Don’t let the name throw you off. Béchamel (pronounced “bay-sha-MEL”) is the French word for a white cream sauce and is a building block sauce every cook needs in their back pocket. I’ve been making this 15 minute béchamel sauce recipe since I started cooking for my family over 35 years ago and it’s a base for simple homemade pasta sauces in Italian cooking as well.
Come along as I share this easy tutorial. You’ll be whisking up dreamy, creamy béchamel in no time!
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Oh the places béchamel can go
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Skip buying a jarred pasta cream sauce. For the cost of a few ingredients like butter, flour, milk or chicken broth, you can make a macaroni and cheese with béchamel sauce and or an Italian lasagna using béchamel instead of ricotta.
Basic béchamel components
Just 3 common ingredients (5 if you count salt and pepper) are the basis for white sauce:
Unsalted butter. My favorite is Land O’Lakes
All-purpose flour. The main difference between bechamel and butter cream sauce is the use of flour as thickener to milk where in a classic butter and cream sauce recipe you’d use only cream.
Milk. You can use 2% or whole milk. Read below for alternative milks I’ve also experimented with to make a béchamel cream sauce.
Creamy béchamel sauce ratio
Béchamel begins with a roux (“roo” – like Eeyore, Tigger, Piglet and…) and ends with milk.
A roux is usually equal parts of fat and thickener – in this case, butter and flour.
The roux is cooked over medium heat for a couple of minutes until the flour taste is cooked out. When the roux starts to get all sun-tanny, milk is whisked into the butter and flour to create a sauce and avoid any lumps from forming.
3 easy steps
Here’s how to make a simple béchamel sauce:
Pro Tip
The béchamel is ready when the sauce coats the back of a spoon (meaning it leaves a film on the spoon).
Alternative non-dairy milk substitutions
I’ve done a little testing on how to make a gluten and dairy-free white sauce. Made easy with any number of non-dairy milk alternatives, I found cashew milk works really well.
This version of my white sauce recipe came together very nicely and would make a great canvas for any herbs, non-dairy cheeses or seasonings.
Storage and Reheating Tips
Storage
Store leftover béchamel in an airtight container and refrigerate for 2 days.
Make ahead
You can this white sauce recipe up to a day ahead to use in your recipe.
Freezer
- Freeze béchamel sauce recipe in freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. You can also use ice cube trays to freeze béchamel. Pop out and store the frozen cubes in a freezer safe bag to use as needed.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight before heating in a saucepan on the stove and whisk to the desired consistency.
TIPS:
For many:
For a few: layer as one sauce component in your favorite lasagna recipe.
15-Minute Béchamel Sauce Recipe Tutorial
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Ingredients
- 2 TBSP butter, or any fat like olive oil, coconut oil or more
- 2 TBSP flour, or cornstarch or brown rice flour
- 1 ½ cups milk, can use alternative milks
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ tsp black or white pepper
Instructions
- Over medium heat, start melting butter in medium saucepan. Add flour stirring with a whisk continuously until a thick paste forms. Continue cooking for about 2-3 minutes until lightly browned and flour taste is cooked off.2 TBSP butter, 2 TBSP flour
- Carefully add milk while stirring with a whisk. Bring to a low boil and then lower heat to medium low.1 1/2 cups milk
- Cook stirring often until sauce has thickened and coats the back of a metal spoon evenly.
- Remove from heat to add cheeses if adding. Season with salt and pepper to taste.1/2 tsp salt, 1/2 tsp black or white pepper
Notes
- Store bechamel in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days.
- Make ahead. Can be made ahead the day before to use in a recipe.
- Freezer Tips.
- Freeze bechamel sauce recipe in freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. You can also use ice cube trays to freeze bechamel. Pop out and store the frozen cubes in a freezer safe bag to use as needed.
- Thaw in the fridge overnight before heating in a saucepan on the stove and whisk to the desired consistency.
Perfect cheese sauce
Thanks Kylee! It is such a great starter to so many recipes!
Can you put this in a crockpot with meatballs without ruining it?
Hi Cheri! So bechamel is a white sauce with very little flavor and it’s the base for things like macaroni and cheese and used to layer lasagna. What kind of meatballs are you thinking of using? I’d be more inclined to try a butter and cream sauce with has some good cheesy flavor. Let me know more info and I’m happy to help troubleshoot!
I had a package of gnocchi and made this sauce with sauteed butternut squash. It was so easy and delicious. If you saw how lazy a cook I am, you would see this as a step up in my culinary toolbox.
So happy to hear that Barb! Glad you liked it- and I’m all for easy too. Life is too busy so dinner shouldn’t have to be!?