How to Make a Roux

How to Make a Roux

What is a roux?

A roux is a mix of equal parts of flour and fat cooked together and used as a thickening agent in various dishes. The fat is usually butter, but can also be pan drippings or lard. A roux can be cooked for a short period of time, which yields a light colored roux, or quite a long time, which produces a dark colored rue suitable for certain stews.

What is a roux used for?

A roux can be used to thicken sauces (think cheese sauce in mac and cheese), soups, and stews. A roux is also the base for gravy with chicken or turkey pan drippings as the fat, and can be used to create French sauces like béchamel or velouté.

Roux Basics

Making a roux is a super simple process, but it requires you to be vigilant: an unwatched roux can easily burn.

Roux can be made in large quantities and added to various dishes, or in smaller quantities – as I do when making the cheese sauce for my Easy Dinner Idea: Cheesy Skillet Chicken Spaghetti.

As with all roux, you are going to use equal parts flour and fat. Examples of fat include butter (the most common), vegetable oil, pan drippings, and lard.

Making a Roux

Here we are going to make a white roux of ½ cup butter and ½ cup flour. A blond roux is made the same way, but should cook for an additional two minutes or so until it is a slightly deeper color.

Step One:

Melt the butter over medium high heat.

Step Two:

Sprinkle the flour evenly over the surface of the butter. Whisk or stir constantly the flour until it is completely incorporated into the butter.

Sample Roux for Cheese Sauce 

This is a small amount of white roux, and is made directly with the ingredients being used in the dish.

Ingredients:

3 tbsp butter

3 tbsp flour

 ½ cup heavy cream

1 cup chicken broth

2 cups grated cheddar cheese

Here, I am going to add the roux ingredients to onions and red pepper that I have been sauteing. 

Step One:

Melt the butter in the skillet over medium high heat.

Step Two:

Add the flour, sprinkling it over the melted butter. Immediately begin stirring the butter and flour together. You can use a whisk or a wooden spoon. Here I am using a wooden spatula so I don’t scratch my pan.

Step Three:

Stream in the liquid as soon as the flour is dissolved. In this case, I am streaming in ½ cup of heavy cream. Be sure to stir constantly. Lower the heat to medium if the cream is boiling too intensely.

Step Four:

Add in 1 cup of chicken broth, once again stirring constantly. As you cook, you will see that the sauce is thicker than it would be if you added liquid without a roux.

Step Five:

Sprinkle 2 cups of grated cheese over the sauce and stir until melted.

Tips & Tricks

Do not cook your roux over high heat. Be sure you are working with medium to medium high heat at all times or it will easily burn.

Likewise, always keep an eye on the roux. You should be stirring the melted butter/fat and flour throughout the process.

You can use either a whisk or a wooden spoon to stir your roux. I generally choose what won’t scratch my pan. 

Roux too loose? Add a bit more flour.

Roux too thick? Add a bit of liquid. With my Easy Dinner Idea: Cheesy Skillet Chicken Spaghetti, I reserve some pasta liquid and add it until I achieve the desired texture.

Remember to make any additions in small increments. You can always add more, but you can’t take anything out.

The flour must be fully incorporated into the butter. This is especially if you are sprinkling it over other ingredients. No one wants to bite into a mouthful of uncooked flour.

Time Saving Tips

You can make a large quantity of roux and store it for future use.

Make the roux using the ratio of equal parts flour and fat.

Once the roux is ready, store it in the fridge overnight. Tip: Pour it into an ice cube tray to create handy portions for future use.

Store the hardened roux in an airtight container in the freezer.

Other Types of Roux

There are four basic types of roux. Each of these roux is made with the same ratio of fat to flour, but differs in the amount of time it is cooked with brown and dark brown, requiring a much longer cooking time.

White – a great thickener; useful in mac & cheese and tuna casserole

Blond – a great thickener; useful in soups, gravies, and stews.

Brown – flavorful, but not as useful as a thickener. It is often used in Cajun food. 

Dark Brown – like the brown, flavorful, but not useful as a thickener.

All in all, a roux is useful to have on hand when creating sauces and soups.