Cauliflower makes this vegan white sauce taste incredibly rich and creamy without using any dairy, oil, or nuts! It's ready to eat in 45 minutes and it's delicious tossed with pasta, spiralized vegetable noodles, or layered in lasagna.
Believe me when I say that nobody will ever guess that this vegan white sauce is made of blended cauliflower! It's so rich, creamy, buttery, and velvety smooth, it's the perfect low-carb pasta sauce! The first time I made it for my husband, I asked him what he thought was in the sauce and he guessed it was made of cashews. Nope! This recipe is 100% nut-free and oil-free.
It's easy to make, super flavorful, and it's ready in just 45 minutes. Serve with pasta, vegetable noodles, or even in lasagna for a lighter take on a comfort food meal!
How Do You Make Something Creamy Without Dairy?
There are multiple ways to make something taste creamy without using dairy. My favorite options are to use blended cashews, cauliflower, white potatoes, or coconut milk. Today, I'm using cauliflower because when it's cooked and pureed, it creates a neutral-flavored, silky smooth, velvety texture that is perfect in this sauce.
Depending on the recipe you're making will help you decide which option to use. For example, I use starchy potatoes as a base for vegan broccoli cheese soup, buttery cashews to make vegan alfredo sauce, and full-fat coconut milk to make this mushroom soup taste super-rich and thick.
Step by Step instructions
In a large pan, saute the sliced onion until it's soft and translucent. Add the garlic and Italian seasonings and let it cook a few more minutes. Next, add the chopped cauliflower florets and water to the pan. Bring it to a simmer and then reduce the heat and let it cook until tender.
Transfer the vegetable mixture to a large blender cup and add the miso paste, black pepper, lemon juice, and unsweetened almond milk. Blend until the sauce is smooth and creamy. You may need to work in batches depending on how big your blender is. Pour the sauce back into the pan and heat it up until it's warmed through.
Can I Make it the Day Before?
Definitely! Actually, you could make it 2-3 days in advance if you need to. The sauce reheats perfectly and is just as delicious on the fourth and fifth day as it is the first day that you made it.
Serving Suggestions
This creamy vegan pasta sauce can be enjoyed in so many different ways!
- Toss it with your favorite pasta or spiralized vegetable noodles, as I did with the zucchini and sweet potato noodles in the pictures below.
- Use the white cauliflower sauce instead of tomato sauce in vegan lasagna.
- Stir in (1) 10 oz bag of frozen spinach to the sauce after it's been blended and serve it over fluffy quinoa.
How Long Does it Last in the Refrigerator?
Store the sauce in an airtight container in the fridge and it will stay fresh for 4-5 days.
Can I Freeze It?
Yes, this creamy white sauce freezes and defrosts beautifully. Put it in a freezer-safe container in the freezer and it will last for several months.
How to Reheat It
From the Freezer: Remove the container from the freezer and put it in the fridge to defrost for 24 hours. Then you can follow the instructions below to reheat the sauce in the microwave or on the stovetop. If the sauce is too thick, add 1-2 tbsp water or vegetable broth to the sauce to get your desired consistency.
From the Fridge: Heat the white sauce in a bowl in the microwave for 1-2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Or you can reheat it in a medium saucepan on the stovetop over medium heat until it's warmed through.
Recipe Variations
This creamy white sauce is delicious served just like this, but you can switch up with any of the following variations:
- Add Spinach: Stir in 2-3 handfuls of fresh spinach (or a bag of frozen spinach) to the sauce after it has been blended for a pop of color. It's an easy way to get more greens in and it's great mixed with pasta.
- Add Red Peppers: Add 1-2 fire-roasted red peppers to the blender cup with the rest of the ingredients to make a creamy roasted red pepper sauce.
- Creamy Vegetable Pasta: Toss the vegan cauliflower sauce with your favorite pasta and mix in roasted mushrooms, broccoli florets, chunks of zucchini.
- Roasted Vegetables: If you don't mind turning the stove on, you can roast the cauliflower, onions, and garlic cloves at 400 degrees for 25-30 minutes instead of cooking them on the stove. Roasting the vegetables would add even more flavor!
Substitutions & FAQ
- Cauliflower Substitution: The best replacement to use is 1 cup of raw cashews that have been soaked for 2-3 hours or boiled for 10 minutes.
- Miso Paste Substitutions: You can substitute 1 tbsp low-sodium soy sauce (it has a similar umami flavor) or ½ tsp salt for the miso.
- What kind of plant milk can I use? If you don't have almond milk, unsweetened coconut milk is the next best option because the high-fat content makes it taste super creamy. If you don't want to use either of those options, any unsweetened plant milk (not vanilla flavored) will work fine.
- Gluten-Free: This vegan white sauce is gluten-free as is, just make sure to use gluten-free miso paste (I used Miso Master) and gluten-free pasta if you decide to serve it with noodles.
Success Tips
- If you serve the vegan white sauce with spiralized vegetable noodles as I did, you'll end up with a bunch of skinny circular pieces leftover from the center of the vegetable after you spiralize it. Don't discard the bits, you can dice the leftover veggies and then add them to garden veggie barley soup.
- When you're cutting the cauliflower florets off, don't discard the leaves! They're 100% edible and you can dice the leaves and add them to this yellow Thai curry.
- If you don't have a fresh head of cauliflower, you can use (1) 16 oz bag frozen cauliflower.
- Store the leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it for a future meal.
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Vegan White Cauliflower Sauce
Equipment
- Large Pan
- Blender
Ingredients
- 3-4 tbsp low-sodium vegetable broth
- 1 medium yellow onion sliced
- 4 medium garlic cloves sliced
- 1 tbsp Italian seasonings
- 1 medium cauliflower (about 5 cups)
- 1 cup water
- 1 tbsp white miso
- ½ tsp black pepper
- 2 tbsp lemon juice
- 2 cups unsweetened almond milk
Instructions
- In a large pan over medium heat, saute the onion in 3-4 tbsp vegetable broth until it's soft and translucent. Add the garlic and 1 tbsp Italian seasonings and let it cook for 2 more minutes.
- Cut the cauliflower into small florets and add them to the pan. Add the water and then increase the heat to bring it to a low simmer. Reduce the heat to medium and let it cook for 15-20 minutes or until the cauliflower is soft.
- Transfer the mixture of cooked vegetables to a large blender cup. Add 1 tbsp miso paste, ½ tsp black pepper, 2 tbsp lemon juice, and 2 cups almond milk to the blender cup. Blend on high until the sauce is completely smooth and creamy.
- Pour the white sauce back into the large pan and let it cook a few minutes until it's warmed through. Serve the sauce with vegetable noodles, pasta, or in lasagna.
Notes
- If you serve the vegan white sauce with spiralized vegetable noodles like I did, you'll end up with a bunch of skinny circular pieces leftover from the center of the vegetable after you spiralize it. Don't discard the bits, you can dice the leftover veggies and then add them to garden veggie barley soup.
- When you're cutting the florets off, don't discard the leaves! They're 100% edible and you can dice the leaves and add them to this yellow Thai curry.
- If you don't have a fresh head of cauliflower, you can use (1) 16 oz bag frozen florets.
- Store the leftover sauce in an airtight container in the fridge for 4-5 days or freeze it for a future meal.
Nutrition
*This vegan white sauce recipe was originally shared on 7/7/16, but I updated it on 8/16/20.
