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This Mushroom Gravy is an easy gourmet sauce with mouthwatering flavors. You won’t be able to resist drizzling it on everything! Vegan, Gluten-Free Option.
Impress your dinner guests with this hearty and delicious Vegan Mushroom Gravy! As the ultimate feel-good vegan condiment, it’s packed with cremini mushrooms and adds a boost of velvety smooth, umami goodness wherever you use it. Drizzle it over mashed potatoes, your Thanksgiving dinner, french fries, and more!
Table of Contents
For All Your Drizzling Needs
I’m a big fan of sauces and truly believe that they can make or break a meal. So, when it’s chilly outside or the holidays are coming up, I know it’s time to start slathering my food with homemade gravy. It’s easily the best way to make my winter comfort foods extra comforting.
A perfect match for anything, from mashed potatoes to vegan meatloaf to Thanksgiving leftovers (like a moist maker sandwich perhaps?), a drizzle of this Homemade Vegan Mushroom Gravy will instantly elevate your cold-weather meals.
This vegan gravy recipe is made with good-for-you mushrooms to give you an extra serving of veggies, while the sautéed aromatics, fresh herbs, melted vegan butter, and splash of tamari make it buttery smooth and oh-so-delicious. With a quick 30-minute prep time and only one pan to clean up, you’ll easily fall for this gourmet-style condiment!
Ingredients for Vegan Gravy
This gravy recipe is an elevated version of a classic but still easy to make in 1 pan with about 12 simple ingredients. With a quick prep time and easy clean-up, how could you resist making a batch for the holidays?
- Olive Oil and Butter: yes, you need both! The oil prevents the aromatics from burning, while the plant-based butter infuses the gravy with lots of body and rich flavors. Yum!
- Mushrooms: cremini mushrooms have a hearty, umami, and earthy flavor that’s perfect for gravy. It also doesn’t hurt that they’re budget-friendly and usually easy to find in most major grocery stores. If you feel ready to experiment with a stronger depth of flavor, feel free to make the gravy with a medley of cremini, shiitake, portobello, porcini, and/or oyster mushrooms instead.
- Herbs and Aromatics: shallots (or yellow or white onions), fresh thyme sprigs, and garlic cloves bring classic seasonal flavors to this warm and savory gravy. Fresh rosemary sprigs and sage leaves would be wonderfully warming here, too!
- Tamari: just a splash will upgrade the gravy’s umami flavor. Low-sodium soy sauce or coconut aminos also work as substitutes.
- Flour: all-purpose flour is used to make a thickening roux for the gravy.
- Water and Vegetable Broth: a 2:1 ratio of water to vegetable broth is the base of the gravy. The broth adds more flavor, and the water dilutes the broth’s saltiness.
How to Make Vegan Mushroom Gravy
- Sauté the shallot in a large pan over medium-high heat until soft.
- Add the butter and mushrooms to the pan and stir to coat them in the melted butter. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, stirring infrequently.
- Stir in the herbs, spices, and tamari, then sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms. Mix to combine.
- Pour the broth and water into the pan and heat to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer the gravy until it has reduced and thickened.
- Taste and season with more salt and pepper, then serve warm as desired.
Caitlin’s Cooking Tips
- The more surface area, the more beautiful your mushrooms will be: Making the gravy in a large pan instead of a pot will give you more surface area to work with and leave space in between the mushrooms. All of this space helps the mushrooms brown beautifully, develop a rich savory flavor, and speed up the gravy’s cooking time.
- Don’t rush the mushrooms! Patience is key when it comes to cooking mushrooms. When they’re left alone in the pan, they have a better chance of caramelizing and developing more flavor. Once they’re in the pan, let them sit undisturbed for 1 minute before stirring or flipping, then repeat this step until they’ve browned and shrunk in size.
- Make the gravy ahead of time: Make your holiday prep a little easier by making the gravy and storing it in the refrigerator for up to 3 days before reheating and serving. Keep in mind that it will thicken as it cools, and you’ll likely need to adjust the consistency with extra water or broth.
Serving Suggestions
There truly isn’t a bad way to serve vegan mushroom gravy. Whether you plan on using it as a holiday condiment or to elevate your everyday dinners, its rich depth of flavor complements almost anything!
Just like my Tahini Gravy, this mushroom gravy is a must-have on your Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner table. Drizzle it over this Tofu Turkey Roast, these Vegan Mashed Potatoes, this Vegan Lentil Loaf, this Vegan Mushroom Stuffing, and your other favorite holiday dishes. Check out my Vegan & Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Guide if you need more pairing ideas.
Mushroom gravy can add a boost of warm umami flavors to everyday meals, too. I like to serve it with my weeknight dinners, like slices of this Vegan Lentil Loaf and these Portobello Mushroom Steaks, to make them a little more comforting. It would also be perfect with french fries, rice, polenta, hearty casseroles, stuffed squash, vegan shepherd’s pie, and more.
If you’re looking for more unforgettable vegan sauces, you’ll also love this Healthy Cranberry Sauce, this 3 Ingredient Salted Caramel Sauce, and this Creamy Pumpkin Vodka Sauce!
