Video:How to Make Dairy-Free Bechamel Sauce

Transcript:How to Make Dairy-Free Bechamel Sauce

Hi, I'm Nadia Chapman for About.com, and I'm here today to show you how to make vegan bechamel sauce.

Bechamel sauce is a creamy white sauce used in French and Italian cuisine. It is also used as a base for other sauces, and used in dishes such as lasagna, other pasta dishes, casseroles, and gratins.

Dairy-Free Bechamel Sauce Ingredients

Here's what you will need for this vegan bechamel sauce recipe:

• 1 tablespoon of olive oil
• 3 tablespoons of margarine
• 4 tablespoons of flour
• about 2 cups of unsweetened soy milk or other non-dairy unsweetened milk; keep more on the side to add later if your sauce gets too thick
• salt and pepper to taste
• nutmeg to taste

Begin by Making a Roux

The way to start a bechamel sauce is by making a roux. A roux is when you whisk together an equal amount of butter (in this case the olive oil and the margarine) with flour over low heat. This will make a sort of paste.

Add Soy Milk to Create Bechamel

Add the soy milk slowly and keep whisking so you don't get clumps in your sauce. Add soy milk until you obtain the quantity you want. Keep in mind the longer you leave the sauce on the burner, the thicker it will get. You can also add more milk if your sauce is too thick. Just remember that the thickness of the sauce will depend on the amount of milk and flour you will put in your sauce pan.

Season Your Dairy-Free Bechamel

Add salt and pepper to taste and a pinch of nutmeg.

This sauce is extremely versatile. You can add any herbs in it, garlic, lemon juice if you eat it with sea food, you can also make a mushroom sauce with it. You can pretty much let your imagination go wild when it comes to adding ingredients to a bechamel sauce.

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