Vegan Bechamel Sauce (Roux with Soy Milk)

Close up of a plate with fettucine noodles covered in white sauce and parsley garnish.

Vegan Bechamel Sauce (Roux with Soy Milk)

This easy vegan bechamel sauce recipe starts with a simple roux, creating a dairy free alternative for a classic bechamel. Just add soy milk and whisk together for a thick, creamy and delicious sauce that’s completely versatile for use on pasta, pizza or lasagna!

Course Sauce

Cuisine French-inspired, Vegan

Keyword Dairy free bechamel, Vegan bechamel sauce

Prep Time 5

Cook Time 15

Total Time 20

Servings Servings

Calories 185kcal

Equipment

Ingredients

¼ cup vegan butter (or margarine)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
2 ½ cups soy milk , unsweetened
1 teaspoon salt
¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg
¼ teaspoon black pepper (or white pepper)

Optional

2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
2 tablespoons lemon juice

Instructions

To start, gather and measure all your ingredients. You'll need to whisk for a while, so having everything ready to go is essential for great sauce!
¼ cup vegan butter, 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 2 ½ cups soy milk, 1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Melt vegan butter in a medium sauce pot over medium heat.
¼ cup vegan butter
Once the butter starts to sizzle (bubble), add all-purpose flour and whisk until combined – make sure there are no clumps of flour.
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
Cook the butter-flour mixture for 30-45 seconds.
Next, slowly pour in soy milk, whisking continuously. Add about ½ cup at a time and whisk vigorously until the mixture is completely smooth. Continue until all the milk is incorporated.
2 ½ cups soy milk
Turn up the heat to medium-high and whisk your sauce for 5-8 minutes, until it’s thick and sticking to the edges of the pot and whisk.
When your sauce is thick, turn the heat to low and whisk in salt, ground nutmeg and ground black pepper. If using, whisk in nutritional yeast and/ or lemon juice.
1 teaspoon salt, ¼ teaspoon ground nutmeg, ¼ teaspoon black pepper, 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast, 2 tablespoons lemon juice
Remove the sauce from heat and use for pasta, lasagna, pizza; whatever you like!

Notes

For a thicker sauce, slowly add more all-purpose flour.

If it’s important for you to have white sauce, use ground white pepper (instead of black). Also, don’t add nutritional yeast since it colors the sauce yellow.

One batch makes enough sauce to coat about 375 g (dry) pasta.

Accuracy of nutrition information cannot be guaranteed (certain ingredients may not have all nutrients listed in the database); amounts may vary (and will vary depending on brands of ingredients used); all nutrition fact values rounded to the nearest whole number.

Nutrition