Béchamel

Name: Béchamel
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 20 min
Total time: 30 min
Yield: 2 1/4 Cups
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: 2 Cups Whole Milk, plus more for consistency; 1/2 Lemon (The Juice); 2 oz Butter (By Weight); 2 oz Flour (By Weight)

A cornerstone of French cooking and deceptively hard to do well

Sauces french

Time

Prep 10 minutes

Cook 20 minutes

Yield

2 1/4 Cups

Difficulty

medium

Season

All Seasons

I used to make Béchamel as part of my job at a steakhouse. I tried for MONTHS to nail a recipe down for this by weight and failed. After months of trial and error, I determined that there were too many variables and the scale was too old. Eyeing it lead to much more consistent results and thickness, even if that seems counter intuitive.

Instructions

In a small sauce pan melt the butter over medium heat and then whisk in the flour, it should form a paste. This is called Roux, pronounced like roo.

In a small sauce pan heat up the milk over medium heat.

When the milk is warn pour in half of the roux.

Mix frequently to combine.

Our goal is the consistency of a nice thick gravy. If you need it thicker add more roux, if you need to thin it out, add a little more milk

When you get the desired thickness, pass through a fine mesh strainer to remove any remaining chunks

Let cool before use.

Milk

Last updated Oct 19, 2025

Notes

Watch your heat and don’t slack on stirring, if the roux burns , it will ruin your entire batch. There will be little specs everywhere that you can’t get out.

If done correctly, the sauce should be completely white, silky smooth, and while hot, the consistency of a nice gravy. When it cools it will thicken considerably but should still be pourable. That is what makes this sauce so hard.