January 29, 2013

Vegan White Béchamel Sauce Recipe



OOoooo creamy white sauce... it makes my mouth water just thinking about it! Now, I have tried many vegan white sauces and I have not really enjoyed any of them. So, when I was creating my wild mushroom pizza I decided to invent the perfect vegan béchamel sauce recipe... without any strange or hard-to-get ingredients and this is it! This is creamy, "cheesy" and has that genuine delicious white sauce flavour. I think the trick with this sauce is to finely mince the onion and to make it creamy by sautéing it with some vegan margarine. Yum yum yum! You can serve this over pastas, pizzas, bakes and anything else that you love to eat! Try it and let me know what you think :)


makes about 2 1/4 cups 


   ¼ cup vegan margarine
   ¼ cup tightly packed minced yellow onion*
   2 garlic cloves, minced
   ¼ cup corn flour (corn starch)
   2 cups 
Soy Milky Lite
   1 tablespoon lemon juice
   1 tablespoon nutritional yeast
   salt and pepper
   pinch of nutmeg



  1. In a pot on medium to high heat, add the margarine, onion and garlic.
  2. Sauté for one to two minutes until the margarine has melted and the onion is transparent.
  3. Add the corn flour and stir until it forms a paste.
  4. Add the soymilk, lemon juice, nutritional yeast, salt and pepper and nutmeg. Stir to combine.
  5. Reduce heat to low and whisk for a few more minutes or so until the sauce has thickened. Be careful not to let the sauce burn on the bottom of the pot.
  6. Take off the heat and cool.  (The sauce will thicken even more when cooled)
  7. Serve on bakes, pastas, pizzas and anything else you want to eat!


  • Finely mince the onion so that it becomes extra creamy when sautéed with the margarine. This also allows for the flavour to be evenly distributed without any chunks.

74 comments :

  1. This was the best white sauce ive tasted yet, thanks so much for this. My husband loved it too.

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    1. That is so great to hear. I absolutely love it too! Thanks heaps :)

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  2. I feel the exact same way about vegan white sauces, most of 'em are really lackluster. I like the look of this ingredient list though, I want to try making something along these lines (and probably use homemade cashew milk because that's how I roll, ha ha).

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  3. Hello. How are you? Sorry, I am new to cooking and I wanted to ask, can I use this for a broccoli or spinach soup? Instead of the cream they instruct me to make?

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    1. Hi Carlita,
      I am good thank you! Probably not sorry... it is a different consistency and has a lot of flavour whereas a cream would add a creamy consistency and a slight sweetness! :)

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    2. Carlita, I like to use soaked, pureed cashews (cashew cream) in place of cream in recipes like cream of tomato soup. It might work as a sub for the soups you're thinking of?

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    3. Thanks for the suggestion Hillary! I do the same thing and it works really well :)

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  4. This looks perfect for pizza! Also, love the short ingredient list, no odd ingredients, I'll take it!

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    1. Thanks Abby :) I really love it... especially recipes with a short ingredient list. Thanks for the comment!

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  5. I cant wait to give this a try! Thanks, Ive just stumbled across your blog and it looks like you will have many awesome recipes that I will be trying out. Thanks!

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    1. Hi Nicola! Thank you and I hope to see you here again :)

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  6. I made this last night for my children and husband and poured it over a cauliflower bake. It was the best white sauce I have had since being vegan. Actually, it could be the best I have ever made and eaten. THanks so much. I am printing this out and keeping it for future use. Will def be a family favourite tried and tested from now on!

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    1. Hello Amanda! Thanks so much for your comment and I am so glad that you and your family enjoyed it :)

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  7. This sauce was amazing! I made it last night for pizza with mushrooms, spinach and sun dried tomatoes. Absolutely delicious. Thank you for your great recipes and photos.

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    1. Hi Alli! Thanks so much... I know, it really is amazing. So creamy and delicious. Your pizza sounds so tasty! :)

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  8. Hi

    Does this work with Oat milk does anyone know?
    Soy intolerant :-(

    Thanks

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    1. Hi,
      I have never tried it with oat milk. You could always try it and see how it goes? Thanks

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  9. Hello! You think it would be an issue if I use sweetened soy milk and/or almond milk?

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    1. Hi Diego,
      I have always used soy milk but definitely try almond milk. I think the key is to just use a plain-flavoured milk substitute. I think that sweetened soy milk may not be a good idea as it will increase the sweetness. Try almond milk and please tell me how it goes :)

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    2. So do you use the soy milk labeled "unsweetened"? Because the "regular" kind of soy milk is technically sweetened, even if it isn't flavored like vanilla or chocolate or anything. Kinda confusing! :)

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    3. What we are saying is just use regular or lite soy milk. One that isn't chocolate or vanilla. If it is worrying you that much you can always make your own.

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  10. Ok thanks! Will definitely be trying put this soon :)

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  11. I'm going to try this with tarragon and use it for a pasta primevera :)

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    1. Hi Raechel! Tell me how it goes :) Thanks for the comment.

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  12. What a cute blog, first time here. I'm lucky to have found it, I have all the ingredients. Is it possible to reproduce this recipe in other language with of course the source linkable and of course using my own picture after the bechamel is ready?

    If not it's okay too of course :D.

    Thanks so much, do you know the doria recipe? I'll try the vegan version using your bechamel sauce.

    Lots of vegan power :D, have a good week!

