We prepared a bechamel sauce recipe to add easy umami to your mac & cheese, lasagna, alfredo sauce – anything that needs that umami-filled creamy structure. Our bechamel sauce is a classic white sauce built on a quick blond roux.
The first time I heard of a bechamel sauce was on a cooking show, where renowned chefs competed against the clock to create delicious dishes. From there, my journey of discovering the beauty of this French-born umami-maker started and our bechamel sauce recipe was born.
What is Bechamel Sauce?
So what is bechamel sauce? Bechamel, or béchamel, sauce is the classic “white sauce” you make by whisking warm milk into a quick blond roux. It’s one of the French mother sauces – super smooth, milk, and wildly versatile.
Béchamel, pronounced bay-shuh-mel, comes from Louis de Béchamel – he was a French businessman from the 17th-century. He didn’t invent the this white umami-booster sauce, but the sauce was named after him… or so they say! ;p
Key Elements Of This Recipe
- Whole Milk: Warm milk is a key ingredient to the bechamel sauce, which turns a blond roux into the bechamel itself.
- Aromatics: The aromatics we use (onion, bay leaf, cloves) add the extra umami to the bechamel sauce.
The Ingredients for Bechamel Sauce
The Main Ingredients for Easy Bechamel
- 3 Tbsp unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 2 cups whole milk, warmed
- Salt to taste
- White pepper to taste (black pepper is OK too)
- Ground nutmeg to taste (optional)
Optional Ingredients for a Fancy, Umami Boost – the Onion Pique
- 1/4 small onion
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 whole cloves
The Equipment Needed
- Wooden spatula or Silicone spatula
- Whisk
- Small saucepan (for heating milk)
- Medium saucepan
How to Make Bechamel Sauce
Umami-fy the Milk with an Onion Pique (Optional)
Why not give your bechamel sauce recipe a fancy boost?
Start with a quarter of a small onion, 1 bay leaf, and 2 whole cloves and create an onion pique or onion piqué. Basically, you attach the bay leaf to the onion by using the whole cloves as a sort of thumbtack – fancy, right?
Pro Tip: Creating an onion pique makes it easier to take out the aromatics from the milk.
Place the onion pique and milk in a small saucepan and gently heat until steaming. Keep warm.
If you’re not going the fancy route, simply warm up the milk until steaming – that’s it!
Make the Roux
In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
Whisk in flour, a little at a time. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly (about 3-4 minutes) until lightly blond.
Putting It All Together
Remove the aromatics from the warm milk and whisk in the milk to the roux.
Pro Tip: Add milk to the roux in 3-4 additions, whisking smooth before each next pour.
Bring the mixture to a gentle bubble, whisking constantly. Then, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes until glossy and it coats the back of a spoon.
Whisk in salt and white pepper to taste.
Pro Tip: Add a whisper of ground nutmeg for added fanciness!
Now you’re equipped with a mother-sauce to use in various cream-based dishes – mac & cheese, lasagna, creamy soups, and so much more!
Troubleshooting for the Best Bechamel Sauce
Here are some tips I’ve learned along the way while experimenting with our own bechamel sauce.
- Use warm milk and warm roux to avoid lumps.
- If you end up with a lumpy bechamel, use a fine sieve to get the lumps out.
- A simple bechamel sauce works well, but a fancy one (with the aromatics) works wonders.
How to Store Bechamel Sauce
You can always make our recipe ahead of time and store it away. Simply press parchment paper directly on the surface of the bechamel sauce and refrigerate up to 4 days.
You can rewarm your sauce gently with a splash of milk, whisking to restore silkiness.
(Freezing isn’t ideal, but works if you’re in a pinch. You’ll need to re-emulsify with extra milk, though!)
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Equipment
- Small saucepan, (for heating milk)
Ingredients
- 3 Tbsp Unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup All-purpose flour
- 2 cups Whole milk, warmed
- Salt, to taste
- White pepper, to taste
- 1 pinch Ground nutmeg, optional
Instructions
Umami-fy Bechamel Sauce Milk with Onion Pique (Optional)
- Start with a quarter of a small onion, 1 bay leaf, and 2 whole cloves and create an onion pique or onion piqué – attach the bay leaf to the onion by using the whole cloves as a sort of thumbtack.
- Pro Tip: Creating an onion pique makes it easier to take out the aromatics from the milk.
- Place the onion pique and milk in a small saucepan and gently heat until steaming (about 20 minutes). Keep warm.
- Pro Tip: If you're not going the fancy route, simply warm up the milk until steaming (about 10 minutes) – that's it!
Make the Roux
- In a medium saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour, a little at a time. Cook the mixture, whisking constantly (about 3-4 minutes) until lightly blond.
Putting It All Together
- Remove the aromatics from the warm milk and whisk in the milk to the roux.
- Pro Tip: Add milk to the roux in 3-4 additions, whisking smooth before each next pour.
- Bring the mixture to a gentle bubble, whisking constantly. Then, reduce the heat and simmer for 3-5 minutes until glossy and it coats the back of a spoon.
- Whisk in salt and white pepper to taste.
- Pro Tip: Add a whisper of ground nutmeg for added fanciness!
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is just an estimate derived by an online calculation tool.
FAQ
What is bechamel sauce?
Bechamel, or béchamel, sauce is the classic “white sauce” you make by whisking warm milk into a quick blond roux. It’s one of the French mother sauces – super smooth, milk, and wildly versatile.
How to make bechamel sauce?
First, make a blond roux, then add warm milk to it! For extra umami-boost, add an onion pique into the milk and warm up with the extra aromatics.
How to pronounce bechamel?
Béchamel, pronounced bay-shuh-mel, comes from Louis de Béchamel – he was a French businessman from the 17th-century. He didn’t invent the bechamel sauce, but the sauce was named after him… or so they say! ;p
Juliana
Oh that onion pique thing is super cool!
Umamiologist
Thank you!
Jake
I almost wanted to just eat the sauce on its own before making anything else out of it. The onion thing definitely was a nice touch.
Umamiologist
Yes, I love me a good onion pique!
Jackie
This sauce is actually better than I thought it would be!
Umamiologist
Glad to hear it!