Besciamella
Besciamella also known as Italian Bechamel Sauce is wonderfully creamy and adds a delicious richness to lasagna, pasta and so much more!
Ready to make something delicious in minutes with only three ingredients? You’re in the right place!
My family recipe for a wonderful lasagna al forno uses Besciamella which is traditional in my dad’s home region of Emilia Romagna. I learned to make besciamella sauce as a child by my mother’s side and have been making it ever since.
This basic white sauce uses just three ingredients—butter, flour, and milk—but its simplicity hides its quality! With a bit of patience and my expert tips, you’ll whip up a creamy Besciamella that would impress even Nonna.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- Italian Classic Recipe: Though widely used in French cooking, this sauce shines in Italian cuisine. It plays a key role in many beloved Italian dishes and delights food lovers worldwide.
- Quick and Easy: With just a few simple ingredients and basic cooking techniques, you can create a delicious besciamella sauce at home in just 20 minutes.
- Flavor: Homemade is always so much better than store-bought and this recipe is no different.
- Versatile: The best part about this sauce is that it’s a great base for so many flavors. Add cheese or spices. Make it thicker or thinner. The choice is yours!
For complete ingredient quantities and full instructions, please scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page.
Ingredients
- Butter: I generally use salted butter for this recipe but unsalted is fine too. Remember to taste the final sauce to adjust the seasoning if necessary.
- Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is all you need.
- Milk: Whole milk is preferable however I often make it with 2% reduced fat milk.
Proper seasoning with salt and black or white pepper plus a little grating of nutmeg is the key to the flavor of this simple sauce.
See recipe card for quantities.
Instructions
In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk in flour and cook for 1–2 minutes until golden. In the meantime, heat the milk without boiling.
Remove the roux from the heat and slowly pour in the hot milk, whisking constantly to combine. This prevents clumps from forming.
Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and continue whisking for 5–7 minutes until the sauce simmers and thickens.
It should be smooth and coat the back of a spoon. Stir in a pinch of nutmeg and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Marcellina’s Hint: Besciamella can be thin or thick depending on how it will be used. This recipe makes a sauce of medium thickness. If you need a thinner sauce, simply add a little more milk. For a thicker sauce, the amount of flour and butter must be increased when beginning the recipe. Keep in mind that the sauce will thicken as it cools.
Substitutions
- Milk – Instead of dairy milk, use plant-based milk. Part milk and part chicken broth can also be used.
- Butter – Use a butter substitute such as vegan butter.
Variations
- Deluxe – Substitute 1 cup of milk for heavy cream for a rich version of the original recipe.
- Cheesy – Stir finely grated Parmesan cheese (Parmigiano Reggiano) or your favorite cheese into the finished besciamella.
- Herby – Add a teaspoon or two of dried tarragon or a tablespoon of fresh chopped parsley or chives for a besciamella sauce that will go well with vegetables or fish.
- Aurora Sauce – Stir through as much tomato sauce as you wish to make a rosy colored sauce for pasta.
Equipment
A good quality, heavy-based saucepan is important for this recipe. Poor quality, thin saucepans can cause the sauce to stick and scorch on the bottom. Make it easy for yourself and use the right saucepan.
As well as the correct saucepan, measuring cups and spoons plus a whisk and wooden spoon are essential.
Storage
Besciamella keeps well in the fridge for 3-5 days. Cool it quickly and store it in an airtight container. It will thicken but can be reheated over low heat. Add a splash of milk if it’s too thick.
For longer storage, besciamella can be frozen too! Freeze in a sealed container or zip lock bags for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat over low heat. After thawing, besciamella may look watery and split but reheated and whisking will fix that.
Top Tip
- Besciamella is thickened using a mixture of flour and butter cooked over low to medium heat. This flour and butter paste is known as a roux. Be sure to cook the roux for 2 or 3 minutes to cook out the raw taste of the flour.
- Patience is the key. Please don’t turn up the heat to try to hurry it along. The butter and flour can burn or the milk will scorch which will completely change the taste of the besciamella. Adjust the heat as you feel is necessary.
