Bechamel is a creamy and velvety base sauce made with only 3 ingredients, very versatile and useful in the kitchen. It is also known as “white sauce” or “mother sauce” because many sauces have bechamel as the starting base, for example, the Mornay Sauce. Furthermore, there are many dishes where bechamel is essential. Just think of many first courses to bake in the oven like pasta, lasagna, cannelloni, crepes, or even vegetables like cauliflower to be gratinated in the oven with bechamel. Although you can buy ready-made bechamel, making it at home is really simple! Just follow a few small steps to get a perfect bechamel, not too liquid nor too thick but creamy just right.
The preparation is very simple: melt the butter over low heat and pour in the flour all at once. Stir until you get a golden, lump-free roux. Heat the milk and pour it little by little over the butter and flour mixture while stirring so that it blends well with the butter and flour mixture. Season with salt and nutmeg and let it cook over low heat, always stirring with the whisk until you get a creamy and smooth sauce.
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- Difficulty: Very easy
- Cost: Very cheap
- Preparation time: 5 Minutes
- Portions: 4
- Cooking methods: Stove
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: All seasons
Ingredients to prepare Bechamel
- 4 1/4 cups whole milk
- 3/4 cup flour
- 7 tbsp butter
- nutmeg
- salt
Tools to prepare Bechamel
- 1 Pot
- 1 Small pot
- 1 Hand whisk
- 2 Stove
Steps to prepare Bechamel
Begin making the bechamel by melting the butter over low heat in a non-stick pan and then pouring in the flour all at once.
Quickly mix the compound with a whisk forming a hazel-colored roux, avoiding lumps. Pour the warm milk little by little, always continuing to stir with the whisk, and season with salt and nutmeg.
Stir again over low heat until the sauce reaches the right consistency, about 5 minutes will suffice. The bechamel is ready to be used in your preparations!
Simo and Cicci recommend
If you don’t use the bechamel immediately, cover it with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface.
You can store the well-cooled bechamel in the fridge for up to 2-3 days or even freeze it for up to 1 month. To make it fluid again, you can add milk to the cream and mix it with a whisk.
For a version without butter, replace it with 60 g of extra virgin olive oil.
If you want to make not only a butter-free but also a vegan version, in addition to replacing the butter with oil, replace the milk with a sugar-free vegetable drink like soy, oat, rice, or almond milk.
FAQ (Frequently Asked Questions)
Where was bechamel created?
The origins of bechamel are Italian, particularly linked to Tuscan cuisine where it was called “colla sauce” because its main purpose was to bind many first courses and vegetables. It was later brought to France and named after Marquis Louis de Béchameil, hence the name we know today.
Where is bechamel stored?
It can be stored for up to 3 days in the fridge, sealed well in an airtight container or covered with plastic wrap to prevent a skin from forming on the surface, or up to 1 month in the freezer.
What to do if the bechamel is too liquid?
Simply add a tablespoon of flour, remembering to also add more butter to maintain the correct proportions in terms of both consistency and flavor of the bechamel itself.
What to do when bechamel is lumpy?
Recovering it is very simple, just use an immersion blender or electric whisk to achieve the right consistency.
What is the difference between cream and bechamel?
While cream is a product obtained from milk, bechamel is a sauce obtained by mixing milk with butter and flour.
