How to make White Sauce (Bechamel Sauce)

white sauce in a bowl with a wooden spoon.

How to make White Sauce (Bechamel Sauce)

Homemade white sauce, or béchamel, is a kitchen essential. It's super easy to make, too! Knowing how to make a basic white sauce is something all of us home cooks can do to elevate our dishes and our creativity in the kitchen.

Course Basics, Sauce

Cuisine American, French, Italian

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 5

Total Time 10

Servings cups

Calories 281kcal

Author Kylee Ayotte

Ingredients

3 tablespoons butter
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 ¾ cup milk
½ teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions

Melt 3 tablespoons butter in a saucepan.
Whisk in 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour and cook, stirring constantly over medium heat, until bubbles appear. Cook, but don’t brown for a minute.
Whisk in 1 ¾ cup milk, stirring as the sauce thickens. Bring it to a simmer.
Add ½ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon ground pepper to taste, lower the heat, and cook, stirring for 2 to 3 minutes more.
Remove from the heat.

Notes

To turn your white sauce into cheese sauce, add 1 tsp mustard powder to the flour, and stir in ½ cup grated Cheddar cheese during the last 2 minutes of cooking. A pinch of nutmeg too!
Sauce for Fish
Add a little dill to the sauce for use over fish.

Nutrition