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    1. Hi Maya! Of course you can :) Thanks for linking us back! I hope you really enjoy it. No I don't... I will definitely check out your post once you have written it. Thanks so much :)

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  13. Hi Madison! I absolutely love your blog! I've already made your parmesan cheese substitute and I just finished making this lovely sauce. I ended up using about two tablespoons of lemon juice, as I found that it added a nice brightness and made the sauce feel a little lighter. I can't wait to toss this with some pasta later tonight and make your mushroom pizza later this week! You and your fiance make a great team. Keep it coming!

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    1. Hi Alan! Thanks for your comment. I am really glad you like our white sauce. It is really versatile and is great on everything. Thanks for your kind words :)

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  14. Hello! I made this recipe up for a guest who can't have cow's dairy nor most grains. She loved it and even took the rest home with her. Thank you so much!

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    1. Hi Kelly,
      Yay! Thanks for telling me. I am so glad that our recipe was enjoyed by your guest :)

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  15. I'm going to try this sauce in a lasagna recipe that I'm "veganizing." Have you ever used it in the layers of a lasagna? I'm hoping it comes out fabulously, considering all the positive comments. My first time on your site---love it!
    Thanks! --Ellen from Vegan American Princess

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    1. Hi Ellen!
      Yes we do it regularly. It works really well as a white saucey layer in a lasagna :) Hope you love it! :)

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  16. I cannot that you enough for this!! It is amazing. I felt so accomplished and talented after making this and it's all thanks to you! I used one of your other recipes with this (Broccoli and Mushroom Pasta) and I was on cloud 9! I love that going being vegan doesn't mean we have to compromise deliciousness! Thanks so much Madi! :)

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    1. Hi Avanthi! Yay, I am glad that you loved it :) It really is delicious and would be amazing on the pasta!

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  17. This looks and sounds amazing! I have recently become a fan of homemade lasagna but I'm not a fan of the high fat and calorie content of traditional Bechamel sauce.

    Do you know how many cups of sauce this recipe yields? I'm guessing a little over two cups, but I was wondering if you had measured the end result.

    Thanks!

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    1. Hi Less! Yes, we place our serving sizes just below the main photo on each post :) It makes about 2 1/4 cups. I hope you enjoy it and I agree with not being a fan of unhealthy bechamel sauces. Thanks!

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  18. Hi can you tell me what is nutritional yeast. Is it a dry powder yeast as I am cooking a luncheon for Vegan guests and I am adapting vegetarian recipes to suit. thanks Glenda

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    1. Hi Glenda! Please check out our nutritional yeast page here: http://www.veggieful.com/2012/10/what-is-nutritional-yeast.html

      :)

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  19. Hi - is there an ingredient I can use in place of the vegan margarine? Thank you!

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    1. Hello! You could always use a little bit of oil instead if needed. However, the margarine gives the sauce the "butteryness" that bechamel sauce is famous for so it probably won't taste the same.

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  20. Thank you! I just found your site yesterday and am really enjoying it. Keep up the great work!!!

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  21. Really lovely and we used it as a base for a mustard sauce (with hot english mustard added) to go with the rest of the families beef and I loved it on my caulifower,mixed greens & mash..perfect comfort food! Nobody noticed so its a win for me :)

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  22. This might be a stupid question, but I was just wondering whether you put the sauce on the pizza with the toppings and then bake, or if you just add the warm sauce to the pizza when it's done? Thank you! :)

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    1. Hi there! Oh it isn't a silly question. It really depends on what you would like to use it for. You could add it as a base and add toppings on top like we did for our mushroom pizza... or you could add a drizzle of it over the top after the pizza has been baked. Up to you! :)

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  23. I used this recipe but substituted the soy milk for almond milk, and skipped the yeast since I didn't have any on hand. I used it as part of a vegan béchamel lasagna. It was SO amazing! Thank you for sharing.

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  24. Thanks for this. It worked very well. If you heat the milk before adding it to the paste it prevents lumps from forming.

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  25. Just made this for a vege lasagne, it worked beautifully! Thanks :)

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  26. Thanks for sharing your great recipe. I just made it and it is so much better than the vegan Bechamel sauce that I made yesterday from a vegan cookbook.

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    1. Oh yay! Thanks so much for telling us :)

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    2. I am cooking this sauce right now. I used coconut oil as 'butter'. I home will be ok!

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    3. Hi there! I haven't used it with coconut oil. It will not taste the same as it will not give the same buttery taste.

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  27. Great recipe thanks.
    I think I cooked mine for too long as it became a bit glue-like. lol
    I am using it as a topping for my vegan roast veg lasagne!

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  28. Best vegan sauce yet! Put it in a lasagne tonight and it had my family going back for seconds. Fantastic.....

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  29. This was deeeeelish thank you so much, I used it in a vegan lasagne. Is it freezable at all?

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  30. This was totally deelish thank you so much! I used it in my vegan lasagne.
    Is it freezable at all please? X

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    1. I have never tried freezing it but I am sure it would be!

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  31. This is the BEST vegan cheesey fondue!I had all the dairy eaters choosing it over expensive dairy cheese fondues!! thanks you xxx

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  32. I used this in a pesto, butternut squash lasagna and it was amazing!! I am so excited to have this in my recipe arsenal because it will come in handy with so many other dishes. Thank you so much for sharing!

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  33. I made this last night for dinner and it's by far the most delicious, cheapest and easiest vegan white sauce I've ever made/ eaten!

    I added a liberal amount of salt, smoked paprika and dried dill to my sauce to make it pop and had it over pasta and I am in love! :)

    I will be making this again and again. Can't wait to try it in a potato bake or over roast veggies!

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  34. Hello �� I'm making 2 lasagna so I need to DOUBLE this recipe of bechamel sauce. I just need to double all the ingredients? Exemple.. For the cornstarch, it would be 2/4 cup instead of 1/4? Thank you for your response.

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