High Fructose Corn Syrup Free Herb Roux
A good roux is the backbone of so many classic sauces, and this herb-scented version is as clean and straightforward as it gets — just butter, flour, salt, and a handful of fresh herbs if you have them on hand. So many store-bought sauce mixes and gravies sneak in sweeteners and additives you never asked for, but this one is built entirely from ingredients you can trust. The technique is simple: melt, stir, cook until pale and faintly nutty, and you've got a foundation ready to transform into a silky béchamel or a savory velouté. Stirring constantly for those two to three minutes is the key move — it cooks out the raw flour taste and gives the finished sauce that smooth, professional quality. Fresh thyme folded in during cooking adds a subtle earthiness, while the parsley stirred in at the end keeps things bright. Make it fresh or prep it ahead and freeze in tablespoon portions so you always have a clean, additive-free base ready to go.
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Learn more →Ingredients
4 servings
- 4 tbsp unsalted butter
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves (optional)
- 1 tsp fresh flat-leaf parsley, finely chopped (optional)
Instructions
- 1
Melt the butter in a small heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-low heat until fully melted and just beginning to foam, about 1 minute. Do not let it brown.
- 2
Add the flour all at once and stir immediately with a wooden spoon or silicone spatula, working the mixture into a smooth paste. Continue stirring constantly for 2–3 minutes, until the roux smells faintly nutty and turns a pale straw color — it should pull away from the sides of the pan slightly and look dry on the surface.
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