---
title: "Roux: what it means in cooking — Tiny Plates"
description: "A roux is equal weights of flour and fat cooked together to thicken sauces, soups and gravies. Cook it white, blond or brown depending on the dish."
url: "https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/roux"
---

# Roux

A roux is equal weights of flour and fat cooked together to thicken sauces, soups and gravies. Cook it white, blond or brown depending on the dish.

Also called White roux, Brown roux.

A roux is flour cooked in fat, usually butter, and used to thicken liquids. It is the base of [béchamel](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bechamel), [velouté](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/veloute), [espagnole](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/espagnole), cheese sauce and most [gravies](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/gravy). The longer you cook it, the darker, nuttier and thinner-thickening it gets. The word is French for "reddish", from the color of a cooked roux.

## How to do it

1. Melt equal weights of fat and flour, for example 30 g (2 tablespoons) butter and 30 g (1/4 cup) flour.
2. Stir in the flour over medium-low heat until smooth.
3. Keep stirring until it reaches the color you need.
4. Whisk in the liquid a little at a time until smooth. A very hot roux and boiling liquid together tend to clump, so use warm liquid.
5. Bring to a simmer and cook for at least 5 minutes so the flour taste cooks out.

## How to tell it is done

| Roux  | Cooking time     | Color and smell                   | Use                    |
| ----- | ---------------- | --------------------------------- | ---------------------- |
| White | 2 to 3 minutes   | Pale, smells like cooked pastry   | Béchamel, cheese sauce |
| Blond | 5 to 8 minutes   | Light golden, smells like popcorn | Velouté, chicken gravy |
| Brown | 15 to 20 minutes | Peanut butter color, nutty        | Espagnole, beef gravy  |
| Dark  | 30 to 45 minutes | Milk chocolate or darker          | Gumbo                  |

## Why it works

Fat coats each grain of flour so it spreads through the liquid without clumping. When heated, the starch swells and thickens the sauce. Browning breaks down some of the starch, so a dark roux thickens much less than a white one but adds deep flavor.

## Common mistakes

* Burning it. Black specks or a bitter smell mean start over.
* Adding hot liquid to a very hot roux all at once, which makes lumps.
* Not cooking the sauce long enough after adding the liquid, so it tastes floury.
* Using high heat to rush a dark roux.

## In recipes

In Cajun and Creole cooking, a dark roux is cooked in oil, then the [holy trinity](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/holy-trinity) goes in to stop it from cooking further. As a rule of thumb, 1 tablespoon each of butter and flour thickens 250 ml (1 cup) of liquid to a thin sauce.

## Roux recipes

1 recipe from the sites we collect.

* [![](https://images.arla.com/recordid/80D082BB-CBFC-4733-AB17FCB1CB1A7E70/veloute.jpg?width=1300&height=525&mode=crop&format=webp)Veloutéwww.arla.se · 25 min](https://www.arla.se/recept/veloute/)

## Related terms

* [BéchamelBéchamel is a smooth white sauce of milk thickened with a butter and flour roux. It is the base for lasagna, mac and cheese, gratins and croque monsieur.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/bechamel)
* [VeloutéVelouté is a French mother sauce of light stock thickened with a blond roux. It is silky and pale, and it is the base of cream sauces for chicken and fish.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/veloute)
* [EspagnoleEspagnole is the classic French brown sauce of brown stock, a brown roux, mirepoix and tomato. It is a mother sauce and the starting point for demi-glace.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/espagnole)
* [GravyGravy is a sauce made from the juices and browned drippings of roasted meat, thickened with flour or starch. Here is how to make it smooth every time.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/gravy)
* [Holy trinityThe holy trinity is onion, celery and green bell pepper, chopped and cooked as the flavor base of Cajun and Creole dishes such as gumbo and jambalaya.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/holy-trinity)
* [Beurre maniéBeurre manié is soft butter kneaded with an equal weight of flour. Whisk small pieces into a hot sauce or stew to thicken it at the end, without lumps.](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/beurre-manie)

[More in sauces and stocks](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary/category/sauces-and-stocks)[Every term from A to Z](https://www.tinyplates.dev/glossary)