Salsa Bechamel {Basic White Sauce}

This easy Salsa Bechamel recipe is the creamy sauce that every home cook should know how to make. It’s rich, velvety, and can be used in so many recipes. You only need three basic ingredients to make it and it’s ready in under 10 minutes!

Salsa de Bechamel

Sauce takes normal foods, like plain pasta, and make them WOW foods. Salsa bechamel is a comfort food all in itself. It actually puts the “comfort” in comfort food. Just think about how blah macaroni and cheese would be without the cheese sauce!

This homemade white sauce is rich, decadent, and buttery. It’s everything you want a sauce to be.

Even though it is known by many names in many different countries béchamel sauce in France, besciamella in Italy, besamel in Greece, white sauce in the United States, and Salsa Bechamel in Mexico, this sauce is all basically the same.

It all starts with a simple white roux that gets transformed into a luxurious sauce by adding in milk. You want to start out heating the fat (aka the butter) and whisk in the same amount of flour, cooking it until it is a little nutty and the flour is no longer raw, this is a blonde roux.

Make sure not to cook it for too long, you don’t want it to start to brown at all (brown roux).

Gradually add the milk and whisk the whole time. If you add the milk too quickly, you will be left with a lumpy mess (more on how to fix that problem below). I’ve heard a rumor that using warm milk or hot milk in the sauce may help to better integrate the ingredients.

I find that room temperature milk works fine, so if you are in a pinch and didn’t pull out your milk a little early, pop it into the microwave until it is luke warm.

One of the keys to getting a smooth sauce is to whisk, whisk, and whisk. I always add salt and pepper, and if you like you can add some ground nutmeg for a warm flavor.

It really is a basic sauce that everyone should know how to make, it’s too easy to not at least try. Check out the list below on all of the ways to use salsa béchamel.

What is Salsa Bechamel?

This cream sauce is also known as béchamel sauce, a delightful white sauce recipe that is a so useful in so many recipes! It is one of five mother sauces that make up the building blocks of French cuisine.

Where did Salsa Bechamel Originate?

In case you are wondering where béchamel sauce comes from, well it originated in France as far as we know (if you didn’t catch the mention of it above). It is not known exactly where it was created or who created it. But, one theory is that it was made in Tuscany but was called “salsa colla,” and brought to France, but it wasn’t exactly like the salsa béchamel that we know today.

What is a Roux?

Ok, this one may seem complicated and a little scary, but it really is super simple. A roux is just equal parts flour and fat (like butter) that are cooked together to create a thickening agent to form the base of this basic white sauce.

PRO TIP! For the fat used in the sauce, use unsalted butter or a neutral oil.

What does Salsa Bechamel taste like?

When eaten all by itself, this sauce has a light flavor with a nice buttery-ness. You will mostly taste any herbs or spices that you add to it, such as a bay leaf or nutmeg. It gets a lot more flavor if you use this sauce as a base and add in other flavors to create different sauces.

Salsa Bechamel vs Salsa Alfredo

Bechamel sauce and alfredo sauce are both white sauces but with some differing ingredients. Alfredo is an Italian sauce made with heavy cream (this was thrown in by Americans), butter, and parmesan cheese. Bechamel starts with a roux and has milk added to make it a nice silky sauce.

PRO TIP! Put a piece of plastic wrap over the top of any leftover sauce to prevent a film from forming on the top.

How to use Salsa Bechamel?

• Pasta. Use on any type of pasta like ravioli, tortellini, or fettucine.
• Dinner faves. Use as the sauce on Mexican recipes like enchiladas, chimichangas, tacos, burritos, or even in lasagnas, soufflés, or casseroles.
• Macaroni and cheese. Use this as a base for mornay sauce (cheese sauce) for homemade mac and cheese.
• Seafood. You can drizzle this sauce over your favorite seafood like this spicy shrimp, breaded shrimp, fish, or lobster.
• Protein. Add to chicken breast, London broil, Cornish hen.
• Vegetables. Pour on veggies like broccoli, creamed spinach, sweet potato cubes, or asparagus.
• Base for another sauce. Or add a few extra ingredients and create a totally different sauce!

Sauces that are created out of Salsa Bechamel

This is one of the most versatile sauces because not only can it be used as is, it can also transform into other sauces just by adding a few ingredients. Here are some of those basic sauces.

