Vegan White Sauce

Vegan white sauce is the perfect alternative to classic white sauce. It’s excellent for vegetable lasagna, vegetarian lasagna, savory crepes, cannelloni, casseroles, pasta bakes, and many other recipes.

We make it with olive oil, non-dairy milk, flour, and salt.

Vegan white sauce is easy to make in one pot in just 10 minutes.

Quantities are in the recipe box at the bottom of the page.

Flour

Use all-purpose flour for a perfectly smooth and velvety vegan white sauce. If you want a more wholesome version, you can use whole-wheat flour.

Olive oil

We recommend using olive or extra virgin olive oil to make vegan white sauce.

Substitute vegan butter for olive oil.

Non-dairy milk

We recommend unsweetened soy milk because it has a neutral flavor and makes a delicious sauce.

You can also use other plant-based milks. However, the flavor of the sauce might be less neutral.

For example, we don’t recommend almond milk.

Nutmeg

Nutmeg is optional. However, it’s a key ingredient in the original Italian and French béchamel recipe, so we recommend it.

Salt and Pepper

We recommend using sea salt or kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

Heat the olive oil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat, sift in the flour, and whisk until well combined.

Bring back to the heat and cook while whisking for 2 minutes.

Pour the milk into the saucepan while whisking, and cook the sauce on medium heat for about 5 minutes or until it thickens.

Remove from the heat and season with salt, black pepper, and a pinch of grated nutmeg.

Taste and adjust for salt. The vegan white sauce will keep thickening as it cools.

If you don’t use it immediately, remember to stir it occasionally as it cools down to avoid lumps.

Cooling is the trickiest part because the sauce will create a patina on the surface that will break into lumps.

To avoid this, you have two options.

First, let the sauce cool down slightly while whisking it, then cover it with a piece of plastic wrap touching the sauce to avoid air getting in contact with it.

Or you can transfer the sauce from the hot pot into a cold bowl and stir it while it cools. The sauce will not lump if you do this.

To speed up this process, you can even cool it bain-marie, submerging half of the saucepan into a bigger pot full of ice-cold water while stirring the sauce.

Storage

Refrigerator: store your vegan white sauce in the fridge in an airtight container for 2 to 3 days. You can also prepare your sauce in advance. But if you do so, read our tips on how to cool it down correctly to avoid lumps.

During the cooling process, your vegan béchamel will become thicker. To make it thinner again, add some milk and warm it up. If it gets lumpy, use an immersion blender to make it smooth again.

Freezer: cool down the vegan white sauce as described above, then portion it into freezer-friendly containers. It keeps well for 2 to 3 months.

Thaw it in the fridge until soft, then transfer it into a saucepan and warm it with some milk while stirring until you reach your desired consistency.

If it gets lumpy, blend it with an immersion blender.

Similar Recipes

MORE SAUCES: White sauce, vegan mayo, marinara sauce, tahini sauce, chipotle sauce, olive tapenade, romesco sauce, tomato pesto, basil pesto, chermoula sauce, mushroom gravy, peanut sauce, BBQ sauce, yogurt tahini sauce, tzatziki, and chimichurri.

For more sauce, emulsions, and dressings, check out our “sauce category page.“

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