• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Loving It Vegan

  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Free Ebook
menu icon
go to homepage
  • Home
  • About Me
  • Recipes
  • Free Ebook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • search icon
    Homepage link
    • Home
    • About Me
    • Recipes
    • Free Ebook
    • Facebook
    • Instagram
    • Pinterest
    • Twitter
    • YouTube
  • ×
    Home » How To

    Vegan White Sauce (Bechamel)

    Published: Mar 3, 2016 Updated: Jun 28, 2021 by Alison Andrews This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe
    Vegan White Sauce

    Vegan white sauce, also known as bechamel sauce. Basic 3 ingredient recipe that you can expand on with different flavorings. Creamy and delicious. 

    Vegan white sauce in a red bowl with a wooden spoon.

    So your basic vegan white sauce has a lot of uses. It’s the basic recipe that with a few additions can turn into a vegan cheese sauce.

    Also called a bechamel sauce, this is the white sauce you can use in lasagnas and other dishes that require a white sauce.

    It’s usually made with butter, flour and dairy milk. Sometimes oil, flour and dairy milk.

    Since this is the vegan version, of course the dairy milk is replaced with plant based milk. Too easy really!

    In this case I used soy milk but any plant based milk of your choice will do the trick.

    Step by step process photo collage of making a vegan white sauce.

    I tried a version using vegan butter and the butter flavor was pretty strong.

    I wasn’t a huge fan but I liked it more than Jaye who wasn’t a fan. He was all like: ‘aarrgggg butter sauce, I just ate a heap of butter in a sauce!’

    Well, needless to say, he didn’t! It was just a little butter in a lot of sauce, but whatevs.

    So the next time I made it with olive oil and I thought it tasted heaps better, and Jaye agreed.

    In fact this one was so delicious that we’ve made it a lot since then.

    And I used it in a lasagna dish that came out beautifully.

    It’s a creamy dreamy white sauce that is like a blank canvas. You can add any flavorings to it that you choose, like garlic or herbs or whatever you desire!

    The basic recipe is just 3 ingredients, and after that it’s up to you how you flavor it.

    We’ve just gone with some sea salt and black pepper, but fresh herbs would be great, dried herbs, garlic spice, chilli, mustard, whatever you’re in the mood for.

    Vegan white sauce in a red bowl with a wooden spoon.

    More Vegan Sauces

    1. Vegan Mushroom Sauce
    2. Cashew Cheese Sauce
    3. Tahini Sauce
    4. Vegan Peanut Sauce
    5. Vegan Peppercorn Sauce
    6. Vegan Tartar Sauce
    Vegan white sauce in a red bowl with a wooden spoon.

    Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!

    Vegan white sauce in a red bowl with a wooden spoon.

    Vegan White Sauce (Bechamel)

    3-ingredient vegan white sauce recipe. Also called bechamel sauce, this simple sauce is creamy, wholesome and delicious and can be used whenever you need a white sauce.
    4.87 from 137 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: How To, Savory
    Cuisine: Vegan
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 15 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Servings: 2 cups
    Calories: 153kcal
    Author: Alison Andrews

    Ingredients

    Basic White Sauce:

    • 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
    • 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
    • 2 cups (480ml) Soy Milk (or other non-dairy milk)

    Spices to taste:

    • Ground Black Pepper
    • Sea Salt
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    Instructions

    • Add the oil to a pot on the stove and heat it at medium to high heat.
    • As the oil heats, add the flour and stir or whisk vigorously.
    • Add the soy milk all at once and continue to stir and whisk (you can alternate between a wooden spoon and a whisk) and allow the sauce to gradually thicken.
    • You will usually get to the right thickness after it has reached boiling point and boiled for a few minutes.
    • When you’ve reached the desired thickness (keep in mind that the sauce will continue to thicken as it cools), remove from the heat and add any spices you choose, such as some salt and black pepper or garlic spice or whatever you choose.

    Video

    Notes

    1. If you double this recipe, then just a note that the way to double it is that the flour must always be one less than the oil. So doubling this recipe would mean you use 6 Tbsp of olive oil and 5 Tbsp of flour.

