What Is Bechamel (white) sauce and How Can I Use It?
Wondering what to do with bechamel (white) sauce? This guide covers how to pick it, cook it, store it, and swap it, plus 55 recipes to put it to work.
What is bechamel (white) sauce?
Béchamel is a creamy French white sauce, and so basic to French cooking that it is called a “sauce mere” or mother sauce. Its American equivalent is white sauce.
Béchamel is the basis for other sauces, and for innumerable dishes.
Béchamel used to be a more complicated sauce than it is today. In the days of King Louis XIV of France it was made of milk, veal, seasonings, and cream.
In modern French cooking, Béchamel is made with milk, butter, and flour, in various degrees of thickness, like a white sauce. Later, it may be enriched with butter, cream, cheese, herbs, or other flavorings. Depending on these, it changes its name.
For instance, a Béchamel with cream is a sauce supréme, one with cheese a sauce Mornay.
First cousin to Béchamel is Velouté sauce, which is made with chicken, veal, or fish broth, and to which wine, milk, or cream is sometimes added. Velouté can also be enriched at will.
Béchamel and sauces based on Béchamel are used with eggs, fish, chicken, veal, and vegetables, and as a base for cream soups, soufflés, croquettes, etc.
Béchamel should always be made in a heavy-bottomed saucepan to prevent scorching and discoloring of the roux, the butter and flour cooked together in the first step of making the sauce.
See the following recipes for more information on making Béchamel sauce (with variations):
Quick facts
- In Chinese
- 白汁
- British (UK) term
- Bechamel (white) sauce
- en français
- sauce Béchamel
- en español
- salsa bechamel
Recipes using bechamel (white) sauce
There are 55 recipes that contain this ingredient.
Homemade Baked Noodles
Asian-style baked noodle casserole layered with stir-fried vegetables, creamy white sauce, and a golden breadcrumb crust. A fusion comfort dish that transforms simple ingredients into something special.
Succotash (Dave's)
Dave's big-batch succotash with baby lima beans and corn in a creamy vegetable white sauce. Feeds a crowd and works for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any holiday spread.
Creamed Tuna Fish
Creamed tuna on toast is the original 10-minute pantry dinner. Flaked tuna folded into silky bechamel and spooned over crisp toast points, finished with paprika and pimento.
Creamy Potato & Egg Casserole
Creamy potato and egg casserole layers boiled potatoes, sliced hard-boiled eggs, and onions under a homemade bechamel, then crowns it with buttery breadcrumbs. Old-school comfort food that bakes into a golden, bubbling family-supper dish.
Pollo a la Creme
Pollo a la creme with sauteed chicken in sweet cream served inside a baked noodle ring mold with cheese and bechamel. A vintage dinner party showpiece with French technique.
Basic Creamed Tuna with Variations
Flaked tuna folded into creamy bechamel sauce with a splash of sherry, served three ways: over fried eggplant, in tart shells, or on buttered biscuits. Retro comfort food in 20 minutes.
Macaroni Souffle
Macaroni souffle with ground beef, Gouda cheese, tomato puree, and bechamel sauce layered and baked. A European-style baked pasta casserole with a creamy, golden top.
Leek Northumbria
Leeks Northumbria with boiled leeks, creamy bechamel, and grated cheese browned to a golden crust. A classic British vegetable side or light main from the North.
Spinach with Bechamel
Fresh spinach draped in a classic homemade béchamel sauce, ready in just 20 minutes. This French-inspired vegetable side dish turns simple greens into something silky and elegant with only four ingredients.
Ma's Bloody Mary Herring Cocktail
Do you love Bloody Marys? Do you love herring? Then, you'll LOVE this cocktail!
Pasta with White Sauce
Pasta with creamy bechamel white sauce, sliced red bell peppers, and oregano. A simple five-ingredient organic pasta dish tossed in olive oil and ready in 30 minutes.
