This vegan lasagna is packed with veggies, flavourful and creamy without a shred of fake vegan cheese or tofu!
Of all the different ways you can make vegan lasagna, the tofu ricotta one has to be the worst. It’s so gross! It tastes nothing like ricotta and everything like tofu bathed in tomato sauce, ewww!
Cashews are a better option for making a cheesy sauce.
They’re great for the potato and carrot-based vegan mac and cheese recipes, and I usually use cashews as sour cream like for these vegan pierogi.
The problem with cashews? They’re expensive!
The solution suddenly came to me after making the video for my Spanish spinach croquettes a couple of weeks ago: béchamel!
I could use more or less the same filling for my croquettes but a bit creamier and pile it into a vegan lasagna!
Not that there’s anything innovative about using a béchamel sauce in lasagna; white lasagna is already a thing that the Italians have been doing since, I don’t know, forever.
I just realized that by making the béchamel sauce with olive oil and plant-based milk instead of butter and cow’s milk, then adding nutritional yeast, makes a deliciously creamy and cheesy vegan sauce that you won’t get from tofu ricotta!
The other amazing thing about this vegan béchamel sauce is that it gratinates!
(So my spell check is telling me that gratinate is not a real word (pretty sure it is); what I mean is that the top of your lasagna goes brown and crispy like cheese would do but without the need for any fake, processed vegan cheese product! Win!)
Lasagna is notorious for being super difficult and time consuming to make.
Yes and no. I’m not gonna lie, this isn’t a quick 30-minute dinner.
For this recipe you’re going to make a veggie-packed filling and a creamy béchamel sauce from scratch.
The good new though: they’re both super easy! (And if you’re really hard core about making everything from scratch, make your own marinara sauce too. I decided not to in order to save a bit of time!)
The filling is easy: simply fry up your favourite veggies.
I’ve always liked mushroom and spinach lasagna, plus I added diced carrot and zucchini this time. You can change this up according to what you like or have on hand.
For the vegan béchamel you’re going to start with a roux.
This is just a fancy name for oil and flour cooked for a few minutes until beginning to brown. This is to cook out the raw flour flavour.
Then add plant milk a ladleful at a time, stirring to prevent lumps, until it’s thick and creamy.
Occasionally béchamel can be a bit finicky and clump anyway; no worries if it happens to you, simply pass it through a fine mesh strainer once it’s done.
Pile it all together with your lasagna noodles and pop it in the oven.
The baking and cooling is the most time-consuming part of this recipe. Let me tell you, it’s sooooo hard to leave it sitting there to cool and not dive in right away!
But be warned: it will slide apart if you don’t give it time to set!
Wanna see how vegan lasagna is made? Watch the video and share it on Facebook:
Vegan Lasagna
This vegan lasagna is packed with veggies, flavourful and creamy without a shred of fake vegan cheese or tofu!
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons olive oil, divided
- 1 large onion, diced
- 4 cloves of garlic, minced
- 600 grams (21 oz) button mushrooms, chopped (use the stems too)
- 2 carrots, diced
- 1 zucchini, diced
- 400 grams (14 oz) frozen spinach, thawed according to the package directions and squeezed
- 2 teaspoons salt, divided
- Pepper, to taste
- 2 cups (480 ml) unsweetened plant milk (I used soy)
- 1 cup (240 ml) vegetable stock
- ½ cup (75 grams) flour
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 3 cups (700 ml / about a jar and a half) marinara sauce
- Lasagna noodles
Instructions
- Heat a large pan over medium-high heat and add 2 tablespoons of the oil, the onion and garlic and fry until soft. Add the mushrooms and fry until browned (work in batches if they don’t all fit in your pan at once). Add the carrot and zucchini and fry a couple more minutes until soft. Finally add the thawed spinach, 1 ½ teaspoons of salt and pepper to taste.
- Preheat the oven to 200° C / 400° F.
- Combine the plant milk and stock in a bowl. Add the remaining 4 tablespoons of oil to a pan over medium heat and sift in the flour. Stir well. Cook for 5 - 10 minutes, stirring from time to time, until the flour begins to brown and gives off a nutty smell. Add one ladleful of the plant milk-stock mixture and whisk really well until evaporated. Continue adding the liquid one ladleful at a time and always stirring until you get a creamy sauce. If you’re unlucky and get some lumps, pass the sauce through a fine mesh strainer. Finally, stir in the nutritional yeast and remaining ½ teaspoon of salt.