    Nutrition

    Serving: 1Serve (½ cup) | Calories: 153kcal | Carbohydrates: 6.3g | Protein: 3.9g | Fat: 12g | Saturated Fat: 1.6g | Sodium: 98mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 3g
    DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE? Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @lovingitvegan on Instagram and hashtag #lovingitvegan
    Get Your Copy! It's FREE!
    « Vegan Oreo Pie
    Creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce (Nut Free) »
    12.8K shares

    About the Author

    Hi I'm Alison Andrews, I'm the voice and cook behind Loving It Vegan. I love making delicious vegan food and creating vegan versions of all your old favorites, so that you’ll never feel like you’re missing out. Find out more about me here.

    Loving It Vegan is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. This site may contain some of these links to Amazon.com. If you make a purchase through one of those links, Loving It Vegan will receive a small commission from the purchase at no additional cost to you.

    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Pris says

      September 10, 2024 at 2:48 am

      It made a nice thick sauce but because of the soy milk (I used original soy milk), the sauce just had a strange sweet flavour so I could not use this as the main sauce for my lasagna. I will try again with unsweetened soy milk, etc.3 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        September 17, 2024 at 10:37 am

        Let us know what you think of the sauce when you use unsweetened soy milk Pris!

        Reply
        • EP says

          December 22, 2024 at 10:24 pm

          My son is vegan and our family have converted all our Thanksgiving side dishes to vegan. After the first year, we discovered that soy milk of any kind adds a weird flavor to dishes like mashed potatoes. We found that one of the ingredients listed on any soy milk, even “unsweetened”, lists “organic natural flavors”. We both agree that it tastes like vanilla. We have switched to using oat milk which has a much more neutral flavor.3 stars

          Reply
      • EP says

        December 22, 2024 at 10:26 pm

        My son is vegan and our family have converted all our Thanksgiving side dishes to vegan. After the first year, we discovered that soy milk of any kind adds a weird flavor to dishes like mashed potatoes. We found that one of the ingredients listed on any soy milk, even “unsweetened”, lists “organic natural flavors”. We both agree that it tastes like vanilla. We have switched to using oat milk which has a much more neutral flavor.3 stars

        Reply
    2. Zahra says

      July 02, 2024 at 4:50 pm

      Thank you for this recipe.I made it with Barista Oat Milk which is creamier and it was perfect. I used it on the vegan moussaka I made for a friend and it was devoured to the last bite by every one.5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        July 04, 2024 at 10:46 am

        Awesome Zahra! Thanks so much for your great review!

        Reply
    3. Gleici says

      June 21, 2024 at 1:11 am

      I did with Oat milk and it didn’t thick it up. I guess it is a soy milk for this bechamel. :/

      Reply
    4. LN says

      April 04, 2024 at 2:39 am

      I already had a pretty good idea how to make a basic Vegan white sauce, but it’s been awhile so I appreciated having measurements to get it right. I also GREATLY appreciated the “1Tablespoon less” tip regarding the flour if doubling the recipe, which I did (double it).

      I used this recipe as the basis for a Vegan Green Bean Casserole I made for a friend’s Easter dinner. I used Earth Balance Vegan margarine instead of oil, and soymilk for the liquid (2 cups sweetened, 2 cups unsweetened). I seasoned it with white pepper and Himalayan pink sea salt, then added 2 small cans finely diced mushroom stems and pieces. Doubling this Bechamel recipe gave me the approximate equivalent of 2 cans of Campbell’s Cream of Mushroom soup.

      Once I had the ‘soup’ made it was just a matter of following the recipe on the back of a French’s Fried Onions canister (larger size), including adding the black pepper. BUT I did not add any extra soymilk.
      I used 4 cans of green beans, drained, and the entire canister of fried onions, divided. And a bit more salt.

      One thing I did notice is that, while the white sauce turned out perfect in texture, after I baked it in the casserole it seemed to curdle a bit, which disappointed me. But the flavor of the casserole was spot on and did not taste ‘Vegan’ to me ( a non-Vegan).

      And I guess my friend liked it, too, because she’s now asking for the casserole recipe, so I’m including this white sauce recipe with it. Thank you! 🙂5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        April 05, 2024 at 11:46 am

        Thanks for you great review LN! 🙂

        Reply
    5. Chris Maurer says

      December 18, 2023 at 7:44 pm

      Tried it with coconut milk and the result was a coconut soup – it never really came together until I simmered it for an hour (evaporating by half) and then helped it with a cornstarch slurry. Maybe soy just works better?3 stars

      Reply
    6. Ana says

      December 13, 2023 at 5:46 am

      hello!
      can we use other type of oil?

      thank you

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        December 13, 2023 at 1:46 pm

        Hi Ana! You can try substituting with avocado oil/coconut oil or even vegan butter. All the best!

