Mornay Sauce

By Kay Chun

Published Feb. 7, 2025

Mornay Sauce
Christopher Testani for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
15 minutes
Prep Time
5 minutes
Cook Time
10 minutes
Rating
5(50)
Comments
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Mornay is a rich and velvety sauce made by adding cheese (traditionally Gruyère and Parmesan) to a classic béchamel base. It requires just a handful of basic ingredients — primarily flour, milk, butter, cheese and nutmeg — and is quick to put together. A superversatile sauce, it’s a favorite for mac and cheese and gratins, and is great with roasted veggies, boiled potatoes and poached eggs. The sauce is best used right away, but can be held at room temperature for a few hours or chilled for up to 3 days. (It thickens quite a bit as it chills, but will return to a saucy state once rewarmed.)

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Ingredients

Yield:1¾ cups
  • 2tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 2tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1½cups whole milk
  • ¼cup grated Gruyère or Swiss cheese
  • ¼cup freshly grated Parmesan
  • Salt and pepper
  • Freshly grated nutmeg, to taste
Ingredient Substitution Guide
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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    In a small saucepan, melt butter over medium-low. Add flour and cook, whisking constantly, until well incorporated and no longer raw, 1 minute. While whisking constantly, slowly drizzle in milk until smooth. (The mixture will thicken but loosen up once all the milk is added.) Bring to a simmer, whisking frequently.

  2. Step 2

    Reduce heat to low and cook, whisking frequently, until sauce thickens and coats the back of a spoon, 3 minutes.

  3. Step 3

    Turn off heat, add Gruyère and Parmesan and whisk until smooth. Season with salt, pepper and a pinch or two of nutmeg, to taste.

  4. Step 4

    Use immediately or press a piece of plastic wrap on top to prevent a skin from forming. (You can cool the sauce to room temperature and refrigerate for up to 3 days. To reheat, gently warm it in a saucepan over low heat, stirring frequently.)

Ratings

5 out of 5
50 user ratings
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Comments

Ruth

Recipe could use a tip to warm the milk in a microwave. Warm milk mixes into the roux more easily than cold.

Frederick Tibbetts

My favorite use of Mornay sauce is the traditional French one: as an accompaniment to seafood: salmon, char, halibut, even scallops. But let each person at the table decide whether to put a spoonful on the fish, or on the potatoes, rice, or vegetables instead. Almost everyone (children included) will want this rich but mild sauce on something, right up to apple tart.

Paul Jennings

I always simmer the milk with 1/4 onion stuck with a couple of whole cloves per Julia Child . It wakes up what can be a bland sauce

MARGARET G.

Am I the only one not feeling keen to press plastic wrap on my hot sauce? Do we have a 21st century alternative to plastic wrap to prevent a skin from developing?

Janice

@MARGARET G. Use parchment paper!

Cindi

I always warm the milk, brings the sauce together more smoothl, and faster. And I've been using oat flour, works fine, reduces indigestion for me.

Baby Supine

Milk needs to be heated and slowly whisked in warm. Won't incorporate well if cold.

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