Last updated on September 25, 2023
Typical of French and Italian cuisine, bechamel is a sauce made of butter, flour and milk which in Italy we use especially in lasagna and baked pasta. We share the easy recipe without lumps
Bechamel sauce, 🔊 besciamella in Italian, is not a pasta sauce like the others we have on All Italian have presented: in Italian cuisine there is simply no such thing as «pasta alla besciamella». However, thanks to its sticky consistency, bechamel is an important ingredient in many pasta dishes, especially in Emilian cuisine: in baked pasta and especially in lasagna.
To make béchamel sauce you only need three ingredients: butter, milk and flour. The flour dissolved in milk creates a rather sticky mixture, like glue: ideal for giving structure to the lasagna.
You can of course use bechamel sauce from the supermarket, which is also sold here in the Netherlands by Grand'Italia. But when we make lasagna at home in Italy, we obviously do it by making both the Bolognese sauce and the béchamel sauce.
The preparation takes some practice, but the result is absolutely worth it: the bechamel we make ourselves is definitely tastier than the one from the store.
The only thing you have to pay attention to is the formation of lumps: but with our tips, making a perfectly smooth béchamel sauce is very easy.
On this page we have shared the step-by-step recipe with videos and images of the preparation.
On this page
The Italian words we use on this page:
| 🔊 Besciamella | Bechamel |
| 🔊 Farina | Flour |
| 🔊 Burro | Butter |
| 🔊 Latte | Milk |
The characteristics of the perfect bechamel are:
the absence of lumps and therefore a smooth texture;
the consistency: not too liquid, not too solid.
The recipe is of course very simple, because it consists of only three ingredients.
During the first attempts, it is normal for some lumps to appear in the sauce; but with a little experience and our tips you will learn to make a much better bechamel sauce than the one from the supermarket, quick and easy.
We prepare the bechamel this way: first we mix the melted butter with the flour, creating a light yellow cream called with the French word roux. Then we gradually add the milk, mixing and bringing the mixture to the boil.
In the recipe we show all the steps and also provide tips in case lumps form.
A kitchen whisk. You can of course also use a fork, but the whisk is much more efficient.
A digital kitchen scale with which we measure all ingredients.
| Ingredient image | Ingredient name | Cups | Grams | Ounces |
|
Whole milk | 14 oz | 400 g | |
|
Wheat | 1 oz | 30 g | |
|
Butter | 1 oz | 30 g |
The classic bechamel recipe has a ratio of butter, flour and milk of 1:1:10; one part butter, one part flour and 10 parts milk.
We use a little less butter and flour, so we get a slightly lighter and more fluid sauce.
We do this on purpose: the bechamel solidifies a bit when it cools, and that is why we prefer to make it a bit liquid. This way it will have the perfect consistency when you add it to the lasagna.
A further adjustment to our recipe concerns the amount of béchamel sauce per portion. Usually half US quart of milk is indicated for 4 people; but if you're actually making béchamel sauce for lasagna, you'll know you need more. Especially because there is always some sauce, which is very sticky, left on the pan and the ladle.
To be precise when measuring ingredients, we always indicate the weight in ounces (and grams), even for liquids such as milk.
With a digital kitchen scale we weigh each ingredient before adding it to the recipe: a simple and foolproof way to measure ingredients accurately.
In Italy we traditionally use «00» type flour for bechamel sauce. It is the same flour that we also use for pizza, and that we can also use for desserts. Outside Italy and in the United States you can use all-purpose flour or pastry flour instead.
As we wrote, the most difficult and important aspect of this recipe is the absence of lumps. For this reason, some people add cold, not preheated milk, as it is easier to make a lump-free sauce this way.
We prefer to use milk at room temperature: not cold from the refrigerator, but not boiling either.
Traditionally, the salt and nutmeg are already dissolved in the milk before being added to the other ingredients. Alternatively, you can add them at the end, as we did in the recipe.
If the milk is cold from the fridge, heat it briefly in the microwave or in a saucepan and bring it to room temperature.
It's better if the milk isn't too hot because it creates fewer lumps in the sauce.
Divide the butter into pieces and put them in a saucepan. Heat over very low heat and let the butter melt.
When the butter has completely melted, add a little sifted flour and mix quickly with the kitchen whisk.
Continue mixing and gradually add all the flour, making sure the mixture does not become too dry.
👉 You can also temporarily remove the saucepan from the heat while stirring, in case the mixture dries out.
Make sure though that the flour mixes well and cooks a little together with the butter.
The light yellow mixture you get is called roux in French.
Slowly add a little milk and mix with the whisk. Heat over very low heat, gradually add the rest of the milk and continue stirring until it boils.
Once the mixture boils, let it boil for a minute or two. The sauce has thickened at this point, but not too much.
Cook the bescimella for one or two minutes, stirring constantly. The sauce should not become too thick.
👉 We leave the bechamel a little more liquid, because it thickens as it cools.
If there are lumps in it, this does not mean that you throw the sauce away. We have a very functional tip: mix the sauce for one to two minutes with a immersion blender to remove all lumps.
Some add salt and nutmeg to the milk at the beginning of preparation. We added them at the end and mixed them well.
The bechamel sauce is ready! We use it immediately in lasagna, which we also publish in our pasta recipe book.
Your bechamel sauce (besciamella) is ready 👨🍳
In the restaurant in Italy, when you finish eating, the waiter will ask: 🔊 andava tutto bene? (was everything fine?)
You can store the bechamel sauce in the refrigerator for up to two days, covered with cling film.
When you take the bechamel out of the refrigerator, it will probably be very thick. Dilute it with a little milk and mix well.
We frequently update our pages on Italian pasta with new classic and regional traditional recipes.
I am Italian from Trentino. I studied philosophy in Padua and worked for many years between Milan and Amsterdam in the field of media and culture.
Since 2021 I write on All Italian to practice foreign languages; meanwhile I share with you the customs and traditions of my country, and the recipes that I prepare at home.