How to Store Leftover Mushroom Gravy
The leftover gravy will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge or up to 3 months in the freezer.
Wait for the gravy to cool completely before transferring it to an airtight or freezer-safe container. Thaw the leftovers in the fridge overnight before reheating.
To reheat, gently warm the gravy in a saucepan on the stove or for 1 to 2 minutes in the microwave, stirring every 30 seconds. Thin the consistency with a splash of water or broth, if needed.
Substitutions & Variations
- Gluten-Free Option: Omit the flour and follow the recipe as normal until step 4. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot powder in 2 tablespoons of water and add the mixture to the gravy during the last 10 minutes of simmering.
- Oil and Butter Substitutions: You can substitute olive oil with vegan butter for a richer taste. Alternatively, use another oil like avocado, vegetable, or refined coconut oil.
- Broth Choices: Low-sodium vegetable broth can be substituted with vegan chicken or beef broth. Remember that these broth options are significantly more salty, so be cautious when adding any extra salt.
- Flavor Boosters: Add 1 teaspoon of nutritional yeast, Dijon mustard, or a splash of balsamic vinegar for an extra layer of incredible flavor.
Recipe FAQs
Gravy is traditionally made from meat drippings and thickened with flour and butter, making the classic version not friendly for vegans or vegetarians. Luckily, all you need are simple plant-based substitutions to make a just-as-tasty vegan gravy!
Too thick? Add a few splashes of warm vegetable broth or water. Too thin? Continue simmering the gravy until it thickens.
You really can’t go wrong with any of the mushrooms I listed in the ingredients above—it all depends on how intense you want the mushroom flavor to be!
Enjoy! If you make this recipe and decide to share it on Facebook or Instagram, don’t forget to tag me @FromMyBowl + #FromMyBowl! I would also love it if you could leave a comment below with a recipe rating! Thank you for the support 😊
Vegan Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 shallot finely grated
- 2 tablespoons salted vegan butter or sub more oil
- 16 ounces cremini mushrooms sliced or diced*
- 1 teaspoon fresh thyme leaves
- 1/2 teaspoon black pepper plus more to taste
- 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tablespoon low-sodium tamari
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth
- 2 cups water
- Salt to taste
Instructions
- Aromatics: Warm the oil in a large sauté pan over medium high heat. Add the shallot and sauté for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Cook the Mushrooms: Add the butter to the pan, then add the mushrooms once it’s melted. Stir the mushrooms so they are all evenly coated in butter, then let sit for ~1 minute before stirring again; this encourages browning and gives more depth of flavor. Repeat this process 3 to 4 more times, until the mushrooms have shrunk in size.
- Herbs & Spices: add the thyme, black pepper, smoked paprika, and tamari to the pan. Mix well and sauté for 2 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mushrooms and mix well until evenly distributed.
- Make the Gravy: Add the vegetable broth and water to the pan and mix well. Increase the heat to high and bring the gravy to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, stirring occasionally, until the gravy has reduced and thickened.
- Serve: season with additional black pepper and salt, if necessary. Serve warm, as desired. Leftovers will keep in the fridge for up to 5 days.
Recipe Notes
- Mushrooms: I like to slice my mushrooms into thin slices, but if you want a less chunky gravy you can also roughly or finely dice them. I usually make this recipe with cremini mushrooms because they are more affordable and accessible, but you could also make this recipe with a mix of oyster, maitake, or shiitake mushrooms. Olive oil can be subbed for all butter, or vice-versa.
- Gluten-Free: Omit the flour from this recipe, but follow the remaining instructions as written until step 4. Dissolve 1 tablespoon of cornstarch or arrowroot powder in 2 tablespoons of water and add to the gravy in the final 10 minutes of simmering. Mix well; if the gravy is too thin for your liking, dissolve and add additional cornstarch to the gravy in 1 teaspoon increments.
Very flavourful gravy recipe.🙏
So glad you enjoyed!
This gravy looks delicious and I will definitely be trying it! Seems like the flour might work better than some other recipes I’ve tried with corn starch that get sort of gelatinous, especially as a leftover.
Maybe an odd question but I wasn’t finding it anywhere obvious on your blog or YouTube channel, but what plug in burner do you use in your videos? I’ve been looking to get one and wanted to see what some of my favorite food blogs use!
Thank you, I hope you enjoy the gravy!
I use this burner, but I have it in white https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07RPPKD6Y/ref=cm_sw_r_as_gl_undefined?linkCode=ml1&tag=frommybowl-20&th=1
Excellent. Made it for Thanksgiving and all of the non-vegan family members raved over it and chose it over the traditional gravy!
We love hearing that! Thank you, Michael.
So delicious! Made this tonight and served over homemade mashed potatoes. Definitely a keeper–my husband is still talking about it hours later 🤎
That’s great, Donia! We’re happy you and your husband loved the recipe!
Yummy!
Thank you
You’re welcome, Suzie!
Thanks for the recipe, I make a gravy that’s practically identical except I don’t use smoked paprika. Will definitely try this now. I also add nutritional yeast for that nutty flavour (and B vitamins of course 😄)
You are so welcome, Gerry!