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.
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.
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📋 main ingredients at a glance
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
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🍲 cooking equipment and pantry items
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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.
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.
Clean and dice button mushrooms.
Peel and mince the shallot and garlic.
Then, wash the chives and dry them with a clean kitchen towel, and thinly slice or mince.
Make your herb bouquet by bundling the fresh thyme and parsley together with a kitchen string.
To make the gravy base:
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.
Thicken the gravy:
Reduce to medium-low heat and sprinkle the flour into the pan.
Add mushroom stock and whisk until thickened and smooth.
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.
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
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Disclosure: The recipe below may contain affiliate links. As an Amazon
umami vegan gravy
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 Diamond Crystal kosher salt, (use half the amount if using sea salt or table salt)
- 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
*The Instacart button above is an affiliate link, which means we do make a small profit from your purchases (your price is not affected by this commission).
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
try these other vegan recipes
- taiwanese summer squash fava bean cold noodles
- tri-color cauliflower, lentils, and cherry vegan tacos
- roasted fuyu persimmon and pear with brussels sprouts and radish
share your thoughts below. let's chat at the kitchen table: