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    home » recipes » umami vegan gravy

    umami vegan gravy

    published: Apr 20, 2019 by cindy chou · updated: Nov 9, 2022

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    Vegan mushroom gravy over a bowl of oven roasted vegetable fries placed on a pink and blue cloth.

    Are you looking for a plant-based gravy recipe that is just as flavorful as traditional gravy? Browned mushrooms and the use of dried shiitake mushrooms are the foundations of delicious vegan gravy, but what takes this recipe to the next level is the use of even more umami-filled ingredients like a good dry sherry, soy sauce, and mushroom stock.

    A mouthwatering vegan gravy recipe packed with flavor and perfect for any holiday dish or gravy craving. The instructional cooking video shows you how to make vegan gravy that is great for Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas dinners, gravy fries, any other gravy occasion, or even for Earth Day celebration! Vegan, vegetarian, and meat-loving guests will love it.

    Vegetable fries in a light blue bowl covered with vegan mushroom gravy and fresh chopped chives.
    Naturally dyed textile shown in photos is from IROCOH.

    Maybe you're hosting a dinner with guests that have various dietary restrictions.

    I use to make 2 different gravies for Thanksgiving dinner to please the whole extended family but decided to serve this vegan gravy to meat lovers as well when I realized they liked it just as much as turkey gravy.

    With a few cooking techniques and the right ingredients, you can learn how to make this flavorful umami vegan gravy easily.

    jump to:
    • 📋 main ingredients at a glance
    • 🎥 cooking video
    • 🍲 cooking equipment and pantry items
    • 🔪 how to make vegan gravy – step by step
    • 💭 need a gluten-free option?
    • 💭 umami vegan gravy: pro tips and tricks
    • 💭 recipes that go well with vegan gravy
    • umami vegan gravy
    • try these other vegan recipes
    • you may also like:

    📋 main ingredients at a glance

    Top down view of umami vegan gravy ingredients, including button mushrooms in a clear bowl, a bunch of fresh parsley, a shallot, fresh thyme, dried shiitake mushrooms, garlic, vegan butter, and dry sherry over a blue and pink cloth.

     

    INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED FOR THIS RECIPE

     

    • 8 ounces button mushrooms
    • 1 medium shallot
    • 2 cloves garlic
    • fresh chives
    • fresh thyme
    • fresh parsley
    • extra virgin olive oil
    • ground white pepper
    • salt
    • dry sherry
    • all purpose flour
    • 1 quart mushroom stock
    • low sodium soy sauce
    • ½ cup dried shiitake mushrooms
    • vegan butter (optional)

    🎥 cooking video

    Watch the video below for a virtual cooking class at your own pace. I show every step of this recipe in The Sound of Cooking® video series.

    See the full collection of cooking videos on YouTube or browse any other recipe right here on my website.

    Turn on your volume to hear the sounds of cooking. Cooking can be meditative and is a great opportunity to slow down, relax, and engage in your senses. Read more on our about page.

    🍲 cooking equipment and pantry items

    Note: Some of the links below are affiliate links, which means we do make a small profit from your purchases (your price is not affected by this commission). We are a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for us to earn fees by linking to Amazon.com and affiliated sites. If you click on an affiliate link, you consent to a cookie being placed on your browser for purposes of tracking commissions.

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    A bottle of California extra virgin olive oil on a white background.
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    A container of salt.
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    A bottle of Lustau sherry over a white background.
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    king arthur all purpose flour<br/><strong>buy</strong>
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    A bottle of low sodium soy sauce over a white background.
    yamasa soy sauce, less salt
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    earth balance vegan butter
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    🔪 how to make vegan gravy – step by step

    I’m going to go through each step in detail below, including step-by-step photos of how to cut each ingredient. You can jump straight to the video if you’re in a hurry.

    jump to cooking video

    Each step is all about creating layers of flavor. You can make it the day before you need it so you have more time to spend with your friends and family.

    First, prep your ingredients.

