White Sauce

The classic white sauce. Add cheese for a cheese sauce. Other sauces based on this would use tomato puree or lemon or egg yolk. People shouldn't give this a lower rating because it is bland. White sauce is by definition bland because it is used as a base or starter for other sauces. Works perfect for a macaroni and cheese base, add about half a block of Velveeta and it's a great sauce.

This was so easy and a great base. We were having Shrimp so I added crushed garlic, parm cheese, parsley and pepper. Next time I will add tomato and bacon and have it over penne pasta.

I have used this recipe for many years (about 50) and I learned how to make it from my mother, so it's been our family for a long time. I make a thinner sauce sometimes and use it for a cream soup base. It's a recipe that every child needs to learn :)

COMBINE FLOUR AND WATER IN A MASON JAR. sHAKE AND ADD TO PAN.

There is a reason this is a highly rated sauce....its called a béchamel and is a basic french cooking sauce. Been around forever and ever.

Great starter white sauce, texture was perfect. I added salt, pepper, nutmeg, fresh crushed garlic, bacon and parmesan. Next time i will add green onions and shrimp instead of bacon.

A simple, easy and very versatile sauce. I added Pepper Jack cheese to the sauce along with a few seasonings and served over filled crepes. Good Carolyn and thanks!

This recipe is very good and goes very good with any kind of cheese to make a very good cheese sauce.

This needed a lot of fresh chopped basil and parsley for flavor. Topped with grated parmesan and asiago cheese.

I also made this in "Home Ec" many many moons ago & it is a PERFECT beginner sauce! Thank you so much for sharing the recipe & bring me back to a time in my cooking history when things were simple but GOOD! I have LOTS of plans for this recipe! Lots! :)

Use a stainless steel pan and stir with a steel spatula. This allows you to cover more surface area vs using a spoon and results in less likely to burn.

This was easy to make. We loaded it up with vermont cheddar and put it over macaroni on a cold night - spectacular!

Great base sauce...I just added italian seasoning, garlic powder and some parmesan.

Very good base white sauce recipe! You can add to your tasting. I added 3 grated cloves of garlic, sun dried tomatoes, grated parmesan cheese, dried basil, salt, pepper and chopped fresh flat leaf parsley. I also added more milk. Tasted great with whole wheat penne and grilled chicken.

Perfect! Don't change a thing! Note that you can use skim milk & it's just fine. Thanks for the recipe!

Doubled the recipe, added 1/2 cup of good chicken broth, a lot of black pepper (because we like pepper!), salt to taste (kosher and garlic salt blend), and dried parsley. I also added roast chicken from the night before, which I shredded. Then I boiled egg noodles and tossed it with the sauce. SUCH A GREAT QUICK MEAL!... especially when you've had a long day :)

I liked this recipe.....it is bland and definiently needs something... As a base recipe it is perrfect. i added cheese to this and made an alfredo sauce

This is the standard white sauce for use in other recipes. It needs nothing more. This is intended to be used in another recipe. It is classic cooking, and a sauce every cook should have in their recipe collection.

This sauce is AWESOME! Who knew that so few ingredients could make so much food! I doubled the recipe which resulted in an absolutely perfect ratio of sauce to one box of Penne Pasta for mac n'cheese (added an 8oz bag of shredded cheese to the mixture). I will absolutely keep this as a go, on hand recipe! Thanks CJO!

Great basic white sauce. Lots you can do from here. Brown up some ground beef, add it to the sauce, serve it on toast.

Wow did this bring back memories. I just used a double recipe in Turkey pot pie and it was perfect. I just add kosher salt and white pepper to taste. Thanks for the reminder!!

This recipe saved my bacon! I had put together a chicken and green chili casserole but it came out dry. I used this white sauce as a base and then mixed in some diced jalepenos and chicken broth- voila! The casserole was saved. The great thing about this sauce is it makes a good "base" and you can add things to it from there.

Terrific basic sauce. My mom used to add salt, pepper and sliced hard boiled eggs at the end and then serve it over toast to us. It was always a treat!

Basic recipe that allows for one's imagination to run wild with! Great starter sauce!!!

My family is big on sauce.. and they always use a lot, particularly my husband. I bumped the servings up to 20 *hahaha* and it was perfect! I added in Ground thyme, basil, salt and pepper and a dash of horseradish for a little extra kick. It was fabulous!!

This basic sauce can be the start of cream soup also. Double or triple the recipe and add milk to get the desired soup consistency. Stir in any meat or vegetable and simmer until vegetables are tender. Season with salt, pepper, crushed red pepper, basil or whatever you like. It's cheap, tasty and easy to make. And you can be as creative as you like.

