Vegan Béchamel Sauce

I make béchamel to bind ingredients, as a versatile sauce, as a key ingredient in lasagna variations, as a topping for gratins – and that’s only to name of few of the many ways I use a homemade béchamel sauce in the kitchen.

Learning how to make a proper béchamel sauce is one of the most important classical preparations aspiring cooks can learn – primarily because of its culinary versatility. And here’s the best part – it is simple to make, despite the intimidating aura of French classical cooking hanging in the air. Basically, if you can stir milk with a whisk, then you can make a béchamel sauce.

My vegan version yields a smooth and luxuriantly creamy sauce that functions exactly like the butter- and milk-based original. Patience at the stovetop and three simple rules are your best friends when learning how to make this sauce. First, never allow the flour to become colored when it is cooked with the oil – too much cooking results in pasty and burnt flavors. Next, add the plant-based milk to the flour and oil mixture gradually and off the heat – slowly incorporating the ingredients aids in the binding characteristics and avoids large lumps from forming. Finally, never let the sauce cook at a high temperature for too long – high heat causes the starch granules in the flour to burst and splits the sauce.

Gluten-free preparations are simple. Replace the flour quantities with half as much starch or gluten-free flour mixtures and gently cook the sauce until it thickens – usually around 5 minutes.

Difficulty: simple
Yield:  about 1/2-liter (1/2-quart)