How to Make a Roux + Two Ways to Use It

Steps to Make a Roux

• You’ll need equal parts butter and flour. Use unsalted butter and all-purpose flour (sift if clumpy).
• Melt the butter in a medium-size skillet over medium-low heat.
• Once the butter is melted, sprinkle in the flour while stirring with a whisk.
• Cook the roux over a low heat for 5-10 minutes while constantly stirring with the whisk. The flour and butter should mix and thicken like a paste.
• Remove the skillet from heat. Now you’re ready to use your roux!

Tips for Making a Roux

• If you’re only making enough roux for a cup or so of sauce, 2 tablespoons of butter and 2 tablespoons of flour should be sufficient. You can always multiply accordingly.
• As a roux cooks, it will puff up and become more pillowy than when you started—much like ravioli. Try tasting the roux—it should taste like very plain buttered biscuits and have no taste of raw flour
• There are three types of roux: white, golden and brown. They have increasingly more flavor as you move from white to brown (think of bread vs. toast). Brown roux usually thickens brown sauces—perfect for beef dishes. To make a brown roux, use medium-high heat throughout cooking. The roux will become a light chestnut brown when finished. To make a blond roux, use medium heat throughout cooking, and cook until richly golden in color. A white roux uses low heat like the steps above.
• Always stir the roux constantly and be careful not to let it burn. Otherwise, it will become bitter.

Roux makes a great base for gravy with stock and pan drippings, a soup thickener for soups like French onion or a sauce like the cheese sauce in our Loaded Mac and Cheese With Spinach.