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French

Sauce Mornay

Contains egg (no meat or fish)

Béchamel enriched with Gruyère and Parmesan to make a silky cheese sauce for gratins, eggs, croque monsieur and baked vegetables.

Sauce Mornay is a French sauce from France, ready in about 23 minutes and made with milk and gruyère. It serves 8 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
8 min
Cook
15 min
Total
23 min
Serves
8
Level
Easy
Calories
142

Ingredients

8 servings (about 70 ml each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) in a saucepan (opens in a new tab) over medium-low heat, whisk (opens in a new tab) in the flour and cook for 2 minutes without colouring.

    Eggs being whisked in a bowl
    How it looks · Photo: Kampus Production on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Gradually whisk (opens in a new tab) in the warm milk (opens in a new tab) until smooth, then simmer gently for 6–8 minutes, stirring, until thickened and no longer floury.

  3. Step 3

    Take the pan off the heat and stir in the cheeses a handful at a time until melted and glossy. Boiling the sauce after this point can make the cheese grainy.

    • 2 min

  4. Step 4

    For a richer sauce, beat the yolk with a spoonful of the sauce, then stir it back in off the heat. Season with salt, nutmeg (opens in a new tab) and white pepper (opens in a new tab) and stir until smooth and glossy.

    • 1 min

    Food safety: If adding yolk, make sure the dish is then baked or grilled until bubbling, or use a pasteurised yolk.

About this dish

Origin
France · Commonly attributedA classic French derivative of béchamel; the story behind the name is uncertain.More food from France
Dish
Lunch · Dinner · Brunch · Sauces
Cooking method
Simmered
Taste
creamy, rich, savoury, mild
Diet
Vegetarian (lacto-ovo) · No nut ingredients · Keto-style · Low-carb
All labelsVegetarian (lacto-ovo) · Eggetarian · Pescatarian · Flexitarian-friendly · No nut ingredients · No added sugar · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Beef-free · Keto-style · Low-carb
Without the optional extras: Lacto-vegetarian, Egg-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Make-ahead
Cook more with
Milk · Gruyère · Butter · All-purpose flour · Parmesan · Nutmeg
Techniques
Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains: Milkfrom butter, milk, gruyère, parmesan
  • Contains, can be adapted: Eggsfrom egg yolk
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

142 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 78 g · recipe makes 8

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 18%
  • Carbohydrate 20%
  • Fat 62%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy142 kcal183 kcal
Protein6.3 g8.2 g
Carbohydrate7.1 g9.1 g
Net carbohydrate6.9 g8.9 g
Sugars3.3 g4.3 g
Added sugars0 g0 g
Fibre0.2 g0.2 g
Fat9.8 g12.7 g
Saturated fat5.9 g7.6 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol29 mg37 mg
Sodium232 mg299 mg
Salt equivalent0.6 g0.7 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
102 mg
Calcium
200 mg
Iron
0.3 mg
Magnesium
12 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
94 µg
Vitamin C
0 mg
Vitamin D
0.9 µg
Vitamin B12
0.5 µg
Folate (DFE)
19 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: egg yolk.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • Grate the cheese finely and add it off the heat for the smoothest result.

Common mistakes

  • Using pre-grated cheese with anti-caking starch can make the sauce gritty.

Serve with

  • Croque monsieur or madame
  • Gratin of cauliflower, leeks or endive
  • Eggs Florentine or baked fish

Storage

  • Refrigerate, surface covered, up to 3 days.

Reheating

  • Warm gently with a little milk, stirring; do not boil.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2, 3, 4

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

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