This recipe is great sauce base for creamed chipped beef and salmon. For the salmon I add a bit of dill and some peas, but for the SOS it is perfect as is.

perfect base for anything really... just have to season it appropriately. I threw in a splash or two of white wine... parmesan cheese, a fistful of pre-grated pizza cheese, some crack peppercorns, a block of frozen chopped spinach, garlic puree and some coarse salt.... but throw in what you like im sure it will still come out great! best of luck to everyone :-)

Just finished making some mac and cheese using this recipe as my base. I used 2 cups of milk instead of one and did not double the butter/flour. Once it began to thicken I started adding cheddar cheese, hand fulls at a time which came out to 3/4 cup (approx). I had boiled 3 cups of elbow mac and poured the cheese mix over it, stirring as I poured. I then salted to taste, about 1 tsp by the end of it all and the mac n cheese was perfect. Thanx for the basic recipe, I can't wait to mess around with it.

This was such an easy recipe!!! I added 2 tablespoons of parmesan cheese after mixing the flour and butter. After the sauce was thickened I added broccoli cuts and then served this over noodles. My family loved this quick and different meal of choice! My 1 year old will not eat broccoli but after mixing it with the sauce, he ate it all... Definantly a new hit for our busy on the go lives..

This was a great base recipe. I added garlic and cheddar for a yummy mac and cheese

make it even easier and pop everything in the microwave. No risk of burning anything and lots less stirring. Just melt the butter first, stir in the flour, then put in micro for about 90 seconds. stirring once.

A great base for many dishes!

Like said in an earlier review, this is a great base with endless possibilities. I added a garlic clove to the butter and then some sharp white cheddar at the end to melt through. Awesome over steamed veggies.

Easy and adaptable! Halved the recipe, added garlic, white wine, dijon mustard and pepper and served over steak tips--delicious.

My mom used to make this and put it on green beans from the garden. This was a suggestion from my posted request and it was exactly what I was looking for!

Very good basic sauce...you can use this for a variety of different dishes...thanks.

Great basic white sauce!! I used this for my lasagne.

I used this recipe with additions of chopped garlic and a handful of parm. cheese, poured over sauteed shrimp, was great! Thanks

This is an excellent base sauce for any recipe! I made this sauce in home ec. class in high school and fell in love with it then. Thank you so much for posting this recipe here.

Great recipe. Needed a simple base recipe to work off of :)

It`s so nice to have some of the most basic recipes posted on this site. I am a mechanic that actually loves to cook but I am not that adventurous and do not usually try to make anything without a recipe. This sauce takes me back some 40 years ago when my Mother would make me creamed peas on toast, just add a can of peas to sauce and cover a slice of toast with it. Eat it with a knife and fork, delicious. Thanks CJO for the post.

This is a good sauce-what I like about it is that it's a base for other sauces. For a cheese sauce, just add cheese. Definitely gonna be using this recipe again:)

This is a really great and easy recipe that uses everyday ingredients. You can also use this as a quick base sauce for other pasta recipes like carbonara (add bacon, pimentos, onion) or al fredo sauce (add cheese). White wine is also quite good in this sauce. It is a little bland though.

yes, left as is, it is bland, but I do agree with other reviewers, this is a wonderful base to add your own seasonings to...I used different cheeses to create a cheese sauce with a little bite for my kids veggies...I am keeping this recipe to use again later and experiment with

Easy and perfect

Fantastic base! I caramelized some red onions with garlic to add to the sauce along with salt, pepper, and garlic salt. Amazing!

I am 20 years old, and have lived with my parents all my life, so have never really needed to cook anything more adventurous than poached eggs on toast. When I found myself off work for a couple of weeks with problems with my arm, I wanted to cook a nice meal for my parents to come home to, so I made steak and mushrooms with chunky fries... I needed a sauce and quick! I found that modifying this recipe for white sauce lightly made the perfect garlic and peppercorn sauce! I used the 2 tblspns of butter and flour, doubled the milk, and added a generous pinch of salt. A good teaspoon of garlic blend or puree while the butter was melting, A teaspoon of crushed black peppercorns, stirring all the time and perfect! You might need to add more milk depending on how thick / sweet you like your sauces. But let me tell you, the sauce went down a treat!

This is great on pasta!! I used 1 1/2 cups milk.

This sauce is great and a good base sauce. Add a pinch of nutmeg to send it over the top.

