Well, I don’t know about you, but as a fan of lasagna and macaroni I can’t go without white sauce— not only is it super versatile, but it’s pretty simple and easy to make. It’s precisely what you want when you’re either too busy or tired but still wanna whip up something delicious in less than 30 minutes.
The traditional version of this dish is uncomplicated and can be done in a few steps, and the vegan version isn’t any different. There are many ways in which you can prepare the vegan white sauce. For the base, you can use ingredients such as tofu, oats, cauliflower, navy beans, and yam, but for this recipe, I use ingredients that are closely similar to the traditional preparation, apart from two elements.
If you want to learn how to make a delicious vegan white sauce for your lasagna or favorite pasta dish, follow me.
❓What is White Sauce?
White sauce, also known as béchamel sauce, is a basic sauce that is traditionally made from butter, flour, and milk— a recipe that is not originally suitable for vegans.
However, it’s easy to picture how we could make this recipe vegan by simply replacing butter and cow’s milk with their respective vegan substitutes, which I’ll be partially doing in this recipe.
White sauce is a versatile sauce that can be used as a base for many other sauces and dishes, perhaps the more common ones being lasagna and macaroni.
Traditionally, to make the white sauce, butter is melted in a pan, and flour is added to make a roux, a technique used to thicken sauces. Milk is then added to the mixture and constantly whisked until it thickens before the final touches of salt, black pepper, and nutmeg are added to heighten its flavor.
It’s a very simple recipe you should have no trouble replicating in your kitchen!
🗒️ Ingredients
My vegan version of the white sauce is slightly different from the traditional recipe, as I use olive oil instead of vegan butter, and I include onions, bay leaf, and fresh thyme.
However, the remaining ingredients are pretty much the same as the traditional recipe, except for dairy milk which I replace with unsweetened soy milk (but you can use another version close to zero sugar, like the barista version). I also use wheat flour and simplify by using standard seasonings such as ground black pepper, nutmeg, and salt.
If you’re allergic to gluten, feel free to replace wheat flour with rice flour, for example.
👨🏻🍳 How To Make Vegan White Sauce
Frankly, making this sauce is incredibly easy and should only take you about 15 minutes.
1st step: You start by sautéing thinly chopped onions, a bay leaf, and a sprig of thyme in olive oil until the onions are translucent. This is not a step that is in the traditional recipe, but I truly enjoy the flavor and aroma the onions and herbs add to this sauce.
2nd step: Remove the herbs a