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Learning how to make a roux is one of those basic cooking skills that comes in handy ALL the time. With just butter and flour, you can make a smooth base for gravy, creamy soups, cheese sauces, chowders, gumbo, and so much more. Once you know what color you are looking for, it’s super easy!
One Recipe to Roux Them All
Sorry… bad Lord of the Rings pun, I couldn’t help myself. At least my husband thinks I’m funny. Ok back to the roux… I use a roux all the time, especially when I am making gravy, creamy soups, or a homemade cheese sauce. It sounds like one of those fancy cooking terms, but it is really just flour cooked with fat. That’s it!
What I love about knowing how to make a roux is that once you get the basic technique down, you don’t really need a recipe. You can cook it lighter for a creamy white sauce, let it get a little darker for gravy, or keep going until it is deep brown for something like gumbo.
You can also use a roux to thicken soups and stews or use less liquid to make your own condensed soups. It’s one of those little cooking skills that gives you SO many options in the kitchen.
🩷 Erica
What is a Roux?
A roux, pronounced “roo,” is a mixture of flour and fat that is cooked together and used to thicken sauces, gravies, soups, and stews. Butter is probably the most common fat to use, especially for a white or blond roux, but you can also use oil, bacon grease, or other cooking fats.
As the flour and fat cook together, the roux changes color and flavor. A lightly cooked roux has a mild flavor and lots of thickening power. The longer you cook it, the darker and more flavorful it becomes, but it also loses some of its ability to thicken. That is why the right roux really depends on what you are making.
Ingredients in a Good Roux
You really only need two ingredients to make a basic roux. Anything else comes later depending on what you are making with it.
- Butter – I usually use butter for white and blond roux because I like the flavor and it works really well for creamy sauces, soups, and gravy.
- All-purpose flour – Regular all-purpose flour is my go-to because it cooks smoothly into the butter and thickens well.
- For gravy or sauce – Add milk, broth, stock, or pan drippings after the roux is cooked, then season with salt and pepper to taste.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- Oil instead of butter – Vegetable oil, canola oil, avocado oil, or peanut oil can all be used instead of butter. I especially like an oil with a higher smoke point when making a dark roux because you can cook it longer without worrying as much about burning the butter.
- Bacon grease or drippings – These work great when you want extra flavor in gravy or a savory sauce. For example if I am making biscuits and gravy I will use the sausage drippings to make the gravy and it’s absolutely delicious.
- Milk – Use milk with a white roux for country gravy, béchamel, creamy sauces, or cheese sauce.
- Broth or stock – Chicken, beef, turkey, or vegetable broth can be whisked into a roux for gravy, velouté, soups, and sauces.
- Cheese – Once you have made a white sauce, remove it from the heat and stir in shredded cheese for an easy cheese sauce. This is how most homemade mac and cheese sauces are made.
How to Make a Roux
- Add the butter to a medium saucepan or skillet and melt it over medium to medium-low heat.
- Once the butter has melted, add the flour and whisk until there are no dry spots or lumps. It should look smooth and paste-like.
- Continue cooking and whisking for at least a couple of minutes. For a white roux, you can stop once the mixture is smooth, bubbly, and has lost that raw flour smell.
- If you want a blond, brown, or dark roux, continue cooking while stirring frequently. The roux will gradually turn from pale to golden, then brown, and eventually a deep chocolate color.
- If you are making gravy or sauce, add milk, broth, stock, or drippings a little at a time while whisking constantly. I like to get each addition completely smooth before adding more.
- Once you have added enough liquid to get the consistency you want, let it simmer for a few minutes and season to taste. If you are using the roux to thicken soup or stew instead, whisk the prepared roux into the soup a little at a time until it is as thick as you like.
Types of Roux
The type (or color) depends completely on how long you cook it. That’s it. The longer you cook it, the darker it gets. Also, the longer it cooks, the less thickening power it has. So a very dark roux will have a deeper flavor, but it won’t thicken as much as a white roux. Here is a simple breakdown of the 4 common types of roux:
White Roux:
White is the most common type. Butter is most often used as the “fat” for white roux because of the flavor. Bacon fat, vegetable oil or any other cooking oil can be used.