A fine recipe! This works well as a base for a pot pie filling. I just add a little salt, pepper, and poultry seasoning. It's much better than any canned soup.

I add a pinch of salt and pepper to season. Sometimes I add a cup or so of cheese to make a cheesy white sauce. This is a wonderful base for many recipes. I no longer use cream soups in any of my casseroles instead I substitute this white sauce or the cheesy sauce. I use it in chicken noodle casserole, green bean casserole (use velveeta in sauce top with french fried onion), great topping to trick your kids into trying veggies (worked for me when I was young) also courtesy of Rachael Ray it is a great "glue" for hot ham and cheese sandwiches or pour down over top for a yummy knife and fork sandwich. Couldn't live without it!

I've been buying white sauce packages for years, and this recipe is SO EASY and less expensive the package. I can't believe I've been so dumb!

I use this sauce for scalloped potates and add whatever spices I like it's yummy!

This is a basic recipe, but it was right on for what I was looking for. If you need a basic white sauce to build on, you can't go wrong with this one.

Just what I was looking for to make a cheese sauce for broccoli. Adding 1 cup of mild cheddar cheese and a dash of granulated garlic was perfect.

A Perfect Blend of ingredients for an amazing base- easy- possibilities are endless- THANK YOU!!!!

I have never been able to make a white sauce and have it turn out properly. This time it did! I added a cup of brie and some garlic powder and poured over chicken and asparagus, delish!!!

This is a great base to my sharp cheddar sauce. I just add about 3/4c of cheese and it is perfection! Thank you.

I made mac-n-cheese that turned out a little dry, but I added this sauce (it took about a minute to make), and all is well! thanks for the post!

Amazingly helpful sauce base. First time using it, I replaced the milk with gradually added heavy cream whipping it at the same time until it thickened up to a cheese or cream sauce consistency. Salt & pepper. Then added pasta with fresh spinach, generous bits of sundried tomato and fresh mushrooms. I recommend serving it this way with Easy Flat Iron Steak in Wine Sauce SUBMITTED BY: Jackie B on this site. Thanks!

Easy and versatile! This one's definitely going in my recipe box :)

perfect classic sauce. Iused it to make a primavera sauce and added salt, pepper, and parmesan cheese-was delicious!

Love this simple white sauce base. I tweak it every once in a while to compliment the dish; replace milk with half and half, add a can of condensed mushroom soup, dash of garlic and Parmesan or dehydrated onion mix. It's a great base to build on!

My 1st time making a white sauce (bechamel) and this recipe made it so easy - thanks so much! And thanks to the reviewer who said to double it if making a whole box of penne. That is exactly what I did and it is indeed the perfect amount! :D Oh...I did add seasonings, namely salt, pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley. And I was aiming for a mac & cheese style dish so I whisked in grated parmesan, romano, and fontinella cheeses.

Simple and versatile, a great starter sauce for any pasta. Alfredo isn't an option sinice Hubby doesn't like parmesan, so this is a nice alternative to the standard tomato sauce that the kids love. A little salt & pepper, and some extra milk to thin it and it was perfect on bocconcini pasta (mini rigatoni). Will use again and again!

This is a fabulous base white sauce. You can add anything to it for more specific flavoring depending on what you're using it with. Thanks for sharing! I've already used this multiple times for multiple reasons. :)

Simple, and perfect.

This is the recipe I am always calling my mother for, she adds nutmeg and pours it over blanched cauliflower. Getting it from her is always confusing, she doesn't measure and I never get it right. So glad to find it here!

Great base with endless options. I have made this several times and usually just add fresh garlic and sometimes basil, salt and pepper. It was very good on top of bowtie pasta with small pieces of (leftover) garlic fried chicken.

This is a great and easy base. I use it often as we cook at home daily. I've made alfredo sauce, macaroni and cheese, an herb and garlic sauce--very versatile.

I needed this recipe in a pinch, and was relieved to find it on this site. Thank-you!! I added Basil, Kosher salt, ground pepper, and 1 clove of garlic and served it with baked Talapia and white rice. It is a new family favorite. (Even with the two kids, 4 and 8.)

So simple and is an amazing base to any sauce. I personally added some salt, pepper and maple breakfast sausage. Poured it over busciuts. Delicious!!

This is the base for so many of our dinners-I'm so glad it's on this site! One of the very first things my mom taught me to cook. :)

So easy and so good! The possibilities for this recipe are endless! I added a little salt and a little ground pepper and it was WONDERFUL on green beans! THANK YOU!!

