Classic béchamel sauce

A dish that starts with unsalted butter and finishes with flour.

Basic

contains glutencontains dairy

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Ingredients

Units: US Metric

Scale: ½× – 4× with Plus →

Make it lactose-friendly

5 Teaspoons unsalted butter → plant butter, ghee (mostly lactose-free), or olive oil
1 litre whole milk → lactose-free milk, oat milk, or almond milk

Swaps are suggestions, not medical advice. Check labels if lactose is a serious issue for you.

Put your butter in your pot and let is slowly melt on medium to low heat.
Once the butter is fully melted add the flour and stir it in to make a roux.
Keep stiring your roux on medium low heat until it gets lightly golden brown and starts melling a bit nutty.
Add about a glass of your whole milk and stir until combined, repeat this process until you have a thick sauce in your pan and new milk you add easily combines. Never stop stirring.
At this point you can add the rest of your milk, if you skip the previous step you will end up with lumps of roux that are hard to get out.
Lower your heat to low and keep stiring don't forget to get in the corners of the pot because your sauce will burn easily.
Once your sauce has the desired thickness give it a taste and add your salt and pepper until it is to your liking. A pinch of nutmeg, preferably freshly grated, will also go a long way.

Nutrition (estimated, per serving)