A basic white sauce is one of the first sauces you should learn to make, as it is the basis for many other sauces. It takes just minutes to make and is a versatile sauce.
White sauce is the base used for many more complex sauces, such as cheese or bechamel sauce. Therefore, mastering the sauce is the first step in making dishes such as broccoli and cauliflower gratin or lasagne.
| Preparation time: 5 minutes | |
| Cooking time: 15 minutes | |
| Servings: N/A | |
| Vegetarian/ vegan: Vegetarian- YES Vegan- NO | |
| Dairy-free: NO | |
| Gluten-free: NO |
Ingredients for White Sauce
- 1 oz/ 25 g butter
- 1 oz/ 25 g plain flour
- 600 ml/ 1-pint milk
- White pepper and salt
How to Make a White Sauce
- Measure your ingredients first.
- Melt the butter in a pan over low heat.
- Sieve the flour into the melted butter and stir.
- Cook for two minutes.
- Remove the pan from the heat and add the milk a little at a time, continuously stirring until you have created a smooth sauce.
- Season with salt and white pepper.
- Simmer gently over low heat for approximately eight minutes.
Using This Sauce
You can use this sauce in many ways. It is nice with leeks or butter beans added as an accompaniment. It is also a basis for many other sauces, such as cheese sauce or bechamel sauce.
- TIP- Make sure you cook the sauce for the full length of time stated, even if the sauce looks thick enough. This is because you need to cook out the flour, or the sauce will taste ‘floury’. You also need to continue stirring to avoid the sauce sticking to the pan.
- To make more of the sauce, use our measurement conversion guide to adapt the recipe using larger quantities.