Everyone loves eating béchamel sauce but no one loves making béchamel sauce. It can be tricky on the stove and turn lumpy or curdle.
The answer to this is making it in the microwave! Microwave bechamel sauce is so quick and easy!
I’ll get straight into the full recipe below after the brief introduction, so that you don’t have to scroll down to get the details.
However, after the recipe there are tips and variations that are worth reading, so make sure to check them out. Scroll down for vegan, gluten free and many other variations as this microwave bechamel sauce recipe is very customisable!
This recipe makes quite a lot, roughly four cups worth, and I would use one batch for a large lasagna or pasta bake. If you use it on its own as a sauce this microwave bechamel sauce recipe will serve 8. You can halve the recipe if needed.
How to use bechamel sauce:
Bechamel sauce is a classic and is used as a sauce inside many recipes like lasagna and moussaka. If you are wondering how to use bechamel sauce, first off you can eat it with a spoon, use it as a sauce or use it in other recipes.
Traditionally it’s not something that is often eaten on its own, it is more a classic sauce that is used as a base for other recipes like lasagna. Although I’m not sure why as it is so yummy I’m quite happy eating this microwave bechamel sauce with a spoon.
If you love it but don’t want to be caught eating it with a spoon, try it as a sauce over salmon, asparagus and potatoes.
Also Use This Bechamel Sauce In:
Just adjust the amount needed, if the recipe only needs 2 cups of milk, then you know to halve the above bechamel recipe.
- Lasagna (bolognese + béchamel + lasagna noodles)
- Greek Stuffed Eggplant (roast eggplant filled with lamb bolognaise + béchamel)
- Mac and Cheese (béchamel + cheese + macaroni)
- Moussaka (like lasagna but it’s eggplant + béchamel + lamb bolognese)
- Pastitsio or other pasta bakes (bolognaise + béchamel + penne)
- Bouchee a la Reine (vol au vents filled with béchamel + chicken and mushrooms)
- Mornay (béchamel + tuna or other seafood, optional addition of cheese in the sauce)
- Broccoli and Cauliflower Bake (béchamel + broccoli and cauliflower + melted cheese)
This microwave béchamel sauce is a game changer in the kitchen! Smooth, creamy, and made in minutes, it’s the perfect base for countless dishes.
Whether you’re making a classic mac and cheese or a rich Mornay sauce, this fool proof recipe has you covered! Anything you add bechamel to will be instantly upgraded up a notch.
Microwave Bechamel Sauce
This quick and easy microwave béchamel sauce is perfect for creamy pasta dishes, lasagnas, and more. Made in just minutes with simple ingredients, it’s a no fuss way to whip up a rich, velvety white sauce without standing over the stove!
Ingredients
- ½ cup butter
- ½ cup flour
- 4 cups milk (1 litre)
- 1.5 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp pepper
- ¼ tsp nutmeg
Instructions
- Place the butter in a large bowl. Microwave for about a minute until melted. Whisk in the flour until all of the flour is well incorporated. Whisk in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Then whisk in the milk, again until well incorporated.
- Microwave for 2 mins. Take it out and whisk very well, making sure there are no lumps.
- Microwave for 2 mins again, then whisk again very well.
- Repeat one or two more times until it has thickened slightly. The total cooking time will depend on your microwave.
- Ideally the texture should be like pouring cream when it is ready. If you put the spoon in, the sauce will stick to or ‘coat’ the back of the spoon, instead of falling right off like water does. If it gets too thick, you can whisk in a touch of milk.
- Once you have this texture, you’re ready to use your microwave bechamel sauce.
Notes
The nutrition is for one serving, assuming there are 8 servings in the recipe as a sauce.
Nutrition Information
Yield 8 Serving Size 1Amount Per Serving Calories 192Total Fat 14gSaturated Fat 9gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 4gCholesterol 40mgSodium 585mgCarbohydrates 12gFiber 0gSugar 6gProtein 5g
Making Bechamel On the stove
To make this béchamel sauce on the stovetop, melt the butter in a saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour and cook for about a minute until it forms a smooth paste (roux), stirring constantly to prevent burning.
Gradually add the milk, whisking continuously to avoid lumps. Keep stirring until the sauce thickens to your desired consistency, this should take about ten minutes. Season with salt, pepper and nutmeg, and it’s ready to use!
Microwave bechamel sauce is a little easier to make than stovetop bechamel in my opinion!
Bechamel Sauce History
Bechamel sauce history is interesting as well. Béchamel sauce, often called “white sauce,” is one of the five mother sauces in French cuisine. It dates back to the 17th century and is named after Louis de Béchamel, a French financier and chief steward to King Louis XIV. However, some historians believe the sauce was adapted from earlier Italian recipes brought to France by Catherine de’ Medici in the 16th century.
Béchamel became a cornerstone of French cooking thanks to Marie-Antoine Carême, a legendary chef who classified it as one of the foundational sauces in haute cuisine. Traditionally made with butter, flour, and milk, it serves as a base for many other sauces, including Mornay (with cheese) and mustard sauce.
Today, béchamel is used worldwide in dishes like lasagna, croquettes, gratins, and creamy pasta sauces, proving its versatility and timeless appeal. Many chefs these days are saving time and effort by using the microwave more, and making microwave bechamel sauce!
Vegan Bechamel Sauce
To make a vegan bechamel sauce, instead of butter, you can use a butter substitute, like vegan butter or coconut oil, and instead of dairy milk, use any milk of your choice.
Gluten Free Bechamel Sauce
To make gluten free bechamel sauce, just use gluten free flour instead of regular flour, it works the same way and it’s a great substitute.
Variations:
Have a read through all these variations you can do to bechamel sauce:
Garlic Bechamel sauce, Lemon bechamel sauce or truffle bechamel sauce
To make garlic bechamel sauce, lemon bechamel sauce or truffle bechamel sauce, instead of normal unsalted butter, use garlic butter, lemon butter or truffle butter, respectively.
Spicy Bechamel Sauce
To make spicy bechamel sauce, you can add 1 tsp of cayenne pepper to the sauce with the nutmeg (or to taste). You could instead add a tablespoon of chilli sauce.
Leftover Bechamel Sauce and Storage
I don’t often have leftover bechamel sauce, as even though this is a big batch, it usually all gets used up. However if you do have leftover bechamel sauce, you can put it in a container with a lid and store it in the fridge for about three days, and use it in another recipe.
You can also freeze the microwave bechamel sauce for another time, when you defrost it, you may find it doesn’t have the exact texture right away, so warm it up again, either in the microwave or the stovetop, and give it a good whisk before using.
For example, you could make Croque Monsieur in the morning for breakfast, which is a French dish where you take a ham and cheese sandwich and slather it, inside and out, with microwave bechamel sauce.