    Sliced white button mushroom on a wood cutting board.
    Diced white button mushroom on a wood cutting board.

    Clean and dice button mushrooms.

    Two hands peeling a shallot over a wood cutting board.
    A person making horizontal slices on a peeled shallot.
    A shallot being sliced on a wood cutting board.
    Top down view of a shallot being minced over a wood cutting board.
    A person making horizontal slices on a smashed garlic clove.
    A person mincing garlic on a wood cutting board.

    Peel and mince the shallot and garlic.

    Fresh chives being minced on a wood cutting board.

    Then, wash the chives and dry them with a clean kitchen towel, and thinly slice or mince.

    Two hands tying kitchen string around a bouquet of fresh thyme and parsley stems.

    Make your herb bouquet by bundling the fresh thyme and parsley together with a kitchen string.

    To make the gravy base:

    Browned button mushrooms in a pan.

    Heat a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add olive oil immediately followed by diced button mushrooms. Allow mushrooms to brown (about 5 minutes), then season with ground white pepper and salt.

    Browned diced mushrooms in a pan with minced shallots added.

    Add minced shallot, and cook for another 2 minutes while stirring.

    Browned diced mushrooms in a pan with minced garlic added.

    Add minced garlic, herb bouquet, and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute).

    Browned mushrooms, cooked minced shallot and garlic in a pan with an added fresh herb bouquet.

    Browned mushrooms with shallot and garlic in a pan after deglazing with dry sherry.

    Stir and deglaze with dry sherry, scraping up brown flavorful bits.

    Flour sprinkled on browned mushrooms in a pan for gravy.

    Thicken the gravy:
    Reduce to medium-low heat and sprinkle the flour into the pan.

    Close up of vegan gravy in a pan to show the thickened consistency.

    Add mushroom stock and whisk until thickened and smooth.

    Top down view of vegan gravy in a pan with an herb bouquet and soy sauce added.

    Add extra umami: Add soy sauce and dried shiitake mushrooms to the gravy base and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from scorching.

    Thickened vegan gravy in a pan with dried shiitake mushrooms added.

    Close up of vegan gravy in a pan finished with vegan butter.

    Finish with vegan butter and stir until incorporated. Remove herb bouquet. Season to taste and serve.

    Optional step: Strain or blend until smooth depending on preferred consistency. Adjust seasoning if needed.

    💭 need a gluten-free option?

    • Substitute low sodium soy sauce with tamari
    • Use cornstarch instead of flour - skip the adding flour step and continue to deglaze your pan with sherry and adding mushroom stock. Create a cornstarch slurry by whisking 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 cup of water. Add the slurry to the simmering gravy base while whisking over medium-low heat until thickened.

    💭 umami vegan gravy: pro tips and tricks

    This recipe is easy to make for beginners and is easily customizable.

    • Don't have dried shiitake mushrooms? No problem! You can use dried porcini mushrooms or omit altogether. As long as you take your time with browning the button mushrooms, the addition of soy sauce and mushroom stock will add plenty of depth of flavor.
    • Prep ahead by making this gravy a day in advance and reheating the day of or you can freeze for later.
    • How to thicken vegan gravy: all purpose flour or King Arthur's gluten-free flour (*affiliate links) would work best, but you can also thicken with a cornstarch slurry. You can even skip the thickening step if you plan to puree the mushroom gravy base.

     

    COOKING WITH KIDS - what can the kids help with?

     

    • wiping mushrooms
    • making the herb bouquet
    • measuring out dry and wet ingredients

    💭 recipes that go well with vegan gravy

    I love gravy fries and this recipe is a perfect topping for oven roasted vegetable fries. It's also great on mashed potatoes, celery root puree, or even rice (I'm thinking vegan or vegetarian loco moco)!


    Let me know if you have any questions in the comments below.

    Happy cooking! ~ Cin

    Want to get recipe updates, pro cooking tips, and nutrition info on East Asian ingredients straight to your inbox? Sign up here for free emails and updates.