- Use a whisk not a spoon. A whisk will blend the ingredients thoroughly and help prevent lumps more easily than if you used a spoon.
- I prefer to heat the milk before adding it to the flour and butter roux. My mother never did though I think it produces a silkier sauce. However, the choice is yours. If you use cold milk be sure to whisk vigorously and constantly prevent lumps.
- Add the milk to the roux slowly whisking constantly to keep the sauce smooth and lump free.
- Don’t panic if lumps form. You can easily strain the besciamella through a fine-mesh sieve to remove the lumps and have a smooth texture.
- Taste and adjust the seasoning as needed.
FAQ
Besciamella sauce is a creamy white sauce made using butter, flour, and milk. This sauce is known in France as béchamel. Like tomato sauce, it’s considered one of the “mother” sauces and is the base for many Italian recipes.
Besciamella has a mild, creamy taste with a bit of richness from the butter. Seasonings add warmth without overpowering other flavors. This neutral flavor makes besciamella an excellent base for many dishes.
Yes, besciamella is vegetarian. However, this recipe for besciamella isn’t vegan.
How to use besciamella?
Besciamella is delicious and used in many ways. Lasagna makes great use of besciamella between the layers of pasta and sauce. But besciamella can also be used in chicken pot pie, mozzarella in carrozza, and stuffed pasta shells. One simple sauce that has so many uses!
Related Recipes
Garlic Parmesan Sauce
Garlic Butter Sauce
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Besciamella Sauce
Equipment
- 1 good quality medium saucepan
- whisk
- measuring cups and spoons (or scales)
Ingredients
- 4 cups (920mls) whole milk
- ⅔ cup (86 grams) all purpose flour
- 3 ounces (85 grams)salted butter
- Pinch freshly grated nutmeg
- 1 teaspoon salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the butter over low to medium heat. Once melted, add the flour and whisk continuously for 1–2 minutes until the mixture turns golden and smells nutty. This step eliminates the raw flour taste.
- In the meantime, heat the milk in a saucepan without boiling. You can also heat the milk in a microwave-safe container in the microwave.
- Remove the roux from the heat. Pour in a little of the hot milk whisking constantly to combine. Continue adding milk slowly and whisking. This prevents lumps from forming and produces a silky smooth sauce.
- Return the saucepan to medium-low heat and continue whisking for 5–7 minutes, until the sauce simmers.
- It will be ready when it's thick, smooth and coat the back of a spoon.
- Stir in ground nutmeg and salt. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Notes
- Cook flour and butter over medium heat for 2–3 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Avoid high heat to prevent burning the roux or scorching the milk. Adjust the heat as needed.
- It blends ingredients better and prevents lumps more effectively than a spoon.
- I prefer to heat the milk first. However, if you prefer you can use cold milk but be sure to whisk constantly as you add it to the roux. Using cold milk will produce a lumpier sauce.
- Pour slowly while whisking to keep the sauce smooth.
- If you do end up with lumps, all is not lost. Strain through a fine-mesh sieve.
- Adjust seasoning as necessary.
Nutritional Estimate Per Serving
Nutritional Disclaimer
Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.
I’m a fan of using quantities I can remember so Milk + 10% Butter + 10% Flour works pretty well for me. In addition, since there’s only 2 of us then 250ml of (always) hot milk is the best starting point. I found a quite small balloon whisk a while ago which is my new best friend for anything like this. Ciao!
Thanks for your comment.
We tried it with leftover turkey on vol-au-vent, and it was amazing!!! My daughter loved it. Of all the béchamel recipe I tried, this one is definitely the best one!!! ❤️ Since I don’t use regular milk, I substituted it with a creamy soy preparation with a bit of almond milk with 1/8 of a teaspoon of onion powder, it still turned out amazing.
Thank you Marcellina for sharing your amazing recipes.
I’m super thrilled that you loved my besciamella sauce, Lyne! That vol-au-vent would have been delicious!! Thank you for taking the time to comment.
This recipe brought so many memories back of my late mama making besciamella. Thank you! A great recipe.
You’re welcome, Marianna!