Beginner’s Guide to Making White Sauce Easily

Once you learn to make a roux, you can make a white sauce or white gravy easily. It’s simply a roux with more milk or cream added. This is a staple in French cooking and makes a lot of wonderful dishes like Alfredo, mac and cheese, gravy. It’s also super easy to do. I basically think of it as a thinner country gravy.

By learning how to make a white sauce easily, you are building up your skill set for more complicated dishes. And how long you cook the butter and flour can completely change the flavor. You can bring out the nuttiness of the butter by browning it slightly and eliminate the raw flour taste by simmering on low for 10 minutes.

Furthermore, you can use different types of flour for a more earthy and hearty flavor. I like to use whole wheat. You can use oil instead of butter and on occasion, lard or bacon grease. It’s an easy recipe to learn how cooking evolves with just time, temperature and variations in ingredients. I think it’s a fabulous way to learn your stove top. You’ll really get a feel for the temperature dial without investing a lot of time or money.

If you need more help making white sauce, watch this country gravy video. Country gravy is a thicker form of white sauce or white gravy that is a staple in Appalachian cooking. To get a thinner consistency, you simply add more milk, up to a cup and continue heating until the temperature reaches 165F (74C.)

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White Sauce

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A a thinned gravy, white sauce or milk sauce is used as a base for many recipes such as macaroni and cheese.

Prepare: 5 minutes mins

Bake: 5 minutes mins

Servings: 8

Ingredients

• 1 – 2 cups (240 – 480mL) milk or cream
• 2 tbs (30g) butter
• 3 tbs (30g) flour
• ½ tsp (2.5g) salt
• ½ tsp (1g) pepper

Instructions

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• Melt the butter in a 3 quart saucepan on medium heat.
• Add the flour, constantly stirring with a wooden spoon or whisk until the mixture turns brown, about 1 – 2 minutes.
• Gradually add in the milk, stirring and allowing the flour mixture to absorb the milk. This will prevent lumps.
• Cook on medium low, stirring often to prevent burning until milk begins to thicken, about 10 minutes. Sauce is ready once it reaches 165F (74C.). Add salt and pepper if desired, to taste.

Notes

1 cup (240mL) of milk will give you a thick sauce often known as country or white gravy.  2 cups (480mL) will make a thinner sauce used in many pasta dishes.