- The Dish: Béchamel is a foundational French “mother sauce,” a creamy white sauce made from a simple roux of butter and flour cooked in milk.
- Key Feature: This recipe provides a foolproof technique for achieving a perfectly smooth, lump-free sauce every time. Mastering this sauce is a core culinary skill that unlocks hundreds of other recipes.
- Perfect For: Anyone learning classic cooking techniques, forming the base for lasagne, mac and cheese, gratins, soufflés, or creating other sauces like Mornay (cheese sauce).
If you want to understand the soul of French cooking, you start with the mother sauces. And Béchamel is arguably the most versatile of them all. In every professional kitchen I’ve worked in, from fine dining to bustling bistros, there was always a pot of Béchamel ready to go. It’s the starting point for so many classic dishes.
Many home cooks are intimidated by it, worried about getting a lumpy, floury mess. But I’m going to show you the simple, non-negotiable kitchen technique that guarantees a silky, smooth sauce every single time. It’s not about complex ingredients; it’s about temperature and timing. Once you master this, you haven’t just learned to make one sauce; you’ve learned the foundation for countless comfort food classics.
What is Béchamel Sauce?
Béchamel is one of the five “mother sauces” of classic French cuisine. It’s created by cooking a roux (a paste of equal parts melted butter and flour) and then whisking in hot milk until the mixture is thick and creamy. It is rarely served on its own but is used as a base for more complex sauces and dishes.
What Does Béchamel Taste Like?
A well-made Béchamel is rich, creamy, and subtly savoury. The flavour is primarily that of cream and butter, but it’s traditionally infused with background notes of onion, bay leaf, and clove (an oignon clouté) and a hint of warmth from ground nutmeg.
Is This Recipe Hard to Make?
Not at all. This is a beginner-level recipe that teaches a fundamental cooking technique. The only secret is to pay attention. You need to cook the raw taste out of the flour without browning it, and you must add the milk correctly to prevent lumps.
What’s the Secret to a Lump-Free Sauce?
The single most important secret is temperature control: use warm milk. When cold milk hits a hot roux, the starch in the flour seizes up and creates lumps instantly. By gently warming the milk first, you allow the roux to absorb the liquid gradually and evenly. The second key is to add the milk in stages (about a third at a time) and whisk continuously until each addition is fully incorporated before adding more.
How Do I Store Béchamel Sauce?
Béchamel can be stored in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. To prevent a skin from forming on the surface as it cools, you can either press plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce or pour a thin layer of melted butter over the top.
Cost Per Litre Analysis
Making this sauce from scratch is incredibly cost-effective compared to buying pre-made white sauces, which often contain preservatives and lack flavour.
| Item | Estimated Total Cost |
| Batch (approx 1 Litre) | ~$5 – $7 AUD |
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Note: Prices are estimates based on typical Australian supermarket prices for staple ingredients.
How To Make Bechamel Or Classic White Sauce
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Warning
You must check the labels of the ingredients for common food allergens, such as dairy, eggs, gluten & wheat, sesame, sulphites, lupins, soy & soybeans, tree nuts, peanuts, fish, shellfish. While we take steps to minimize risk, manufacturers may change their formulations without our knowledge.
Equipment
- Stainless Steel Pot
- Rubber Spatula
- Digital Scales
Ingredients
- 100 grams butter salted
- 100 grams flour plain
- 1 l milk whole
- 1 g nutmeg ground
- 10 ml wine dry white
- 100 g onion peeled
- 1 bay leaf
- 1 clove
- 3 g salt
total food cost
Preparation Time Estimate
Adjustable servings
Instructions
- Warm the milk in a stainless steel pot or microwave oven to remove the chill.1 l milk
- Melt butter over low heat in a thick bottom stainless steel pot.100 grams butter
- Mix in flour continuously, stirring with a whisk, rubber spatula or wooden spoon.100 grams flour
- Stop the flour from burning by paying attention and continue to whisk. Remove the pot from the heat for a few minutes.
- Mix to the consistency of wet sand.
- This is how you cook the roux. (a mixture for thickening sauces)
- Add the warm milk 1/3 rd at a time, continue to heat, mixing continuously to remove any lumps.
- Place the warm pot back on the heat.
- Bring the bechamel to a slow simmer. Add wine and salt to taste.10 ml wine, 3 g salt
- You may use a whisk if needed to remove lumps.
- Stud the peeped onion with the clove thru the bay leaf.100 g onion, 1 bay leaf, 1 clove
- Add your cloute (onion studded with a clove and bay leaf), seasoning.1 g nutmeg
- Simmer, covered on low heat for 20 minutes.
- Strain if needed, cover with glad wrap or melted butter to prevent skinning.
- Use as needed, add to soups and sauces.
- Store in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Cover with melted butter to stop skinning.
