White Sauce
If you've got unsalted butter, all-purpose flour and whole milk, you're most of the way to this vegetarian: about 65 minutes of cooking across 7 steps. You'll find the full ingredient list (with a scaler to change the servings), 7 steps of method, substitutions, and ideas for what to serve alongside.
You'll mainly reach for saucepan and pan. At medium difficulty across 7 steps, it's manageable with a little attention. As written, it's meat-free.
What you'll need
Pantry staples (you likely have these)
Diet: vegetarian — no meat or fish, based on every ingredient listed below.
Contains: Gluten Dairy Mustard
Allergen labels are informational and may not cover cross-contact; verify every package and consult a qualified professional for medical dietary needs. Diet labels are derived from the ingredient list on this page — how we verify diet and allergen labels.
Food-safety and allergen information is general, not medical advice. Follow current guidance from your local food-safety authority, verify product labels, and seek qualified advice for allergies or health conditions.
How to make it
- Gently warm the milk with the bay leaf in a small saucepan until steaming but not boiling, then remove from the heat and let it infuse for 5 minutes.
- Melt the butter in a separate heavy saucepan over medium-low heat until foaming but not browned.
- Whisk in the flour and cook this roux for about 2 minutes, stirring constantly, until it smells slightly nutty but stays pale.
- Remove the bay leaf from the milk, then pour the warm milk into the roux a little at a time, whisking continuously after each addition to keep the sauce smooth.
- Once all the milk is incorporated, bring the sauce to a gentle simmer and cook for 5 to 8 minutes, stirring often, until it thickens enough to coat the back of a spoon.
- Season with the onion salt, white pepper, ground mustard, a pinch of nutmeg and salt to taste.
- If any lumps remain, pass the sauce through a fine sieve, and keep it warm with a butter wrapper or parchment pressed onto the surface to stop a skin forming.
You'll use: Saucepan · Pan · Whisk · Steamer
Ingredient substitutions
- Butter
- olive oil (¾ the amount) · coconut oil · margarine
- Milk
- any unsweetened plant milk · ½ cup evaporated milk + ½ cup water
Tips & common questions
How long does White Sauce take to make?
About 65 minutes from start to finish — an estimate based on the 7 steps and 9 ingredients. Times vary with your kitchen and how much prep you do ahead.
What can I use instead of butter?
Try olive oil (¾ the amount). See the substitutions section above for more swaps.
Can I scale this recipe up or down?
Yes — use the servings control above the ingredients and every quantity rescales automatically (fractions included). Cooking times stay roughly the same; very large batches may need a little longer.
Is White Sauce vegetarian?
Its ingredients contain no meat, fish or shellfish, so it is suitable for vegetarians. Check any cheese for animal rennet if that matters to you.
Related recipes
Adapted recipe — rewritten in our own wording from an open-licensed community cookbook, not yet independently kitchen-tested by Consomee. How we source, test & correct recipes.
White Sauce is adapted by Consomee from the Wikibooks Cookbook, rewritten in our own wording and used under CC BY-SA 4.0. Photo: 2021 Sos beszamelowy.jpg by Jacek Halicki, CC BY-SA 4.0 via Wikimedia Commons. We add the serving scaler, ingredient tools, timing and structure — how we source recipes.