Vegan Bechamel Sauce

Bechamel sauce clinging to a wooden spoon resting atop a saucepan filled with the white sauce.

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Thick and creamy vegan bechamel sauce can be used as a substitution for any recipe that calls for a classic white sauce, when you need a dairy-free version. Use this easy gluten-free recipe in dishes like lasagna, pot pie or your favorite pasta dish.

Cook Time10

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: French

Diet: Gluten Free, Vegan

Servings:

Calories: 85kcal

Author: Debra Klein

Equipment

Ingredients

¼ cup olive oil
¼ cup cassava flour
2 cups cashew milk
½ teaspoon sea salt
⅛ teaspoon white pepper
pinch nutmeg
1 tablespoon light miso

Instructions

Heat small saucepan over medium-low heat. Pour in olive oil and leave for 30 seconds to warm.
Sprinkle in flour and whisk constantly. This is the part that's called a roux. You want to cook off the raw flavor, but don't cook it long enough for it to turn brown. It will turn quick thick and pasty at this point. It's OK if it mostly gets stuck in the whisk.
Whisk in 2 tablespoons of the milk. The mixture may even get thicker. Pour in another few tablespoons of milk and keep whisking. Continue to add a few tablespoons of milk at a time, stirring in between until the liquid has been evenly dispersed into the sauce. Use all but ¼ cup of the milk.
Be prepared for the sauce to go back and forth from being too thick and super pasty, to smooth and creamy. As the new addition of milk heats up, the sauce will thicken...and as you continue to whisk and that addition is absorbed into the flour, the sauce will thin out. Over and over again, with each new addition.
When you get to the last ¼ cup of milk, add the miso paste and use a fork until it's diluted completely into the milk. Then, add it to the sauce, and whisk until fully incorporated. Turn off heat and stir in salt, pepper and nutmeg.
Stir a few times as the sauce cools. Transfer to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator for up to a week or in the freezer for 3 months.

Notes

Flour: Cassava flour is easy to find at your local grocery store. I order mine from Thrive Market. You can substitute with tapioca starch, oat flour, chickpea flour or any all purpose flour that meets your dietary needs.

Olive oil: For an oil-free bechamel, substitute oil with vegetable broth. I found the finished product a bit less rich and creamy, but still a solid plant-based version of bechamel.

Milk: Use cashew milk, soy milk, oat milk or almond milk.

Make your own cashew milk: soak ½ cup raw, unsalted cashews in boiling water for 30 minutes. Rinse, drain and add to blender with 2 cups water. Process until smooth and creamy.

Serving size: Nutrition information was calculated based on one recipe yielding 2 cups bechamel sauce and a serving size of ¼ cup.

Storage

Cool sauce completely before storing in airtight containers.
Use mason jars to store in the fridge or freezer. Leave a couple inches space at the top to allow for expansion when freezing.
Vegan bechamel will stay good in the refrigerator for a week or in the freezer for 3 months. This applies to the recipe being made with homemade cashew milk. With store bought plant milk, that is made with preservatives, the bechamel sauce will last longer in the fridge.
You can use super cubes to freeze in ½ cup, cup or 2 cup amounts. Once frozen, you can pop them into freezer safe zip top bags. They'll be conveniently ready for whatever amount you most often use in recipes.

Nutrition