Basic Béchamel Sauce Recipe With Variations

Name: Basic Béchamel Sauce With Variations
Prep time: 5 min
Cook time: 10 min
Total time: 15 min
Yield: 6
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons unsalted butter; 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour; 1 cup heated milk; Salt, to taste; Ground white pepper, to taste; Freshly ground nutmeg, optional

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 10 mins

Total: 15 mins

Servings: 4 to 6 servings

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Luxurious yet shockingly easy to make, béchamel is a standard white sauce made with butter, flour, and milk. It's one of the five mother sauces of classical cuisine, and making it is as simple as preparing a roux with butter and flour and then whisking in milk over heat until you have a smooth, creamy sauce. Add a little salt and white or black pepper, plus optional (but classic) freshly ground nutmeg, and your béchamel is ready to go.

What Is a Béchamel Used For?

A creamy béchamel can be served over vegetables, fish, and meats, or used as a component in recipes such as a classic croque monsieur, lasagna, and mac and cheese. Plus, it's easy to transform basic béchamel into other sauces, so we've included several variations here, including Mornay, mustard sauce, herb sauce, and more.

The Simple Ingredients and Basic Formula for a Perfect Béchamel

Once you know the basic formula for a béchamel, it's easy to make a small or large amount and to make it thicker or thinner. Here's what you'll need for a medium béchamel:

2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
Ground white pepper, salt, and ground nutmeg to taste

To vary the thickness of the sauce, keep the same amount of milk but decrease or increase the amount of butter and flour: For a thin sauce, use 1 cup of milk, 1 tablespoon of butter, and 1 tablespoon of flour. For a thick sauce, use 1 cup of milk, 3 tablespoons of butter, and 3 tablespoons of flour.

What Is Nutmeg?

Why You Should Heat the Milk for Béchamel

Although you can technically make a béchamel by adding cold milk to the pan with the roux, warming the milk in a separate pot on the stovetop or even in a glass measuring cup in the microwave will make for a less-messy experience since cold milk will spatter when it hits the hot pan. Warm—but not scalded or boiling—milk can also make for a smoother sauce that comes together and thickens more easily.

A large pot of bechamel sauce with a spoon, a small dish of butter, and a small pitcher of cream — The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

"Béchamel is one of those sauces that's incredibly easy to make, but makes everything you put it on seem fancy. This recipe works perfectly for basic béchamel, and it's easy to turn it into other sauces. After tasting the plain béchamel, I added cheese and served the sauce over steamed cauliflower—it was a delicious side dish." — Megan O. Steintrager

Basic Medium BÃ©chamel Sauce Tester Image

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2 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 cup milk
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon ground white pepper, or to taste
1/8 to 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg, optional

Gather the ingredients.

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Heat milk in a small saucepan on the stove or in a glass measuring cup in the microwave until hot but not boiling.

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Meanwhile, melt butter in a saucepan or saucier over medium heat.

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Add flour to the pan with the butter-flour mixture and whisk until mixture is well blended. Cook, whisking constantly, for 2 minutes.

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Gradually whisk in hot milk. Cook over medium heat, whisking constantly, until sauce begins to boil and thicken, about 1 minute.

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Reduce heat to very low, and simmer, whisking frequently until sauce is smooth and thickened, about 5 minutes.

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen
Season with salt and pepper to taste and add a little nutmeg, if desired.

The Spruce Eats / Photographer: Fred Hardy, Food Stylist: Jennifer Wendorf, Prop Stylist: Claire Spollen

How to Store Béchamel Sauce

Refrigerator: Béchamel can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. Reheat over low heat, whisking constantly. If sauce is too thick, add a splash of water or milk.

Freezer: Store béchamel in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Defrost in the refrigerator, then reheat over low heat, whisking constantly. If sauce is too thick, add a splash of water or milk.

6 Delicious Variations on Basic Béchamel

Mornay Sauce: Add 1/2 cup grated cheese to 1 cup of hot sauce; stir over low heat until cheese is melted. Season to taste with a little mustard or Worcestershire sauce.
Velouté Sauce: Substitute chicken, beef, fish, or vegetable broth for the milk.
Herb Sauce: Add 1 teaspoon of freshly chopped herbs or 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs to 1 cup of hot sauce. Cook for a minute or two longer to get more flavor from the herbs.
Cream Sauce: Add 2 or 3 tablespoons of heavy cream to the finished sauce.
Oniony Cream Sauce: Add an onion slice to the milk when heating; remove onion slice before adding milk to flour and butter mixture.
Mustard Sauce: Combine 1 teaspoon dry mustard to flour used in sauce. This sauce is especially good with fish and chicken.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
64	Calories
5g	Fat
4g	Carbs
2g	Protein

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 4 to 6
Amount per serving
Calories	64
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 5g	6%
Saturated Fat 3g	15%
Cholesterol 13mg	4%
Sodium 117mg	5%
Total Carbohydrate 4g	1%
Dietary Fiber 0g	0%
Total Sugars 2g
Protein 2g
Vitamin C 0mg	1%
Calcium 51mg	4%
Iron 0mg	1%
Potassium 61mg	1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.