- In a 28 x 18 x 5 cm (11 x 7 x 2 inch) baking pan, place a layer of marinara sauce, followed by a layer of the béchamel, followed by a layer of lasagna noodles (I put the noodles in uncooked) . Then another layer of marinara, half of your veggie filling, the béchamel and more noodles. Continue with more layers. Finish the top with a layer of marinara and a layer of béchamel. Mix them together a bit so that the colour looks more like cheese.
- Cover with tin foil and bake for 30 minutes. Then uncover and bake for a further 10 minutes, or until the top begins to brown in places and looks like cheese. Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 30 minutes before cutting and serving.
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Nutrition Information:
Yield: 6 Serving Size: 1 sliceAmount Per Serving: Calories: 313Total Fat: 17gSaturated Fat: 3gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 13gCholesterol: 7mgSodium: 1038mgCarbohydrates: 32gFiber: 8gSugar: 6gProtein: 12g
julie borden says
what can i use to cover in the oven instead of aluminum?
Cindy says
Made this without mushrooms, but added a finely chopped celery stalk & green pepper & few florets of broccoli and a cooked & mashed sweet potato. I made a gluten free béchamel sauce using almost 1/4 cup potato flour and almost 1/4 cup tapioca flour and then added a little potato starch to total a 1/2 cup. Used gluten free noodles. Covered with 2 glass corning ware lids across my metal lasagna pan; however one could cover with parchment paper topped with aluminum foil to avoid aluminum contamination in food. Served with vegan Parmesan cheese. My company really enjoyed this and my husband said it was the best vegan lasagna recipe yet!
Kim says
You can use a lid. When I want to cook something in the oven that requires a lid so it will not dry out I use my graniteware roaster. They come in all sizes, I have 5 different sizes. They are resonably priced.
Christine says
Sometimes I use a cookie sheet.
Julie says
I used parchment paper for 20 mins then uncovered last 10 mins.
Alexandra Colacito says
This was amazing perfection. My husband wants to serve it to his traditional Italian family next holiday! I was worried the sauce would be hard to make, but no. I'm a novice cook, and it all worked out. Great recipe!
Melissa says
Oh wow, Italian approval! So happy it worked out good for you, thanks so much for the feedback!
Lexy says
AMAZING!!!! I added in pumpkin and sweet potato as well cause I had them lying around. I made it gf using a gf all purpose mix and vegan gf lasagne sheets. I used activated almond milk for the cheese sauce and OMG!! My taste buds are doing a happy dance!! Best vegan lasagne recipe!! Hands down. I know because I've tried nearly all of them AND I'm a foodie
Melissa says
Yum, pumpkin sounds like a great addition!
Pauline orr says
I made this last night. This was amazeballs! My meat eating hubby loved it and wanted all of it haha! So delicious! Only thing different is I added kale instead of spinach. Oh my gosh, it was so good. I cannot wait to eat the leftovers tonight!
Ashley says
I've been looking for a great vegan lasagna for my wedding! Would this be make ahead and freezable by chance? Has anyone tried it?
Jen says
Hi! Do you mean to not precook the noodles at all? Just put them in raw and hard?
Melissa says
Yes, if you have the oven ready kind. The package should have instructions.
Sue says
Be careful about the noodles. The oven-ready lasagne made by Barilla contains eggs. Be sure to read the ingredient label.
Catherine Deverell says
Would this freeze ok? Thanks, recipe looks lovely.
Melissa says
Yes
Jen says
Thank you!! Gunna make this weekend!!
Mary Abram says
Anyone maybe know how much protein may be in a serving?
Beth says
Made this this evening and we all loved it. We didn't even let it sit very long because it smelled so good. I cut the recipe in half because there are just 2 of us. Thanks for a great recipe that we will be making often.
Maren says
Perfect! This worked out so well. First vegan lasagna for my housemates and they loved it!
Valerie says
Made this vegan lasagna and everyone love it, it was so good.
Dana says
Thank you for this amazing recipe
Was easy to follow and definitely the best lasagna I ever made!!!! Thank you so much. Xxx
Nicola says
Made this tonight with a rich marina sauce, we all loved it, 2 vegans and 2 meat eaters.
