White sauce, also known as béchamel in Europe is the mother sauce of French and Italian cuisine.
Used in pasta bakes, lasagne, and many other dishes, it's traditionally made with butter, milk, and flour. In our vegan white sauce, we use olive oil and plant milk to make a sauce that is as delicious and versatile as the original béchamel.
Check out our best vegan sauce recipes.
What to expect
This is such an easy recipe and it only takes about 10 minutes to make this white sauce from scratch.
Our favorite way to use our vegan béchamel sauce is in pasta bakes or savory pancakes. Check out our pizzaiola pasta-bake, our delicious artichoke pasta-bake, or our chickpea crepes.
The result is a silky, creamy, velvety sauce that will take your food to the next level.
Ingredients & Substitutions
- Flour: use all-purpose flour for a light white sauce. If you want a healthier version you can use whole-grain flour. See variations section.
- Oil: most vegetable oils work for this recipe, however, be mindful that the oil will give the flavor to the sauce so pick an oil you like. We love doing this vegan white sauce with extra virgin olive oil. For a milder flavor go with refined sunflower oil.
For a richer white sauce, you can use vegan butter, in the same quantities. - Plant milk: most kinds will work here. We like to use soy milk as it's richer and more nutritious than most other plant milks. The most important thing is that your plant milk is unsweetened and without any flavors.
- Nutmeg: not always necessary, but it's a key ingredient in the original Italian and French béchamel version. If you don't like nutmeg you can just leave it out.
- Salt: add a couple of pinches of fine sea salt to add some flavor.
How to make vegan white sauce
Into a small saucepan over medium heat add 40 grams or 3 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil and 40 grams or ¼ cup of flour.
Warm it up and stir till the mixture starts to bubble, then add 500 grams or 2 cups of unsweetened soy milk, at room temperature is fine, a pinch of salt, and grated nutmeg.
Keep stirring over medium heat, until the white sauce thickens, it should only take about 5 minutes.
Keep in mind that the white sauce will keep thickening as it cools down, so don't make it too thick.
Set aside, remembering to stir it from time to time to avoid lumps. Use as you like.
Mistakes I made
- Cooling: this is actually the trickiest part of making white sauce because cooling the sauce will create a patina on top that will make the sauce lumpy.
To avoid this you have two options. You can either use a piece of parchment paper and place it on top of the béchamel.
Or you can transfer the sauce from the hot pot into a cold bowl, then stir while it cools down. The sauce will not lump once cold.
To speed up this process you can even cool it bain-marie, submerging half of the pot into another bigger pot full of ice-cold water while stirring the sauce.
Tips
- Stir fast: when you add the flour stir fast. Also, when you add the plant-milk stir immediately and fast. This will help reduce lumps in the sauce. Also, make sure you stir evenly and around the edges of your pot.
- Add the plant milk all at once: do not add milk slowly or it will form lumps. Add all the milk at the same time and stir fast.
Questions
Yes, they are the same thing. White sauce is the term used mainly in the US. Béchamel is the original french name of the sauce.
A roux is fat and flour cooked together in equal quantities. Roux is used to thicken sauces like béchamel, stews, soups, gravy, etc. Flour is added to hot fat (like oil) and then cooked for a few minutes. There are 3 types of roux: white, blond, and brown. The color is given by the difference in cooking time.
You can use the white sauce for pasta bakes, savory crepes, lasagne, pasta sauces, cauliflower gratin, soufflé, and much more.
Butter is traditionally used for béchamel sauce, however, we prefer to use olive oil or sunflower oil for our vegan béchamel. You can also use vegan butter.
Variations
Thick or thin?
Different recipes call for different types of white sauce. For instance, if you make lasagne or pasta bakes I would recommend a classic béchamel.
If you make croquettes or veggie meatballs a thick one. If you mix it with cheese like our vegan parmesan or our vegan ricotta, then I'd recommend a thinner one.
- Thick white sauce: use more flour. About 70 grams for 500 grams of plant milk.
- Classic white sauce: use 50 grams of flour for 500 grams of plant milk. This is the classic béchamel recipe.
- Thin white sauce: use less flour. About 30 to 40 grams of flour for 500 grams of plant milk.
Can I add flavors?
Absolutely! In fact, our vegan béchamel sauce is one of the most versatile sauces out there. Here are some ideas:
Mushroom white sauce: make a thick white sauce, then add sautéed brown mushrooms and blend with an immersion blender. You'll get a delicious mushroom sauce that you can use as a pasta sauce, lasagne, and pasta bakes.
Cheesy béchamel: make a thin white sauce, then add a handful of grated vegan cheese and a tablespoon of nutritional yeast. Use this for mac and cheese and other types of pasta bakes. This one is to die for!
Black-truffle béchamel: make a classic white sauce, then add a tablespoon of truffle oil and if you can find it some grated mushroom to it. This one is my personal favorite for cauliflower gratin and pasta bakes.
Can I use different flour?
Yes. You can use almost any flour of your choice. For instance, if you want to make a healthier version of white sauce you can replace white flour with the same amount of whole wheat flour.
More vegan sauces
If you enjoy this vegan white sauce, take a peek at our other creamy vegan sauces:
- Vegan mayo: the perfect match with veggie sides and roasted potatoes
- Marinara sauce: an Italian classic, our version is served with vegan meatballs
- Penne arrabbiata: spicy and rich, this Italian sauce is quick and easy to make and a guaranteed crowd pleaser
- Tomato basil sauce: ready in 12 mins, aromatic and Italian - an easy dinner favorite
- Vegan carbonara: a 15-min sauce with tempeh bacon, it's a scrumptious and creamy pasta sauce
- Chipotle sauce: a chilled sauce and delightful as a dressing on flatbread pizza
What is your favorite sauce and how do you typically serve it? We're curious, let us know in the comments below!
Storage
You can store your vegan béchamel sauce in the fridge for 2 to 3 days. You can also prepare your white sauce in advance. But if you do so make sure to read our tips on how to cool it down properly to avoid lumps.
During the cooling process, your béchamel will become thicker. To make it thinner again, just add some soy milk and warm it up. If it gets lumpy use an immersion blender to make it smooth again.
For more condiment ideas, check out our dressing and sauces category page.
Recipe
Vegan White Sauce - Béchamel
Equipment
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 2 cups soy or oat milk unsweetened
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons olive oil (or vegan butter)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ teaspoon nutmeg (optional)
Instructions
- In a small pot, warm up the olive oil, add the flour, whisk and cook for about 2 minutes or until the mix starts to bubble.
- Add milk, salt, and grated nutmeg to the oil and flour mixture and keep stirring with a whisk on medium-low heat for about 5 minutes, or until the sauce thickens.You should aim for a creamy, smooth, and not-too-thick white sauce.
- The sauce will keep thickening while it cools, so don't overcook it or it'll end up being too thick.
Video Recipe
Notes
Nutritional Values
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joe
Excelent recipe. Turned out exactly as shown.
Tks.
BTW Hae you ever used durum flour. I bought some and wonder how am I going to use it.
Eric
Excellent recipe! It cooks exactly as stated. Tasty and adaptable.
Nico
Thanks for your comment Eric 🙂 Happy you like it.