Béchamel Sauce Recipe

How to make Béchamel sauce, an easy step-by-step recipe used as a base for many gratins and pasta dishes with only 3 ingredients. Often referred to as a basic white sauce, it's not just for lasagne. Just add cheese to make this into a classic Mornay.

What is Béchamel Sauce Made Of? Its Ingredients

The basic formula for Béchamel sauce, or white sauce, is made with 3 basic ingredients: butter, flour and milk. Melted butter and flour are whisked together to make a roux then whole milk is added. It's seasoned to taste, most often with a little grated nutmeg.

What's the Ratio of Flour, Butter and Milk?

In the classic French recipe, the basic ratio of butter and flour is equal 1:1 - so 35g each for the roux. The quantity of milk is anything between 10-14 parts to 1 part roux. In this recipe, it's 14 times milk (500ml/ half litre), so 2 tablespoons each butter/flour to 2 cups milk - making the sauce a little more liquid. Add less milk if you prefer yours thicker.

Some Sauce History - Why Béchamel?

The sauce's name, Béchamel, originated from King Louis XIV's butler (maître d'hôtel), Louis de Béchameil. It's not a spelling mistake. According to François-Régis Guadry's French culinary encyclopaedia, 'On Va Déguster la France' (2021), over time, the 'i' disappeared.

Two Schools of Béchamel - Escoffier vs Carême

Antonin Carême (1784-1833) added so many ingredients to the Béchamel that Auguste Escoffier (1846-1935) revolutionised it later.

Carême's version was multi-layered and complicated with ham fat, veal and chicken stock, double cream and mushrooms added to the butter and flour base roux.

Escoffier streamlined the basic white sauce, making it one of the 5 French mother sauces with a butter and flour roux with whole milk. He states to use warmed milk but adding cold milk is just as easy.
He added seasoning and flavours such as cheese, onion, fish or shrimp stock or hard-boiled egg to create its child sauces (more on this below).

How to Make Béchamel Sauce - or White Sauce

Easy step-by-step recipe for white or classic béchamel sauce. These tips were picked up in the kitchen with chef Exoffier in Paris 7th, making his famous soufflés Suissesse.

In a saucepan, melt the butter then add the flour and whisk vigorously until creamy. Whisking this way makes a 'roux' which helps to eliminate any taste of flour.

Tip: careful not to cook the butter so much that it discolours (making a noisette or browned butter). The butter should just be melted, keeping its natural yellow creamy colour.

Add about a third of the (cold) milk in one go and continue to whisk well. It will be very liquid but don't worry, it will start to thicken after 5 minutes of vigorous whisking. Add the rest of the milk and continue to whisk for another 5 minutes.

Season with a little salt, pepper and grated nutmeg to your taste. I often add at the beginning in the roux to intensify the flavours, depending on the dish.

Recipes with Béchamel Sauce

What is Béchamel sauce used for? This basic white sauce is commonly used in lasagne and other pasta dishes, but it also features in various French recipes. Here are some examples of its traditional uses in French cooking:

• Vegetable Gratins - especially with cauliflower (chou-fleur). It's wonderful served with this whole roasted cauliflower with cheese.
• Croque-Monsieur - the classic toasted French cheese and ham sandwich.
• Bouchées à la Reine - the chic vol-au-vent puff pastry filled with riz de veau.
• Lasagna - as the first and last layers with meat plus other pasta gratin dishes.
• Cheese Soufflé - the basis of cheese soufflés.

How to Make Béchamel Cheese Sauce

The same French sauce as a base can be used to make Béchamel cheese sauce, called sauce Mornay. In France, grated Emmental is added at the end along with a yolk or two - I also love to add comté or gruyère, both stronger cheeses. However, for Italian lasagna and pasta dishes, use the same quantity of parmesan instead.

At first, when you add the cheese, it will seem gloopy but don't worry. Keep whisking until it melts and add the yolk. This makes the whole mixture blend together perfectly.

This is a lighter version with whole milk. Otherwise for heavy cream, follow the recipe for asparagus clafoutis with parmesan sauce.

What Other Sauces are Made from a Béchamel?

So a Mornay sauce is a Béchamel with cheese and an added egg yolk. There are more sauces, however, made from the basic white sauce, using the recipe quantity below:

• Mornay - the most famous of its variations with 1-2 egg yolks and 50g grated Emmental cheese.
• Soubise - fry 2 onions in butter until translucent, add the béchamel, strain and add a little crème fraîche. Traditionally served with roast veal, vegetables and hard boiled eggs.
• Sauce Crème (roux cream sauce) - add 150g (¾ cup) crème fraîche
• Nantua - reduce the sauce crème with half quantity of shrimp or fish stock. Add a splash of Cognac and Cayenne pepper and strain. Like a Cardinal Sauce with added truffle and lobster butter for fish.
  Served with Quenelles de Brochet, a speciality from Lyon, particularly in their traditional Bouchon restaurants.
• Écossaise - with a good pinch of Cayenne pepper, nutmeg and 4 crushed hard-boiled eggs. Traditionally served with cod (morue). As I'm Scottish, I'm fascinated with this one but hadn't even heard of it or seen it so far in French restaurants.

How to Pair Béchamel Dishes with Wine

Béchamel's role as a sauce is a flavour enhancer. So, whatever it's being served with it needs deliciously fresh and fruity wines.

So for wine pairing, choose French white wines such as Mâcon and Entre-deux-mers. However, if you're like me and love gutsy, oily whites then go for a Burgundy or a white Châteauneuf du Pâpe for something special. Just don't plan too many things afterwards - unless it unleashes your creative side!