When the pinnacle of culinary prowess rested in classic French cooking techniques, dairy-based sauces were king, or rather, “mother,” with milk-based béchamel and butter-rich hollandaise accounting for two of the five mother sauces. In addition to variations like Mornay, soubise and béarnaise, many other European cuisines prepared their own dairy-based sauces: graddsas in Sweden, rahm sauce in Germany, “alla panna” in Italy (more commonly known as Alfredo sauce stateside) and pungent salsa de cabrales in Spain.

“Real dairy is a backbone to so much of what we’re taught about as we become chefs, whether it’s mother sauces or mounting a pan reduction with high-quality cultured butter,” says Jeff Miller, founder and co-CEO of Cutting Edge Innovation foodservice consultancy.

But as American consumers started to explore cuisines beyond these Western staples, dairy-based sauces ceded menu space to new varieties: Fresh, herbaceous sauces like chimichurri and zhug brighten everything from light salads to hearty entrées, while sauce adaptations of chile pastes, like gochujang and harissa, build heat in any dish. In the face of such flavor firepower, traditional cream sauces might pale in comparison.

Still, dairy-based sauces needn’t go against these trending variations. Instead, they can embrace a wide variety of new ingredients, thanks to a unique flavor profile, viscosity and chemical composition. Depending on the ingredient and technique, dairy-based sauces can either tone down certain flavor elements or dial them up. “Dairy as a carrier is great because, at the end of the day, it is fat. And everyone knows that fat equals flavor,” says Ian Ramirez, chef and founder of Mad Honey Culinary Studio, a culinary consultancy based in Grand Rapids, Mich.

From a scalability standpoint, sauces offer operators a cost-effective means to introduce a host of new flavors. Plus, most sauces can be prepped in advance, and kitchen hacks speed up that process even more. Rosalyn Darling, principal innovation chef of Darling Culinary, recommends using evaporated or condensed milk to boost flavor and texture and to simplify preparation. “These ingredients allow for a richer, creamier sauce without the need for prolonged simmering or reduction, streamlining the cooking process,” she says.

That is perhaps why quick serves and fast casuals have latched onto sauces as a fast track to menu upgrades. “In general, we see sauces increasing as the go-to vehicle for innovation in foodservice, especially among limited-service chains,” Miller says. “A smart menu developer always needs to think about where they will build in their flavor and differentiation, and sauces are a great way to do that.”

One crucial component to prioritize when experimenting with sauces is the quality of the ingredients, especially the dairy since it carries the rest of the mixture. “Try using organic milk and cream whenever possible. It will add value to your brand and most certainly will taste better,” recommends Rebecca Peizer, chef and owner of the consultancy All Things Culinary.

Keeping these best practices in mind, we asked the four chefs to share their insights on incorporating four fresh profiles into dairy-based sauces with the goal of showcasing the flavor versatility within this category.

1

Not Your Average Hot Sauce

Dairy is often a go-to cooling agent with the ability to tone down excessive heat. But in some instances, dairy actually helps turn the temperature up. “Fat carries flavor and when spice is added to it and it’s heated, that’s when the real magic happens,” Ramirez says. “When the oils of the chiles or the spices are activated with heat, these two things come together like a marriage that shouldn’t work, but for some reason it does.”

Casein, the protein often found in milk, helps break down the capsaicin particles behind chiles’ signature burn. Introducing dairy into the mix sets off a spicy cycle, with casein quelching the heat just enough to coax diners into taking another bite. “It’s almost like when you eat Flamin’ Hot Cheetos or good Korean food. It burns, but yet you crave more,” Ramirez adds.

Darling sees on-trend hot honey and chile crisp as prime candidates to spice up a dairy-based sauce. Fondue, which is enjoying a resurgence, is the perfect carrier for triple-cream brie infused with honey and a touch of cayenne. “An intriguing direction is the modernization of cheese sauces by incorporating artisanal cheeses, such as brie. This not only elevates the flavor profile but also introduces a gourmet touch to traditional recipes,” she says. The nuanced flavor profile means savory dippers (bites of brioche or crispy chicken) work just as well as sweet ones, like roasted sweet potatoes and Honeycrisp apples.

Heat plays a prominent role in many global cuisines driving U.S. menu development. Peizer is inspired by West African flavors—one of Flavor & The Menu’s Top 10 Trends of 2024—especially Nigerian Pepper Soup, which features a variety of specialty spices and Scotch bonnet peppers unique to the cuisine. She sees potential in converting this soup into a side sauce for hearty entrées, like grilled steak.

“A cream sauce base is the perfect carrier for intense spiciness, as the fat in dairy coats the tongue, which can help mask the inevitable burning sensation,” she says. “When made with the same components as the pepper soup, a cream-sauce base could tame the intense spiciness while adding a sweet flavor and mouthfeel more recognizable to the American palate, making that cuisine more approachable.”

2

Bringing Extra Umami

Savory and unctuous, umami is a natural flavor partner for dairy-based sauces. Ramirez says the “usual suspects,” like soy sauce, anchovies and porcini powder, immediately amplify umami notes in any dish, but for dairy-based sauces, he prefers to pull the flavor from the anchor ingredient. After all, umami is already a defining feature of many cheese varieties. “When you see the crystals form in certain types of aged cheeses, those are umami-rich calcium-lactate crystals. So, what better way to turn up the umami notes in dairy-based sauces than with more dairy? Dairy—in its own right—is the base of umami,” he says.

