This basic white sauce is the building block of great recipes like homemade mac and cheese or lasagna. This homemade sauce recipe comes together quickly and easily on the stove.
Have you ever used a vintage cookbook? If you go back 50 years, to the days when home economics was still taught in schools and when even branded cookbooks listed real ingredients like 1 cup flour instead of one 6-ounce package Mary Mary’s baking mix.
Nowadays many cookbooks offer you recipes that are simply open this can, shake in this mix, stir and done. While the convenience is nice, the ingredients not so much.
After years of buying canned cream soups to make Cheesy Potatoes, I realized that those cans were just a basic white sauce, something so simple and delicious that you can make in minutes—without all the preservatives and junk.
The secret to great tasting casseroles and other dishes? The secret is in the sauce— the white sauce.
Are alfredo and white sauce the same thing?
Alfredo is a white-colored sauce, but it differs drastically from a white sauce.
While Alfredo sauce is typically made with butter, garlic, parmesan, and cream, a white sauce is more like a white gravy—made from a thickened roux of butter and flour, with milk mixed in.
What is white sauce made of?
This recipe is simple really and made of 3 basic ingredients:
- butter
- flour
- milk (or broth)
Then you want to season it with salt and pepper. To make this sauce is to conquer a really simple culinary technique that has all kinds of potential. You can flavor it any way you like (parmesan, spices, herbs, cheese, sauteed vegetables, chicken broth for some of the milk) to recreate any creamy sauce you desire.
How do you make white sauce from scratch?
The process is super simple.
- Melt butter in a pan.
- Add flour and whisk until bubbly and fragrant.
- Whisk in milk or milk/broth until smooth and creamy.
- Simmer until your desired thickness. Yum!
One batch of this sauce, seasoned with salt and pepper and any of the variations listed below can replace a can of creamed soup in your recipes.
What do you eat with homemade white sauce?
White sauce is delicious as a simple sauce for cooked meats, fish, and noodles, but it’s also a great component for other recipes.
That’s really all that canned cream soup is—a white sauce enhanced with chicken broth, chopped celery, sautéed mushrooms, or whatever other flavor you want to “cream”.
Use it as a base for Chicken and Biscuit Pizza or the Bechamel layer in a Croque Monsieur sandwich. (Bechamel is the French name for white sauce.)
It can be the gravy in Chicken Pot Pie or a replacement for the ricotta layer in Lasagna. Stir in a few handfuls of shredded cheeses and you’ve got a delicious sauce for Alfredo Mac and Cheese or Stovetop Mac and Cheese.
What can I add to white sauce for flavor?
You can add a variety of delicious ingredients to add a boost of flavor to your white sauce. Here are a few white sauce variations:
- Fresh herbs, like parsley or thyme
- Grated cheese, like parmesan, asiago, or cheddar
- White wine or sherry for some of the milk
- Chicken or vegetable broth for some of the milk
- Sauteed mushrooms or celery
- Caramelized onions
Can I make this gluten free?
You absolutely can. Just substitute your favorite gluten free flour for this regular all-purpose flour in the recipe.
Can I make this vegan?
Yes. Just swap out the butter and milk for your favorite vegan variety and you’re all set!
Can you freeze white sauce?
Making a large batch of white sauce and freezing it in 2 cup portions is a great way to buy yourself some time in the future.
To freeze white sauce, place it in a freezer-safe container. Chill completely in the refrigerator before storing in the freezer, for up to 2 months.
To thaw white sauce, remove the dish from the freezer and place in the fridge overnight. Reheat in a saucepan, whisking to recombine.
If you prepare this recipe, be sure to share a picture on social media and hashtag it #GOODCHEAPEATS. I can't wait to see what you cook up!
Basic White Sauce
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup butter
- 1/4 cup unbleached, all-purpose flour
- 2 cup milk
- salt
- black pepper
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pot over medium heat, melt the butter. Whisk in the flour and stir until well mixed, hot, and bubbly, about 2 minutes.
- Gradually whisk in the milk, stirring until smooth.
