The Next Generation of Mother Sauces Is Here—Here Are 5 Must-Try Recipes for the Modern Cook

A good sauce can take an average meal and turn it into something memorable. Most chefs know this secret well, which is why your favorite restaurant meal is usually blanketed in a velvety sauce with many layers of flavor. French cuisine is especially known for its dedication to the art of preparing sauces. In fact, one could say the appreciation for a well-made sauce is central to its culinary identity.

As Julia Child put it: “The French take their sauces seriously, and so should we. They provide the soul of French cooking, giving every dish its character.”

As might be expected, sauces are one of the first things a French-trained chef must master—five sauces, to be exact. Termed mother sauces, béchamel, Hollandaise, espagnole, velouté, and sauce tomat set the foundation for French sauce-making and, subsequently, French cuisine.

The Origins of the 5 Mother Sauces

The concept of mother sauces was introduced by Marie-Antoine Carême in the early 1800s. Auguste Escoffier added sauce tomat and Hollandaise in the early 20th century and is credited with perfecting and popularizing all five sauces.

“Experience, which plays such an important part in culinary work, is nowhere so necessary as in the preparation of sauces, for not only must the latter flatter the palate, but they must also vary in savour, consistence, and viscosity, in accordance with the dishes they accompany,” wrote Auguste Escoffier in “Le Guide Culinaire,” the same publication in which he introduced the five mother sauces in 1903.

Escoffier presented the sauces in great detail. He believed that technical mastery of these basic sauces allowed for a later mastery of French cuisine. His goal was to create a comprehensive and foolproof system that would yield consistent, high-quality results for French chefs.

While a contemporary kitchen may use ready-prepared stock or canned tomatoes in place of homemade or homegrown, these mother sauces have remained virtually unchanged ever since. They are just that good.

The Versatile Power of Mother Sauces

When learned and perfected, mother sauces provide the premise for limitless saucy potential. The French call the sauce derivatives “daughter sauces.” By adding a variety of ingredients, from cream to wine, daughter sauces provide a diversity of flavor, texture, and depth to perfectly complement any food.

The adaptations don’t stop there. Chefs worldwide continue to lend their own innovations, allowing mother sauces to provide the basis for the finishing touch on a full spectrum of culinary dishes.

No one is knocking the originals—mother sauces can easily stand on their own. Plus, we need them to teach us the basics. But from the basics, the possibilities are endless.

Armed with the art of the mother sauce and a pinch of innovation, every dish can get the character it deserves.

The 5 Classic Mother Sauces

Béchamel

Béchamel is a smooth white sauce made by thickening milk with a white roux. Simplicity is the art of a béchamel. The short cooking time for white roux allows the flavor to stay muted, providing a rich and simple complement on its own or an obliging base.

Historians debate this simple sauce’s origin, but many agree it was first developed in 17th-century France. Even more agree that it gets its name from Louis de Béchamel, Marquis of Nointel (1630-1703), a French financier who lived during the reign of Louis XIV.

Hollandaise

Hollandaise is known for being tricky to make and rich to eat—pure decadence comes to mind. Egg yolks carefully whipped in a double boiler thicken this predominantly butter sauce. Lemon juice and a pinch of cayenne bring balance. Smooth, thick, and luxurious, Hollandaise is traditionally served with eggs or fish.

Hollandaise, which translates to “Dutch sauce,” has a complex history. While there are frequent historical Dutch references to egg and butter sauces as early as the 17th century, the French are credited with refining and standardizing the sauce into the form we know today.

Espagnole Sauce

Espagnole sauce is all about building flavor. To start, beef bones are simmered with various aromatics and vegetables for hours to create beef stock. Roasted bones are often used to fully deepen the flavor. The most flavorful roux, a brown roux, thickens an espagnole sauce. Mirepoix (onion, celery, and carrot), tomato purée, and a bay leaf boost flavor to another level.

Escoffier placed espagnole within the French mother sauce system, although its name likely suggests a Spanish origin, indicating historical culinary exchange. Espagnole sauce is a robust and deeply flavorful labor of love that demonstrates the classical culinary emphasis on time and technique.

