How to make a Bechamel Sauce

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3

mins read

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Updated on

May 23, 2024

The short answer

The béchamel is a classic and indispensable for dishes Lasagna and macaroni and cheese. It is creamy, indulgent, and results in wonderful comfort food! I once ordered Lasagna in a restaurant and the Bechamel was horrible. It ruined the whole dish. Let’s make sure that will never happen to you. 🧑‍🍳

Jump to Recipe
A béchamel sauce perfectly cooked and infused beforehand.

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The base of Bechamel: The roux

A perfect béchamel starts with a perfect roux: a mix of flour and fat.

Traditionally, butter was used. In my vegan version, I use olive oil instead, I’ll return to it in a bit ⬇️.

What made this restaurant's béchamel terrible? A poorly cooked roux. It was undercooked, It felt like I was eating raw flour 🤮.

When making your roux, make sure to cook it long enough to remove the flour taste. Aim for a light blond color, just enough to eliminate the floury rawness without adding the nutty taste of a blond roux.

A roux cooked in a pot used in the bechamel sauce

Which fat: Oil or Vegan Butter? 🧈

I use olive oil over vegan butter because it’s basically the same. Vegan butter is a blend of oil and water stabilized with a soy emulsifier. It contains at least 80% of oil. Therefore, it doesn’t make any difference in a roux. 🤷

Make it simple for yourself, use oil.

Choosing the right milk 🥛

The milk is the body of the béchamel sauce, choosing it wisely is crucial. I prefer soy milk for its neutral flavor and consistency, but any unsweetened plant-based milk will do. The key here is unsweetened, sweet milk will ruin your bechamel.

A bechamel cooked in a pot

Perfect your bechamel with these tips

To make sure your béchamel is a hit, follow these tips:

The bechamel cooked following the tips

Infusing the milk

This step might be optional, but it's a simple way to make your béchamel unforgettable. Warm the milk with two garlic cloves, a bay leaf, and a few peppercorns, and let your milk rest for 15 to 30 minutes. It’s a small touch that will have your guests nodding in approval 🥰.

The comforting power of Béchamel

Whatever you make with Béchamel, it will make transform this dish into comfort food. Whether you make Lasagna or add nutritional yeast to create a cheesy sauce, the béchamel will transform simple ingredients into indulgent comfort food like Mac’N’Cheese 🤤.

The Recipe

Bechamel Sauce

The béchamel sauce is one of the French mother sauces. It is the one that creates super comfy food for you and your guests!

A vegan bechamel sauce perfectly cooked

Prep time

5

mins

Cooking Time

10

mins

Servings

2

people

Ingredients

  • 20g flour
  • 20g extra virgin olive oil
  • 250 ml unsweetened soy milk
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
  • 1/4 teaspoon ground pepper

Instructions

  1. Make the roux: Heat the oil in a medium pot over medium heat. Add the flour and whisk continuously to avoid lumps. Cook until the mixture is sandy, about 2 minutes.
  2. Add the soy milk: Slowly pour in the soy milk, whisking constantly to mix it smoothly with the roux. Keep stirring to prevent lumps as the sauce thickens.
  3. Season the sauce: Lower the heat and add the nutmeg and pepper. Stir for another minute to blend the flavors.
  4. Adjust the thickness: Taste the sauce and adjust the seasoning if needed. If it’s too thick, add a bit more soy milk until it’s just right.

Notes

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