Michelle says
This lasagna is beautiful and looks so delicious! Love that there's no tofu in it. I'm going to make this for my daughter's birthday tomorrow, and would like to get it ready ahead of time. Do you think it would be better to assemble and refrigerate it, or just prepare the ingredients ahead and assemble right before baking? I am worried about the noodles absorbing too much liquid if I assemble ahead, causing a dry finished product. Also, what brand of marinara do you like to use? Thanks for sharing this wonderful recipe!
Melissa says
I don't think it'd be a problem to assemble it ahead of time. Even if the noodles start to soften, if anything it might reduce your cooking time a bit but that shouldn't affect the finished product. As for marinara sauce, I usually just buy the cheapest, plainest one I can find!
Littleone says
I can't cook to save myself!! Got it abit wrong and it was still fantastic!!!! Thank you so much, especially for the video.
Second time round was even better!!!
How do you reheat for next day?
Put foil on it again and hear what temp and how long?
Seriously bad at cooking 🙂 Lol any recipe that survives me is a WINNER!!!
Thanks again!!! Xxxx
Melissa says
Normally I just put a couple pieces in the microwave but yes, you can also do it in the oven. Cover it in foil and bake it for about 20 minutes or so at 325F. You can test it by sticking a knife in it and touching it to see if it's hot all the way through.
Sharon says
Is it ok to double recipe and bake in larger lasagna pan?
Melissa says
Sure
Mare says
Does anyone know the calories?
carolyn says
Thankyou for sharing this recipe, it was the best vegan cheese sauce I have tasted yet. The lasagna was absolutely beautiful, I used the left over cheese sauce over my vegan burritos last night and wow! so good 🙂
Sierra says
OMG. This was INCREDIBLE. That "cheese" sauce is SOOO perfect. My boyfriend was very skeptical by the huge amount of mushrooms that go into this. Well, let me tell you he ate a huge plate full and said it was amazing and we should definitely make it again! This is definitely going in our favorite recipes book. THANK YOU!
Sara says
This was absolutely delicious! Even my 4 year old loved it. I substituted kale for spinach, and omitted the carrots, and it was yummy. Thanks for this recipe!
Allison Andrews says
Just made this for our Thanksgiving dinner! (Our toddler just isn't a fan of many of the typical T-giving "staples"). We figured this would be easier and the point is a great meal so... mission accomplished. However, I'd add that we were laughing about the "40 minute prep" time listed. In what world? It took us several hours! (Unless you chop at lightning speed... the sifting of the flour for the béchamel took time, even just assembly took a bit). And a final note: the 11x7x2 pan was WAY small. We ended up using a second small Pyrex which is now in our freezer for a quick me. If you want to make it all in one pan, I'd suggest a 13x9" pan. Great recipe - will definitely make again.
Amber says
So good! We used vegan beef crumbles instead of mushrooms since I don't like mushrooms. I am so thankful I found this recipe. Absolutely delicious! My mother in law had some leftovers the next day and loved it. We are going to make it again soon. Thank you for sharing this amazing dish!
Charles says
Great dish. Would make again. Followed recipe pretty much and made 1/2 quantity. Really good
Robert says
Lasagna noodle? Lasagna sheet right ........? You do know made from eggs . How can't be vegan?
Melissa says
I read the ingredients.
Sharon says
What is nutritional yeast &where do I get it please
Melissa says
It's an ingredient that adds a cheesy flavour. You can get it in health food stores, bulk food stores, sometimes in well-stocked supermarkets or on Amazon.
Janine H says
I just learned at 47 I have a milk allergy so I'm looking for new ideas as I change my entire diet. For Christmas, I'm going to make a traditional lasagna but I also need a non-dairy version for myself. With this recipe, how would you suggest incorporating butternut squash? I'd like to do that with the bechamel. Do you think unsweetened coconut milk would be OK as I'm not a fan of soy.
Melissa says
Do you mean you'd like to incorporate the butternut squash into the bechamel sauce itself or into the lasagna in general? I'd suggest you finely dice it and add it to the pan with the carrot and zucchini, or in place of either the carrot or zucchini. Yes, you can use any kind of unsweetened plant-based milk.
Jenn says
I am going to make this for Christmas Eve dinner. I am traveling so I was going to make it at home, freeze and then reheat there. It's about a 3 hour drive. Will it keep ok for the drive? And should I reheat it from frozen or thaw and then reheat?
Melissa says
It's just like a regular lasagna so you can reheat it directly from frozen. I think it will keep ok for the drive as long as you don't live somewhere tropical. If you live somewhere cold then it'll stay cool in the trunk. What I found when I thawed mine is that the bechamel sauce on top was less creamy than when I baked it fresh so maybe keep a bit of the bechamel in a container in the fridge to pour over top before reheating so it's nice and bubbly.
