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Home > All Recipes

Classic French Sauce Recipes for Every Home Cook

Discover the rich flavours of classic French sauce recipes that have made French cuisine famous around the world.

At the heart of this tradition are the Five French mother sauces: Béchamel White Sauce, Sauce Velouté, Sauce Espagnole, Best Hollandaise Sauce Recipe, and Tomato Sauce.

Mastering these foundational techniques gives you endless possibilities, allowing you to create derivative sauces.

These additional "daughter sauces," as they are also called, open up the creation of countless French dishes, all uniquely flavorful.  

You will also discover sauces like Coulis Sauce and Red Wine Sauce (jus), which offer other ways to bring countless variations of authentic French flavor to your kitchen.

Whether you're just beginning your French cooking journey or refining your skills, my step-by-step recipes and expert chef tips will help you bring restaurant-quality results to your own kitchen.

Learning these traditional French sauces opens the door to confident, intuitive, and truly classic French food. Bon Appétit!

♛ The Five French Mother Sauces

  • A finished velouté ready to be added to many recipes.
    Classic Velouté Sauce Recipe
  • A basic white sauce used for making many other sauces as well as an accompaniment on its own.
    The Best Béchamel Sauce
  • A rich velvety sauce made from stock, mirepoix, and tomato puree.
    Espagnole: The Brown Sauce Of The Five Classic French Mother Sauces
  • A delicious bowl of easy French basic, fresh tomato sauce made with vegetables and bouquet garni, served on pasta.
    Basic Homemade Tomato Sauce
  • White creamer filled with a bright yellow sauce, sprinkled with black bits.
    Best Hollandaise Sauce Recipe For French Cooking (Easy & Foolproof)
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"10 Classic French Recipes"

🍽️ French Sauces For Breakfast, Lunch, & Dinner

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    The Best Homemade Cheese Sauce Recipe
  • White bowl with cream colored sauce sprinkled with green leaves, a spoon sitting in bowl and a thick piece of beef with sauce on it set behind on a white plate with multi-colored vegetables all on a wood table.
    Béarnaise Sauce To Make A Meal Special
  • Two clear glass bowls filled with red thick juice, decorated with a raspberry and mint leaf and surrounded with strawberries, raspberries, and round red berries.
    How To Make Fruit Coulis
  • Poached Peach Melba is a French classic dessert with vanilla ice cream and raspberry sauce.
    Peach Melba Recipe
  • Luscious and rich creme fraiche on top of strawberry mousse and fresh strawberries.
    Homemade Crème Fraîche Recipe
  • Cheeseburger enhanced with homemade au jus.
    How To Make Jus For Juicy Burgers
  • Cream colored gravy boat being poured onto beef with a red wine jus sauce.
    Red Wine Jus Recipe
A silky, smooth spoonful of béchamel sauce on a plate with nutmeg seeds.

most famous French sauce!

Béchamel

3 pantry staple ingredients transform into silky elegance.

Best White Sauce Recipe

🫒 French Salad Dressings & Sauces

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    Homemade French Dressing
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    Types Of Salads And How To Make Salads
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    Seasoning Food: How To Guide For Beginners & Home Cooks
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    What Oil Is Best For Frying?
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    DIY Stock: 45-Minute Vegetable Stock
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    Easy Immersion Blender Mayonnaise Recipe
  • A white bowl filled with red pureed tomatoes with 5 small red tomatoes on a stem with basil all on a wood background.
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Judith Coates author and creator of lovefrenchfood.com

Bonjour

I’m Judith E. Coates

Founder of LoveFrenchFood.com helping home cooks prepare authentic French recipes & confidently master traditional French cooking. With carefully tested recipes, step-by-step guidance, & practical cooking tips, classic French cuisine is accessible for your home kitchen. With a touch of French "joie de vivre," & always full of heart.♥︎ Join me from your kitchen!

More about moi →

Hello, Bonjour Visitor!

Here Is Why You Can Trust The Recipes On Love French Food

My recipes originate directly from real French kitchens of homes and restaurants in France. Where these dishes have been cooked, shared, and perfected over generations: techniques passed from parent to child, flavors refined through repetition, and traditions honored. You aren’t just getting instructions; you’re receiving a slice of authentic French culinary life!

Judith E. Coates

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Judith E. Coates founder of LoveFrenchFood.com, with expertise in traditional French cuisine and authentic French recipes.

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This Website is AMAZING! I was raised by my stepmother, who was born in France and grew up eating this food! Every Sunday, we would go to her mother's house and eat. I have been trying to recreate these recipes on my own and have failed miserably. THANK YOU for having these recipes for use! They are FANTASTIC!

- Lydia B.N.

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Content by Judith Coates of LoveFrenchFood.com, with expertise in traditional French cuisine and authentic French recipes.

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