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Béchamel is a basic roux that is a base of equal parts butter and flour, cooking it just long enough to get the raw flavor out of the flour, and then milk is added to make a smooth sauce. Béchamel is a thick base white sauce, that clings well to any food it is poured over.
What is Béchamel Sauce?
Another thing you need to know is that béchamel is known as a “mother sauce”. A mother sauce is known in French cuisine as a sauce that is used to make other sauces. Knowing how to make a mother sauce is key to so many dishes! A béchamel sauce has so many delicious variations as shown below.
Béchamel Cream Sauces
- Basic cream sauce: béchamel with heavy cream
- Cheddar sauce: béchamel with whole milk and cheddar cheese.
- Mornay: béchamel with Parmesan and Gruyère cheese with onion and cloves.
- Nantua: béchamel with shrimp, butter, and heavy cream.
- Soubise: béchamel with caramelized onions and butter.
Spices to Add
Béchamel is a plain sauce that you can add spices to depending on what you are using the sauce for. You can add garlic for pouring over vegetables, or a pinch of nutmeg for pouring over biscuits – the variations are endless.
Cheese Sauce
Stir in 1-2 cups of grated sharp cheddar cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking, along with a pinch of cayenne pepper if desired. This is excellent over vegetables!
Our family uses this basic béchamel to make our favorite cheese sauce so the kids will eat a few extra veggies and they love it, as do the adults. It’s an easy way to change up those bland old vegetables! It’s also the secret to my new pulled pork mac and cheese recipe!
Happy Cooking
Love,
Karlynn.
More Easy Sauces
Béchamel Sauce
- Prep Time
- 5 minutes
- Cook Time
- 20 minutes
- Course
- Sauces
- Cuisine
- French
- Servings
- 3 cups
- Calories
- 320
- Author
- Karlynn Johnston
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups whole milk warmed
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk into the melted butter until smooth.
- Cook, stirring, until the butter mixture turns golden brown, around 5-7 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in one cup of the milk, adding very slowly to avoid clumps, whisking continuously. Once combined, whisk in the other cups of milk, slowly, until all of the milk is whisked into the mixture.
- Bring to a low simmer, stirring, then reduce the heat to medium-low. Continue simmering for another 10 minutes, stirring, until the mixture is smooth and the flour no longer is gritty in the mixture.
- Remove from the heat and season with salt and pepper
Recipe Notes
- If you can, warm the milk in a microwave-safe liquid measuring cup in your microwave for one minute to take the chill off. It will mix into the sauce easier, preventing lumps
Nutrition Information
All calories and info are based on a third party calculator and are only an estimate. Actual nutritional info will vary with brands used, your measuring methods, portion sizes and more.
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