Delia Smith Cheese Sauce​ Recipe

This simple Delia Smith Cheese Sauce is made with milk, flour, butter, a pinch of cayenne pepper, and freshly grated Parmesan cheese. This recipe creates a perfectly smooth, rich, and glossy sauce, also known as a Béchamel or white sauce with cheese. It’s a foundational sauce, perfect for pouring over vegetables or using in pasta dishes, and comes together in about 10 minutes.

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Delia Smith Cheese Sauce Ingredients

• 1 pint (570 ml) milk
• 1½ oz (40 g) plain flour
• 1½ oz (40 g) butter
• A pinch of cayenne pepper
• 2 oz (60 g) Parmesan cheese, freshly grated
• Sea salt and freshly milled black pepper

How To Make Delia Smith Cheese Sauce

1. Combine base ingredients: Place the milk, flour, butter, and cayenne pepper into a medium saucepan. Put the pan over a gentle heat.
2. Whisk and thicken: Using a balloon whisk, begin to whisk continuously. Keep whisking as you bring the mixture to a gentle simmer. Continue to whisk until the sauce is smooth, glossy, and has thickened.
3. Simmer the sauce: Let the sauce simmer very gently for 5 minutes. This step is important to cook the raw taste out of the flour.
4. Add cheese and season: After simmering, remove the sauce from the heat. Add the freshly grated Parmesan cheese. Whisk again until the cheese has completely melted into the sauce. Finally, season with salt and freshly milled black pepper to your taste.

Recipe Tips

• Whisk Constantly: This is the most important rule. Whisking continuously as the sauce heats up prevents the flour from settling at the bottom, which is what causes lumps. A balloon whisk works best.
• Cook the Flour: The 5-minute simmer is essential. This “cooks out” the raw, pasty taste of the flour, resulting in a smooth, silky-tasting sauce.
• Grate Your Own Cheese: For the smoothest sauce, always use a block of Parmesan and grate it yourself. Pre-grated cheeses are often coated with anti-caking agents that can prevent the cheese from melting properly, leading to a gritty texture.
• Gentle Heat: Never boil your cheese sauce. Keep the heat gentle and low. High heat can cause the milk to scorch or “break,” and it can make the cheese become stringy or oily.

What To Serve Cheese Sauce

This versatile sauce is perfect for many dishes. It’s the classic choice for pouring over steamed cauliflower or broccoli to make Cauliflower Cheese. You can also use it as the base for a homemade macaroni and cheese, as a topping for baked potatoes, or as a rich sauce for fish pie or lasagna.

How To Store Cheese Sauce Leftovers

• Refrigerate: Cool the sauce completely. To prevent a “skin” from forming, press a piece of plastic wrap directly onto the surface of the sauce. Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. Reheat gently in a saucepan over low heat, adding a splash of milk to thin it if necessary.
• Freeze: We do not recommend freezing this sauce. Dairy-based sauces often separate and become grainy when thawed. It is best made fresh.

Delia Smith Cheese Sauce Nutrition Facts

• Calories: 185 kcal
• Total Fat: 13g
• Saturated Fat: 8g
• Cholesterol: 35mg
• Sodium: 280mg
• Total Carbohydrate: 8g
• Dietary Fiber: 0g
• Sugars: 4g
• Protein: 8g

Frequently Asked Questions

• Why is my cheese sauce lumpy? Lumps usually form when the flour isn’t whisked properly as the sauce heats. To fix a lumpy sauce, you can pour it through a fine-mesh sieve or give it a quick blend with an immersion (stick) blender.
• Can I use a different kind of cheese? Yes, this sauce is a great base for other cheeses. You can substitute the Parmesan with a strong, sharp cheddar, Gruyère, or a mix of both. Just make sure it’s a good melting cheese and that you grate it yourself.
• What is this “all-in-one” method? This recipe uses an easy “all-in-one” or “one-step” method where all the base ingredients are heated together. This is a simpler, quicker way to make a white sauce (Béchamel) than the traditional method, which involves making a roux (a cooked paste of butter and flour) first and then slowly adding the milk.

Try More Recipes:

• Delia Smith Buttermilk Scones​ Recipe
• Delia Smith Bread Sauce​ Recipe
• Delia Smith​ Christmas Chutney Recipe