The Amiable Roux – The Classic French Sauce Thickener

A good roux starts with equal parts fat and flour, gently cooked into a golden base. From there, it transforms sauces with ease – béchamel, gravy, and more. It’s a quiet kitchen ally that does its work in the background, but makes everything smoother.

Pan of melted butter with flour on a stainless steel hob with a wooden spoon in the pan

Print Recipe

Prep Time 2

Cook Time 5

Course Sauces

Cuisine French-Influenced

Servings people

Calories 135

Ingredients

50 g butter | unsalted
50 g plain flour

Instructions

Kindly note that the butter and flour weights specified in this recipe will make enough roux to thicken 500 ml of milk.
Measure out the flour and aerate it briefly with a fork, to get rid of lumps and clumps.
50 g butter, 50 g plain flour
Melt the butter in a saucepan on a low heat.
When it's melted, pour the flour into the pan, and using a spatula, mix the flour into the melted butter. Keep stirring the mixture for 2–5 minutes, to cook the flour. I have a decent nose on me (!) and can definitely smell the flour cooking.
Please see the Vegan Kitchen Wisdom notes below for timings for the different 'colours' of roux.

Video

Nutrition

Calories: 135kcalCarbohydrates: 10gProtein: 1gFat: 10gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 3gMonounsaturated Fat: 5gTrans Fat: 2gSodium: 82mgPotassium: 16mgFiber: 0.3gSugar: 0.04gCalcium: 2mgIron: 1mg

Nutritional values are estimates only and will vary depending on specific ingredients used. Nutrition is per serving. Information is for the main recipe, not optional accompaniments.