• Salsa mornay. Takes the salsa béchamel and adds in parmesan cheese and gruyere for a creamy cheese sauce.
• Salsa crema. Make salsa cream by adding heavy cream to the béchamel. Add fresh herbs for even more flavor.
• Salsa soubise. Pureed onions get cooked with the béchamel sauce and then a little tomato puree is added for a little acidity.

What is the best Milk to use?

The best type of milk to use is whole milk or full fat milk. You can also use evaporated milk. If you use skim milk, the sauce will be too thin if you make the recipe as is. But, if you try adding 1 extra teaspoon of flour per 1 cup of milk then it will help thicken the sauce to the right consistency.

How to fix Lumpy Bechamel Sauce

Sometimes, even if you followed the recipe to a “t” and did everything exactly right, you end up with lumps in your sauce. Not a big deal! Let’s try to fix it.

• When it is first starting to get lumpy, add a splash of ice cold water and whisk like crazy. It should start to smooth out.
• If adding ice water didn’t work, try pouring the sauce into the blender (be careful because the blender can make hot ingredients hotter). Blend for a few seconds until it looks smooth and return to the pan. Continue cooking until the sauce is the consistency that you desire.

Salsa Bechamel Ingredients

Here are the few simple ingredients needed to make this white sauce recipe. Check out the recipe card at the bottom of this blog post

• Butter: Use an unsalted butter.
• Flour: All purpose flour.
• Milk: Full fat milk works the best, it should be a room temperature.
• Salt and Pepper: A little fine salt will give the sauce some flavor and using freshly ground pepper is best. White pepper can be used if you don’t want any black flecks in your sauce.
• Optional Seasoning: A pinch of any of the following seasonings Chile morita, cinnamon, bay leaf, cayenne, mustard powder, clove, onion, or nutmeg.

How to Make Salsa Bechamel

1. In a small saucepan melt the butter over medium heat. Whisk the flour into the butter one tablespoon at a time, whisking constantly. This will take about 2 minutes. You want a blonde roux so don’t let it turn brown, but it should have a nutty smell.
2. Turn down to low heat and slowly add in the milk a little at a time, whisking constantly. Add in salt, pepper, and optional seasoning like nutmeg.
3. Whisking constantly, turn the heat up to medium high and bring to a boil. Drop down to medium low and cook for another 5 minutes. You’ll know it’s done when it coats the whisk or back of a spoon, you want a nice and thick sauce.

Recipe Tips & Variations

• A lot of whisking. Make sure to whisk constantly to get a creamy sauce.
• Gradually add milk. It is very important that you add a little milk at a time while whisking so that the sauce doesn’t clump up.
• Sauce consistency. If the sauce is too thick, add a little more milk until it is thin enough. If it is too thin, allow it to simmer to evaporate some of the liquid.
• Room temperature milk. It will incorporate into the roux better if it is not ice cold milk.
• Cheese sauce. In the last 2 minutes of cooking add 1/2 cup of freshly grated cheddar cheese.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can salsa béchamel be frozen? Yes, this sauce can actually be frozen. Check out the instructions below under “storage instructions.”

Is salsa bechamel a roux? A roux is the base of bechamel, which is melted butter mixed with flour. When milk is added that is what makes it a sauce.

How long will salsa béchamel last in the fridge? It will last about 5 days in the refrigerator.

How many calories are in salsa béchamel? A serving size is 1/4 cup so that is about 155 calories.

How much sauce does this make? It makes about 1 1/2 cups of sauce.

Storage Instructions

How to refrigerate salsa bechamel? Let the sauce cool and put in an airtight container. It should last about 4-5 days in the fridge.

How do you reheat bechamel? Put the cold sauce in a small pot over low heat. Whisk constantly until heated through.

How to freeze salsa bechamel? Let hot sauce cool completely before putting into an airtight, freezer safe container. Keep in mind, freezing cream based sauces can change the texture and flavor. The sauce can be frozen for 3 months, just be sure to label with the recipe and date.

How to reheat salsa bechamel? Thaw frozen bechamel block in a small pot with a lid over low heat. Add a thin layer of water to the pot. Stir the sauce as soon as it starts melting. Then whisk when it’s all melted.

Try these other saucy recipes!

• Chipotle Mayonnaise Sauce
• Fresh Tomato Sauce
• Lobster Ravioli with Fennel Sauce
• Trenette al Pesto
• Tortellini alla Panna
• Copycat Chick fil a Sauce

If you’ve tried this salsa bechamel recipe, don’t forget to give me a star rating and leave me a comment below in the comment section. I love to hear from people who have made my recipes!

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