It's a staple of French recipes, but home cooks around the world use this 3-ingredient concoction to make everything that's creamy even creamier.
Use it to make the topping for a cheesy croque monsieur sandwich, jazz it up with more flavors, like the sage-infused béchamel sauce in butternut squash lasagna, or throw in some comté cheese to make this French pasta with bacon and cheese.
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Béchamel sauce ingredients
- Flour and unsalted butter: Whichever way you choose to make it, you must mix your butter and flour together first, so they will emulsify into the milk.
- Whole milk: You'll need whole milk because the fat content is essential.
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
How to make béchamel sauce
Method #1: Make a roux
- Step 1: Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.
- Step 2: Add the flour and whisk constantly for about 1 minute.
- Step 3: Pour in the milk and bring to a boil.
- Step 4: Boil the béchamel sauce for about 3 minutes, whisking almost constantly. Cook until reduced by about ⅓.
Method #2: Make beurre manie
Beurre manie means "kneaded butter" in French. It's simply a paste made of equal parts butter and flour. I like this method for making béchamel a little better, it creates a smoother sauce with less risks of lumps forming or roux getting stuck on the bottom of the pan.
- Step 1: Add softened butter and flour to a bowl. Use a spoon to mash the flour into the butter until it forms a smooth paste.
- Step 2: Bring milk to a boil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Gather all the beurre manie onto a whisk and stir into the milk until it dissolves.
- Step 3: Boil the béchamel sauce for about 3 minutes, whisking almost constantly, until reduced by about ⅓.
Reducing the béchamel
Whichever method you choose, you'll need to reduce the sauce slightly and this happens very quickly! Usually in about 3 minutes.
When the mixture has reduced by about ⅓, it should coat the back of a spoon and you should be able to draw a line through it with your finger. This consistency is called nappe in French cooking.
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Season and it's ready!
Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper. Now your béchamel sauce is ready to add to all of your favorite recipes!
Expert tips and troubleshooting
- Keep the heat medium: You might be tempted to turn the heat up to get the milk to boil faster, but DON'T! Milk will scorch fast and it will ruin the taste and texture if the sauce. Be patient, keep it low!
- If béchamel has gotten too thick: The sauce will thicken quickly, so if you overshot it, just whisk in some milk over low heat a little bit at a time until you get it back to the consistency you're looking for.
- It will thicken as it cools: Remember that like any sauce, béchamel will thicken as it cools. So if you're setting it aside for a bit before using, just keep this in mind and maybe don't cook it down quite as much.
- Add 2 ounces of Gruyère cheese and it becomes mornay sauce: Once you've learned to make one French mother sauce, you might as well make another.
How to keep a skin from forming on béchamel sauce
If you're not using the bèchamel sauce immediately, add a pat of butter and let it melt on top of the sauce, then use a small spatula to carefully spread the melted butter around evenly. OR—melt a small amount of butter ahead of time and drizzle it evenly on the surface of the sauce.
When it's time to use the sauce, just whisk the butter back into it an you're ready to go!
Amounts of flour and butter may vary
You can start with as little as 2 teaspoons of flour and 2 teaspoons of butter per 1 cup of milk and go all the way up to 3 tablespoons of each per cup of milk depending on what you're making and how thick you want your final sauce to be.
Make ahead and reheating
- Make ahead: Béchamel sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead of time. Transfer it to an airtight container, then cover the surface with a bit of plastic wrap before you put the lid on to keep a skin from forming.
- Reheating: Place in a sauce pan over low heat. If needed, add more milk a bit at a time to reach the right consistency.
Debra's Details: Béchamel is a classic French sauce to add to your roster!
- Only 3 ingredients: butter, flour, milk.
- Two simple methods, choose what works best for you!
- Use it in a variety of sauce, pasta, and breakfast casserole recipes.
- Choose the consistency you prefer by adding more or less flour and butter.
- Make it ahead, it reheats easily!
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Recipe
How to Make Béchamel Sauce
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons flour (see note)
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter (see note)
- 1 cup whole milk
- kosher salt
- freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
Make béchamel with a roux
- Melt butter in a sauce pan over medium heat.
- Add the flour and whisk constantly for about 1 minute.
- Pour in the milk and bring to a boil. (Keep the heat medium, do not turn it up!)
- Boil the béchamel sauce for about 3 minutes, whisking almost constantly. Cook until reduced by about ⅓, or until it has reached your desired consistency.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Make béchamel with a beurre manie
- NOTE: For this method, you'll need the butter to be at room temperature.
- Combine softened butter and flour in a bowl. Use a spoon to mash the flour into the butter until it forms a smooth paste.
- Bring milk to a boil in a sauce pan over medium heat. Gather all the beurre manie onto a whisk and stir into the milk until it dissolves.
- Boil the béchamel sauce for about 3 minutes, whisking almost constantly, until reduced by about ⅓, or until it has reached your desired consistency.
- Season with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
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Notes
- Adjust amounts of flour and butter for desired consistency: You can start with as little as 2 teaspoons of flour and 2 teaspoons of butter per 1 cup of milk and go all the way up to 3 tablespoons of each per cup of milk depending on what you're making and how thick you want your final sauce to be.
- Keep the heat medium: You might be tempted to turn the heat up to get the milk to boil faster, but DON'T! Milk will scorch fast and it will ruin the taste and texture if the sauce. Be patient, keep it low!
- If béchamel has gotten too thick: The sauce will thicken quickly, so if you overshot it, just whisk in some milk over low heat a little bit at a time until you get it back to the consistency you're looking for.
- Make ahead: Béchamel sauce can be made up to 1 week ahead of time. Transfer it to an airtight container, then cover the surface with a bit of plastic wrap before you put the lid on to keep a skin from forming.
- Reheating: Place in a sauce pan over low heat, whisking frequently. If needed, add more milk a bit at a time to reach the right consistency.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated as an estimate. Calorie accuracy is not guaranteed.
Linda says
Will whole Lactose free milk work?
Debra says
Hi Linda,
Yes, you can substitute the same amount of lactose-free milk and it will work beautifully!
Thanks for asking that great question,
Debra