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    Home » Recipes » Sauces

    White Sauce (Béchamel Sauce)

    Published: Mar 20, 2024 by Cinde LittleThis post may contain affiliate links10 Comments

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    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.

    A pot of white sauce and a wooden spoon showing how thick it is.

    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.

    Jump to:
    • 🥛 Ingredients
    • ✍🏻 Instructions
    • 🧀 Variations
    • 🥶 Storage
    • 🛒 Equipment
    • White Sauce (Bechamel Sauce)

    🥛 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.
    A pot of white sauce and a wooden spoon showing how thick it is.

    White Sauce (Bechamel Sauce)

    White Sauce is a basic recipe everyone needs and it’s naturally gluten free. Then you can make Mac 'n Cheese, Moussaka, Eggs Florentine and so much more!
    5 from 3 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Homemade Sauces
    Cuisine: French
    Keyword: gluten free white sauce
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Author: Cinde Little

    Ingredients

    • 2 tablespoon butter
    • 1 tablespoon cornstarch *see notes if you're having trouble with the thickness
    • ¼ teaspoon salt
    • ⅛ teaspoon pepper
    • 1 cup milk (the higher the fat the richer the sauce)
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    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

    You can over stir a sauce with cornstarch and break it. Just stir off and on letting it thicken but preventing it from sticking to the bottom. If you're having trouble getting it to thicken use an extra ½ tablespoon of cornstarch and don't stir it as much.

    I'd love to hear in the comments below what you make with your white sauce. Happy cooking!

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    Comments

      5 from 3 votes

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Janet S.

      October 12, 2024 at 9:13 am

      5 stars
      Great instructions. Turned out perfect!

      Reply
      • Cinde Little

        October 12, 2024 at 11:35 am

        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!

        Reply
    2. Margie James

      September 29, 2024 at 5:39 pm

      5 stars
      My great granddaughter is a coeliac and this white sauce was easy to make and delicious. Perfect for lasagna and cauliflower.

      Reply
      • Cinde Little

        September 30, 2024 at 8:33 am

        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!

        Reply
    3. Kathy

      June 20, 2022 at 6:05 pm

      5 stars
      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.

      Reply
      • Cinde Little

        June 20, 2022 at 10:38 pm

        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!

        Reply
    4. Julie Clarry

      March 21, 2021 at 7:35 am

      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.

      Reply
      • Cinde Little

        March 21, 2021 at 10:25 am

        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!

        Reply
    5. André F.

      March 19, 2021 at 9:48 am

      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

      Reply
      • Cinde Little

        March 19, 2021 at 10:46 am

        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!

        Reply

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