Basic Roux (White, Blond, Medium, and Dark)
Roux is the foundation of many French, Cajun, and Creole recipes. Learn how to take flour and fat from white, blond, medium, to dark to suit any dish from béchamel to gumbo.
Servings 8
Equipment
- Whisk
- silicone spatula
Ingredients
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup fat butter, neutral oil, bacon fat
Instructions
- PREP: Before you start, make sure to read the notes. The fat and amount will depend on what you are making.
- WHISK: In a heavy bottomed skillet or Dutch oven, warm fat over medium heat. Whisk in flour until smooth.
- STIR: Stir constantly with a whisk for lighter roux, or a flat ended wooden spoon or silicone spatula for a darker roux, scraping the edges and bottom of the pan.
- WHITE ROUX: Cook until pale, until the raw flour taste is gone, 2–5 minutes.
- BLOND ROUX: Cook until golden blond color, about 5–10 minutes.
- PEANUT BUTTER ROUX: Cook until a light-medium brown peanut butter color, about 12–20 minutes.
- DARK ROUX: Cook until you reach a dark chocolate brown color, about 30–60 minutes.
- USE: Use immediately in your dish, or let cool before storing. Remove from the pan to cool, or it will continue to darken.
Notes
- 1:1 is a good starting ratio. Use less fat if you want a lighter dish.
- Fat: Use butter for lighter roux for soup, gravy, étouffée, cream sauce, or bisques. Use oil for darker roux for gumbo, stews, or beef gravy.
- 1 cup fat to 1–1¼ cup flour is enough for a batch of gumbo that has 8-10 servings.
- Timing will depend on the heat and cookware. Go by the color more than the time.
- Storage: Cool completely. Butter roux lasts in the fridge about a month, oil roux for about 3–4 months. In the freezer, store oil roux for up to 12 months.