Classic Mornay Sauce

Mornay sauce is a classic creamy sauce, enriched with plenty of cheese! Delicious as the base for au gratin dishes or mac and cheese, having this variation on bechamel, one of the culinary mother sauces, in your repertoire will up your cooking game instantly. Better yet, it’s super easy to make, and have I mentioned how rich and delicious it is?

About This Recipe

What is a mornay sauce? Essentially, it’s a bechamel sauce with cheese. Ok, so then, what’s a bechamel? It’s one of the “five mother sauces” from which basically all other French sauces are born. Think of them like primary colors! You can read more about each of the five sauces in this article.

I started making Julia Child’s version of bechamel back in college, and my love for it has only grown. It’s so simple – butter, flour, whole milk, some seasonings – and it creates such a rich, creamy sauce. Mornay sauce builds on that bechamel base and incorporates delicious cheeses into the mix.

What Makes This Recipe So Good

• Did I mention it’s incredibly simple? The actual mornay-sauce-process is a little more hands-on than some of my other recipes, but I promise, it’s WORTH IT. You’ll be whisking pretty much the whole time, but everything moves pretty quickly.
• It’s incredibly versatile! Use it as a base for potatoes au gratin; coat broccoli, green beans, or asparagus with it; incorporate it into your favorite version of mac & cheese; fill crepes with it; pour it over your eggs… You can’t go wrong with a mornay!
• The leftovers are just as good as the fresh mornay! Store any leftover mornay sauce in an airtight container in the fridge and it’ll keep up to 5 days. You can reheat it in the microwave or on the stovetop. Add a little more whole milk if needed to thin it back out.

Key Ingredients

Whole Milk – Bechamel is traditionally made with whole milk, which means mornay sauce is, too. Whole milk just makes the sauce really deliciously creamy. We haven’t tested it with a lighter milk or a non-dairy milk alternative, so if you try it, be sure to let me know in the comments how it turns out!

Roux – If you’ve ever had gumbo, you know good things start with a roux. It’s a simple mixture of melted fat (in this case, butter) and flour that forms a sort of paste which thickens sauces and soups. It’s key to a mornay sauce, so don’t skip this part!

Cheese – Whichever cheese or combo you decide to use, I strongly encourage you to purchase a wedge or block of fresh cheese and grate it yourself. Prepackaged, pre-grated cheeses include fillers and anti-clumping agents that can prevent the cheese from melting well and might make the sauce grainy.

Chef’s Tips

• For an extra kick of flavor and spice, add a pinch of cayenne to the mixture when you add the nutmeg.
• Mornay sauce should be pretty thick, but if it’s too thick for your liking, thin it out by whisking in small amounts of whole milk until you’ve reached your perfect consistency. If you thin it too much, you can thicken it again by adding in more cheese or by creating another roux (in another saucepan) and incorporating it into the sauce.
• Remove the saucepan from the heat before you add in the shredded cheese! If the mixture’s too hot, the cheese will clump and seize. To ensure a really smooth mornay sauce, take the saucepan off the heat and slowly whisk in the cheese in increments, making sure it’s fully melted before adding more.
• The roux and the milk should both be hot when you combine them. If one is too cool, they won’t incorporate as well. You’ll want to be a little quick creating the roux so the milk doesn’t cool too much off the heat.

Other Sauces You Have to Try

• Classic Pomodoro Sauce
• Au Jus Recipe
• Microwave Hollandaise Sauce
• Béarnaise Sauce Recipe
• Honey Mustard Yogurt Sauce