Cream Sauce (Béchamel)

Written by
Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
Learn about our editorial process
Danilo Alfaro
Photo of Danilo Alfaro
Published on 07/30/19 by Danilo Alfaro
Danilo Alfaro has published more than 800 recipes and tutorials focused on making complicated culinary techniques approachable to home cooks.
Learn about The Spruce Eats's Editorial Process

Updated 07/30/19

Cream sauce recipe
Cream sauce recipe. Jupiterimages / Getty Images
  • Total: 15 mins
  • Prep: 5 mins
  • Cook: 10 mins
  • Yield: 2 Cups (4-8 servings)
Nutritional Guidelines (per serving)
84 Calories
6g Fat
5g Carbs
1g Protein
See Full Nutritional Guidelines Hide Full Nutritional Guidelines
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2 Cups (4-8 servings)
Amount per serving
Calories 84
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 6g 8%
Saturated Fat 4g 18%
Cholesterol 18mg 6%
Sodium 330mg 14%
Total Carbohydrate 5g 2%
Dietary Fiber 1g 4%
Protein 1g
Calcium 27mg 2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

The Cream Sauce (or Crème Sauce) is the original classic cream sauce and one of the simplest variations on the Béchamel sauce.

Because it's so simple, it really comes down to seasoning. And of course, it helps if you've made a good Béchamel to start with. As for the cream, for some reason, the organic cream seems to have a better flavor, so that's what I use.

Also, since the sauce itself is very much on the white side, I like to add some sort of chopped herbs at the end, just for interest. But this isn't strictly necessary.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups Béchamel sauce
  • 1/2 cup heavy cream
  • kosher salt to taste
  • black pepper to taste
  • Optional: chopped fresh herbs (such as chives or parsley)

Steps to Make It

  1. In a heavy-bottomed saucepan, heat the Béchamel until it comes to a simmer.​

  2. In a separate saucepan, heat the cream gently to a simmer. Reduce by about one-quarter, about 10 minutes.​

  3. Whisk the hot cream into the Béchamel and serve right away.

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