Mastering the perfect lasagne white sauce—the creamy, foundational layer known as bechamel sauce for lasagna—is the key to transforming your homemade lasagne from good to unforgettable.
While a classic white sauce for lasagne is simply butter, flour, and milk, its versatility allows for delicious variations to suit any palate.
Whether you prefer a quick and cheesy classic, an elegant version with sophisticated depth, or a hearty, vegetable-infused take, we break down everything you need to know.
Discover the fundamental method to a lump-free sauce, along with a curated look at different styles from renowned chefs, so you can find the perfect bechamel recipe for your next masterpiece.
Gordon Ramsay Lasagne White Sauce
Ingredients:
- 25g unsalted butter
- 25g plain flour
- 300ml cold milk
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
- Pinch of nutmeg
- 40–60g cheddar cheese, grated (quantity: to your taste)
Method Steps:
Prep the Roux:
Add the butter to a thick-bottomed saucepan and let it melt over medium heat. Add the flour and immediately stir vigorously with a spoon or spatula. Cook for about 1–2 minutes until it forms a doughy paste; this cooks out the raw flavour of the flour.
Add the Milk:
Pour in 1/3 of your cold milk and beat quickly with the whisk. Stir until well combined and smooth—don’t worry about lumps, just keep whisking. Remove the pan from the heat if it’s cooking too quickly; the residual heat will help as you mix.
Incorporate Remaining Milk:
Add the next third of milk and whisk vigorously. Then add the final third. Continue whisking until the sauce is smooth, thick, and lump-free.
Season:
Stir in a pinch of salt, pepper, and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasoning as needed.
Finish with Cheese:
Add the grated cheddar cheese and stir until it melts through the sauce, creating a glossy, creamy texture.
Serve your cheesy white sauce over pasta, vegetables, or use for lasagne layering.
Mary Berry’s Lasagne White Sauce for Lasagne
Ingredients:
- 50g unsalted butter
- 50g plain flour
- 750ml hot milk
- 2 tsp Dijon mustard
- 50g Parmesan cheese, finely grated
- Salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method:
Melt the Butter:
Melt the butter in a saucepan.
Add the Flour:
Add the flour and cook over the heat for one minute, stirring constantly.
Whisk in the Milk:
Gradually whisk in the hot milk, whisking continuously until the sauce thickens and is smooth.
Add Flavourings:
Stir in the Dijon mustard and Parmesan cheese, and season generously with salt and freshly ground black pepper.
Use this sauce for layering in lasagne or any dish that needs a classic creamy white sauce with flavourful depth from Parmesan and mustard.
See Mary Berry’s complete recipe for lasagne and her trick for neat slices.
Jamie Oliver’s White Sauce
Ingredients:
- 2 medium leeks
- 2 fresh bay leaves
- 4 tablespoons plain flour
- 1 litre semi-skimmed milk
- 150g mature Cheddar cheese
- Olive oil
- Whole nutmeg (for grating)
- Sea salt and black pepper
Method:
Prep the Leeks:
Trim, wash, and finely slice the leeks. Add to a pan with 2 tablespoons olive oil and the bay leaves. Season with a tiny pinch of sea salt and black pepper. Cook on low heat for 30 minutes until sweet and softened, adding splashes of water if needed.
Make the Roux:
Add the flour, stir well to coat the leeks, then gradually add the milk, stirring continuously.
Cook & Thicken:
Turn the heat up to medium, bring to the boil, then reduce to low and cook for 5–10 minutes until thickened, stirring regularly.
Blend:
Transfer the sauce to a food processor and blitz until smooth and silky.
Finish:
Add half the grated Cheddar cheese and finely grate over half the nutmeg. Mix well and season to taste.
Use this sauce for layering in Jamie’s lasagne or as a white cheese sauce for other pasta bakes.
Which White Sauce For Lasagne Will You Choose?
Here’s a summary to help:
- Gordon Ramsay: Simple roux-based sauce with milk and cheddar, lightly seasoned—quick, creamy, classic.
- Mary Berry: Classic white sauce, but uses hot milk, adds Dijon mustard and Parmesan for tang and depth—elegant and flavourful.
- Jamie Oliver: Most complex—sautéed leeks and bay leaves for extra sweetness and aroma, blended for silky texture, with Cheddar and nutmeg for richness—hearty and comforting.
In short:
Gordon Ramsay’s white sauce for lasagne is the most traditional and quickest, Mary Berry’s has refined flavour with mustard and Parmesan, Jamie Oliver’s has vegetable depth and is very smooth and robust.
