Vegan white sauce, also known as bechamel sauce. Basic 3 ingredient recipe that you can expand on with different flavorings. Creamy and delicious.
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.
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 thought it was disgusting. 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.
I think you are going to fall in love with this vegan white sauce! It is:
- Creamy
- Smooth
- Versatile
- 3-Ingredients
- Simple
This creamy dreamy white sauce is like a blank canvas that you can add any flavorings to 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.
More vegan sauces!
So let us know what you think of this recipe by leaving a comment and rating it too please as that is SO super helpful.
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Vegan White Sauce (Bechamel)
- Prep Time: 5 mins
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: ~2 cups
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Pin RecipeDescription
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.
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:
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.
Notes
*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.
- Category: How To, Savory
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Vegan
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1/2 Cup (~1/4 of the recipe)
- Calories: 153
- Sugar: 3g
- Sodium: 98mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 1.6g
- Carbohydrates: 6.3g
- Fiber: 0.6g
- Protein: 3.9g
Keywords: vegan white sauce, vegan bechamel sauce
Hi Alison,
thanks for this great recipe. I love it so much I add some to every dish I can!
I’d like to cook a large amount in advance and keep it in small jars. How do you think I should proceed? Should I boil the scelled jars in water? Could I keep them out of the fridge then, and for how long?
Thanks!
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Hi there, leftover sauce lasts about 4-5 days in the fridge, but you can also freeze it in portions. If you want to keep it longer than a few days then maybe freezing it will be a better plan! 🙂
This is a delicious base sauce! I have added mushrooms, herbs, vegan cheese and even cashews for flavor!
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Awesome! Thanks Robin. 🙂
Do you think this would work with a non-gluten flour? Potato flour or something like that?
Also – I’m not a vegan but use a lot of vegan recipes because I have tons of food allergies and sensitivities – isn’t AP flour non-vegan? Doesn’t the bleaching process involve bone meal?
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Hi Chris, it works perfectly with a gluten free all purpose flour blend. 🙂 And all purpose flour is definitely vegan so no worries there.
Can this be made ahead of time?
Hi Domenica, yes it can. It tends to get thicker when cold, which is just fine if you’re using it in a lasagna or something like that and then you can just use it straight from the fridge for your lasagna layers. If you want to serve it hot, then just whisk it as you reheat on the stove so that you get rid of any lumps. 🙂
The best and easiest white sauce ever.
Better tasting (and healthier) than the one with cheese when I was vegetarian.
I added nutritional yeast and Dijon.
Thank you for this recipe.
★★★★★
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the awesome review. 🙂
Great recipe.. .. But from experience make sure the milk is unsweetend! And a couple of bay leaf really lift this. For a cheesy sauce add nutritional yeast, garlic and onion powder and a touch more salt and pepper(i also like some smoked paprika) . I’m sure there are good vegan cheeses…. However i find most just make the sauce gloopy and not very nice! I’ve used in lentil based lasagne and definitely better without any vegan cheese
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Hi, I am transitioning to a plant based diet and dairy products are the most difficult for me (especially Alfredo sauce and cheese!). Is soy milk the best in taste? Or have you tried with cashew milk as well? Also, do you have a good brand for cheese? I have tried a few of them but NO BUENO!
Soy milk and coconut milk work great. But of course it’s down to personal preference too. Some love it with almond milk. I don’t think cashew milk (at least not the homemade one) would work well because it tends to thicken so much when heated.
Hi! Try Miyokos cheese for fancy snacks, Follow Your Heart for sliced sammy cheese (stay away from the shreds) and Violife for pretty much everything from feta to shreds. (They are an italian based company that has really nailed all forms of cheeses).
Welcome to the delicious world of vegan food! 🙌🏽
I haven’t found a good ricotta or mozzarella vegan cheese yet, but there are two brands that make Vegan cheddar cheese/American cheese that I enjoy but must be melted- as on a grilled cheese or burger. My two favorites are: Follow Your Heart, American cheese and Violife Cheddar cheese- both come as slices. Myiokos vegan cheeses and butter are also very nice- but they don’t have slices. They do have vegan cheese spreads that could work in a grilled cheese or in possibly this lasagna recipe. I have added their vegan cheese spread to some pasta dishes for depth of flavor and it has worked nicely.