Miller and Peizer both name fungus as a flavorful addition to a dairy-based sauce—though they also suggest looking beyond the typical cremini or shiitake options. Even Shake Shack, as Miller points out, is upping its dairy-sauce game; last year, the brand introduced a White Truffle Menu featuring a “real white truffle sauce” across several menu items. For her part, Peizer has experimented with a mushroom-adjacent ingredient, huitlacoche, a corn fungus whose complex flavor profile packs in sweet, savory, bitter and, of course, umami notes.

In Rebecca Peizer’s Lamb Chorizo-Stuffed Squash Blossom Tamale, huitlacoche (a corn fungus) brings “intense” umami to this sweet-and-tart crema base. This combination in turn, highlights the chorizo’s spicy and salty notes.

“A favorite preparation I have done is a huitlacoche crema served with a lamb chorizo-stuffed squash blossom tamale,” she says. “The intensity of the umami in the corn fungus—shiitake or wild mushrooms can also be used—is a perfect balance of taste to the sweet, tangy and full-bodied crema. It also helps highlight the spicy saltiness of the lamb chorizo.”

Black garlic, furikake, bonito flakes and miso are other umami builders that can easily be incorporated into a dairy-based sauce. Darling offers Ungani risotto as an example; the base of butter and dashi broth imparts miso-rich flavor to Arborio rice. The umami is further ratcheted up through furikake rice seasoning.

3

Bright, Zesty Tang

“When I think dairy and bright and zesty, I think lime crema,” says Miller. Indeed, Latin America might be the reigning champion of zesty-dairy combinations. “A crema with lime incorporated could be the perfect addition to add creaminess to a dish as well as a pop of flavor with the brightness of the acid.”

Darling provides two more applications, each spotlighting a regional cuisine and bringing fresh elements into play. For example, a Oaxacan spin on cheese toast features fresh slices of mango and passionfruit atop toasted bolillo bread, while a drizzle of guava-Oaxaca cheese sauce imparts an extra burst of tropical flavor and introduces savory notes. Similarly, aji-amarillo cream sauce infuses Peruvian flavor into potatoes au gratin.

Peizer has also played in this space, applying the same techniques used in French mother sauces to global dishes. “Cream sauces that are stabilized with roux—or any starch, such as rice flour or cornstarch—can do very well with the addition of acidic, pickled or even lacto-fermented flavorings since the starch prevents the milk solids from curdling,” she says. “While we tend to use this little bit of science in making classic cream sauces such as Mornay, I have used it to create fun and flavorful components.” Case in point: Her pickled carrot “queso” is made with the carrots “en escabeche,” often served alongside pickled jalapeños.

“Zesty” might not be an apt descriptor for most dairy products, but “tangy” certainly can be. Buttermilk, Greek yogurt and goat cheese all have a zippy tang that can welcome other tart, and even zesty, ingredients. Using these dairy products as a base could also win the vote of health-minded consumers. “The adoption of mild-flavored Greek yogurts and labneh as healthier alternatives to heavy cream can also shift menus towards wellness,” Darling says. “These substitutions offer creaminess and a smooth texture while aligning with health and wellness culinary trends.”

In terms of keeping sauces fresh, Ramirez says technological advances could help on that front. High-pressure processing doesn’t use heat like traditional pasteurization methods, which preserves more flavor and gives sauces a housemade taste, he explains.

4

Up in Smoke

“Smoke has always had an affinity for dairy,” Miller says, pointing to smoked Gouda, scamorza, provolone and cheddar as examples. Since many of these cheeses already figure into sandwich builds, Miller thinks it’s not a leap to convert them into accompanying sauces. They could also be used to deepen the flavor of cream-centric dishes like mac and cheese and pasta Alfredo. Darling puts a variation on the latter in her Smoked Tomato Alfredo, wherein the standard sauce is blended with sun-dried tomatoes and harissa seasoning.

Bringing smoky flavors through the dairy base rather than meat also simplifies recipes and appeals to vegetarian diners. “Layering smokiness into the cheese could be an interesting way to provide ‘meatiness’ without having to add bacon—blasphemy, I know!—and to add an extra layer of flavor for a satisfying, savory experience,” Miller says.

At the same time, proteins like bacon can imbue non-smoky creams and cheeses with depth of flavor. “Smoke pairs so nicely with dairy,” Ramirez says. “Some of my favorite dips and sauces are items like bacon-cheddar-jalapeño dip, smoked salmon cream sauce, smoked chile queso fundido. Here in Michigan, a cheesy and smoky whitefish paté is always a star on the charcuterie board, served hot or cold.”

As with most strong flavors, a little bit of smoke goes a long way, especially in dairy recipes—Peizer credits the fat content in cream, which absorbs and imparts flavor very easily. That’s why small amounts of Spanish pimenton, chipotle purée, bacon or grilled eggplant purée can have a dramatic effect. Nevertheless, there are ways to temper it. “The ability to impart smokiness to a sauce using actual smoke essence allows for a more subtle nuance,” she says. “Tea smoking is easy, quick and can allow for the addition of other ingredients for even more complex flavoring.”

And when smoky notes aren’t overpowering, it opens the door to unexpected, sweet applications. Peizer suggests drizzling a tea- and five-spice-smoked créme anglaise over gingerbread mochi cake to add delicate smokiness to the last course.

The recipes and menu possibilities of dairy-based sauces stretch across dayparts, dishes and cuisines, eclipsing their original formula. Given the flavor possibilities, potential menu applications and scalability, dairy-based sauces are just getting started. “I see a long runway for real dairy sauces that is ripe for innovation and consumer appeal,” Miller says.