- Color: Off-white or very light
- Approximate time: 2-5 minutes
- Flavor: Neutral, very little flavor
- Thickening power: Thickens very well
- Best for: Béchamel sauce, velouté, white sauces, cheese sauces (mac and cheese), chowders, country gravy
Blond Roux:
- Color: Can vary from “eggshell” to a light brown color
- Approximate time: 4-8 minutes
- Flavor: More flavorful than white, smells almost caramelized when cooking
- Thickening power: Thickens well
- Best for: Soups, sauces, and chicken and turkey gravy
Brown Roux:
- Color: Dark peanut butter color to deep brown color
- Approximate time: 8-15 minutes
- Flavor: Deeper, nutty flavor, rich aroma
- Thickening power: OK thickening, may want to add less liquid for a thicker consistency
- Best for: Stews, beef or brown gravy
Dark Roux:
If dark roux is your goal, you will want to use canola oil, peanut oil, or any other high smoke point oil as your “fat”. This will prevent the roux from burning and giving it a burnt taste.
- Color: Deep brown to very dark brown, like melted dark chocolate
- Approximate time: 15-30 minutes or longer, depending on your heat
- Flavor: Very deep, rich flavor
- Thickening power: Not great, adds a smooth consistency but not super thick
- Best for: Gumbo, Creole or Cajun dishes, and stew.
A Quick Guide
Need an easy guide as a reference? Pin this handy infographic!
How Much Liquid Do I Add to a Roux?
For the amount of roux in the recipe below, I usually use about 3 to 6 cups of liquid, depending on what I am making and how thick I want it. The biggest tip I can give you is don’t pour it all in at once.
Start with a little milk or broth and whisk until completely smooth. It may get VERY thick at first. That’s normal. Add a little more liquid, whisk again, and keep going until you get the consistency you want. For gravy or a thinner sauce, you may use closer to 5 or 6 cups. For something thicker, start with 3 cups and go from there.
A brown or dark roux doesn’t thicken quite as much as a white roux, so I usually add less liquid when I want to keep the finished sauce nice and thick. Darker roux has less thickening power because the starch changes as it cooks.
From Roux to Sauce (Examples)
- Gravy: blond roux + broth (beef, chicken, or vegetable) or drippings
- Country Gravy or Béchamel: white roux + milk + salt and pepper
- Velouté: white roux + broth
- Cheese sauce: white roux + milk + sharp cheddar (remove from heat and stir in cheese with a wooden spoon)
A Thickener For Soups and Stews
As mentioned above, you can either add liquid to your thickener OR you can add roux to a liquid. The latter method is most commonly used in soups, stews, chowders, and gumbo. You simply make the roux first and then stir it in a little at a time to thicken whatever you are making.
Use To Make Condensed Soups
Did you know that you can make your own condensed soup? It’s easy! You just start with a simple thickener and add less liquid. Check out our recipes for our Condensed Cream of Chicken Soup and our Homemade Condensed Cream of Mushroom Soup for specific instructions on how to do this!
Expert Tips
Keep the heat under control. Medium to medium-low is a good place to start. You can increase it a little once you get comfortable, but lower heat gives you more control.
Use a whisk. A whisk makes it much easier to work the flour into the fat and keep the mixture smooth.
Go by color, not just time. The cooking times are estimates. Your pan, burner, and the amount you are making will all affect how quickly your roux browns.
Don’t stop stirring a dark roux. The darker it gets, the easier it is to burn.
If it smells burnt, start over. Unfortunately, there isn’t a great way to save burnt roux. That burnt flavor will carry right into your finished dish.
Add liquid gradually. This is one of the easiest ways to prevent lumps. One of our readers pointed this out too, and it really does make a difference.
Don’t worry if it gets really thick at first. When you first add liquid, the mixture may tighten up into a thick paste. Just keep whisking and gradually adding more liquid.
