Nut-free vegan lemon cream sauce is so easy to make and incredibly delicious on pasta or rice. We love it because it's dairy-free and nut-free. If you're a sauce lover like we are, you may also like these other incredible vegan sauce recipes: oil-free pesto sauce, homemade vegan teriyaki sauce, 5 ingredient cheese sauce, spicy peanut sauce.
This post may contain affiliate links which won’t change your price but will share some commission.
Hi there! Thanks for visiting us, we’re so happy you’re here. If you’re looking for Southern inspired vegan comfort food recipes, you’ve come to the right place.
We love vegan comfort food and we’re really good at making it. Take a tour through our site and you’ll find all of the recipes that scream, stretchy pants required!
The good news, they’re all plant-based recipes, so you don’t need to feel guilty eating them. Now sit back, relax, and eat happy. 🙂
Also, in case you didn't know, we're published cookbook authors. We've written two vegan cookbooks that will help you make amazing vegan BBQ (you don't even need a grill) and everyday meals, from breakfast to dessert.
Click on the titles to check them out. GREAT VEGAN BBQ WITHOUT A GRILL
and THE ULTIMATE VEGAN COOKBOOK
.
CREAMY WHITE SAUCE FOR PASTA
You guys, mmmm, mmmm, mmmm.....
This sauce has us speechless.
First of all, it's a cashew free creamy pasta sauce. Yep, you read that right. No nuts allowed.
We've had so many people ask us to create a nut-free creamy white sauce, and when the people ask, we deliver.
It was actually so easy. We went back to our roots and went old school by starting this lemon cream pasta sauce off with an old fashioned roux.
Making a vegan roux is easy! All you'll need is vegan butter (we like Miyoko's or Earth Balance) and flour, then the milk and whatever else you're going to put in the sauce.
Whisk away and soon enough you'll have yourself a velvety cream sauce that rivals any dairy-free Alfredo sauce you've ever eaten.
HOW DO YOU MAKE A NUT-FREE VEGAN ALFREDO SAUCE?
Sometimes it feels like we vegans try to reinvent the wheel when it comes to vegan cream sauce recipes.
Our vegan lemon pasta sauce recipe is a great example of how going back to the basics will yield the same result that you would get if you used dairy.
Making a classic roux is the best way to make dairy-free cream sauce, no need for soaking and grinding cashews or any other kind of nut.
WHAT IS A ROUX AND CAN YOU MAKE IT VEGAN?
A roux is equal parts butter and flour that adds flavor and depth to creamy sauces.
To make it vegan, just use vegan butter.
- Melt the butter in a pan until it begins to bubble.
- Whisk in the flour until it gets thick and lumpy and the butter is fully incorporated in the flour.
- Continue to vigorously whisk for approximately two minutes, or until the flour has lightly browned.
- Use it to make cream based sauces of any kind.
WHAT INGREDIENTS DO YOU NEED TO MAKE A NUT-FREE VEGAN LEMON CREAM SAUCE?
This is a special cheesy cream sauce for pasta, so we added a few more ingredients to give it a luxurious flavor. Here's what you'll need:
- All-purpose flour- we love Wondra All Purpose Quick-Mixing Sauce 'N Gravy Flour
- Vegan
butter - Dry white wine
- Lemon juice
- Unsweetened plant-based milk - do not use coconut milk
- Vegan parmesan - we love Violife
- Basil
- Garlic powder
- Onion powder
- Dried parsley
- Black pepper
- Smoked salt - or a dash of liquid smoke and sea salt
- Red pepper flakes
- The blend of these ingredients creates an amazing flavor!
butterHOW DO YOU MAKE A LEMON CREAM PASTA SAUCE DAIRY-FREE NUT-FREE?
This dairy-free recipe couldn't be any easier and you won't need any special equipment, just a pan, a whisk, and a grater.
Let's do this!
STEP ONE
- Make the roux
- Melt the butter, and when it's just beginning to bubble, vigorously whisk the flour into the butter.
- Keep whisking until it begins to brown and you can smell the lovely rich aroma.
STEP TWO
Whisk in the wine until the lumps start to smooth out.