Soy milk is generally a very good substitute (make sure it’s unsweetened). It has body and very little additional taste. Other milk substitutes can be too sweet (e.g. rice) or have too little body (rice again, which doesn’t add much more colour and texture than plain water). Some have too distinct a flavour for some recipes (most nut milks), though if the flavour itself goes with the recipe then it may be worth trying.
I like oat milk the best, because it’s creamier – more like dairy milk – than the others I’ve tried (soy, rice, almond, hemp, coconut). Cashew milk is creamy too but I agree with Allison, it’s pretty thick.
More and more vegan cheeses are coming to market. I don’t like Daiya cheese (except for their cheesecakes, which are fab), tho they’re one of the oldest and therefore most common. Follow Your Heart, Kite Hill, and Miyoko’s are all good.
Enjoy your vegan journey!
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Used this in my vegan lasagne was really nice ty
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Awesome! Thank you so much for the great rating! 🙂
I forgot to taste it before adding nutritional yeast but I added 1 tablespoon and it was great! I am excited to find an easy recipe my whole family can eat. Thanks!
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Awesome! Thanks for the great review Nicole. 🙂
I added some nutritional yeast and spices and served it over egg noodles and canned peas. Comfort food!! It was delicious. Can’t wait to eat it for lunch tomorrow.
★★★★★
Sounds delish! Thanks for the great review Jennifer! 🙂
est ce que de la farine d amande ferait l affaire merci
Hi Nicole, I’m not sure if almond flour would work, if you want it to be gluten-free it would be better to use a gluten free all purpose flour blend. 🙂
Hi alison! Can I use chickpea flour Instead of normal flour ?
Hi Mira, I’m not sure about chickpea flour, but if you want to make it gluten free then a gluten free all purpose flour blend will work. 🙂
I used Doves gluten free plain flour, it worked fine and contributed to a delicious lasagne 🙂
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Jane! 🙂
Lovely successful bechamel sauce. I added a little grated nutmeg and some parsley and used it in a vegan lasagne. Delicious! Thank you.
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Wonderful! Thanks for the great review Sharon! 🙂
Hi, I’m looking to use this in croquettas for a tapas street food stall. Was wondering, does this set when cool like bechamel? (Happy to send recipe and pics of it works 🙂 )
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Hi Mark! It gets thick when cooled, it is pretty much exactly like a regular bechamel sauce just using vegan ingredients. So I think it should work fine for this! Just make sure your sauce is nice and thick and then when it cools it will thicken a lot more. 🙂
Really lovely white sauce. Thank you
★★★★★
So happy you liked it, thanks for the awesome rating Jenny! 🙂
So excited to try this in a ratatouille, going to use King Arthur’s all purpose gluten free flour. Can’t wait to see how it turns out! Thank you for the recipe!
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I made this a week ago and it was wonderful, very creamy, and it turned my spaghetti into something beautiful. Even my non-vegan roommate said it was awesome. Will definitely be making more. Note: I used oat milk, since soy or nut milk are really expensive where I live.
So glad you enjoyed it! Thanks for sharing Nat! 🙂
amazing- use for lasagne & it taste awesome so creamy
★★★★★
Fantastic! Thanks Jess! xo
This recipe was so convenient! I’ve been looking for an easy, tasty recipe for white sauce for months. it worked out great !!
★★★★★
So glad to hear that! Thanks for the awesome review! 🙂
I used almond milk and gluten free flour and when I tried to add the milk it curdled the flour/oil mix, but when I tried the second time and let the flour/oil mix cool and warmed the almond milk first it stopped this issue, the end result ended up great and I added cheese to make it a lower dairy cheese sauce alternative
★★★★★
A great way to go about this is to substitute regular flour for gravy flour, it’s made to not go lumpy at all.