Our Vegan Bechamel sauce is a dairy-free version of a classic béchamel or white sauce. It's an easy recipe that requires 7 ingredients and comes together in about 10 minutes. Try it as a pasta sauce, drizzled on veggies, or make the best vegan mac and cheese ever!
One of the five "mother sauces" of French cuisine, Béchamel is a classic sauce that combines flour and butter to create a roux. Milk (the regular, dairy variety) is added, creating a simple sauce that's creamy and delicious. We took this tried and true formula but made it completely dairy-free, with vegan butter, oat milk, and some vegan parmesan for extra flavor.
It's great as a dairy free pasta sauce, can become a cheese sauce with a little tweaking, and makes a great filling for Vegan Lasagna or Stuffed Shells.
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Why We Love This Recipe
- Quick and easy: You just need 7 pantry staples and a saucepan to make this vegan béchamel sauce, and it's ready in 10 minutes.
- Super creamy: The best part of béchamel is it's creaminess, and this dairy free white sauce definitely delivers in that regard. We followed the traditional process, creating a thick roux that creates a luxurious, creamy sauce once the oat milk is added.
- Extra flavor: Let's face it: vegan dairy substitutes can sometimes lack a bit of the flavor of their regular counterparts, so we made sure to add a little bit of extra flavor with the addition of salt, white pepper, and a dash of nutmeg.
Ingredients
Here's what you'll need to make this vegan bechamel sauce:
Ingredient Notes
- Milk: We prefer oat milk for its slightly nutty, neutral flavor and relatively creamy texture. However, you can use just about any non dairy milk, including almond, cashew or soy. Just make sure to check the ingredients for sugar or vanilla, as these can be common additives (that wouldn't taste so great in this vegan bechamel sauce!).
- Salt: We used kosher salt in this recipe. If you use regular table salt or fine grain sea salt, your sauce may end up being too salty, so start with less and add more if needed.
- Vegan butter: We prefer using Miyoko's vegan butter in this vegan béchamel sauce. We find it has the richest, most buttery flavor, but you can use whatever you have on hand.
- Parmesan: This is optional, but we think it adds a lot of flavor to the sauce. We used this vegan alternative that tastes very similar to the real thing. If you're not vegan or dairy free, feel free to use regular parmesan!
- Flour: Regular all-purpose flour is best choice for the critical roux that makes this recipe work. You should be able to use gluten free all purpose flour if needed, but it may not turn out quite as thick.
- Nutmeg: This is optional, but it adds a nice, subtle nuttiness that helps to balance the sauce.
- White pepper: We used white pepper to preserve the color of the sauce, but if you don't mind seeing flecks of black pepper in your sauce, feel free to use regular old black pepper!
Instructions
(1) Make the roux: Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour, letting it cook for about 1 minute. Slowly add in the milk, whisking well and letting it thicken in between additions.
(2) Once the milk is completely mixed in, reduce the heat to medium low. Whisk in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
If you're adding parmesan, add it in now and let it cook for a few minutes until it's completely melted.
How to Use Your Vegan Bechamel
- As a base for other sauces: With a little bit of cheese melted in, this dairy free white sauce becomes a creamy Vegan Cheese Sauce. Add sautéed mushrooms for a basic mushroom sauce (it's great on pasta!), or add in some fresh chopped herbs to create an herby sauce that's perfect for serving with roasted vegetables.
- In lasagna: Layer it with the other classic lasagna components to create the perfect vegan lasagna. It would also be great in our vegan butternut squash lasagna, or add a spoonful to our lasagna soup to make it extra creamy.
- In gratins: Add some sliced vegetables (like potatoes) to a baking dish, cover with the vegan bechamel and some vegan cheese, and bake.
- Mac and cheese: Combine your dairy free white sauce with some grated vegan cheese, stir together with some elbow pasta, and bake in the oven.
- Use it to thicken a soup: Try this vegan bechamel in a creamy soup, like our creamy asparagus soup, potato leek soup or dill pickle soup.
Tips and FAQs
- Storage: Stored in an airtight container, it will keep for 3-5 days in the refrigerator.
- Reheating: The sauce will thicken significantly in the refrigerator, so you'll need to reheat in a saucepan over low heat. Whisk in another tablespoon or two of milk to loosen up the sauce if needed.
- Stir often: For best results, continue whisking throughout the cooking process to prevent burning.
- Let the flour cook for a minute: To avoid a raw flour taste, let the flour cook for a minute in the butter before adding in the milk.
- Make it gluten free: Use a 1:1 gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour to make this white sauce not only dairy free, but gluten free as well. It won't be as silky and creamy, but it will still work!
Yes, just let the sauce cool to room temperature and then move it to an airtight container or a gallon-sized freezer bag. Label and date the container and keep frozen for up to 6 months. When you're ready to reheat, let the sauce thaw out overnight in the refrigerator and then reheat it in a saucepan.
More Sauces Recipes to Try
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📖 Recipe
Vegan Bechamel Sauce
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups
- Diet: Vegan
Description
Our Vegan Bechamel sauce is a dairy-free version of a classic béchamel or white sauce. It's an easy recipe that requires 7 ingredients and comes together in about 10 minutes. Try it as a pasta sauce, drizzled on veggies, or make the best vegan mac and cheese ever!
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) vegan butter
- 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) all purpose flour
- 2 cups nondairy milk (we used full fat oat milk)
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ¼ teaspoon white (or black) pepper
- Pinch of nutmeg
- Optional: 2 tablespoons finely grated vegan parmesan
Instructions
- Melt butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour, letting it cook for about 1 minute. Slowly add in the milk, whisking well and letting it thicken in between additions.
- Once the milk is completely mixed in, reduce the heat to medium low. Whisk in the salt, pepper and nutmeg. Taste and adjust seasonings as needed.
- If you're adding parmesan, add it in now and let it cook for a few minutes until it's completely melted.
Notes
Storage: Stored in an airtight container, it will keep for 3-5 days in the refrigerator. The sauce will thicken significantly in the refrigerator, so you'll need to reheat in a saucepan over low heat.
Let the flour cook for a minute: To avoid a raw flour taste, let the flour cook for a minute in the butter before adding in the milk.
Make it gluten free: Use a 1:1 gluten free flour instead of all purpose flour to make this white sauce not only dairy free, but gluten free as well. It won't be as silky and creamy, but it will still work!
Milk: We prefer oat milk for its slightly nutty, neutral flavor and relatively creamy texture. However, you can use just about any non dairy milk, including almond, cashew or soy. Just make sure to check the ingredients for sugar or vanilla, as these can be common additives (that wouldn't taste so great in this vegan bechamel sauce!).
Nutrition information provided is an estimate. It may vary based on cooking method and specific ingredients used.
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Category: Sauces
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 90 grams
- Calories: 77
- Sugar: 0 g
- Sodium: 308 mg
- Fat: 5.5 g
- Carbohydrates: 5.2 g
- Fiber: 0.2 g
- Protein: 1.7 g
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