The Five Mother Sauces and How To Use Them

With just 5 mother sauces, you can cook hundreds of dishes! Known as the French mother sauces, these foundational recipes are the building blocks of classical cuisine. These sauces can be used to make everything from rich gravies and soups to creamy dishes made with homemade pasta or homemade egg noodles.

The French mother sauces are deceptively simple - each requires only a few simple ingredients, but yields beautiful, flavorful bases for a plethora of sauces and dishes.

In this guide, you'll learn:

• What the 5 French mother sauces are
• How each one is made
• Easy examples you can cook at home
• How to turn them into dozens of other sauces.

Jump to:

• 🍝 What are Mother Sauces?
• 💡 Why These French Mother Sauces Matter
• 🤷🏻‍♀️ FAQs
• 🍅 More Food Articles
• 💬 Comments

🍝 What are Mother Sauces?

The mother sauces are the five foundational sauces in French cuisine that serve as the base for many other sauces, sometimes referred to as "daughter sauces" or derivatives of mother sauces.

These sauces were formalized by chef Auguste Escoffier in the early 1900s and are still taught in culinary schools today. You may recognize some of them, like tomato sauce and Hollandaise, but when you master all five, you can improvise endlessly.

1. Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce)

Bechamel is a simple white sauce made from milk thickened with a roux (butter & flour). It's the base for Alfredo-style sauces, cream sauces, and many cheese sauces.

Simplified Recipe:

• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon flour
• 2 cups milk

Sometimes includes nutmeg, bay leaf, or white pepper.

2. Velouté Sauce

Velouté is a light sauce made from stock (usually chicken, fish, or veal) and white roux. While similar to a bechamel, it has a savory, rather than creamy, base. It's commonly used for chicken dishes, seafood sauces, and mushroom sauces.

Simplified Recipe:

• 2 tablespoon butter
• 2 tablespoon flour
• 2 cups stock

Sometimes includes white wine, thyme, or parsley.

3. Espagnole (Brown Sauce)

Espagnole is a deep, rich sauce made from brown stock, brown roux, vegetables, and tomato. This is the foundation for Demi-glace, beef gravies, and steak sauces.

Simplified Recipe:

• 2 tablespoon butter or beef tallow
• 2 tablespoon flour
• 2 cups brown stock (or substitute beef bone broth)
• 2-3 tablespoon tomato paste
• ½ cup mirepoix (onion, carrots, and celery)

To create a brown roux, simply cook the roux over medium heat until it develops a rich, brown color and a nutty aroma, stirring constantly. Then the tomato paste and veggies are added and simmered on low for 30-60 minutes. The veggies are strained before serving.

4. Tomato Sauce (Sauce Tomat)

This is a slow-cooked tomato-based sauce with aromatics like onion, garlic, and herbs. Some classic French versions include pork fat (lard), stock, and mirepoix. Sauce Tomat can be used as the base for this more Italian-inspired roasted tomato sauce, marinara, pizza, shakshuka, and more.

Simplified Recipe:

• 2 tablespoon olive oil
• 1 small onion
• 2-3 cloves garlic
• 1 can of tomatoes
• ½-1 cup stock

Sometimes includes butter, oregano, basil.

5. Hollandaise

Hollandaise is an emulsified sauce made from egg yolks, butter, and lemon juice. It's usually served over eggs Benedict, roasted asparagus, and fish. This is probably the trickiest sauce on the list, as it can easily split or curdle.

Simplified Recipe:

• 3 egg yolks
• ½ cup melted butter
• 1-2 tablespoon lemon juice

Sometimes includes cayenne pepper, tarragon, chives, or Dijon mustard.

The trick to making a good Hollandaise is to whisk constantly over very gentle heat, sometimes using a double boiler.

💡 Why These French Mother Sauces Matter

Once you master these sauces, you can make:

• Alfredo from béchamel
• Gravy from Espagnole sauce
• Béarnaise from Hollandaise
• Creamy chicken sauce from velouté

And much more. Professionals and home chefs alike can benefit from the simple principles you'll learn from making these 5 French mother sauces.

Once you've made béchamel, you can make chipotle smoked mac and cheese from scratch. If you can make espagnole, you can make a rich, sophisticated steak sauce. If you can make Hollandaise, you can make incredible smoked salmon eggs Benedict.

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