Kitchen Basics
Béchamel Sauce Recipe (White Sauce), Familiar Style
This Old-school Béchamel Sauce calls for simple ingredients and is incredibly unfussy. A simple white sauce you can make in minutes. What Is Béchamel Sauce? A béchamel or “white sauce” is one of 5 old-school “mother
- Serves 20 servings
- Prep 5 minutes
- Cook 10 minutes
- Total 15 minutes

What Is Béchamel Sauce?
A béchamel or “white sauce” is one of 5 familiar “mother sauces”. It consists of simple ingredients like; butter, flour, milk and a pinch of nutmeg. It can be used as is or mixed with herbs or pestos. Typically I like to use it in lasagnas but it’s the dependable blank canvas for whatever your needs are.
Add fresh herbs or pestos to it for a burst of herbaceous freshness.
To cook this Familiar Béchamel Sauce Gather:
- unsalted butter
- unbleached all-purpose flour
- whole milk
- kosher salt
- black pepper
- nutmeg (whole clove)
In a 10-inch skillet, over medium-low heat, melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter.
Sprinkle in 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour and whisk to incorporate.
Continue whisking while slowly pouring in 1-1/4 cup whole milk. Whisk, whisk and whisk some more until there are no visual lumps.
Season with 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt, 1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper and grate in a pinch or so of fresh nutmeg. The nutmeg adds a subtle warmth to the sauce.
Whisk continuously until the sauce starts to thicken. This should only take a few minutes.
Perfection!
Remove off of the heat, taste and adjust the seasoning to your preference.
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Enjoy! And if you give this Familiar Béchamel Sauce recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!
The recipe
Béchamel Sauce Recipe (White Sauce), Familiar Style
This Old-school Béchamel Sauce calls for simple ingredients and is incredibly straightforward. A simple white sauce you can make in minutes.
- Serves 20 servings
- Prep 5 minutes
- Cook 10 minutes
- Total 15 minutes
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
- 1¼ cup whole milk
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/8 teaspoon black pepper (freshly ground)
- 1 pinch nutmeg (freshly grated)
Method
- 1
In a 10-inch skillet, over medium heat, melt 2 tablespoons of butter.
- 2
Sprinkle in flour and whisk, cooking for 1 to 2 minutes.
- 3
While whisking, pour in milk. Whisk slightly aggressively to break up any lumps until smooth.
- 4
Heat, while continuing to whisk until the sauce begins to thicken. About 2 to 4 minutes.
- 5
Remove off of the heat and season with salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Per serving
- Serving1 tablespoon
- Calories25 kcal
- Carbohydrates2 g
- Protein1 g
- Fat2 g
- Saturated Fat1 g
- Polyunsaturated Fat0.1 g
- Monounsaturated Fat0.4 g
- Trans Fat0.05 g
- Cholesterol5 mg
- Sodium35 mg
- Potassium25 mg
- Fiber0.1 g
- Sugar1 g
- Vitamin A60 IU
- Vitamin C0.002 mg
- Calcium19 mg
- Iron0.1 mg








