What Is Bechamel (white) sauce and How Can I Use It?

Wondering what to do with bechamel (white) sauce? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it — with 55 recipes to put it to work.

What is bechamel (white) sauce?

Béchamel is a creamy French white sauce, and so basic to French cooking that it is called a “sauce mere” or mother sauce. Its American equivalent is white sauce.

Béchamel is the basis for other sauces, and for innumerable dishes.

Béchamel used to be a more complicated sauce than it is today. In the days of King Louis XIV of France it was made of milk, veal, seasonings, and cream.

In modern French cooking, Béchamel is made with milk, butter, and flour, in various degrees of thickness, like a white sauce. Later, it may be enriched with butter, cream, cheese, herbs, or other flavorings. Depending on these, it changes its name.

For instance, a Béchamel with cream is a sauce supréme, one with cheese a sauce Mornay.

First cousin to Béchamel is Velouté sauce, which is made with chicken, veal, or fish broth, and to which wine, milk, or cream is sometimes added. Velouté can also be enriched at will.

Béchamel and sauces based on Béchamel are used with eggs, fish, chicken, veal, and vegetables, and as a base for cream soups, soufflés, croquettes, etc.

Béchamel should always be made in a heavy-bottomed saucepan to prevent scorching and discoloring of the roux, the butter and flour cooked together in the first step of making the sauce.

See the following recipes for more information on making Béchamel sauce (with variations):

Woman's Day Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel Sauce

Sauce Bechamel