        Reply
    7. Ellen says

      November 15, 2023 at 1:00 am

      This was so easy and delicious! I added some melted vegan butter, sage, and garlic and put it over gnocchi. It was amazing! I will definitely be saving this recipe for the future.5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        November 17, 2023 at 8:45 am

        Sounds delicious! Thanks so much for sharing and for your great review!

        Reply
    8. Kate says

      September 01, 2023 at 5:19 pm

      Fantastic! Simple and perfect! Works to perfection and can jazz it up if needed but love it as it is, vegan lasagna was amazing, my go to bechamel sauce from now on! Thank you 😊5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine @ Loving It Vegan says

        September 22, 2023 at 11:49 am

        So happy to hear you enjoy the recipe Kate!

        Reply
    9. Mark says

      June 11, 2023 at 10:02 pm

      So simple to make. I used it as a sauce for my vegan chicken pie with a shortcrust pastry base and a puff pastry top, which turned out to be pretty awesome. I do need to tweak the additional flavouring a little (I just added garlic salt) but this is a me problem, ain’t no reflection on the recipe.
      Six stars out of five from me.
      I am going to give the butter version a whirl though as I likes me a bitta butter so long as the bitta butter I bought ain’t bitter. 😊👍5 stars

      Reply
      • Nadine Van Zyl says

        June 15, 2023 at 11:57 am

        Wow that’s sounds great Mark! Thanks so much for your awesome review! (high-five!) 🙂

        Reply
    « Older Comments

    Comment Policy: Your feedback is really appreciated! Please do us a favor and rate the recipe as well as this really helps us! The most helpful comments are the ones that give useful feedback for others who might make the recipe, tell about substitutions you made or adjustments you made and how it turned out, or assisting other commenters. Rude or insulting comments will not be accepted.

    4.87 from 137 votes (57 ratings without comment)

    Leave A Comment & Review Cancel reply

    Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

    Recipe Rating




    Primary Sidebar

    Hi I’m Alison Andrews! I love making delicious vegan food and creating delicious vegan versions of all your old favorite dishes, so you can have your vegan cake and eat it too!

    More about me →

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Popular Posts

    • Vegan tuna on an open faced sandwich on a wooden board.
      Vegan Tuna
    • Serving spoonful of vegan mac and cheese.
      The Best Vegan Mac and Cheese (Classic, Baked)
    • Vegan burritos stacked up on top of each other.
      Vegan Burrito
    • Vegan tofu scramble with sliced avocado and fried tomatoes on a white plate.
      Super Eggy Vegan Tofu Scramble
    • Thick slice of cashew cheese on a wooden board.
      Sliceable Cashew Cheese
    • Homemade vegan butter in a glass butter dish with a knife.
      Homemade Vegan Butter

    Veganuary

    • Vegan chop suey served in a black bowl.
      Vegan Chop Suey
    • Vegan German Potato Salad served in a black bowl.
      Vegan German Potato Salad
    • Vegan Italian Dressing
    • Vegan Thai Peanut Noodles in a black bowl.
      Vegan Thai Peanut Noodles
    • Slices of grilled vegan halloumi on a gray plate.
      Vegan Halloumi
    • Vegan stuffed mushrooms on a white plate.
      Vegan Stuffed Mushrooms

    See all Veganuary Recipes →


    Footer

    ↑ back to top

    As Seen In

    Press logos black and white

    About

    • Privacy Policy
    • Terms & Conditions

    Follow Us

    • Facebook
    • Twitter
    • Instagram
    • YouTube
    • Pinterest

    Contact

    • About
    • Contact

    Copyright © 2022 Loving It Vegan

    Get 10 fabulous dinner recipes!
    Absolutely free! Sign up below!
    Get Your Copy! It's FREE!

    Rate This Recipe

    Your vote:




    A rating is required
    A name is required
    An email is required

    Recipe Ratings without Comment

    Something went wrong. Please try again.