This is the sauce your grandma used to make without ever pulling out a recipe card. Creamy, dreamy, and ready in 12 minutes flat, this simple white sauce is the base for everything from mac and cheese to Southern-style cream gravy. Don’t let the “basic” name fool you—it’s the little black dress of sauces: endlessly adaptable, always appropriate, and never goes out of style.
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This creamy sauce may be called “basic,” but there’s nothing plain about it once you know how to make it your own. Whether you're drizzling it over vegetables, stirring it into casseroles, or using it as the base for a rich soup or pasta dish, the flavor possibilities are endless. You'll learn how to build a smooth, velvety white sauce from scratch— a cream sauce base — and how to tweak it to suit whatever you’re cookin’ up. Check below the recipe card for plenty of flavor ideas.
Why this cream sauce is one of my kitchen essentials
- Takes 12 minutes from start to finish
- Budget-friendly and pantry-staple approved
- Thickens up beautifully for casseroles, veggies, or pasta
- Endless flavor variations (scroll down for ideas!)
🧾 Ingredients
Whether you're making a cozy baked pasta, creamy chicken skillet, or just need something to jazz up steamed broccoli, this cream sauce recipe has you covered. Scroll down for all the variations!
You can substitute alternative milks in this cream sauce but you'll lose the richness and texture - it will be a bit thin and watery.
How to adjust cream sauce thickness
Recipes call for white sauce in various consistencies. For example, a cream soup might have a thin cream sauce as a base while a sauce for vegetables ( like this old-fashioned creamed peas and potatoes ) might call for a thick one.
| Type | Milk | Butter | Flour | Used for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thin | 1 cup | 1 Tbs | 1 Tbs | Cream soups |
| Medium | 1 cup | 2 Tbs | 2 Tbs | Sauce for vegetables |
| Thick | 1 cup | 3 Tbs | 3 Tbs | Binder for souffles/ casseroles |
📖 Recipe
Basic Cream Sauce Recipe
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Instructions
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat.
- Add 2 tablespoons of flour to melted butter and stir with a whisk to prevent any lumps.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- Cook, stirring constantly and scraping the bottom of the pan to keep it from sticking for 2 minutes.
- Pour 1 cup of milk slowly into the butter-flour mixture while whisking constantly, making sure there are no lumps.
- It will start thickening.
- Continue to simmer and stir until thickened.
- Remove from heat and use as desired.
Notes
- Avoid non-stick-coated whisks. They are generally flimsier and not tough enough to break up stubborn clumps of flour.
- One of the easiest ways to check if your sauce is thick enough is to give it a stir with a wooden spoon. If it coats the spoon instead of immediately running off, you're getting there!
Nutrition Facts
Nutrition information is estimated as a courtesy. If using for medical purposes, please verify information using your own nutritional calculator. Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
This recipe has been tested several times. If you choose to use other ingredients, or change the technique in some way, the results may not be the same.
🔪 How to make basic cream sauce
- Melt the butter and add flour.
- Blend into a paste.
- Add milk or cream.
- Whisk smooth.
Use a good wire whisk. Look for one that is less flimsy with more wire loops but avoid non-stick-coated whisks. They are generally flimsier and not tough enough to break up stubborn clumps of flour. Sometimes the vinyl flakes off - ewww.
You'll know your sauce is thick enough when it coats a spoon without running off. You can run your finger down the spoon and it will leave a track in the sauce coating.
And, finally, heavy cream, whole milk, or evaporated milk are the very best options for this sauce.
📖 Cream sauce variations
- Cheese sauce: stir in ¾ cup of cheese. Cheddar cheese is always a good option. Perfect for macaroni and cheese.
- Garlic cream sauce: saute 1 clove of garlic in the butter and remove it before adding the flour.
- Herb sauce: add 1 teaspoonful of fresh chopped herbs.
- Mustard sauce: stir in 1 tablespoon dijon mustard at the end of cooking.
- Mornay sauce: stir in ¼ cup Swiss cheese and a pinch of freshly grated nutmeg.
