How to Prepare a White Sauce from Scratch

White sauce is prepared in a pan on the stove.

White sauce is typically a bland sauce that is used as a thickener to enhance many types of foods including soups, casseroles and gravies. White sauce is typically made from only a few ingredients, which include butter, flour and milk. When preparing a white sauce, be sure to stir the mixture constantly while it is cooking to avoid lumps and burning. It can be prepared to have several different consistencies depending on what the use for the sauce is.

Things You'll Need

• 1 to 4 T. butter
• 1 to 3 T. flour
• ½ tsp. salt
• Milk, evaporated milk, half-and-half or heavy cream
• Water
• Saucepan

Instructions

1. Determine the desired consistency. For a white sauce, you may choose either a thin sauce, medium or thick. The consistency depends on your use. For soups, you may want a thicker sauce. For casseroles, you may consider a thin sauce.

2. Melt butter in a pan. For thin sauce use 1 tbsp. butter, for medium sauce use 2 tbsp. butter and for thick sauce use 4 tbsp. butter.

3. Stir in flour and salt with whisk. For thin sauce use 1 tbsp. flour, for medium sauce use 2 tbsp. flour and for thick sauce use 3 tbsp. flour. Whisk or stir until the mixture is smooth.

4. Stir in milk. For all sauce consistencies, use approximately 1 cup of milk. You can choose to use all milk or can mix it up using half milk and half water. You can also use heavy cream, half-and-half or evaporated milk in some combination. Stir this in gradually and stir constantly until it begins to boil.

5. Reduce heat. Continue to stir the mixture constantly over low heat until it is thick and smooth. After it reaches the desired consistency, simmer for five to 10 more minutes.

6. Add cheese. Some people prefer to make white sauce a cheese sauce. This can be used for vegetable dishes, casseroles or soups. You can add as little or as much cheese as desired, but typically approximately 1/4 cup to 1 cup is sufficient.

References

• Cooks.com: White Sauce