Classic Bechamel Sauce Recipe (White Sauce)
Learn how to make Classic Bechamel Sauce (White Sauce) at home using my super simple recipe. One of the classic French mother sauces, this perfectly smooth and creamy white sauce is great for making casseroles, souffles, and pasta dishes.
Servings: 4 people
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 4 cups whole milk (full-fat milk) hot
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg powder
Instructions
Preparation
- Before you start to cook the Bechamel sauce, gather the ingredients.
- This is a very important step as you need to be quick while adding some of them to the pan at the right time. If not, your sauce could become lumpy.
Make The Sauce
- Heat butter in a pan over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add all-purpose flour and stir using a silicone spatula to form a smooth glossy paste. This paste is called a roux.
- Cook for 1-2 minutes or until the roux is light golden in color, stirring continuously.
- Note – Do not overcook the roux. We are only aiming to remove the raw flavor.
- Switch off the heat.
- Now VERY SLOWLY, pour the hot milk into the pan and keep whisking continuously with a wire whisk using the other hand. Whisk vigorously until smooth.
- Note – If you pour the milk all at once, the sauce might turn out lumpy.
- Switch on the heat to low.
- Add salt, black pepper, and nutmeg powder and mix well.
- Cook the sauce until it starts to coat the back of the spatula, stirring continuously.
- Remove the pan from heat and cover it with cling film to avoid the formation of skin over the sauce.
- Once the sauce has cooled, store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Use as desired.
Video
Notes
You can use non-dairy milk options such as almond, soy, oat, or coconut milk to make it dairy-free.
The sauce will thicken once cooled. Add some milk to bring it to desired consistency.
Nutrition
Calories: 242kcal | Carbohydrates: 15g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Cholesterol: 49mg | Sodium: 82mg | Potassium: 248mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 9g | Vitamin A: 654IU | Calcium: 215mg | Iron: 1mg
