The Weary Chef

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How to Make a Cream Sauce or Gravy: A Video Tutorial

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All these recipes use the same technique for their thickening base, and its one every cook should know. That’s why I’m showing you how to make a cream sauce or gravy with an easy video tutorial today!

All these recipes start with a basic cream sauce, and I'll show you how to make one with this easy video tutorial!

  1. Cajun Salmon Alfredo
  2. Cream of Chicken Soup with Wild Rice
  3. Sriracha Cheese Sauce Nachos
  4. Open Faced Roast Beef Sandwiches with Beer Cheese Sauce
  5. Chicken and Sausage Gumbo

What do all these recipes have in common? They all start with a basic roux or cream sauce, which is butter, flour, and a liquid. I have written the instructions of how to do this many times in many recipes, but if you have never done it before, even clear instructions might sound confusing. That’s why I’m bringing you this video tutorial of how to make a cream sauce or gravy instead of a new recipe today. I hope it will be helpful!

Before I start, let me give a few disclaimers. First of all, the lighting in my kitchen is really terrible. That’s why I do so few step-by-step photos or videos. Secondly, I’m sorry this pan is stained! My husband took the kids to the playground, and I suddenly got inspired to make this video. I knew I wouldn’t have much time to do it, so I didn’t have time to scrub the pan with a Brillo pad (which we don’t actually have anyway). Finally, this sauce looks a little brown because I used spelt flour, which is a lot like using whole wheat flour. If you use regular all-purpose flour, your result will be lighter. If you want to make a brown gravy or dark roux, you should brown the flour and butter to the desired color before adding the broth.

Now, let’s get cooking!

One last note about using this technique for soup and sauce bases: Sometimes my recipes call for cooking ingredients (like onions or meat) in butter, then stirring in flour, and then stirring the broth into that. That is done in just the same way, except swap your whisk for a wooden spoon or rubber spatula. You can still stir vigorously as you add liquid to get rid of lumps even though there are other ingredients in the mix.

Still have questions about how to make a cream sauce? Let me know in the comments, and I’d be happy to help!

Comments

  7. Nancy England says

    Hi, Andi! I love your recipes but I’m going to have to take exception to your instructions about creating a cream sauce. I’ve made plenty – many for cheese sauce – and after making the roux, I’ll dump a sizeable amount of liquid in, beat it with a whisk for just a short time (enough to get it smooth) and then dump in the rest. I’ll check it occasionally as the liquid starts heating it up, but endless whisking is not for me. And it comes out beautifully with a fraction of the effort implied in your video. Additionally, I usually use a sauce pan, which will hold more liquid and control the heating process.
    Nonetheless, I will continue to print out many of your recipes and thank you for taking the time, effort and talent to share with us!

    Reply

    • Andi says

      Hi, Nancy! I think we all have our own ways to do things in the kitchen, and that’s OK! This is my tried and true method, and I hope it will help someone who doesn’t know how to make sauce with a roux. Thanks for your kind words, and I’m glad you’ve found some recipes you like here :)

      Reply

    • Andi says

      Thanks, Kacey! That pan was a wedding gift, and we’re coming up on our 18th anniversary! It doesn’t get used that much anymore since I usually use my 10″ iron skillet or 12″ stainless skillet, but I do still bring that one out sometimes :)

      Reply

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