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 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.
More Vegan Sauces
- Vegan Mushroom Sauce
- Cashew Cheese Sauce
- Tahini Sauce
- Vegan Peanut Sauce
- Vegan Peppercorn Sauce
- Vegan Tartar Sauce
Did you make this recipe? Be sure to leave a comment and rating below!
Vegan White Sauce (Bechamel)
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.
Video
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.
Trang says
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!
Alison Andrews says
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! π
Robin says
I would not recommend trying to preserve this sauce in bottles without doing research into canning. If you are going to do canning of any food item that is not high-acid, like tomatoes, you must follow precise rules and cook the sterilized jars in a pressure cooker for a predetermined amount of time. The reason for following these rules is that there is a danger of getting botulism from improperly canned foods. The reason for using a pressure canner is that you need temperatures above 212 degrees Fahrenheit/100 degrees Celsius to destroy botulism spore. Simply using boiling water will only heat an item to the boiling point. You can read more about canning here: https://www.freshpreserving.com/canning
Robin says
To be clear, you also need to follow precise rules when canning in a water bath. You can can high acid foods like tomatoes and fruit in a water bath because the high acid will help to deter botulism.
Robin says
This is a delicious base sauce! I have added mushrooms, herbs, vegan cheese and even cashews for flavor!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks Robin. π
Chris says
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?
Alison Andrews says
Hi Chris, it works perfectly with a gluten free all purpose flour blend. π And all purpose flour is definitely vegan so no worries there.
Domenica says
Can this be made ahead of time?
Alison Andrews says
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. π
Conn says
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.
Alison Andrews says
So glad you enjoyed the recipe! Thanks for the awesome review. π
Jamed says
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
Anita Leal says
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!
Alison Andrews says
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.
Shawna Raby says
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! ????????
April says
I havenβt 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 donβt 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.
Steve says
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.
Terre says
I like oat milk the best, because itβs creamier – more like dairy milk – than the others Iβve tried (soy, rice, almond, hemp, coconut). Cashew milk is creamy too but I agree with Allison, itβs pretty thick.
More and more vegan cheeses are coming to market. I donβt like Daiya cheese (except for their cheesecakes, which are fab), tho theyβre one of the oldest and therefore most common. Follow Your Heart, Kite Hill, and Miyokoβs are all good.
Enjoy your vegan journey!
GYPSYB says
Used this in my vegan lasagne was really nice ty
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thank you so much for the great rating! π
Nicole says
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!
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for the great review Nicole. π
Jennifer says
I added some nutritional yeast and spices and served it over egg noodles and canned peas. Comfort food!! It was delicious. Canβt wait to eat it for lunch tomorrow.
Alison Andrews says
Sounds delish! Thanks for the great review Jennifer! π
nicole martin says
est ce que de la farine d amande ferait l affaire merci
Alison Andrews says
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. π
Mira says
Hi alison! Can I use chickpea flour Instead of normal flour ?
Alison Andrews says
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. π
Jane says
I used Doves gluten free plain flour, it worked fine and contributed to a delicious lasagne π
Alison Andrews says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing Jane! π
Sharon says
Lovely successful bechamel sauce. I added a little grated nutmeg and some parsley and used it in a vegan lasagne. Delicious! Thank you.
Alison Andrews says
Wonderful! Thanks for the great review Sharon! π
mark hodge says
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 π )
Alison Andrews says
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. π
jenny haase says
Really lovely white sauce. Thank you
Alison Andrews says
So happy you liked it, thanks for the awesome rating Jenny! π