Creamy white sauce, aka Bechamel sauce, is one of the mother sauces of French cuisine. Hearing the word french cuisine may sound challenging to make. However, it is easy and traditionally made from white roux & milk.


Bechamel sauce is also known as Besciamella in Italian ascent. On the other hand, they call Besamel in Greece. In the US, it is commonly referred to as white sauce.

I want to share an essential detail about white sauce here. In the French, Italian, and Greek Bechamel sauce recipe, there’s a base of seasonings. The seasoning includes salt and nutmeg.

Now that we are discussing the white sauce & the seasoning base, let’s tally the ingredients. Here’s a list of items you will need to make the ultimate white sauce.

What is a roux?

White roux means a mixture of fat, (typically butter) and flour, which is gradually mixed with milk. They are added in equal proportions i.e. 1:1. by weight.

The roux is of different types, differentiated by their colour and taste depending on the cooking. White roux has a neutral flavour and its culinary use is to thicken sauces and soups. Blond roux has a nuttier flavour and is also used in sauces and soups.

Brown roux tastes the same as a blond but does not thicken the sauces as much as the other. Lastly, the dark brown one is the most flavourful one. However, it will be the least useful as a thickening agent.

White roux is the one we will be using in this sauce.

Tips to Make Bechamel Sauce

I have already told you this – the making process is a breeze. There’s nothing except one thing to take care of: not to boil the milk and make it thick. If you keep boiling the milk, it will curdle and turn into milk mawa or khoya. We don’t want that in here. So, boil the milk till it becomes hot.

Doing this will easily combine the all-purpose flour & butter mixture. If you still don’t get it, then refer to the recipe video.

This is one of the most basic sauces and can go well for almost everything. From pasta to chicken you can use this sauce with them.

You can replace the black pepper powder with white pepper powder to keep the white colour of the sauce.

To get a creamier texture add cream after the milk and stir for a few minutes. You will get cream sauce.

For the roux, stir the ingredients with a wooden spoon or whisk wire. Keep stirring that when pouring milk so as to avoid having lumps in it.

If you want cheesiness, you can add shredded cheese to it. Cheddar cheese is preferable for that. This will make it a cheese sauce.

Also Read:
Fried Potatoes With Homemade White Sauce
Fried Potatoes With Homemade White Sauce
Fried Potatoes is a snack that is stick-like and deep-fried. Fried Potatoes With White Sauce is a deliciously cheesy and crispy fried snack.

Seasoning your Creamy White Sauce

Salt, pepper, red chilli flakes, nutmeg powder, bay leaf, oregano, etc., are a few seasonings. Once the sauce is ready, add them & combine. Allow some time so that the ingredients mingle up to release their flavours.

One more thing – do not allow your sauce to rest. Because with time, it will become thick. And then you will need to heat it again. Heating up, again and again, will alter the texture, flavour & aroma altogether.

So, that was it with the creamy white sauce recipe today.