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France recipeBéchamel Sauce

The classic French white sauce of milk, butter and flour, silky and lump free, for lasagna, croquetas and gratins.

By Wanda Oyola 12 min Easy

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Recipe in testing: I'm cooking it in my TM7™ and will update the steps and the photo with my own.

A white bowl of smooth, glossy béchamel sauce with a wooden spoon and a little grated nutmeg on top.

Béchamel is one of the mother sauces of French cooking: milk thickened with butter and flour and seasoned with a little nutmeg. It is the creamy layer in lasagna, the heart of croquetas, the base of a good mac and cheese and the topping that turns a dish of vegetables into a golden gratin. Once you know it, you will use it everywhere.

On the stove, béchamel asks you to whisk without stopping so the flour does not clump or stick. In the Thermomix® TM7™, everything goes into the bowl cold and cooks at 90°C (195°F) while the blades keep it moving, so it comes out glossy and smooth in under ten minutes. You only decide how thick you want it.

Made in the Thermomix® TM7™

Béchamel Sauce

Makes: About 550 g (2 1/4 cups)

  • Prep3 min
  • Cook9 min
  • Total12 min
  • Serves6

Ingredients

Instructions

  1. Place the milk, flour, butter, salt, pepper and nutmeg in the mixing bowl. There is no need to melt the butter or warm the milk first.
  2. Cook 7 min/90°C (195°F)/speed 4. The blades keep the flour moving the whole time, so the sauce thickens evenly, without lumps, and nothing sticks to the bottom.
  3. Check the texture: it should coat the back of a spoon and fall back in a thick ribbon. If you want it thicker, cook 2 min/90°C (195°F)/speed 4 more.
  4. Taste and add a pinch more salt or nutmeg if it needs it, then mix 5 sec/speed 4.
  5. Pour the béchamel into a bowl and grate a little nutmeg on top to serve, or use it right away in your recipe while it is warm and pourable.
  6. To keep it for later, press plastic wrap directly onto the surface so no skin forms, let it cool and refrigerate it.

Tips

  • For croquetas, make it very thick: use 80 g of butter (5 1/2 tbsp) and 80 g of flour (2/3 cup) with the same 500 g of milk and cook 10 min/90°C (195°F)/speed 4. It sets firm in the fridge and holds its shape when you roll it.
  • For lasagna or cannelloni, a thinner sauce spreads better between the layers: use 30 g of butter (2 tbsp) and 30 g of flour (1/4 cup), or add 100 g (a scant 1/2 cup) more milk at the end and mix 10 sec/speed 4.
  • Mornay (cheese sauce): before step 1, grate 80 g of Gruyère or sharp white cheddar and 20 g of Parmesan in the clean, dry bowl 6 sec/speed 7 and set them aside. When the béchamel is ready, add the cheese and mix 1 min/80°C (175°F)/speed 3 until melted. Lovely in mac and cheese, croque monsieur and cauliflower gratin.
  • Béchamel keeps 3 days in the fridge, covered. It firms up as it cools: reheat it with 2 or 3 tbsp of milk, 3 min/80°C (175°F)/speed 3, until smooth again.

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