One of the mother sauces, this sauce is made from a roux and a light stock. Alternatively, you may see velouté as referring to a sauce made from a light stock with cream/butter that has been thickened with flour. Technically, though the implications insofar as order is concerned are different, these are the same.

The term velouté comes from the French word for “velvety” or “smooth”, probably referring to the ideal texture of the sauce. The first use of the term can be traced back to 1830. Common derivatives of velouté sauce include, but are not limited to, the following:

• Poulette
• Allemande sauce
• Suprême sauce
• Normande sauce