White Sauce is one of those basic recipes everyone needs. I learned to make this version, thickened with cornstarch, in one of the first cooking classes I ever took. Some versions of this classic bechamel sauce, as the French call it, are made with wheat flour. Switch to this recipe and you've got one gluten free problem solved.
White sauce has no season. It is the secret ingredient that makes extra creamy lasagna and cannelloni. I also use it in oven-baked Pastitsio and it's the final touch to the classic French sandwich, Croque Monsiuer.
🥛 Ingredients
This simple recipe can be made with skim milk but the more fat the better. I make it with 2%, whole milk or even 10% and whipping cream when I have it. The sauce just keeps getting richer, and more delicious, as the fat content increases.
- butter
- cornstarch
- milk
See recipe card for exact amounts.
✍🏻 Instructions
For those of you who don't like to follow instructions, this is what you need to know. Adding the milk a third at a time allows the sauce to thicken, you can't rush it.
Sauces with cornstarch can also be broken by over stirring, so don't do that and it will be perfect every time.
🧀 Variations
There is no end to the way white sauce can be varied. Here are five of the variations I make.
In this decadent Lobster Mac and Cheese variation the sauce includes onion and garlic plus cheddar and Swiss cheese. The white sauce for this Tetrazzini has some nutmeg and chicken stock added to it.
When you add Swiss cheese to white sauce it becomes Mornay sauce and that's the topping for Eggs Florentine, my preferred variation of Eggs Benedict.
In my version of Moussaka I add cottage cheese and feta cheese to the white sauce for the topping. Finally, the addition of sharp cheddar cheese makes the best homemade Mac & Cheese, IMHO.
🥶 Storage
I do freeze cooked dishes that have white sauce in them like lasagna, moussaka and pastitsio. Like many things it isn't quite as good after it's been frozen. My suggestion is to heat it slowly either in the oven or over several minutes in the microwave allowing the food to heat through completely.
🛒 Equipment
Every kitchen needs tools and having the right tool for the job makes cooking enjoyable. Here are some ideas:
- Quality set of pot and pans for everyday cooking.
- If you have a colour theme 'for gluten only' or 'gluten free' keep it going with whisks, coloured handle whisks or silicone whisks.
- Silicone spatula sets also come in all the colours of the rainbow.
White Sauce (Bechamel Sauce)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon butter
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch *see notes to ensure sauce thickens
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ⅛ teaspoon pepper
- 1 cup milk (the higher the fat the richer the sauce)
Instructions
- Melt butter in small saucepan.
- Add cornstarch, salt and pepper, whisk until smooth and bubbly.
- Slowly pour in a third of the milk. Stir off and on as it thickens.
- Add the next third and allow sauce to thicken again.
- Add the final third, stirring until sauce is thick and smooth.
- For cheese sauce add cheese and stir until melted.
Notes
Nutrition
I'd love to hear in the comments below what you make with your white sauce. Happy cooking!
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Joanna
This is REALLY good! A great basic recipe. I actually am dairy and gluten free so I used almond milk and margarine, and it was still amazing. I used it to top the moussaka recipe I made, and it baked up perfectly. Thanks so much!
Cinde Little
Thank you Joanna! It's always great to hear when the dairy free version lives up to expectations. This recipe is definitely a keeper with so many ways to use white sauce. I'm sure your moussaka was amazing!
Bella
Hello, I am looking forward to making this sauce due to the gluten free.
Would you happen to know how many cups does this recipe make?
Thanks in advance.
Bella
Cinde Little
Hi Bella! It makes about 1 1/4 cups of sauce and I have now added that into the recipe card. I made this sauce for decades before I even heard the words gluten free so I'm sure it will work and you'll like it.
Trevor Youngstrom
Use heavy cream for a no brainer, perfect sauce.
Cinde Little
Yes Trevor, I'm quick to do that when I have extra whipping cream in my fridge. So decadent! Enjoy!
Janet S.
Great instructions. Turned out perfect!
Cinde Little
Thanks Janet! That made me laugh. My husband couldn't make a thick sauce with my original steps. I improved the instructions so I'm glad it worked well for you. Happy cooking!
Margie James
My great granddaughter is a coeliac and this white sauce was easy to make and delicious. Perfect for lasagna and cauliflower.
Cinde Little
Hi Margie! I'm so glad your great granddaughter can make this sauce. My son also learned to make it when he was young and it has served him well with all the different ways he can use it. Happy cooking to both of you!
Kathy
My husband had to go gluten-free about 20 years ago, I will not lie in the beginning it was pretty hard. But as time passed we got better at checking labels and thinking of ways to change recipes so they were gf. And then started finding lots of things on the internet, some good, some not so much.
I really liked your cream sauce, it was so easy and simple, of course I have made cream sauce before but I never write it down. I never have whole milk so I used 2% and cream.
Any way it turned out really so good. Thank you for sharing.
Cinde Little
Thanks or saying that Kathy. Yes, it is hard at the beginning of going gluten free, no one would argue with that. But fortunately you found your groove an then it gets better. I made this white sauce with skim milk for many years and with cream too when I have some leftover from another recipe. I'm glad it turned out for you since there are so many great recipes to make with white sauce. I hope you find more ways to enjoy it!
Julie Clarry
Cinde, your recipe sounds just like the one I have been using for years. I used to used all purpose flour but I will try it with the cornstarch and the gluten free flour mixuture. I always warm up the milk before adding. Just one minute in the microwave. It helps blend in much faster and smoother.
Cinde Little
Hi Julie. As a general rule of thumb when you move away from wheat flour is to SUBSTITUTE "half the amount" of cornstarch for wheat flour. So in a recipe that calls for 4 tablespoons of flour you would only use 2 tablespoons of cornstarch. When people are new to gluten free cooking I recommend looking for recipes that don't use wheat flour. As you learn some of the basics of gluten free then you can go back and mess around with your old favourite recipes and perfect them to suit yourself. I hope that helps!
André F.
Only cornstarch for your béchamel?
well, you may want to try this gf flour mix mix instead:
57% white rice flour
16% cassava flour
23% potato starch
4% potato flour
Works very well also for pan browning to make a dark roux for my ragoût de boulettes et pattes de cochon.
André
Cinde Little
That sounds great André! Once people are comfortable with gluten free cooking I always encourage them to mess around and find the flour combinations they like best. I just might try your mix to make a dark roux. Thanks for sharing!