béchamel

noun

bé·​cha·​mel ˌbā-shə-ˈmel 

variants or béchamel sauce or less commonly bechamel or bechamel sauce

plural béchamels or béchamel sauces also bechamels or bechamel sauces

: a creamy white sauce made with milk, flour, and butter and often salt, pepper, and nutmeg

Prepare the béchamel with 1 oz. of butter, 2 tablespoonfuls of flour, and 1 1/2 pints of hot milk. Season it with salt, pepper, and nutmeg, and let it cook for at least 15 minutes.

—Elizabeth David

Bechamel is … made of butter and flour, stirred over heat with milk and ground nutmeg until thick and savory.

—Patrick Evans-Hilton

Béchamel is the base for a number of creamy dishes, including gratins, macaroni and cheese, and creamed spinach.

—Rebecca Hays

We then added a filling of peas, tomatoes, zucchini, mushrooms, carrots and more ziti …, all held together with a béchamel sauce.

—Larry Edelson-Kayne

… a quick, easy recipe elevated by creamy and buttery bechamel sauce.

—The Fort Morgan (Colorado) Times (online)

Examples of béchamel in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Skip the bechamel or the roux, and simply make your pasta, warm up your queso, and blend. — Aly Walansky, Southern Living, 24 Apr. 2026

Layer this spinach lasagna with three types of cheese and bechamel sauce for a fresh twist on the classic meat pasta dish. — Olivia McIntosh, Martha Stewart, 31 Mar. 2026

Featuring leeks, broccolini and a creamy ricotta bechamel layered between sheets of heirloom bloomsdale spinach pasta, the dish proved to be a textural thrill. — Carolyn Burt, Oc Register, 31 Mar. 2026

There’s also a classic lasagna verde layered with Bolognese sauce and bechamel, and cappellacci, a type of tortellini filled with butternut squash and dressed in a squash miso jus. — Sara Rosenthal, Denver Post, 4 Feb. 2026

Word History

Etymology

French sauce béchamelle, from Louis de Béchamel †1703 French courtier

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above