Bechamel Sauce

Creamy Bechamel Sauce made easy with just a handful of kitchen staple ingredients. Whip this staple sauce up in under 10 minutes and add it to a variety of dishes!

Bechamel Sauce is one of my favorites. Extremely simple, it takes a mere 10 minutes to make and can be used in a variety of dishes! Creamy, dreamy, buttery and nutty – this is a staple sauce you need in your repertoire.

I was making a savory Greek cheese pie and I needed bechamel sauce for it; in my opinion, it’s absolutely necessary for the dish, and I figured I would share the recipe because it’s too good to be kept secret! Made with just a handful of kitchen staple ingredients, you’ll find yourself repeatedly reaching for this recipe!

The mother of French sauces

Now, we all have our favorite sauces, but there are a few that have been given the name of “the five mother French sauces” – béchamel, velouté, espagnole, hollandaise, and tomato are those five and they are staples in most French cuisine.

Classical French cuisine has been extraordinarily influential in the culinary world and countless sauces have derived from these originals. Bechamel or “white sauce,” is a simple milk-based sauce made from butter, flour, and milk. It adds a creamy, richness, and complexity to almost any dish and can be used as a base for many other sauces!

Ingredients

Keep scrolling down to the printable recipe card for FULL ingredient amounts and instructions or click the “Jump to Recipe” button at the top of the page!

• Flour – all purpose
• Butter – unsalted
• Milk – Use your preference, dairy or non dairy.
• Seasoning – one thing that bechamel sauce cannot go without – nutmeg and salt.

How to make bechamel sauce

1. Whisk ingredients: In a saucepan melt the butter and add the flour. With a whisk, whisk in the flour. Keep whisking for about 2 to 3 minutes.
2. Add the rest of ingredients: Add the milk, nutmeg and salt and whisk everything together. Cook for another 5 minutes and whisk as necessary.

Tips & Tricks

1. The key is to whisk, whisk, whisk! This will ensure a smooth and creamy sauce
2. If your bechamel sauce is turning lumpy, add a little bit of ice-cold water instead of the next splash of milk and whisk like crazy! It’ll magically sort out any lumps!
3. Bechamel is very forgiving. Sauce too thick? Whisk in more milk until you get your desired consistency; if it’s too thin, continue to simmer it down, allowing evaporation to thicken the sauce up.

How to use bechamel

This is an amazing sauce that can be used in so many recipes! For me, it’s a mandatory ingredient every time I make Greek cheese pie, but it can also be used in dishes including pasta, casserole, sauces and pies! Try some of these options:

• Use your bechamel in a homemade Mac and Cheese
• Make a Mornay Sauce – Shred some strong Cheddar or any mix of hard and medium cheeses into your bechamel, maybe a bit of onion, and you’ve got a mornay!
• Add it to a casserole or creamy carbonara Souffle
• Layer it in a lasagna or add it to a pasta dish!
• Use it as a base to a variety of different sauces, like this homemade Alfredo! Get creative!

Storing your sauce

You can store your bechamel sauce in an airtight container or jar for 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

Cool the leftovers and place a piece of plastic saran wrap directly in contact with the surface of the sauce prior to refrigerating it! This will ensure that your bechamel won’t form a skin and will also help slow down oxidation!

Freezing

Freeze sauce in an airtight container or freezer safe bag for up to 3 months. Keep in mind, freezing cream based soups and sauces won’t can change the texture and can affect the flavour when reheated.

Reheating

Thaw frozen sauce overnight in the fridge and reheat back on the stove top until heated through.

Did you like this homemade sauce recipe? Try these!

• BBQ
• Buffalo
• Cranberry
• Cheese
• Enchilada
• Sweet and Sour
• Homemade Tzatziki
• Ranch
• Marinara
• Teriyaki
• Chimichurri
• Homemade Mayonnaise

Originally shared March 2011, updated with pics and better information.