How To Make Simple Vegan Béchamel Sauce (White Sauce)
Vegan Béchamel Sauce, also known as vegan white sauce, is the crème de la crème of all sauce recipes in French cuisine. Rich, creamy, nutty, with simple ingredients, my vegan version of this classic white sauce requires only 5 ingredients, contains no cashews, is gluten-free and will take you only 10 minutes to make.
Vegan béchamel sauce – a creamy, velvety white sauce traditionally made with butter, flour, and milk – has long been a staple in classic French cooking. However, with the growing popularity of plant-based diets, the demand for delicious vegan alternatives to traditional dishes has skyrocketed. Enter vegan béchamel sauce – a cruelty-free version that captures all the richness and flavor of its dairy-laden counterpart while being completely free from animal products. Whether you are a dedicated vegan or simply looking to incorporate more plant-based options into your diet, this versatile sauce recipe is sure to become one of your favorite staple recipes in your kitchen!
🧂 Ingredients For Vegan Béchamel Sauce Recipe
- Non-Dairy Milk – you want to choose unsweetened, unflavored plant milk for this recipe. I prefer oat milk but you can also use soy milk, almond milk, cashew milk or the plant milk of your choosing, although I would avoid coconut milk. If you’re not vegan you can substitute with regular milk.
- Vegan Butter – I love love love Earth Balance Vegan Butter for all my vegan recipes and this creamy sauce recipe is no exception. If you’re not vegan, you can substitute with dairy butter.
- Rice Flour – for best results, rice flour is a gluten-free alternative to wheat flour and helps thicken the sauce. It’s important to use rice flour to achieve the desired consistency of the sauce but I have also used all purpose flour when making basic white sauce and it makes for a great substitution.
- Nutmeg – for me, fresh whole nutmeg is a must in this recipe. I love a lot of nutmeg in my sauce, in fact, I use a whole nut, however, a pinch of nutmeg also works if that’s what you prefer. TIP: love this zester/grater from Amazon to grate my nutmeg.
- Sea Salt – enhances the overall flavor of the sauce. Adjust the amount according to your taste preference.
- Nutritional Yeast, Garlic Powder, Black Pepper or White Pepper – optional, not pictured. See more options below for additional seasoning suggestions.
Complete ingredient measurements can be found in the recipe card below!
🥣 How to Make Simple Vegan Béchamel Sauce Recipe
In a medium saucepan, melt the vegan butter over medium heat.
Once the butter has melted add the flour, a little at a time, all the while stirring with a wooden spoon or whisk.
Continue whisking the mixture over medium heat until it begins to thicken (this won’t take long) and form a thick paste. This is your basic white roux. Once a thick paste has formed, slowly add the plant milk, stirring constantly until no lumps are found in this creamy white sauce. Bring to a gentle boil for 1 minute continuing to stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer the sauce for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cooks.
Remove from heat and taste the sauce. Add salt and nutmeg according to your taste and whisk until well-incorporated. If you want, you can add optional ingredients here, such as nutritional yeast, garlic powder, black pepper or white pepper, but these ingredients aren’t typically used in traditional Béchamel. Allow Vegan Béchamel Sauce to cool for a few minutes before using it. Once cooled, the sauce is ready to be used in your favorite recipes.
👩🏿🍳 Expert Tips
- Whisk thoroughly – use a wire whisk or wooden spoon and stir continuously while heating to make sure the sauce is thoroughly mixed together with no lumps.
- Watch your heat – – you’ll want to gently boil the sauce over medium heat for 1 full minute to activate the flour for thickening, being careful not to burn it. After 1 minute, reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue cooking and stirring occasionally.
- Adjust the consistency – if the sauce becomes too thick during cooking or after refrigeration, simply add some plant-milk, a little at a time, to thin it out. If it’s too thin, return the saucepan to the heat and cook for a few more minutes to thicken it further. If it’s still too thin, add a little more flour and follow the steps above.
- Season to taste – the suggested measurements for sea salt and nutmeg are just a starting point. Once you remove the sauce from the heat, taste it and adjust accordingly.
- Customize with additional flavors – this recipe is for basic Béchamel sauce. However, you can make it your own by adding dried or fresh herbs spices and other seasonings. Try dried sage, garlic powder, onion powder or even a teaspoon of vegan sugar to enhance the flavor.
🥖 Serving Suggestions
- Vegan Lasagna – use in place of tomato or marinara sauce.
- Vegan Mac and Cheese – add 2-3 tablespoons of nutritional yeast to your basic recipe and whallah, you have vegan cheese sauce. Then pour it over macaroni or other pasta for a most unique vegan mac and cheese recipe. .
