Homemade Béchamel Sauce, Creamy and Lump-Free
Homemade béchamel sauce with milk, butter, and flour: creamy, smooth, and lump-free in minutes. The base for lasagne, baked pasta, and gratins.
Want a béchamel that’s smooth and creamy, without a single lump, the kind that binds lasagne and makes gratins velvety? Then follow this recipe: just three ingredients and a few minutes, with the right technique.
Béchamel is one of the most useful base sauces in the kitchen: it binds lasagne, enriches baked pasta, and coats gratinated vegetables. It’s made with milk, butter, and flour, and its one real obstacle, lumps, is avoided with a simple move.
It has at least three real advantages: it’s made with ingredients you always have, it’s ready in a quarter of an hour, and it adapts to countless recipes just by adjusting the consistency.
The most important tip is all here: heat the milk well and pour it onto the roux a little at a time, whisking constantly. Cold milk added all at once is the main cause of lumps. With the whisk always in hand, the béchamel comes out smooth the first time.
Adjust the thickness to the use: firmer for gratins, softer for lasagne. And if you’re not using it right away, cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface.
Ready? Let’s make béchamel.
To make this recipe
A small selection of handy tools to keep within reach. Some links may be affiliate links.
Pastry whisk
Useful for whipping egg whites to stiff peaks and for gently folding the mixture without deflating it.
Steps
- Heat the milk in a small pot without bringing it to a boil: it should be hot when you add it to the roux.
- In a separate pot, melt the butter over low heat, add the flour all at once, and stir for 1 to 2 minutes until you have a golden, smooth mixture (the roux).
- Pour in the hot milk a little at a time, whisking constantly to dissolve it well and avoid lumps.
- Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 to 6 minutes, stirring, until the béchamel thickens and coats the spoon.
- Season with salt and a grating of nutmeg. Use it right away, or cover it with plastic wrap touching the surface to prevent a skin from forming.
Helpful tips
The secret against lumps is simple: hot milk added a little at a time, with the whisk always in hand.
Adjust the consistency to the use: thicker for gratins, more fluid for lasagne (just add a little more milk).
Cover with plastic wrap touching the surface if you're not using it right away, so no skin forms on top.
It's the base for lasagne, baked pasta, crêpes, and gratinated vegetables.
Average nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 180 kcal
- Carbohydrates
- 12.0 g
- Sugars
- 6.0 g
- Protein
- 5.0 g
- Fat
- 12.0 g
- Saturated fat
- 8.0 g
- Fiber
- 0.0 g
- Sodium
- 220 mg
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