Enchillada Suisa
Enchiladas Suizas with shredded chicken in corn tortillas, blanketed in a tomatillo-serrano salsa verde enriched with béchamel, cream, and melted cheddar. Rich, creamy, and tangy.
Coygimwch Dell Patagonia
Welsh prawn and cauliflower gratin with Caerphilly cheese bechamel sauce seasoned with turmeric, mustard, and ground bay leaf. A rich, golden-topped British seafood dish.
Creamed Mushroom Sauce
Creamed mushroom sauce made by stirring mushrooms into a classic white bechamel sauce. Two ingredients, 10 minutes, and endlessly versatile for chicken, pasta, or vegetables.
Eat's California Chicken
California chicken casserole with sauteed chicken breast layered with avocado, fresh tomato, white sauce, and Monterey Jack cheese, then baked until bubbly and golden.
Mom's Easy Cream of Mushroom Soup
Easy cream of mushroom soup made by blending homemade bechamel with mushroom concentrate and beef broth. Restaurant body in under 30 minutes.
Olive Garden Spaghetti Carbonara
Olive Garden spaghetti carbonara copycat: thick-cut bacon and sautéed mushrooms tossed with spaghetti and a creamy béchamel-Parmesan sauce. The American-Italian chain version, no raw eggs required.
Croaker Croquettes
Golden deep-fried fish croquettes made with flaked croaker, white sauce, pimento, and green pepper. A classic Southern coastal recipe served with tomato sauce. Crispy outside, creamy inside.
Coygimwch Dell Patagonia (Prawn Patagonia)
A traditional Welsh prawn gratin with tender cauliflower, creamy bechamel, and crumbled Caerphilly cheese, grilled golden and served with piped creamed potatoes. Elegant comfort food.
Cannelloni with Cheese Sauce
Cannelloni stuffed with beef, Italian sausage, and marinara, blanketed in a cheddar cheese white sauce and baked until bubbling. Freezer-friendly for make-ahead weeknight wins.
Leek & Kasha Pie
Vegan leek and kasha pie: Eastern European-inspired casserole with toasted buckwheat groats, sauteed leeks, and a tofu-bechamel topping crisped under bread crumbs.
Tuna Fish with Baked Rice
Vintage baked tuna in a buttery rice mold topped with egg-enriched white sauce and a dusting of paprika. A retro one-dish dinner that feeds 8 from simple pantry ingredients.
Creamed Sweetbreads
Tender sweetbreads poached in milk, cubed, and served in a classic béchamel sauce. A refined old-world appetizer for adventurous cooks who appreciate offal done right.
Chicken in Cream
Chicken simmered in cream with bechamel, mushrooms, curry powder, and a squeeze of lemon. A rich, French-inspired sauce with a subtle warm spice kick.
Mushroom, Bechamel, & Cheese Pizzette
Mini mushroom pizzettes topped with silky bechamel sauce, sauteed mushrooms, nutty Gruyere, and a snowfall of Parmigiano-Reggiano. A French-Italian hybrid appetizer baked to golden perfection.
Melanzana Alla Parmigiana - Eggplant Parmigina
Eggplant Parmigiana with bechamel, tomato sauce, mozzarella, Parmesan, and artichoke hearts. A layered Italian casserole where egg-dipped eggplant bakes into a bubbly, cheesy masterpiece.
Oysters Philadelphia
Oysters Philadelphia: sherry-poached oysters on a bed of sauteed celery, topped with bechamel, Parmesan, and paprika, then baked golden on rock salt. An elegant holiday appetizer.
Turkey Casserole
Turkey casserole layered with spaghetti, a savory tomato-mushroom sauce, and creamy white sauce. A comforting leftover turkey bake with Italian-inspired flavors.
Peanutty Squash
Winter squash casserole layered with bechamel white sauce, grated cheese, and crushed peanuts. A vegetarian baked casserole with a crunchy peanut topping.
Cheese & Garlic Toast
A cheese and garlic sauce served over toasted french bread, or any toasted bread. A tasty starter or even light meal.
