30-second cooking class – How to make béchamel (white sauce)

Click here to watch the video (only available in French).

Easy béchamel sauce recipe and 3 variations

Béchamel sauce, or white sauce, is a classic in cooking. It’s good to know how to make it yourself because it can be used in many dishes, like stuffed crêpes (thin pancakes), lasagna, moussaka and cheesy cauliflower. It’s also the base for other sauces like rosé (tomato cream) sauce, cheese sauce and herb sauce.

Béchamel doesn’t take many ingredients and can give you the inspiration you need to make a tasty, comforting meal!

Classic white sauce recipe

• Makes: 2 cups
• Preparation time: 10–15 minutes
• Keeps for: approximately 3 days in the fridge. 
• What you’ll need: measuring spoons and cups, large saucepan, whisk

Ingredients:

• 3 tbsp (45 ml) butter or margarine
• 3 tbsp (45 ml) flour
• 2 cups (500 ml) milk

Directions:

1. Melt the butter or margarine in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour, whisking well to keep lumps from forming.
2. Add ½ cup of milk, continuing to whisk.
3. Once the milk has been absorbed, add another ½ cup of milk, whisking constantly. Repeat until the 2 cups of milk have been absorbed. If you want to try one of the 3 flavoured sauces below, add the ingredients now.
4. Continue mixing until the sauce thickens.

Variations:

• For a thicker sauce, use more butter and flour (4 tbsp (60 ml) each).
• For a more liquid sauce, add more milk or less butter and flour (1 tbsp (15 ml) each).
• For a more flavourful sauce, chop 1 small onion and 1 clove of garlic and add to the butter or margarine. Brown for about 2 minutes, until the onion becomes translucid. Then add the flour and milk.

Tomato cream sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (500 ml) white sauce
• 1 cup (250 ml) tomato sauce (or use our easy Tomato Sauce recipe!)
• Salt and pepper to taste
• Oregano to taste

Directions:

1. In step 3 of the basic white sauce, add the tomato sauce and mix well.
2. 2. Season with salt, pepper and oregano to taste.

Cheese sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (500 ml) white sauce
• 1 cup (250 ml) grated cheddar cheese 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In step 3 of the basic white sauce, add the cheese and mix well until completely melted. 
2. 2. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

Herb sauce

Ingredients:

• 2 cups (500 ml) white sauce
• 1 tbsp (15 ml) dried herbs (like basil, oregano, thyme, parsley, etc.) 
• Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

1. In step 3 of the basic white sauce, add the fine herbs, the salt and pepper and mix well.

Recipes containing béchamel sauce and its variations:

• Spinach and Squash Vegetarian Lasagna 
• Pasta with Shrimp in a Tomato Cream Sauce 
• Chicken in Toast Cups