This is exactly what I was looking for! I love my mom, but when I ask her how she makes something her reply is a bit of this and a bit of that.. Guess I'm not that adventurous. Thank you for sharing this great basic!

Oh my word, this is a fantastic recipe! So simple, so quick, and so tasty; just my style. I whipped this up in a jiffy one night and was pleased with how it was so creamy and velvety. Also, I added some fresh ground pepper/salt and voila, it was perfect for biscuits and gravy!

Excellent !! Just the basic sauce for old fashioned white sauce. Used it today as my basis for mac-n-cheese.

I can't count the number of times I've used this recipe. I've added things and changed it up for almost any recipe. When I could only have lactaid milk, I used this recipe as a base for anything that called for cream of whatever soups as well as a sub for any type of white sauce. Thanks for posting this!

I literally pulled up this recipe while my pasta was cooking because i didn't feel like the red sauce I had the night before. It is so easy and so good! I added a little bit of Parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning and minced garlic. It came out great! I also used whole wheat flour and whole wheat pasta for a little healthier meal.

Perfect white sauce base.

This year I've pledged to make dinner from scratch with my niece and nephew once a month. This time was mac and cheese, and I was hoping to find a cheese sauce recipe, rather than a baked mac, which would have been too "different" from boxed for their narrow pallates. I was nervous that I didn't get a chance to try it first, but I made it, (they cut up the ham and shredded the cheese) and it was a hit! My nephew who is a notoriously bad eater cleaned his plate!!! I used heavy cream instead of milk, and added deli ham and grated British cheddar, stirred over the heat, then immediately stirred it into the drained pasta. It was so easy, I'll avoid boxed M&C from now on! It was rather bland, but I plan to have fun and experiment with celantro and garlic, other herbs, and perhaps a stronger cheese.

This is a must-have recipe for every cook as the variations are endless. I made this into 'parsley butter' with the simple additions of salt, pepper and fresh parsley to accompany a ham for Easter dinner. Thanks for reminding me that sometimes the basics are best!

Great base sauce; I add 5 oz. tuna, salt, pepper, chopped onion and cheddar cheese to make a sauce I pour over 6-8 oz. cooked noodles.

Great base white sauce. I use it for my Chicken Pot Pie and add 1 tablespoon of curry and proceed as usual. I'm making Mac & Cheese for a party Sunday and am going to use this white sauce as a base for that. As noted in many reviews, it can be used for lots of recipes and is good to have on hand.

Excellent and super easy base with endless possibilities. I added onion, garlic, baby peas, salt, and pepper after the milk. Tossed the pasta with the sauce and sprinkled in some pine nuts. Delicious!

Is a good base for a white sauce. I sauteed some finely diced shallots and garlic with the butter. Then I added a couple dashes of salt and balck pepper to the final product. Very tasty.

Made the perfect base for my experimental concauction that turned out GREAT! I added to this recipe 2 tbsp romano chese, a little bit of sprinkle chedar chese, some tomato sauce and a little dash of salt, I also added a little cracked peppercorn dressing....I had to use what I had available and it turned out to be a masterpiece better than ollive gardens creamy tomato sauce!

This is great but I really don't see what's original about this as you can find this recipe everywhere. Add a pinch or so of nutmeg to add more flavor and great for mediterranean dishes like moussaka or lasagne.

Very good, basic white sauce. I added cheddar cheese, salt and freshly ground pepper and tossed it over bowtie pasta. YUM!

Great base, added salt, pepper and parm cheese and made a white sauce for my 4 year old and she loved it.

It is great to see basic recipes here. I have cooked for many years and still sometimes need to refresh myself or get something for a new cook. This one is appreciated much.

yummy!Just made it last night and will certainly keep this...

great basic white sauce recipe.

Terrific and easy..I added worstechire sauce and chipped beef...super recipe thank you for sharing

This was a great sauce base for my pasta primavera. I doubled it to feed my family. I will post my recipe for Chicken pasta primavera. Thanks for sharing your white sauce recipe!

super simple for my first white sauce. i added some mozzarella, feta, pepper, bits of bacon, and oregano. it is freakishly fast to make, as well.

Mom used to make this back in the 50's and mix tuna into it, serve over mashed potatoes or rice, even toast...I lost her notes and when I found it here I was so thrilled :) As delicious as ever!

Excellent white sauce. I doubled recipe and added grated parmesean cheese, italian seasoning and black pepper. I loved that I was able to refrigerate leftover sauce and use in a different recipe a couple nights later. It did thicken when cooled but reheated was back to original consistnecy.