- Curry sauce: add ½ teaspoon curry powder.
- Soubise sauce: sounds fancy, but it's just white sauce with cooked pureed onions stirred in.
- Dairy-free white sauce: substitute dairy-free milk and olive oil for the milk and butter. Use 1 extra tablespoon of olive oil than the amount of butter called for.
- Mushroom sauce: add ¼ cup chopped, sauteed mushrooms.
- Celery sauce: add ¼ cup finely chopped, sauteed celery.
- Cream of chicken: add 1 teaspoon of chicken bouillon paste (Better than Bouillon). You could use a splash of chicken broth, but will likely need a little more flour to thicken it up—and the flavor won't be as strong as with bouillon.)
👩🍳 FAQs
You can! However, though similar, alfredo sauces aren't traditionally considered a bechamel sauce. You can still use this base (with heavy cream) to make an easy alfredo sauce recipe. Add parmesan cheese, Italian seasoning, garlic powder, and parsley. (Or try this fettuccine alfredo—it's better than Olive Garden's!)
There is a lot of discussion between famous chefs about whether you should stir hot milk, warm milk, or cold milk into a bechamel. Personally, I choose warm or room-temperature milk. It's not cold enough that the sauce will splatter, but it's also not so hot that the sauce will boil before it has time to thicken.
Yes ma’am, you sure can. Make it up to 3 days in advance and store it in the fridge in an airtight container. When you're ready to use it, warm it slowly over low heat and whisk it like you mean it. It may look like a hot mess at first, but it'll smooth right out. Just like your hair after a humid day and a flat iron.
Usually? You rushed it. Don’t feel bad—we all get impatient. Lumps happen when the flour isn’t whisked well enough into the melted butter before adding the milk. Another culprit? Adding cold milk too fast. Next time, warm the milk slightly and pour it in gradually, whisking the whole time like you're trying to impress Julia Child. No judgment here—just keep whiskin’ and it’ll come together.
Renee says
This looks very easy to make! I am wondering if shredded cheese could be added to make a sauce for nachos or for dipping soft pretzels.
Marye says
yes but you might like using this queso better. https://www.restlesschipotle.com/easy-velveeta-queso-with-rotel/
Pat says
I just made the above cream sauce. Very easy, but make sure you keep on wisking or your sauce will have lumps. I made this for creamed cauliflower.
Cindy says
Totally up-leveled my cooking knowledge with this one - thank you!
Camden says
Cream sauce is so versatile! I find myself adding it to many different recipes!
One Crazy House says
Do you think a vegan version of this cream sauce might turn out alright?
Marye says
yes but use a non dairy milk that has a lot of fat.
Cynthia says
I can't get over the fact that this cream sauce is ready in just 12 minutes!!!
Cyndy says
Thank you for this tutorial on making a cream sauce base. I especially appreciate how versatile the recipe is.
Sharon says
Annnnd now I'm craving cream sauce late at night, haha! YUM!!!
Holly says
I'm saving this cream sauce recipe for our next at-home dinner date night! Looks so indulgent!
Kristen says
YUM! I always just eyeball it when I make this, but it never tastes quite right. I'm excited to try making your cream sauce recipe!
Rita Joy says
Marye, you have the best cream sauce recipes I've ever used! Thank you so much for this handy dandy resource so I can refer back to it over and over again whenever I need a cream sauce base.
Alyssa says
I love all the different uses for this cream sauce. It is also so easy to make!
Cynthia says
You've given so many variations to the cream sauce recipe. I can't wait to utilize what I've learned!
Brandi says
Learning how to make a cream sauce is a rite of passage in my family. We make a cheesy cream sauce for homemade mac and cheese, and it's one of the things that's been passed down from generation to generation. I love how you've broken it down and made it easy here!
Brittany says
Being unable to eat tomatoes, I use a cream sauce base all of the time! I often add a bit of cream cheese to it as well...delicious!
Terri says
This was a delicious base I used to create my green chili sauce for enchiladas😘