How to Make a Roux (Easy Roux Recipe)

How to Make a Roux (Easy Roux Recipe)

15 Min Read

With this straightforward roux recipe, you’ll learn to make a roux from a lightweight blonde roux to a wealthy, darkish chocolate brown roux to make soups, gumbos, sauces and a lot extra. Let’s make some roux!

Learn how to Make a Roux (Simple Roux Recipe)

One of many largest questions I get on the weblog right here is the way to make a roux. I take advantage of a roux in many various recipes, notably Cajun and Creole gumbo, which is one among my favourite dishes on the planet, but additionally for making gravies, soups, and wealthy sauces.

The important thing to a terrific gumbo, and lots of different dishes, begins with a superb high quality gumbo roux. This publish will present you the way to make roux the proper manner.

What’s a Roux?

A roux (pronounced “roo”) is an equal combination of oil or different fats like butter and flour used for making sauces and gravies, and for thickening different liquids.

It’s a cooking approach that originated with French delicacies for sauces and as a thickening agent, however adopted all around the globe.

A roux is made by heating equal elements of oil, butter or different fats and flour in a pan to type a paste, then stirred frequently as you prepare dinner it. It’s going to skinny and darken as you prepare dinner it.

The colour of the roux depends upon how lengthy it’s cooked for, and on its supposed function.

Forms of Roux

Rouxs are sometimes categorized by their colour, which depends upon the quantity of cooking. It’s going to darken as you prepare dinner, and every is used for barely completely different functions.

White Roux

A white roux retains the colour of flour, and is barely grainy in texture. It takes solely 4-5 minutes to make, and has probably the most thickening energy at this level.

White roux is a superb gravy roux, but additionally used for making white sauces, akin to béchamel sauce (roux + milk), cheese sauce or nacho cheese base, white gravy, and as a thickener for drippings.

It is nice for making thick and tacky macaroni and cheese!

Blonde Roux

A blonde roux could be very gentle brown, and takes about 10 minutes to make. As you prepare dinner the roux within the sizzling pan, continually stirring, it would flip from white to blonde in colour.

The pan toasting not solely adjustments the colour, but additionally the flavour, giving it a barely nutty high quality. It is usually barely thinner in texture, however nonetheless nice as a thickener.

Blonde roux is ideal for thickening shares, pan drippings like velouté, making clean gravies and sauces, and thick soups.

Brown Roux

A brown roux is cooked till it darkens to anyplace from a lightweight brown the colour of peanut butter or copper, to a darker brown just like the colour of chocolate.

It takes about 20-Half-hour to make.

Brown rouxs aren’t as thick as lighter rouxs, however supply a extra developed taste. They’re nuttier and richer, although not pretty much as good for thickening.

It’s perfect for barely thickening soups and stews, and important for making gumbo.

Darkish Roux (the Greatest Gumbo Roux)

A darkish roux is a thinner roux that takes on the colour of wealthy, darkish chocolate, or a cup of black espresso.

A darkish roux can take 30-45 minutes or longer to make, and is a favourite for making wealthy, flavorful pots of gumbo. That is my private favourite gumbo roux.

Let’s discuss the way to make a roux, lets?

Roux Substances

  • Oil or Different Fats. I often use a impartial oil, like peanut oil or vegetable oil. You need to use different fat, like butter, lard or bacon fats
  • Flour. Use all-purpose white flour.

Learn how to Make a Roux – the Recipe Technique

Warmth the oil in a big pot or pan to medium warmth, then stir within the uncooked flour. 

Stir continually. The oil and flour will mix to type a liquid slurry. For those who don’t preserve stirring, the roux will begin to burn and also you’ll have to start out over, so don’t cease stirring.

Stirring is a should, which additionally helps stop lumps.

You may scent when the roux burns. It’s acrid, disagreeable, a bit like burnt popcorn. If this occurs, toss it and begin over. It’s going to destroy the flavour of no matter you’re making.

So watch out, and don’t carry up the warmth too excessive to rush your roux alongside.

What you’re in search of is the colour of the roux. It begins out the colour of flour, very gentle, batter-like, however because it heats, it would start to skinny and brown, going from a white roux to gentle brown to the colour of peanut butter or copper, and ultimately to a wealthy chocolate brown, and even darker should you proceed cooking it.

Cooking time can range based mostly on the quantity of warmth and different components.

How Lengthy Does it Take to Make a Roux?

A roux can take anyplace from 5-45 minutes, relying on the quantity you’re making, your required colour and quantity of warmth.

Personally, I take 15-20 minutes for my typical roux of 1/2 cup every oil and flour, which provides me a roux a copper or peanut butter colour. The roux is nice then, coaxed of excellent taste.

It could possibly take round Half-hour or longer to realize a really darkish gumbo roux.

Once I make a smaller batch roux, akin to 2-3 tablespoons every of oil and flour, it takes a lot much less time.

For those who proceed to prepare dinner and stir longer, you will obtain a darker chocolate colour that’s even richer in taste the longer you prepare dinner, however a darker roux often leads to thinner sauces, gumbos and soups for many dwelling cooks.