Ma's Martini (Herring Cocktail)
Who would have thoughtyou could deliciously combine herring and gin? Well, we've done it...give it a try and tell us what you think!
Judi's Ratatouille Lasagne
Vegetarian ratatouille lasagna layers Provencal vegetables with ricotta, mozzarella, marinara, and bechamel between tender noodles. Meatless, hearty, feeds six.
Kwitiaow Pad Thai
Kwitiaow Pad Thai with rice noodles, prawns, bean curd, egg, and peanuts in a tamarind-palm sugar sauce. An authentic Thai street food classic with traditional condiments on the side.
Garlic-Stuffed Mushrooms
Garlic stuffed mushrooms with pecans, parmesan, and a folded-in roasted garlic bechamel, baked hot until the filling sets and the tops blush with cayenne.
Crab Casserole
Crab casserole with white sauce, separated eggs, and hot sauce, baked until puffed and golden. A souffle-style seafood dish with just six ingredients.
Chicken & Potato Bake
Chicken and potato bake layers sliced potatoes around a creamy mozzarella-bechamel chicken filling brightened with lemon and chopped chestnuts, then bakes it golden and bubbling. A comforting layered casserole.
Vincent Price's Kedgeree
Vincent Price's elegant take on kedgeree layers flaked salmon with rice pilaf, bechamel, and chopped egg, then bakes in a water bath. Serve with curry sauce for a British-Indian classic.
Kale & Leek Pie
Kale and leek pie with poached fish in bechamel sauce, cheddar, and Parmesan baked in a pie shell. A savory British-style fish pie with greens.
Extra Crusty Macaroni & Cheese
This simple and scrumptious dish is a great way to start conversation with your family at the dinner table.
Tacoritos
Seasoned ground beef, lettuce, tomatoes, and cheddar roll up in flour tortillas with a creamy chile-spiked white sauce. Bake until bubbly for enchilada-style burritos.
Chicken & Sweet Potatoes
Spiced mashed sweet potatoes form a golden ring around a creamy chicken and water chestnut filling in this cozy low-calorie casserole. Cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar make the sweet potatoes sing.
Hearty German Sour Cream Soup
Hearty German sour cream soup with bacon, cabbage, barley, rice, and vegetables in a tangy bechamel-enriched broth with caraway and vinegar. A cold-weather classic.
Rigatoni with Ground Turkey
Baked rigatoni with ground turkey, porcini mushrooms, and tomatoes topped with homemade bechamel, breadcrumbs, and Parmesan. A hearty one-dish pasta bake.
Creamed Venison
Braised venison steak in white sauce with Worcestershire, dill relish, and a golden bread crumb topping. A hunter's casserole that turns wild game into fork-tender comfort food.
Crab Casserole Florentine
Crab casserole Florentine with layers of buttery spinach, cream of mushroom, and a Swiss cheese béchamel folded with sweet crab meat and crunchy water chestnuts.
Salmon Coulibiak
Russian salmon coulibiac: flaked salmon, rice, mushrooms, hard-boiled eggs, and dill wrapped in flaky puff pastry. A showstopper main course with deep Russian roots.
Laverbread & Crab Souffles with Cockle Sauce
Welsh laverbread and crab souffles with a cockle cream sauce. Individual souffles puffed golden with seaweed, fresh crab, and nutmeg. A traditional Welsh seafood dish.
Tuna a la King
Classic tuna a la king with mushrooms, green peppers, and pimiento in creamy white sauce spiked with sherry. Serve over toasted English muffins.
Stuffed Beef Heart
Stuffed beef heart, an old Pennsylvania nose-to-tail dish filled with roasted chestnuts and bechamel-bound cracker crumbs, simmered tender then roasted to a brown crust.
Chicken Artichoke Mostaccioli in Bechamel Sauce
Golden chicken, artichoke hearts, mushrooms, and mostaccioli pasta tossed in a velvety homemade bechamel sauce with a pinch of cayenne. An Italian-American comfort bowl ready in 30 minutes.