Velouté

Velouté, French for “velvety,” is made by thickening a light stock with a white roux. White roux is cooked the least and, therefore, has the mildest flavor and thickens sauces the most. Similar in simplicity to a béchamel, velouté gets a dose of flavor from fish, veal, or chicken stock. Also like béchamel, velouté lends itself well to adaptations, serving as the foundation for a variety of classic French sauces.

The creation of velouté is often attributed to chef Marie-Antoine Carême in the early 19th century. Earlier versions of velouté have been seen as early as the 17th century.

Sauce Tomat

Originally showcasing peak-season peeled tomatoes, this sauce was used to preserve the fresh tastes of the summer crop. Mirepoix, garlic, light stock, and herbs build flavor. A blond roux provides a balance of thickening power and flavor. The inclusion of pork provides a depth of flavor that is enhanced by long, slow cooking. The origins of sauce tomat can be traced back to the introduction of tomatoes into Europe after the Columbian Exchange in the 16th century.

5 Next-Generation Sauces for the Modern Cook

The five mother sauces may be classic, but their modern descendants bring bold new flavors to the table. Here are five next-gen sauces inspired by the originals:

Pimento Beer Cheese Sauce

Mother Sauce: Béchamel

This is béchamel’s creamy—but not so mild—daughter. This sauce gets a triple kick from stout beer, sharp Cheddar cheese, and pimentos. It’s a rarely disputed fact that beer and cheese are soulmates. The maltiness of stout beer is balanced with the tangy richness of sharp Cheddar. Béchamel is just there to quietly hold them together in saucy harmony. Slather it on a pretzel or drizzle it over your kielbasa—no party is quite the same without it.

Lime-Herb Hollandaise

Mother Sauce: Hollandaise

Lime juice gives this Hollandaise variation a zesty edge. To keep things extra bright, we added herbs as well. Take your pick—cilantro, parsley, or chives—or add all three and take fresh to a whole new level.

This seems like the perfect sauce for an elevated brunch. Crab cakes? Better. Breakfast potatoes? Move over, cheese. Smoked salmon? Who knew we could love you more?

Soy-Miso Sauce

Mother Sauce: Espagnole

Remember all that depth of flavor we built with our espagnole sauce? Let’s go deeper.

While the French refined the mother sauces over centuries, East Asian culinary practices have long emphasized the creation of umami through fermentation, with evidence dating back at least 2,500 years. Umami, the fifth taste after sweet, sour, salty, and bitter, is particularly strong in fermented foods. It is best described as deep “savoriness.”

Rich and savory on every level, espagnole sauce can hold onto a lot of flavors. Hard-working soy sauce and miso paste allow this flavor to go to whole new depths.

Cajun-Spiced Sauce

Mother Sauce: Velouté

The Cajun history is rooted in the history of the Acadians, French settlers exiled from Canada who made their way to Louisiana. There, classic French techniques met the ingredients and influences of the region—carrots in mirepoix were swapped for bell peppers, and French herbs mingled with the bold spices of Mexico and the Caribbean. The result? The “holy trinity” of onions, celery, and bell peppers, along with the unmistakable heat of Cajun seasoning.

While traditional French methods may have encouraged straining out the Cajun holy trinity, mother sauces teach us that adaptation is power. Cajun cooking embraced texture and bold flavors, keeping these foundational vegetables in the dish. We love the heat from the addition of Cajun seasoning and hot pepper sauce. Old World French meets New World influence—and they get along swell.

Moroccan Ras el Hanout-Spiced Tomato Sauce

Mother Sauce: Sauce Tomat

Ras el hanout, which translates to “top of the shop” in Arabic, has been used in Moroccan cuisine since the Middle Ages. This spice blend historically contained a unique combination of spices that varied by spice merchant. Now, common ingredients include cumin, ginger, turmeric, cinnamon, black pepper, coriander, cayenne, allspice, nutmeg, and cloves. Raisins (a common complement to ras el hanout-spiced dishes) bring a characteristic balance of sweetness to the dish. When combined with a rich tomato sauce, this spice blend transforms meatballs into something unforgettable.