    Please give this recipe a star rating below and leave a comment. I would appreciate it so much and would love to hear about your experience or if you put your own twist on the recipe. Show off your results by taking a photo and tagging @thesoundofcooking on Instagram. I would love to share what you come up with!

    Disclosure: The recipe below may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases (your price is not affected by this commission). If you click on an affiliate link, you consent to a cookie being placed on your browser for purposes of tracking commissions. See our Disclaimer for more information.

    Vegan mushroom gravy over a bowl of oven roasted vegetable fries placed on a pink and blue cloth.
    print recipe pin recipe
    4.86 from 7 votes

    umami vegan gravy

    A mouthwatering vegan gravy packed with flavor perfect for any holiday dish or gravy craving. It tastes great without blending if you like the meaty texture of sautéed mushrooms. Great for Thanksgiving, Easter, Christmas, gravy fries, or any other gravy occasion. Vegan, vegetarian, and meat-loving guests will love it.
    prep time10 mins
    cook time30 mins
    total time40 mins
    servings: 6 servings
    author: cindy chou
    Prevent your screen from going dark.

    watch it step-by-step: the sound of cooking® video

    ingredients

    • 3 sprigs thyme
    • 5 stems parsley, flat leaf (Italian)
    • 2 tablespoons olive oil, extra virgin
    • 8 ounces button mushrooms, cleaned and small dice
    • ⅛ teaspoon ground white pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon salt, kosher
    • 1 medium shallot, peeled and minced
    • 2 cloves garlic, peeled and minced
    • ¼ cup sherry, dry
    • ¾ cup all purpose flour
    • 1 quart mushroom broth (can substitute with low sodium vegetable stock)
    • 2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
    • ½ cup sliced dried shiitake mushrooms (or dried porcini), about 6 grams
    • 3 tablespoons earth balance vegan butter
    • 2 tablespoons chopped fresh chives

    instructions

    • Make a herb bouquet by tying kitchen string around the fresh thyme and parsley stems and set aside.
    • Heat a large (12-inch) saute pan over medium-high heat. When the pan is hot, add olive oil immediately followed by diced button mushrooms. Allow mushrooms to brown (about 5 minutes), then season with ground white pepper and salt. Add minced shallot, and cook for another 2 minutes while stirring. Add minced garlic, herb bouquet, and cook until fragrant (about 1 minute). Stir and deglaze with dry sherry, scraping up brown flavorful bits.
    • Reduce to medium-low heat, sprinkle the flour into the pan, add mushroom stock, and whisk until thickened and smooth.
    • Add soy sauce and dried shiitake mushrooms to the gravy base and simmer over medium-low heat for 15 minutes while stirring occasionally to prevent the bottom from scorching. 
    • Finish with vegan butter and stir until incorporated.
    • Remove herb bouquet. Season to taste and serve.
    • Optional: strain or blend until smooth depending on preferred consistency. Adjust seasoning if needed.

    notes

    MAKE AHEAD: This gravy recipe can be made the day before you need it.
    GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: Substitute the soy sauce with tamari and use cornstarch instead of flour to thicken the gravy (skip the adding flour step and continue to deglaze your pan with sherry and adding mushroom stock. Create a cornstarch slurry by whisking 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 1 cup of water. Add the slurry to  the simmering gravy base while whisking over medium-low heat until thickened.)
    course: Side Dish
    cuisine: American, French
    keyword: holiday dish, mushrooms, Vegan, vegetarian
    difficulty: easy
    yield: 4 cups
    tried this recipe?Take a pic and tag @thesoundofcooking! I'd love to see what you made.
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    Hello! I’m Cindy Chou, RDN (she/her/她), a Taiwanese American chef and Registered Dietitian Nutritionist (but you won’t find any restrictive diet talk here!). I'm also a hotpot addict and love to cook Taiwanese and other Asian cuisine-inspired dishes. Join me for umami-rich recipes, pro cooking tips, and relaxing cooking videos to help you slow down and create lasting food memories.

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