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Bechamel sauce being stirred in a pan
Photo: Jacek Halicki, Wikimedia Commons, CC BY-SA 4.0 (cropped)

Sauces

Béchamel Sauce

Béchamel Sauce made with margarine or butter, plain flour and milk. The recipe serves 4; change the portions and units below and the amounts update.

  • Serves 4

Method

  1. Melt the margarine in a pan then stir in the flour.

  2. Cook the mixture [roux] over a medium heat for about 1 minutes, stirring continuously.

  3. Boil the milk with half a onion studded with four cloves.

  4. Add the milk to the roux, whisking at all times.

  5. Bring to the boil, then simmer whisking constantly until sauce has thickened.

  6. Stir in nutmeg if using and season with salt and pepper.

Tip: tap a step to tick it off as you cook.

Chef’s notes

  • Béchamel is used for a base for many sauces: add cheese for mornay, add chopped parsley for parsley sauce and cooked chopped onion for soubise sauce and cooked sliced mushrooms for mushroom sauce.
  • If the béchamel is lumpy when made the pass through a sieve.

Shopping list for 4 portions

Dairy & eggs

Baking

Store cupboard (check you have)

Converted from the Cookeryonline Excel workbook “Bechamel - White Sauce” and the original recipe card.