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 few times since.
And I used it in a lasagna dish that came out beautifully.
I really 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.
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.
And for some other great sauces, check out these great ideas:
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Vegan White Sauce (Bechamel)
- Cook Time: 15 mins
- Total Time: 15 mins
- Yield: ~2 cups
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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 Sauce
- 3 Tbsp Olive Oil
- 2 Tbsp All Purpose Flour
- 2 Cups 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, sift the flour and add to the pan stirring vigorously.
- Fry the flour in the oil for a bit, stirring vigorously, don’t allow it to burn, turn down your heat if it starts to stick at any point.
- Add the soy milk or other non-dairy milk and continue to stir 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: Sauce, Savory, Vegan Basics
- 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
I would to add a comment about cooking with rice milk. I used it in a creamy broccoli soup recipe and the day I made the soup it was great, nice and creamy. But the next day when I reheated the soup it was no longer creamy, it was very runny. I am curious as to whether this happens when using soy milk.
Soy milk is a lot thicker than rice milk, which could be a factor in this. I used this sauce (made with soy milk) in a lasagna that was then reheated the next day and the sauce stayed very thick, in fact I would say it got thicker. Hope that helps!
if I double the recipe will I add two cups of almond milk ( I prefer almond milk )
If you double the recipe you’ll use 6 Tbsp of olive oil, 5 Tbsp of flour and 4 cups of almond milk. 🙂
I was looking for a simple vegan alternative for cheese sauce and after reading endless recipes based on potatoes and carrots, I came across yours. Beautifully simple, felt like making a traditional bechamel sauce, and tasted great!
So happy to hear Adele! Thanks for posting! 🙂
Hi, iv been asked to take out all dairy and grains out of my diet, what kind of flour that has no grains could i use please
Hi Jules, I’m not sure, even gluten-free all purpose flours like Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 baking flour use things like brown rice flour in the blend, and of course brown rice is a grain. Even cornstarch is a grain. If you’re gluten-free it’s easy you can just a gluten-free flour blend but if you’re entirely grain free then I don’t have a suggestion for you, you would have to try things out according to what you are able to eat. All the best! 🙂
Try it!
★★★★★
I’d like to make this now as I have an open soy milk in the fridge but my vegan family member won’t be home this week. Any idea if this recipe can be frozen? Thanks!
Yes you can freeze it. Allow it to cool completely before placing into a freezer safe container. When you’re ready to use it thaw it in the fridge or on a countertop and then reheat in a saucepan.
Can I make this with Almond Milk? Which type can I use,unsweetend or sweetend (original)?
Yes, you can. And either/or is fine. I usually make it with regular plant milk as it’s what I most often have on hand, but either one would be fine.
Thank you so much dear Alison
I have no idea what went wrong but this was just a big gloopy mess for me. The minute I added flour, the oil and flour just stuck together in balls and it got worse from there.
I’m not sure either, if you sifted the flour, if the oil wasn’t too hot, if you stirred it very fast and vigorously once the flour was added, and if you used a whisk once the rest of the non-dairy milk was added (a whisk can fix a lot of stuff!), then I don’t know. As you can tell from what I mentioned though, there are a few places it could possibly run into an issue. It can just be a case of practice makes perfect, though I know it sucks when it doesn’t work out.
Thank you so much for your reply Alison. I tried again and it worked perfectly! I have a lasagne in the oven right now. I think the first time, I added the flour too quickly and didn’t sift it. Thank you very much for sharing your recipe.
Awesome! So glad to hear it worked out this time! 🙂
Thank you for sharing this recipe!
Unfortunately I’ve tried but it hasn’t worked for me ;(
The olive oil was so strong (I added salt, parsley and pepper)
I’ve tried 3 times lol but none of them was good
I just made this and it turned out perfectly !! I doubled the recipe and used “Melt” vegan butter instead of oil , added in salt & garlic and it’s absolutely divine – THANK YOU !! Will be using this again that’s for sure!
★★★★★
Awesome! Thanks so much for sharing and the great review! 🙂
Can I use almond flour?
I don’t think so, if you want to make it gluten-free use a gluten-free all purpose flour blend.
Hello!! Love this recipe, I have made it many times. I use Cassava Flour and Avocado Oil and it turns out great every time!
Awesome! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Lovely, smooth bechamel! Made this for lasagna the other day and it came out perfect. And so simple.
Thank you!
★★★★
Awesome! Thanks for posting! 🙂
a little nutmeg is amazing with this!
Oooh good to know! Thanks Pat! 🙂
Hi. Thanks for this recipe. I was wondering if I could add the ingredients to a blender and blend them. Then, gently heat and stir until the mixture becomes a sauce. This is how I have made the traditional white sauce in the past. Thank you.
Hi Dianne, you probably can! Especially if you have done it that way in the past, the vegan ingredients shouldn’t make any difference to whether it works that way or not. Let us know how it goes. 🙂
Thanks for your quick reply. I made this recipe with the blender and then simmered it to thicken. The method worked well because it thickened very nicely. The olive oil is quite strong, so I may work on that next time. I used this recipe to make tomato soup, and then used the tomato soup for my sloppy joe recipe.
Thanks so much.
Fantastic simple recipe! My first try at vegan lasagne and the whole family loved it – in fact my super fussy 5 year old had seconds!! I doubled all ingredients and used 2/3 oat milk 1/3 soya milk. Thanks SO much for posting.
Fantastic, so pleased it worked out great! Thanks for sharing. 🙂
I do not usually cook vegan recipes, but I was looking for a way to lighten the calories in a Cordon Bleu casserole recipe I have which includes butter and cream cheese. I followed the directions carefully, using an almond milk/cashew milk product. This way, I replaced both the butter and the cream cheese in my recipe. I added Dijon mustard to the sauce before layering it in my dish with chicken, ham, and reduced fat Swiss cheese. It’s genius! Excellent taste replacement for dairy based bechamel with a lot less calories.
★★★★
So glad you enjoyed it, thanks so much for sharing! 🙂
Very easy and very good! I love that you can add any ingredients you like, to change it up! Made this for a vegan chicken noodle casserole and my son loved it! I love it when I can fool him into eating healthy! Thank you.
★★★★★
That’s awesome! Yes, this is really the blank canvas and you can create any flavors you like. Thanks so much for sharing and the great review! 🙂
This recipe changed the game for me! It’s a great, vegan sauce that can be tweaked to use for a lot of different dishes.
★★★★★
Awesome, thanks so much for the great review Jessica! 🙂
Can i use corn flour or rice flour instead of all purpose flour? I should eliminate gluten.
Hi Malini, cornflour might work fine, but I haven’t tried it with this recipe. I have tried a gluten-free all purpose flour blend and that worked great. 🙂
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe! By far the best vegan sauce I have ever made and tried! I used a bit more olive oil and more spices. I put it with penne pasta, mushrooms, and spinach. It was amazing.
★★★★★
Thank you so much Brooke, that is the best compliment! So happy you enjoyed it. 🙂