Here’s a direct comparison of the three white sauce recipes for lasagne
| Feature | Gordon Ramsay | Mary Berry | Jamie Oliver |
|---|---|---|---|
| Base Ingredients | Butter, plain flour, milk | Butter, plain flour, milk | Leeks, bay leaves, olive oil, flour, milk |
| Cheese | Cheddar (grated, to taste) | Parmesan (finely grated, fixed) | Cheddar (grated, half portion) |
| Additional Flavour | Nutmeg, salt, pepper | Dijon mustard, salt, pepper, nutmeg | Nutmeg, bay leaves, salt, pepper |
| Method Highlights | Standard roux, gradually add milk, whisk until lump-free, finish with cheese | Roux, gradually add hot milk, whisk, add mustard and Parmesan | Leeks sweated until sweet & soft, flour added, milk gradually whisked in, blended for smoothness, cheese folded in, nutmeg grated |
| Complexity | Very simple classic cheese sauce | Classic white sauce, slightly richer/fancier with mustard & Parmesan | More complex & robust (leeks, blending, bay leaves) |
| Distinct Features | Quick, creamy, minimal, ideal for pasta or veg | Slight tang and depth from mustard, more flavourful, restaurant-style | Bulky and savoury from leeks, smooth texture from blending, comforting and rich |
| Milk Used | Cold whole milk | Hot milk | Semi-skimmed milk |
| Cheese Quantity | Flexible, 40–60g or to taste | 50g Parmesan | 150g Cheddar (half for sauce) |
Highlights:
- Gordon Ramsay: Fast and traditional; great texture and taste for lasagne or pasta bakes. No mustard.
- Mary Berry: Refined restaurant-style, with a hint of mustard and strong cheesy umami from Parmesan; delivers extra depth for lasagne layering.
- Jamie Oliver: Comforting, home-style sauce with a sweet base from leeks and enhanced richness from blending. Bay leaves and nutmeg add aromatic warmth; plenty of cheese used for savoury depth.
Summary:
- For pure Italian authenticity and simplicity, Gordon Ramsay’s is your go-to.
- For a slightly tangy, refined layer, Mary Berry’s is ideal—Dijon and Parmesan give edge.
- For a homely, hearty and silky sauce, pick Jamie Oliver’s, especially if you love robust flavours and smooth texture from vegetables.
Sorting Out Your Béchamel
Mastering a plain white sauce opens up a world of culinary possibilities far beyond lasagne. For example:
- Traditional Lasagne al Forno: Many authentic Italian recipes use a plain bechamel to allow the flavour of the ragù to shine.
- Baked Pasta Dishes: It’s a great base for casseroles like pasta al forno or a simple macaroni bake before cheese is added on top.
- Creamy Potato Bake (Gratin Dauphinois): Thin layers of potato are baked in a garlic-infused white sauce and cream.
- Cream Soups: It’s the thickening agent for cream of mushroom, cream of chicken, or cream of celery soup.
- Seafood Pot Pies: A plain bechamel is perfect for binding lobster, shrimp, or fish in a pot pie without overpowering the delicate seafood flavours.
White sauce for lasagne is called béchamel. Its butter, flour and milk. That’s all you need. In Italy they call it besciamella and it’s what goes in a proper lasagne to make it creamy.
The Lumpy Bit
Everyone gets lumps at some point. Just pour the milk in bit by bit and whisk it the whole time. Sounds dull but honestly that’s all you need to do. If you do get lumps anyway, push it through a sieve.
And don’t leave the pan to check your phone or whatever.
Couple of other things – don’t let the butter and flour go brown or you’ll end up with something that looks like gravy.
When it cools down it gets a skin on top which is annoying, so just put cling film right onto the surface of the sauce.
How Thick
You want it sort of medium thickness for lasagne – use about half a cup between each layer. It goes thicker when it cools down so you can always add more milk to loosen it up again.
Make Ahead
You can make it a few days before and keep it in the fridge, or freeze it for ages. Just make sure you cover it properly.
Other Stuff
For an authentic traditional lasagne bolognese you would use Parmesan. Some people add a bit of nutmeg but its not necessary – it depends on your tastes – only way to know is try it.
You can also use different flours for your lasagne white sauce but normal plain flour is fine.
Basically – slow with the milk, keep whisking, don’t let anything burn and you’ll be fine.
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