Béchamel sauce
The classic smooth white sauce for gratins, lasagne and cauliflower cheese. Easy once you know the trick.
- Time15 min
- LevelEasy
- Costabout £0.14 a head
Cost is worked out from Aldi and Tesco shelf prices in October 2026. Your shop and brands will differ.
Ingredients
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Method
- 1
Melt the butter in a pan over a medium heat.
- 2
Stir in the flour and cook for 1 to 2 minutes, stirring, until it bubbles and smells nutty.
1 min 30 s - 3
Take off the heat and add a splash of the warm milk, beating hard until smooth. Repeat until half the milk is in.
- 4
Return to the heat, add the rest of the milk and stir until it boils and thickens. Simmer for 5 minutes.
5 min - 5
Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg. For a cheese sauce, stir in a handful of grated cheese at the end.
Double check before you cook. Recipes can contain mistakes. Any diet labels come from the ingredients as written in this recipe and are a guide, not a guarantee. Always check every ingredient and the packet label for allergens and cross contamination, and ask your doctor or dietitian what is right for you, especially with coeliac disease, diabetes or a serious allergy. This is not medical advice.