ISO Vegan sauce help

[yourstrulyewalani]

Has anyone ever successfully made a white sauce or any cream sauce using soy milk, almond milk or anything along those lines? I am looking for a vegan sauce idea for pouring over sauted or steamed veggies. I have no experience with cooking using milk alternatives for sauce bases.

Thank you!

[Janet H]

I have done this and the real trick to success is to add some nutritional yeast. It substantially improves flavor. I would avoid rice milk as it's sort of thin. You might try hemp milk instead of soy - it's a little thicker and better behaved under heat. It's not psychoactive and you can most likely find it at your local healthfood store.

[yourstrulyewalani]

Oddly enough I have a small carton of hemp milk here at home I just havent gotten around to using it. I'm too chicken! Thank you very much for the advice I have been at a loss for this. Any suggestions for a butter substitute? Say if I wanted to make a vegan rue to start a white sauce?

[LPBeier]

There is a product we get here in Canada that goes under the name of Earth Balance spread. It is soy based. DH can't have anything with dairy or casein and this is also vegan approved. I don't know if the exact same product is available in the states but there should be an equivalent. Check your Natural or Organic Food Store (or some grocery stores carry it as well now.

I have made white sauce for DH using soy milk and tapioca starch. It works very well. I can even get it into a consistancy that when I use it in his lasagna it mimics cheese. He loves it. Just depends on how much starch to soy you use whether it is a sauce or something thicker. I use different seasonings in it for different purposes. Sorry, I don't know my proportions, I have never calculated them.

[yourstrulyewalani]

No worries the basic ingredients are all I need (Im bad at following directions exactly anyway!) it may take me awhile but I'll learn alot in the process. Thank you I really appreciate it.

[Janet H]

For fat I would just use some margarine - the flavor will be a good addition and I don't think there's a substantial need for a specialty product.

[yourstrulyewalani]

Sounds good! Well, figuratively speaking. Thank you!

[LPBeier]

Originally Posted by Janet H

For fat I would just use some margarine - the flavor will be a good addition and I don't think there's a substantial need for a specialty product.

I think you are right, Janet. I was thinking more on the "special diets" side when I quoted the Earth Balance Margarine. DH can't have dairy or casein, and I wasn't sure if casein was a vegan issue or not.

[yourstrulyewalani]

Good point LP. I just looked it up and it seems that caesin is similar to gluten on a molecular level. It can be listed as sodium caseinate calcium caseinate or milk protein. However I do not know if all three of those are strictly produced from animal or if they can be produced chemically for vegan consumption. Interesting.

[vyapti]

I'm vegan and I'm a life-long sauce addict. I'll include some tips that I've learned.

1. Cashews, blended with water make an excellent base. Much better than soy milk
2. Soy Creamer will make a creamier sauce than soy milk
3. If you use soy milk, which I do often, use unsweetened soymilk. Not just plain, but unsweetened. The plain variety tasted much sweeter than its dairy couterpart.
4. Miso, salt and lemon juice make excellent additions to a sauce. They give somewhat of a Parmesan taste.

I probably have 30 different pasta & sauces on my blog, but here are a couple 'white sauces' that might be helpful:

Cashew Primavera w/ Italian Sausage (seitan):
Creamy Pasta Primavera:
Creamy Pesto:

Good luck

[yourstrulyewalani]

WOW I had no idea how many options there are for vegan sauces! Thank you so much! The soy creamer idea is excellent.

[navywife]

Ok, you've given me the courage to try making the raw cashews I got at the co op into some kind of sauce. I love nutritional yeast, too. It's such a great flavor booster.
I even have a vita mix and a recipe. I'm just afraid of what it will taste like.....Silly, I supose. But now I am inspired to try it.

Thanks!

[yourstrulyewalani]

If you try it let me know how it turns out. I need to make a trip to whole foods!