Brooke says
I made this for my vegan friends tonight. It was a huge hit! I'm going to go ahead and say one of the best lasagnas I have ever eaten. Give this recipe a try. It is truly delicious.
Bonnie says
I made this recipe but my bechamel sauce was a little darker than yours. I did the recipe Pretty much the sameness except I didn’t have any zucchini so I used a some fresh broccoli and chopped it up very small. I made it at night then put it in the fridge and will cook it tomorrow.
d'Arcy Montague says
Hi! We just made this and it turned out phenomenal. I did add some tofu ricotta that I made up and turned out much better than I thought.. I mashed up one cube of tofu with a dollop/spoonful of cashew cheez which I happened to have on hand (cashews, water, olive oil, salt, Brewers yeast and smoked paprika) + 1/2t lemon juice + 1/2t organic cane sugar + 2/3t salt. When it was baked it came out with a great rich flavor and same thing with the bechamel, after baking it came out better flavor/texture than going in. I used lasagna noodles that I did need to boil but only boiled them until they were semi soft like halfway done. We will definitely make this again, thank you!
Paulette says
Hi Melissa! I wanted to tell you how much my family LOVES this lasagna! I’m Italian and was very skeptical. How could this possibly be good, with not a shred of cheese?! I was thrilled!! I double the recipe and use my traditional deep lasagna pan. THANK YOU for sharing your delicious recipe with the world!
Melissa says
That's awesome to hear! So glad you liked it and thanks for coming back to leave the feedback!
Ginette says
Can I make this with fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Melissa says
Sure
Bren says
I made this last night and it was sooo delicious. I was sure I would have enough for lunch today but there was nothing left. The sauce was a little thick so I'll tweak that next time. Thank you for a wonderful recipe.
Ashley says
This recipe was THE BEST!! I didn’t miss the cheese at all and the flavor was amazing. I did a few things different tho. I roasted my veggies (zucchini, squash) and I seasoned the beshamel a bit more with extra nutritional yeast (1 tbsp) garlic and rosemary
Sandra says
What type of flour would you recommend for wheat free? Can I use corn flour, rice flour or buckwheat flour instead??
Mike says
If you can find "sweet rice flour" it works very well.
Carmelle says
Can I use almond milk?
Melissa says
Yes, make sure it's unsweetened.
Jules @ Wolf It Down says
I used unsweetened almond milk and it tasted soooooo good
CardRx says
Made this exactly as the recipe says, made it in less time and I par cooked the vegan lasagna noodles, I did not have the easy bake one's. Great heathy, hearty recipe. Easy to make and a crowd pleaser. I did use a larger lasagna baking dish, 13x9...fit perfect. Thanks for the cheeseless, tofuless awesome recipe
Jules @ Wolf It Down says
This is seriously the best lasagna I have EVER made! Creamy, lush and it has those comforting flavours <3 both my boyfriend and I went for seconds thank you for the recipe!
April says
This recipe came out perfect! It was exactly as pictured all the way through and the taste was delicious! When I try someone's recipe, I am a big fan of preparing it exactly as they designed it so I can give good feedback. I must say, this is the BEST vegan lasagne out there! My husband and I are new to vegan life and there's nothing we can't stand more than "fake" products that have been made for vegans that normally come from animals. " Cheeze" is a big one of those "fake" products that often times just turns the dish into a disaster. Although this was my first time making a bechumel sauce, this recipe wasn't hard and it doesn't take that long to prepare. You certainly have made a couple of vegans very happy over here!!!
Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!
Ally says
I just made this. It came out really yummy! The roux/sauce was interesting. When I put the first ladel in, it had a thick consistency, but when I added the entire milk/broth mixture, it had the consistency of a thick soup, but it gave the lasagna an extra flavor. I think if you want to save yourself some time, you can do without it. The key is finding a great organic & natural marinara sauce. I love these oven ready lasagna noodles.
Anyway, thank you so much cilantro and citronella for this great recipe!
Paul says
Hey, I just made this tonight and it was great. However I found the taste kind of underwhelming. COuld you give me a tip on turning the taste factor up to 11 please? I'm pretty sure I made it right and was hoping for something slightly more. Great recipe and I will definitely be making it again, Thanks so much!