It would not thicken as a lot as a lighter gumbo, although it does have a extra nutty taste.

Be happy to experiment to find which shade of roux produces the most effective flavors in your style buds.

Learn how to Make a Roux within the Oven

It’s also possible to make a roux within the oven. Some cooks in New Orleans favor this technique, as they’ll make bigger batches with a lot much less effort. Regardless that it takes longer than conventional roux, it’s way more fingers off.

Some could really feel making an oven roux is dishonest, however who cares if it saves you time?

To make an oven roux, whisk collectively flour and oil in a forged iron pan or Dutch oven, then bake it at 350 levels F for about 2-1/2 hours. Give it a superb stir each 20 minutes.

As soon as your roux has reached your most well-liked colour, take away it and use it as you’ll in any gumbo or related recipe, akin to a fricassee or etoufée.

For those who make a bigger batch, freeze your roux in containers and use later.

Increase! Performed! You now have a roux! Now you should use it in any recipe you would like. Making roux is straightforward, is not it?

No downside in any respect.

Recipe Ideas & Notes

  • Maintain Stirring the Roux. This can be very essential to maintain stirring the flour so it doesn’t keep on with the underside of the pot, the place it will probably burn. For those who burn your roux, don’t use it. It’s going to give your gumbo, soup or sauce an disagreeable acrid taste. It’s best to start out over. Attempt utilizing a determine eight sample when stirring to get the complete backside of the pot evenly, and don’t use too excessive of warmth.
  • Greatest Oil for Roux. Impartial oils with greater smoke factors are greatest for roux making, to keep away from burning your roux. Peanut oil could be very standard, as is canola oil. You may make a roux with olive oil, however it’s extra prone to burn due to the decrease smoke level.
  • Different Fat for Roux Making. You do not want oil to make a roux. Attempt it with clarified butter, which has the next smoke level than common butter, or use saved bacon fats, or lard. You may make roux with most fat and flour.

Learn how to Retailer a Roux / Make Roux Forward of Time

You may simply make your roux forward of time and retailer it within the fridge or freezer. Merely make your roux as directed to the colour you favor, cool barely, then switch to a container and seal.

Home made roux will final for months within the fridge. It’s going to final for 1 12 months within the freezer.

That is it, my associates. I hope you get pleasure from my straightforward roux recipe. Let me know should you make it. I might love to listen to the way it turned out for you. Maintain it spicy!

What to Make with Roux?

roux is usually step one for a lot of recipes, together with making gumbo, soups, stews, to thicken sauces, soups, mac and cheese, making gravy and a lot extra.

The heated combination lets you make silky clean sauces, thicken pan drippings into gravies, and for including taste to many various kinds of soup and stew dishes.

Gumbo Recipes to Make with a Roux

Soups and Different Recipes to Make with a Roux

Sauces to Make with a Roux

Acquired any questions? Ask away! I’m completely happy to assist. For those who get pleasure from this recipe, I hope you’ll depart a remark with some STARS. Additionally, please share it on social media. Don’t overlook to tag us at #ChiliPepperMadness. I’ll be sure you share! Thanks! — Mike H.

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Learn how to Make a Roux (Simple Roux Recipe)

With this straightforward roux recipe, learn to make a roux from a lightweight blonde roux to a wealthy, chocolate brown roux for gravy, soups, gumbos, sauces and extra.





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Delicacies: American, French
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Prepare dinner Time: 20 minutes

Servings: 4

Faucet or hover to scale

Substances

  • ½ cup peanut oil or vegetable oil
  • ½ cup flour

Directions

  • Add ½ cup peanut oil to a big pot and warmth to medium warmth. Add flour and stir.

  • Prepare dinner for 10 minutes, continually stirring, till the roux flippantly browns to a blonde roux, or proceed stirring and cooking for as much as Half-hour for a roux the colour of chocolate. The roux will darken as you stir, from very gentle brown to copper or peanut butter brown, then then to gentle chocolate, then darkish chocolate, then very, very darkish brown.

Video

Notes

NOTE: This can be very essential to maintain stirring the flour so it doesn’t keep on with the underside of the pot, the place it will probably burn. For those who burn your roux, don’t use it. It’s going to give your gumbo, soup or sauce an disagreeable acrid taste. It’s best to start out over. Attempt utilizing a determine eight sample when stirring to get the complete backside of the pot evenly, and don’t use too excessive of warmth.
Makes about 1/2 cup of roux.

Diet Data

Energy: 296kcal   Carbohydrates: 12g   Protein: 2g   Fats: 27g   Saturated Fats: 5g   Sodium: 1mg   Potassium: 17mg   Fiber: 1g   Sugar: 1g   Iron: 1mg

Did You Get pleasure from This Recipe?I like listening to the way you prefer it and the way you made it your personal. Go away a remark beneath and tag @ChiliPepperMadness on social media.

NOTE: This recipe was up to date on 11/16/22 to incorporate new data and photographs. It was initially revealed on 4/24/20.

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