- Simmer until thickened, about 7 minutes, stirring.
Nutrition
This post was originally published on March 31, 2015. It has been updated for content and clarity.
Connie Scott
Potato soup is an easy go to for using a lot of milk. Cooking the milk will freshen it if it’s starting to get blinky.
Dorothye Billingsley
Thank you so much! I used to have this recipe memorized but I hadn’t used it in a while and needed it today! I used the version with chicken broth for chicken noodle casserole today but I use the basic version in a lot of other things too like chicken a la king, chicken and biscuits, potato soup, etc.
Jessica Fisher
Glad it was helpful!
Les Oneal
Any suggestion for sauce on cornbread dressing.
Jessica Fisher
Do you mean gravy? That’s usually what we serve with dressing/stuffing. This is my go-to, 5-Minute Easy Gravy Recipe, similar process to white sauce but with some flavor changes.
Reena Bansal
Came out excellent! I added spinach, parmesan and asiago cheese and stuck with the rest of your recipe. Too good!! Thank you
Jessica Fisher
Awesome! Those sound like great additions!
Joanne
I’m wondering if almond milk can be substituted for dairy milk.
Jessica Fisher
You can substitute any liquid for the milk. While it will change the flavor and color, it will make a thick sauce. Likewise, I have used oil instead of butter when I need to make a dairy-free gravy. Just use a bit less.
Alice E
Just a note to say that you can omit the butter if fat is a problem, like it is for me. Just whisk/stir the flour into part of the milk until there are not lumps and then cook it ’til done. It doesn’t taste quite as rich, but it does work. You can also use the slurry method to thicken soups, etc. That is what this is, a slurry of the liquid and flour or other thickener. The secret, I think is to not use much liquid. You want something about like pancake batter, I think for the easiest mixing of the slurry without lumps.
Also, you can vary the flour to liquid ratio to control the thickness of the sauce.
Jessica Fisher
Thanks for the tip!
Ashley
I’m new to your website. I found it when searching for how to use up a gallon of milk. Can you freeze this? I have a gallon of milk that expired yesterday and I don’t want to waste it.
Jessica Fisher
Hi Ashley! Welcome! First, expiration dates are not “the law”. Like for reals, the only product that is bound to give a hard and fast expiration date is for baby formula. You can read more about that here on the USDA’s website. Basically, it’s a guideline. If your milk doesn’t smell bad, you’re good to continue using it as you regularly would.
That said, the producer is giving you a “guesstimate” as to when it will taste best. You can absolutely make the white sauce or any of my “Cream of Soups” and freeze those. I recommend packaging them in 2-cup portions so that you can use them like you would a can of creamed soup. The texture looks a little clumpy upon thawing, but whisking it as you warm it should eliminate that. If using it in a casserole it won’t even matter.
For freezing, be sure to chill the containers in the fridge before putting them in the freezer. That will prevent ice crystals and freezer burn from forming. Hope that helps!
Allie Z
I’ll admit, I haven’t had flour in my kitchen in at least 2 years. Sad! But our work around for GF white sauce comes from a sneaky white sweet potato. It seriously works!
I use the microplaner to get a fine grind. I let the butter and 1/2 potato melt together for several minutes, whisk in 1/2 the liquid and simmer for 5 minutes or until thick. Then I thin out the sauce and viola! GF white sauce. I usually season with Organic chicken bullion, onion powder, and mustard powder. YUM!!
Rhonda
Thanks Allie. My daughter is celiac. I am excited to try this out!!
Cheri A
And for those that need to stay away from gluten, cornstarch or your favorite gluten-free blend works well too. I often make this with chicken broth only also.
Lauren
If you want to make it chicken flavor, do you just add more flour since the chicken broth will thin it out? FYI: I don’t kike to use chicken bouillon–it has too many questionable ingredients.
Jessica Fisher
No, I’d sub chicken broth for half the milk. And yes, I agree. 🙂
Lauren
Thanks Jessica! I have been reading (and enjoying) your blog for a couple of years now–lurking actually. This was the first time I commented. Thanks!