Everyone who eats dairy-free should know how to make a vegan roux. If you want a simple way to thicken soups, sauces, and gravies and make vegan foods that are rich and creamy, you need to learn how to make a roux.

A frying pan with oil and flour being stirred with a whisk to make a roux.

What is a roux?

A roux (pronounced Ru) is the base of the three mother sauces in French cooking, and a darker roux is a key element in Cajun and Creole dishes. A vegan roux is made up of butter or oil mixed with flour, then thinned out with plant-based milk, a great way to thicken sauces, soup, and gravy.

I love using a roux to thicken my cream-based soups, like vegan cream of mushroom, cream of celery, cream of chicken, and cream of broccoli. I also use it in recipes like my vegan bechamel sauce and vegan à la king. You can even use it to make a vegan Welsh rarebit (vegan cheese sauce) or vegan gravy.

Ingredients and substitutions

  • Oil – You will need vegan butter or plant-based oil. Neutral-flavored oils will give you the best taste. For a darker roux that cooks longer, use canola oil or an oil with a high smoke point. Use vegan butter for a white or blond roux.
  • Flour – All-purpose white flour works best. You could use whole wheat, but it will not be as smooth and creamy. If you need it to be gluten-free, you can use a grain-based GF flour mix. Don’t use a grain-free mix, or it will not thicken.
  • Liquid – You can add hot broth to the roux if you are thickening a soup or gravy, or add hot plant-based milk, such as soy milk, oat milk, almond milk, cashew milk, or coconut milk, if you are making a vegan cheese sauce or white gravy.
  • Note: You can add more flavors to the base by adding garlic powder, onion powder, salt, nutritional yeast, pepper, soy sauce, or any other herbs or spices you wish.
A white bowl of vegan cream of chicken soup with parsley and red and green chili flakes sprinkled on top.
Vegan cream of chicken soup thickened with a white roux.

Helpful tools

  • Heavy bottomed pan so that your roux cooks evenly and does not burn.

How to make a vegan roux

  1. Heat 4 tablespoons of vegan butter or oil of choice in a heavy-bottomed pan, then sprinkle in 4 tablespoons of flour.
  2. Turn on the heat to low and simmer the roux to cook the flour.
    • 1 -2 minutes – (white) For the most thickening power.
    • 3-5 minutes – (blond) For a little more flavor.
    • 7-8 minutes (peanut butter color) for sauces and brown gravy.
    • 15-20 minutes (dark brown) for Creole and Cajun recipes like Gumbo.
  3. Add liquids of choice like vegetable stock or plant milk about 1/2 cup at a time. (Most standard-size ladles are about 1/2 cup.)
  4. Stir well with a whisk between each ladleful until all the liquid has been added.
A collage of 4 images showing how to make a vegan roux for making cream soups and adding broth.

Types of Roux

There are many different stages in cooking a roux. The longer that you cook the flour and fat, the darker your roux will get.

  1. White Roux – This is when a roux is only cooked for about 1 minute before adding the liquid. This roux has the most neutral flavor and the strongest thickening power. This is great to thicken cream soups and bechamel sauce.
  2. Blond Roux – If you cook your roux for about 3 minutes, it will become slightly darker and start to puff up a little. This is great to thicken gravies.
  3. Light Brown Roux – Also sometimes called peanut butter roux because of its color. This roux is great for darker gravies with more depth of flavor.
  4. Dark Brown Roux – This roux is a dark chocolate-brown (almost black) with a rich, nutty flavor. It’s mostly used in Cajun or Creole dishes.
A collage of 4 images showing white roux, blond roux, peanut butter roux, and dark brown roux.
1. White Roux 2. Blond Roux 3. Light Brown Roux 4. Dark Brown Roux

Frequently asked questions?

How can I thicken soups and sauces without oil?

If you don’t want to use an oil-based roux to thicken your sauces, you can use 2 tablespoons of starch mixed with 3 tablespoons of cold water instead. This will not give you the same mouthfeel or depth of flavor, but it will make your dishes thick and creamy.

Can I add less oil to a roux?

A classic roux is made with equal parts oil and flour, but if you are trying to make a dish with less fat and calories, you can cut the oil in half when making a white roux. This will give you great thickening power without so much oil.

How can I thicken vegan soup and sauces without a roux?

If you don’t want to use a roux to thicken soups and sauces, you can use potatoes, beans, or even soaked cashews instead and then puree them into a creamy sauce. I do this in my creamy zucchini soup, creamy pumpkin bean soup, and my veggie cheese sauce.
You can also add some dehydrated instant mashed potato flakes to thicken soups without needing to blend them. Adding vegan sour cream to soups also makes them creamy and delicious, like in my lemony lentil soup.

A pot of cream of celery soup being scooped up with a wooden ladel.
Vegan cream of celery soup thickened with a blond roux.

Thickening ratios for roux

To thicken 4 cups of liquid

  • Thinner Sauce: 3 tablespoons oil + 3 tablespoons flour.
  • Medium Sauce: 4 tablespoons oil + 4 tablespoons flour.
  • Thick Sauce: 5 tablespoons oil + 5 tablespoons flour.

*Remember, the longer that you cook the roux before adding the liquid, the less thickening power it will have.

Pro tips

  • Add the broth a little at a time, stirring well between each scoop until smooth.
  • Warm liquid works best; if it’s too hot or too cold, it tends to clump.
  • If you are using larger amounts of roux, you will need longer cook times.
Vegan white gravy cooked in a red pot being scooped up with a colorful wooden spoon.
Vegan white gravy

Use this vegan roux as a base for a vegan white sauce, aka bechamel. Add some nutritional yeast to it to make a cheese sauce for vegan mac and cheese or lasagna.

Recipes that use vegan roux

Flour and oil being mixed in a pan with a whisk.
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5 from 2 rating

Vegan Roux

Yield: 4
Prep: 2 minutes
Cook: 5 minutes
Total: 7 minutes
Author: Monica Davis
How to make a vegan roux for thickening vegan soups and gravies.
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Ingredients

  • 4 tablespoons vegan butter, (or oil)
  • 4 tablespoons flour, (or grain-based gluten-free flour mix)
  • 4 cups liquid, (vegetable broth or plant-based milk)

Instructions
 

  • Heat 4 tablespoons of vegan butter or oil of choice in a heavy-bottomed pan, then sprinkle in 4 tablespoons of flour.
  • Turn on the heat to low and simmer the roux to cook the flour.
  • 1 -2 minutes – (white) For the most thickening power.
  • 3-5 minutes – (blond) For a little more flavor.
  • 7-8 minutes (peanut butter color) for sauces and brown gravy.
  • 15-20 minutes (dark brown) for Creole and Cajun recipes like Gumbo.
  • Add liquids of choice like vegetable stock or plant-based milk about 1/2 cup at a time. (Most standard-size ladles are about 1/2 cup.)
  • Stir well with a whisk between each ladleful until all the liquid has been added.

Notes

  • Add the broth a little at a time, stirring well between each scoop until smooth.
  • Warm liquid works best; if it’s too hot or too cold, it tends to clump.
  • If you are using larger amounts of roux, you will need longer cook times.
*The nutrition label is for the roux mixed with 4 cups of low-sodium vegetable broth.
Serving: 1cup, Calories: 141kcal, Carbohydrates: 11g, Protein: 2g, Fat: 10g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g, Monounsaturated Fat: 4g, Trans Fat: 1g, Sodium: 192mg, Potassium: 27mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 535IU, Calcium: 16mg, Iron: 1mg
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