Basic White Cream Sauce (Bechamel Sauce)

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4.79 from 23 votes

Basic White Cream Sauce (Bechamel Sauce)

Easy white cream sauce is perfect for thickening soups, stews, or add to casseroles or vegetables.

Cook Time8

Total Time8

Course: Sauce

Cuisine: French

Servings: cups

Calories: 668kcal

Author: Anecia Hero

Ingredients

½ cup all-purpose flour
1 stick butter ,salted or unsalted (See Recipe Notes)
2 cups milk 2% or whole (See Recipe Notes)
⅛-¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
salt
ground white pepper (optional)

Instructions

In a medium saucepan on low heat, melt butter
1 stick butter
Sprinkle in flour and whisk for 1 minute
½ cup all-purpose flour
Remove pan from heat and gradually add milk; continue to whisk off heat (see recipe notes)
2 cups milk
Place saucepan back onto stove burner and continue to whisk until sauce is smooth and slightly thickened; add nutmeg
⅛-¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
Taste for salt and pepper; adjust according to your palate; serve
salt , ground white pepper (optional)

Notes

Butter:

Use salted or unsalted butter in this recipe; taste for salt after sauce is complete.

Milk:

Use 2% or whole milk for cream sauce. You can substitute with half-and-half or heavy cream, but keep in mind the heavy cream will produce a slightly sweeter taste than milk.
For best results, let milk stand at room temperature for about 5 minutes. Cold milk will cause the sauce to clump
Add milk in 3-4 increments; do not pour it in all at once

Texture:

The sauce thickens the longer it cooks. Keep the heat on low. WHY? If you cook it at a high heat, you run the risk of your sauce breaking. You want it thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Nutrition