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

Moussaka Dinner: Layered potatoes, eggplant and seasoned sauteed ground beef topped with a rich bechamel sauce. —Kaycee Sloan, The Enquirer, 2 July 2025

His new dishes include a creamed spinach pop tart with comté cheese and bechamel, which is a properly over-the-top Vegas way to eat a vegetable. —Andy Wang, Forbes.com, 2 July 2025

Active Time: 1 hr Total Time: 2 hrs Servings: 12 Creamy white lasagna is filled with cheesy layers of pasta, sausage and mushrooms, a silky bechamel, and mozzarella. —Nicole Hopper, Southern Living, 17 Apr. 2025

Far Corner serves 15-inch pizzas with with traditional pies like Margherita and Meat Lovers to creative options like Oh Fennel with bechamel sauce, fennel and walnut pesto. —Pam Kragen, San Diego Union-Tribune, 3 Apr. 2025

There is also the Lasagna Verde pizza available, which mixes oregano, basil, mozzarella, pecorino and bechamel sauce. —Carlos Rico, San Diego Union-Tribune, 20 Mar. 2025

Green Chile Mac - that lager bechamel and the roasted green chile? —Kristin L. Wolfe, Forbes, 28 Feb. 2025

Enjoy the crisp mountain air under a heated and covered outdoor patio or sidle up to the bar to order specialties such as Rocky Mountain elk chili, flatbread topped with black truffle bechamel and roasted mushrooms, and hot cocoa spiked with aged rum. —Linnea Covington, Forbes, 7 Jan. 2025

The moussaka — one of Farah’s personal favorites — is a baked casserole made with seasoned ground leg of lamb, layered between eggplant and zucchini, topped with bechamel sauce, as well as Swiss and vlahotiri cheese and served with rice pilaf. —Regina Elling, San Diego Union-Tribune, 2 Jan. 2025

Word History

Etymology

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

First Known Use

1789, in the meaning defined above