White sauce with onions - this is a more traditional recipe for onion sauce, that my nan used to make as did my mum years and years ago.
Or, is it gravy rather than sauce?
No messing about it is just an onion sauce that is delicious.
Now, years ago (we're talking 1950's or so) when my nan made this she didn't use all milk but more water than milk - I know, but it was completely different times.
People then made traditional dinners such as Bacon and Onion Roly-Poly Pudding - a suet pudding served with potatoes, gravy and peas. Nothing fancy, just proper good food.
This onion sauce recipe is about as easy as sauce-making gets! No messing about and just a few ingredients.
No fancy cooking equipment - all you need is a non-stick lidded saucepan. If you don't have a lid for your saucepan, fear not, the onions will just take a little longer to cook.
A wooden spoon would be good, you can buy one at any good supermarket for around 50p.
Looking for a smoother sauce?
If you want to be all fancy and have a more modern white onion sauce, you can use a stick blender to make your onion sauce smooth. Personally, I like it just how I make it and leave the sauce as it is.
Ingredients in this Recipe
- Onions
- Butter
- Flour
- Milk
- Salt and white pepper
How to make onion sauce
Add the butter to a medium-sized saucepan and let it melt over medium heat. Once melted add the onions and using a wooden spoon keep stirring the onions for about 5 minutes.
Now, put the lid on the saucepan and over low heat leave the onions to cook for about 15 minutes - check on them every now and then and give them a stir.
Remove the lid and check - the onions should be nice and soft but not coloured.
Once the onions are soft add the flour and cook while stirring for a couple of minutes - you need to cook the flour or your sauce will taste of raw flour.
Add the milk a little at a time, stirring and the while until you have used up all the milk.
Season with salt and pepper and have a taste - add a little more salt and pepper if need to. Continue to cook the sauce until it has thickened nicely.
Blend with a stick blender if you really must have a smooth onion sauce. Job done!
What to serve with white onion sauce
- Pork steaks or pork chops as I did
- Gammon
- Lamb
- Beef
- Corned Beef - or of course, whatever else you fancy.
How to cook pork steaks in the oven
I cook pork steaks in the oven - so easy. Okay, some may not like them as golden in colour as we do but all you do is remove most of the fat and then rub each side with a little vegetable oil and pop them into a non-stick roasting dish. Sprinkle a tiny bit of sea salt onto the fat.
Then into a preheated oven at 200°C 400°F for about 30-35 minutes turning halfway through.
Can you freeze this sauce?
Well, I have read that you can but personally I wouldn't bother. It's so easy to make and you could make it earlier in the day - but be sure to keep it in the fridge before very gently reheating.
It will look very thick and you might have to add a bit more milk.

Recipe for white onion sauce
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White Onion Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 400g onions (that's 3 and ½ onions each the size of an apple) - diced
- 60g unsalted butter
- 2 tablespoons plain flour (all-purpose)
- 250ml milk
- a big pinch of sea salt - to taste
- a big pinch of white pepper - to taste
Instructions
- Add the butter to a medium-sized saucepan and let it melt over medium heat.
- Once melted, add the onions and using a wooden spoon keep stirring the onions for about 5 minutes.
- Now, put the lid on the saucepan and over low heat leave the onions to cook for about 15 minutes - check on them every now and then and give them a stir.
- Remove the lid and check the onions, they should be nice and soft but not coloured.
- Once the onions are soft add the flour and cook while stirring for a couple of minutes - you need to cook the flour, or your sauce will taste of raw flour.
- Add the milk a little at a time, stirring and the while until you have used up all the milk, if you have to add a little more then do so.
- Season with salt and pepper and have a taste - add a little more salt and pepper if need to.
- Continue to cook the sauce until it has thickened nicely.
Notes
400g of onions is approx. 1 large and 1 medium-sized onion.
You want brown onions and not red for this.
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Jan