Let the finished sauce simmer. If you are making a white or blond sauce, giving it a few extra minutes to simmer helps get rid of any remaining raw flour flavor.
Know your ratios. A traditional roux is generally described as equal parts flour and fat by weight. For everyday cooking, equal-volume measurements are also commonly used because they are easy and forgiving.
Make Ahead and Storage
You can definitely make roux ahead of time. In fact, if I am already making a batch and only need part of it, I will sometimes save the rest for another recipe. Let the roux cool, then put it in an airtight container and refrigerate it for up to one month. It will firm up quite a bit in the refrigerator, so just scoop or break off what you need and whisk it into your recipe. You can also portion it into an ice cube tray and freeze it so you have small amounts ready whenever you need a quick thickener. Roux made with butter should be kept refrigerated or frozen.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you are avoiding wheat flour, you can make a gluten-free roux with rice flour or a good gluten-free all-purpose flour blend. Cornstarch and arrowroot can also be used to thicken gravy, sauces, and soups, but I would use those as a slurry with cool liquid instead of cooking them with fat like a traditional roux.
You can store cooled roux in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to a month. For longer storage, freeze it in small portions or ice cube trays and use it within about 6 months for best quality.
Roux is purely a thickening agent. Gravy is the finished product after adding liquid and seasonings to a roux. Though gravy can be thickened with a roux, it is not the only thickener that can be used
Usually this happens when the liquid is added too quickly. Add just a little liquid at a time and whisk until smooth before adding more. If your roux itself is lumpy before adding liquid, keep whisking until the flour and fat are completely combined.
A traditional roux is made with equal parts flour and fat by weight. For this recipe I use 4 ounces of butter and 4 ounces of flour. Weighing is the most accurate way to get that 1:1 ratio because flour can settle or get packed into a measuring cup.
Recipes that use a Roux
Now You Know How to Make a Roux!
Once you make a roux a couple of times, you will probably just start making it by heart. Melt the fat, whisk in the flour, cook it to the color you need, and go from there. It really is that simple! If you try this method, leave me a comment and let me know what you made with your roux! You can also take a pic and tag us on Instagram @favoritefamilyrecipes 📸
How To Make a Roux (And Easy Gravy Recipe)
Video
Ingredients
- 4 ounces butter, appx. ½ cup
- 4 ounces flour, appx. ½ cup
To Make Gravy
- 3-6 cups milk or broth
- salt and pepper
Instructions
- In a medium-sized sauce pan melt butter over medium to medium-low heat.
- When butter has melted, add flour and whisk until smooth.
- Continue whisking until desired stage/color is reached.
- White: appx. 2-5 minutesBlond: appx. 4-8 minutesBrown: appx. 8-15 minutesDark: appx. 15-30 minutes. Note: It's always better to go by color rather than time… these are just estimates to help with prep and planning
To Make Gravy:
- Add cold liquid a little at a time, whisking constantly, until desired consistency is reached. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- The most common ratio is 1:1, or a mixture of equal parts flour and butter (or “fat”) by weight. This is the ratio that we prefer to use. Others use a 2:1 ratio (2 parts flour, 1 part butter) but we have found that this usually results in clumping and doesn’t brown as well.
- You can either add liquid to your thickener OR you can add roux to a liquid. The latter method is most commonly used in soups, stews, chowders, and gumbo. You simply make the roux first and then stir it in a little at a time to thicken whatever you are making.
- Don’t use burnt roux. If you see black specks or it smells burnt, it is best to start over.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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A classic Roux is derived by weight not volume measures. 4 Ounces of butter to 4 ounces of flour. Flour can be compressed so the scaled weight is much more accurate. You can also slowly add your liquid to the Roux while whisking and usually avoid lumps. When using a White or Blond Roux, a little extra simmering time will cook out the flour taste.
Great tips! Thanks!
This is sooo helpful! Came out perfectly!!
This was so helpful for my stew recipe! Very detailed and I was able to make it with no issues!
I love using roux with milk and broth as a replacement for “cream of” soups. It’s so much tastier, and I like the fact that I control all the ingredients. 🙂