- Pasta Bakes and Pasta Dishes – use my Vegan Béchamel Sauce instead of the recipe sauce in this Easy Avocado Pasta and Cavolo Nero Pasta.
- Drizzle Over Vegetables – like steamed broccoli or grilled asparagus, in place of vegan hollandaise.
- Use As A Dipping Sauce – by serving it with a side of bread like this swirled Vegan Garlic Bread or my amazing Vegan Focaccia.
💭 Frequently Asked Questions
Yes. If you don’t have rice flour on hand, all-purpose flour is an excellent substitute. However, keep in mind rice flour is gluten-free, while all purpose flour contains gluten. If you’re gluten-intolerant, rice flour is a better choice for this recipe.
Yes. Simply transfer it to a microwave-safe container and heat in short intervals, stirring in between until the desired temperature is reached.
Yes, you can freeze the sauce. Allow it to cool to room temperature, then transfer it to a freezer-safe container. Be sure to leave some room at the top as the sauce will expand when frozen. It can be safely stored in the freezer for up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw in the refrigerator overnight, then reheat in the microwave or stove.
♨️ Storage and Reheating
When storing the Vegan Béchamel Sauce, be sure it’s completely cooled before transferring it to an airtight container. This helps prevent condensation and moisture buildup in the container. It can be refrigerated for up to 5 days if stored properly.
To freeze, simply follow the instructions above and place in freezer for up to 3 months.
When reheating the sauce, do so over low heat to prevent burning. Stir occasionally to ensure even heating. If too thick when removed from the fridge, simply add a little more plant milk to think it out while reheating.
📖 More Sauce Recipes
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Vegan Béchamel Sauce Recipe
Ingredients
- 2 cups oat milk
- 1/4 cup rice flour
- 2 tbsp vegan butter
- 1 tsp nutmeg adjust per your taste
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
Instructions
- In a medium saucepan, melt the vegan butter over medium heat.
- Once the butter has melted add the flour, a little at a time, all the while stirring with a wooden spoon or whisk.
- Continue whisking the mixture over medium heat until it begins to thicken (this won't take long) and form a thick paste. Once a thick paste has formed, slowly add the plant milk, stirring constantly until no lumps are found in this creamy white sauce. Bring to a gentle boil for 1 minute continuing to stir. Reduce heat to low and simmer the sauce for an additional 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. The sauce will continue to thicken as it cooks. This is your basic white roux.
- Remove from heat and taste the sauce. Add salt and nutmeg according to your taste and whisk until well-incorporated. If you want, you can add optional ingredients here, such as nutritional yeast, garlic powder, black pepper or white pepper, but these ingredients aren't typically used in traditional Béchamel. Allow Vegan Béchamel Sauce to cool for a few minutes before using it. Once cooled, the sauce is ready to be used in your favorite recipes.
Notes
- Whisk thoroughly – use a wire whisk or wooden spoon and stir continuously while heating to make sure the sauce is thoroughly mixed together with no lumps.
- Watch your heat – – you’ll want to gently boil the sauce over medium heat for 1 full minute to activate the flour for thickening being careful not to burn it. After 1 minute, reduce the heat to a low simmer and continue cooking and stirring occasionally.
- Adjust the consistency – if the sauce becomes too thick during cooking or after refrigeration, simply add some plant-milk, a little at a time to thin it out. If it’s too thin, return to the heat a cook for a few more minutes to thicken it further. If it’s still too thin, add a little more flour and follow the steps above.
- Season to taste – the suggested measurements for sea salt and nutmeg are just a starting point. Once you remove the sauce from the heat, taste it and adjust accordingly.
- Customize with additional flavors – this recipe is for basic Béchamel sauce. However, you can make it your own by adding dried or fresh herbs spices and other seasonings. Try dried sage, garlic powder, onion powder or even a teaspoon of vegan sugar to enhance the flavor.
I’m loving the vegan béchamel sauce recipe! It paired beautifully with our vegetable lasagna, and the creamy texture was fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing this dairy-free gem—it’s a game-changer in our kitchen! 🌱🍝🥣😊
Glad it turned out well. Thank you Megane.
Fabulous alternative for bechamel…since we have dairy and nut allergies, this was just perfect.
Thank you Debra.
This sauce is as rich and creamy as any made from dairy. It’s easy to make and really versatile.
Thank you Helen. Glad you enjoyed!
What a fab sauce – looks creamy and perfect! Will recommend it to a friend who is looking for a good vegan recipe.
Awesome, thank you Padma.
What a great vegan recipe for the sauce! I was looking for an alternative to the original. Thank you for sharing
No problem. Thank you Marina.