The name may sound fancy, but bechamel sauce is actually really easy to make. If you're buying jars of ready-made white sauce, it's time to stop. With just a few basic ingredients, you'll soon be whipping up bechamel, a creamy sauce you can use for lasagne, macaroni cheese, moussaka, and all kinds of tasty dinners.
What is bechamel sauce?
Bechamel is one of the five classic French mother sauces. It's a simple white sauce made from milk, flour and butter. The flavour of bechamel is very subtle, but it has a rich, full-bodied texture. The basic bechamel technique can also be used to make several other classic sauces, including mornay (cheese sauce), soubise (onion sauce), sauce crème (cream sauce), sauce aurore (tomato sauce) and mustard sauce.
Bechamel is usually an ingredient in a more complex dish. For example, many pasta bake recipes feature bechamel. Sometimes it's used alongside other sauces. Traditional lasagne involves layers of creamy bechamel and thick, meaty tomato ragù.
Ingredients for a classic bechamel sauce
There are only three essential ingredients to make bechamel sauce: milk, flour and butter. You can decide if you'd rather use full-fat, semi-skimmed or skimmed milk according to your preferences. All three can be used to make bechamel.
To add more flavour to bechamel, you may want to use a bay leaf or a few black peppercorns. These should be removed when the sauce is cooked, as they're quite unpleasant to accidentally bite into. Dijon or wholegrain mustard is another good addition, although it will change the character of the sauce. Many modern lasagne recipes tell you to add cheese to bechamel. Technically, adding cheese means that it's no longer bechamel, but rather mornay sauce.
How to make bechamel sauce
- Melt butter over a medium heat, taking care not to let it brown.
- Add flour and cook, stirring, for 2 minutes until it forms a paste. At this point, you can add any optional flavourings such as bay leaves.
- Add a small amount of milk and stir until it is fully absorbed and the paste is smooth.
- Repeat, adding just a small amount of milk at a time and stirring after each addition.
- When you have added all the milk, turn up the heat and simmer, stirring, for about 10 minutes until the sauce is thick and coats the back of a spoon.
- If you’d like to add cheese, turn off the heat and stir in the grated cheese. Never add it while the sauce is still cooking, as it can become grainy.
Once the sauce is ready, let it stand for a few minutes while you prepare the rest of the meal. The same basic sauce is used in everything from fish pie and pastitsio to macaroni cheese and chicken bechamel bake.
How to make bechamel sauce for lasagne
To make bechamel for pulled beef ragù lasagne or other lasagne dishes, follow the basic instructions above. Many traditional Italian chefs like to add a sprinkling of nutmeg to bechamel for lasagne. If you're going to do this, add it after the sauce has cooked, then stir it well.
Bechamel for lasagne should be thick enough to hold its shape in the finished dish. A good lasagne is not sloppy, so don't add too much milk, as that will give you a thinner sauce.
How to make vegan bechamel sauce
Use the same technique to make vegan bechamel sauce, which will be suitable for veggie lasagne and similar dishes. Use your favourite plant-based milk, but avoid coconut milk, as its strong flavour will clash with the other ingredients in dishes like lasagne or macaroni cheese.
If you find that plant-based milk has too mild a flavour, add half an onion, studded with cloves, when you start adding the milk. Remove it when the bechamel has cooked.
Serving and storing bechamel sauce
It’s best to make as much bechamel as you need for a particular recipe. It can be frozen, but the sauce may separate when thawed. For this reason, batch cooking may not work out too well. Luckily, it’s easy to make bechamel in small quantities, so even if you’re planning to make a veggie-packed lasagne for just one or two, you can make only the amount of sauce you need.
Bechamel has a mild flavour, so it’s rarely served as a sauce poured over meat. Instead, it’s usually used as an ingredient in a dish. Once you’ve mastered bechamel sauce, you can use it in family favourites like macaroni cheese, lasagne, fish pie and pasta bakes, as well as classics such as moussaka, pastitsio and croque monsieur.
Bechamel sauce FAQs
What is bechamel sauce made of?
Bechamel sauce is made from just three ingredients: milk, flour and butter. Additional ingredients, such as bay leaves, mustard and black peppercorns, are sometimes added for more flavour. A pinch of salt and grated nutmeg are also common additions in many recipes.
Is bechamel sauce the same as Alfredo sauce?
No. Alfredo is an Italian-American sauce made from cream and Parmesan cheese. Bechamel is a French sauce that uses milk, flour and butter. The two sauces have different flavours, textures and uses in cooking.
Why is my bechamel sauce lumpy?
Bechamel can turn lumpy if you add the milk too quickly. Add it a little at a time, stirring well after each addition so it stays smooth throughout. Whisking continuously over a gentle heat also helps prevent lumps from forming.
Can you freeze bechamel sauce?
Yes, but it may separate when you defrost it. Freeze it in an emergency, but it’s easier to just make as much as you need rather than batch cooking for freezable meal prep. If it separates slightly after thawing, whisk it gently while reheating to help bring it back together.
What dishes use bechamel sauce?
Many classic European dishes use bechamel sauce, including lasagne, macaroni cheese, moussaka, croque monsieur, pastitsio, fish pie and cauliflower cheese. It’s also the base of many other sauces. Its mild flavour makes it one of the most versatile sauces in home cooking.