Add the plant-based milk and whisk, whisk, whisk. The roux should be smooth and creamy.
Squeeze in the lemon juice and keep whisking.
Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.
STEP THREE
Stir in the vegan parmesan and let it melt into the sauce.
Add the remaining spices and stir until combined.
TIPS FOR MAKING THE PERFECT CREAM SAUCE
- Use a high quality all-purpose flour. We use Wondra All Purpose Quick-Mixing Sauce 'N Gravy Flour.
- Whisk vigorously when making the roux.
- Allow the butter and flour mixture to brown. This brings out the flavor of the roux.
- Feel free to add more plant milk if you want a thinner sauce, just be sure to add the additional milk slowly so as not to make it too runny.
WHAT CAN I SERVE WITH LEMON WHITE WINE CREAM SAUCE ?
Our favorite thing to eat with lemon cream sauce is pasta.
Lemon pasta is so decadent. The bright lemon flavor paired with the buttery roux, the earthy onion and garlic powder, the savory spices, and the kick of heat from the red pepper flakes is pure perfection.
The sauce is also lovely on rice or drizzled over a portobello mushroom steak.
Make our nut-free vegan lemon cream sauce and let us know what you think. We love to hear from you! And, don’t forget to take a picture of your gorgeous creation and tag us @veganosity on Instagram.
Let’s connect on Instagram and Twitter. You’ll get a peek into our everyday lives in our stories and see what we’re sharing in our feed.
Nut-Free Vegan Lemon Cream Sauce
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon vegan butter
- 3 tablespoon all-purpose flour see note
- ½ cup dry white wine
- Juice from half of a large lemon
- 1 cup plant-based milk not coconut milk
- ½ cup vegan parmesan cheese we use Violife
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon dried parsley
- ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon smoked salt or a dash of liquid smoke and ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes see note
- ¼ cup finely chopped basil
Instructions
- Make the Roux
- In a large sauce pan, melt the 4 tablespoon of butter on medium-high heat until it begins to bubble.
- Vigorously whisk in the 3 tablespoon of flour. It will form clumps. Keep whisking until it turns golden brown.
- Make the Cream Sauce
- Whisk in the ½ cup of white wine. Whisk until the large lumps begin to break down.
- Add the juice from half of the lemon and slowly pour in the 1 cup of plant milk and keep whisking until the sauce is smooth and velvety.
- Stir in the ½ cup of grated vegan parmesan until it’s combined and bring to a low boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.
- Add the 1 teaspoon of onion powder, 1 teaspoon of garlic powder, 1 teaspoon of dried parsley, ¼ teaspoon ground black pepper, ½ teaspoon smoked salt (or ⅛ teaspoon of liquid smoke and ½ teaspoon sea salt), and ¼ teaspoon of red pepper flakes (optional), and stir until fully combined.
- Stir in the basil until fully combined and serve.
- Enjoy!
Notes
- The Nutrition Facts are an estimate only.
- Use a high quality flour, we use Wondra flour for sauces and gravies. See the content in the post and click the link to learn more.
- DO NOT use coconut milk in this recipe. It will ruin the flavor.
- For a thinner sauce, slowly whisk in more plant milk until you get the desired consistency.
- The red pepper flakes add a slight kick of heat to the sauce. Omit if you’re not into spicy food.
- Serve this sauce over pasta, rice, or a portobello mushroom steak.
Nutrition
Michelle Balhan says
Looks delicious. Can I use almond flour?
Linda Meyer says
Hi Michelle, we haven't tried using that, so we're not sure that the consistency would turn out. If you need this to be gluten-free we suggest using cornstarch or an all-purpose gf flour for the roux.
Hannah Flack says
I'm going to make this for dinner tonight! I'm going to make it on the stove instead of the slow cooker, though. Thanks for the lovely dinner inspiration! 🙂
Linda Meyer says
Thank you, Hannah! Please let us know what you think.
Christine @ Run Plant Based says
This is such a versatile sauce that could be perfect with so many ingredients, thanks!
Linda Meyer says
Thank you! Yes, we've been eating it with all kinds of veggies and grains. 🙂