Karen says
So yummy!!! My father in law and husband both really enjoyed this!!
Melissa says
Great, so glad you all enjoyed it!
Nancy DuShane says
I agree with all the positive remarks! Perfectly delicious, vegan and meat eaters alike loved it! I used fresh spinach! Fantastic!
Hannah says
This was super delicious! My family of meat eaters ( me being the only vegan) thoroughly enjoyed it. I loved the cheese sauce! Will definelty be making again. Thank you
Sis says
Excellent!! Easy to put together and yummy to eat
Eva says
Can I use fresh spinach instead of frozen?
Melissa says
Sure
Halleen says
Thank you for this recipe! I hate that tofu replacement. Also, I believe the word you are looking for is "gratinées." As in, to gratinée, gratinées, or was gratinéed.
Suzie says
I just love lasagna! And I can't wait to try this recipe. 🙂 Thank you for sharing!
Also, it was featured on my blog:
https://suzinspire.com/20-meal-ideas-make-you-go-vegan/
Kelly says
I’ve made this 4 times so far. I make my own sauce loaded with onions, garlic, green pepper, tomatoes, zucchini and mushrooms. I put sauce on the noodles, then fresh spinach and your lovely béchamel!! It is spectacular!!! Thank you so much. I hate the fake vegan cheese, the cashew cheese or the tofu cheese. The béchamel was perfect (and I love the fact that I know what the ingredients are in it). The flavors combined make the absolute best vegan lasagna. My 15 yr old vegan wants me to make this every day!!!
Thank you for a spectacular recipe.
Paris says
I loved this lasagna! I wish the recipe was more specific into how many grams of carrots and zucchini and onion to use, just so that I could have a ballpark range. My carrots were not large, just average, so I used 4, and my zucchini was large, larger than the average zucchini in an American supermarket, so I used 1/2 of it. I also made the marinara sauce, since they don't sell it at stores where I live, and it was amazing! Next time I will use the recommended amount of spinach, since I only had 7 oz, and less heavy big veggies, so that it may stay together more! It was my first time making vegan lasagna and it was fantastic! Thank you!
Jan says
I made this Today! And it was Just AWESOME!! And it’s a Keeper!, The Flavors are ALL THERE!! I used Bertolli Rustic Cut Marinara Sauce and Gluten-free Flour And it was DELICIOUS!!
Val says
Thank you for this recipe. I don't use fake cheeses and no soy for me! I used unsweetened almond milk ( I think the pea milk in my fridge would have been a better choice , however, I wasn't paying attention and used the almond and it worked fine).
I used mushrooms & spinach. Best vegan lasagna ever!!
Flora says
Have you seen the conditions that cashews are harvested in? Is there no other vegan chees?
Melissa says
Huh? Did you even read the recipe?
Kat says
Made this last night and it was AMAZING!! Leftovers are even better!! 🙂 I want to make this for a potluck lunch at work, however, we do not have an oven at work. I am hoping I can make this in a slow cooker - looked up some vegan lasagna slow cooker recipes, looks like cooking it on low for 3 1/2 - 4 hours should do the trick! Curious if anyone has tried this recipe in a slow cooker - either way, I'll report back and let you know how it goes!
Melissa says
Great question. I don't have a slow cooker so I have never tried it that way. Perhaps someone else will have the answer!
Hannah says
We have been making this recipe for about a year now. It is amazing and is loved by even the meat-eater in the family! Thanks for the recipe. Everyone who tries it loves it. It is just as easy to make as a regular lasanga. The bechamel sauce is yum too!
Teresa Willis says
Can I use cashew nuts for plant base milk or almond milk. Can I use spelt flour instead of all purpose flour.
Melissa says
Yes, you can use other types of milk. I've used oat milk and it came out fine. I've never used spelt flour so I can't say for sure but if it thickens liquids like all purpose flour then it should work.
Dari says
Would it be ok to leave out the nutritional yeast? Would it affect the overall flavor of the dish? I've tried nutritional yeast in multiple dishes and wanted to like it, but I just can't. Thank you in advance.
Melissa says
Sure, you can leave it out if you don't like it.
Bdt says
I am a traditional lasagne fan and made this to placate my want to be vegan teenage daughter. It was The Best Lasagne I’ve ever had in my 47 years. Thank you. AMAZING
TK Tan says
Hi Melissa
Can I add red beans or cannellli beans to make it more filling in your lasagna recipe?
Regards
Tan
Melissa says
Sure!