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.
Hi Alison!
Have you tried freezing?? Can’t wait to try this recipe!
Hi Rachel, yes it’s freezer friendly for 3 months. 🙂
Supercharge the basic sauce by warming the milk through until it’s almost boiling then take off the heat. Add half a whole onion (skin included but washed of course!) stud with a clove of garlic, a couple of bay leaves and 5 or six black or white peppercorns. Leave to stand for 30mins to an hour, drain and use this delicious concoction to make your béchamel.
Love this base! I made this with a 1:1 gluten free flour, and added crushed/diced garlic to the oil prior to adding the milk and flour. Added some nutritional yeast, salt, pepper and a little bit of paprika and it was amazing!
Sounds wonderful! Thanks for sharing Rachel!
Used chickpea flour and hemp milk because I’m allergic to everything else and it turned out great! Added onion powder, cumin, ginger, and nutritional yeast. Yum!
So happy to hear it was a success! Thanks for sharing Annah!
Made this to include in my vegan lasagne…it was awesome! Even my 8-y-o finicky eater asked for extra bechamel on top. This will be my go-to white sauce from now on. (I used unsweetened almond milk and seasoned with salt, white pepper, oregano and garlic powder).
Wonderful! Thanks so much Danah!
Flavour was alright but I could feel the oil in my mouth while I was eating it, if I try again I will use half oil half vegan butter and see if that’s better.
Really easy and quick to make. I added yeast flakes and liquid smoke for a smokey cheese flavour. He said it’s his new favourite dish! ????
So psyched to have found your lovely page! Well done, my friend! I can’t wait to try (everything here, but first, this one, right here!
Hope it turns out as perfect as yours!
Thank you, for spreading the love…And inspiration, and nutrition!
Be well. <3
Awesome! Hope you enjoy the recipe Minerva. 🙂
I made too much so saved what was left for 48 hrs and added micro chopped onion cooked for just a couple of minutes- result – delicious on veg.
This works amazing! Thank you so much for this vegan recipe 🙂
I am going to make this now to go on my Sunday vegetables
Hi! Could I use rice flour? Or any gluten free flour? Thanks.
Not sure about rice flour, but a gluten free all purpose blend works well.
It does! I tried it with rice. 🙂
So I use plain plant base or can I use the one with vanilla? I’m assuming plain. But I just want to clarify.
Definitely plain!
This was perfect! It came out with a lovely texture. I added about a teaspoon of nutritional yeast, some salt, black pepper, ground nutmeg and about 1/4 teaspoon of garlic powder as the flavoring. It was very good. Thanks for sharing this recipe and the technique.
You’re welcome Diana, so glad it worked out well!
Tried this today and it turned out great! Added it to a tomato base for a creamy pasta sauce with some black pepper, salt, garlic powder and oregano.. yum!
Awesome! Thanks Mendy!
Thanks so much!
I used hemp milk (it’s horrible in everything except porridge, lol) and poured a bit at a time whilst stirring & whisking. With a bit of extra salt, it turned out absolutely wonderful.
Added some shallow fried mushrooms at the end. I bet this would be even better with soy milk or maybe even an unsweetened oat or nut milk.
A big ‘thank you’!
Wonderful! So happy you enjoyed it Sonny, thanks for sharing!
Hi! So, do you stir the whole time once milk is added?
Yes! 🙂