This flavoursome and umami rich vegan gravy is made with onions and mushrooms. Homemade gravy that’s quick and easy and perfect for your vegan roast dinner.
Many store-bought gravy granules are vegan. And they’re convenient as all you have to do is add hot water. So why make your own vegan gravy?
Because it’s easy and tasty! Gravy granules often contain palm oil, additives and artificial flavourings. But this homemade vegan gravy has just simple store cupboard ingredients.
Plus, if you’re going to the effort of making a home cooked vegan roast, it’s nice to have some homemade gravy to go with it! You can have this vegan gravy ready in about 15 minutes, so it’s perfect to make whilst your roast is in the oven.
Ingredient tips
The base of the gravy is made from onion sauteed in olive oil. Red or white onion works well.
A touch of brown sugar is a shortcut to getting a caramelised flavour, without having to cook the onion slowly and for a long time.
Portobello or chestnut mushrooms work great to bring their meaty flavour to the gravy. You could even add some dried porcini mushrooms for a stronger flavour.
A small amonut of balsamic vinegar adds a nice touch of acidity, and dried herbs bring some aroma.
Flour is used to thicken the gravy.
For our vegetable stock we used Marigold Swiss Bouillon, but you can choose your favourite flavour vegan stock cube or bouillon base, or use homemade veggie stock.
Soy sauce adds umami and seasoning.
Step by step
As always you’ll find the full recipe card below, but here’s a visual overview before we get cooking!
To save on time, you can pulse the onions, then the mushrooms in a food processor, but we usually just finely dice ours.
Step 1 - Sauté the finely chopped onion with the olive oil and brown sugar until starting to turn golden brown.
Step 2 - Add the finely diced mushrooms, and continue to cook until they cook down and release their liquid.
Step 3 - Stir in the herbs, balsamic vinegar, and flour.
Step 4 - Finally add the soy sauce and hot vegetable broth and simmer for a couple of minutes or until the gravy reaches your preferred thickness.
Variations
For a gluten free vegan gravy, you can substitute the flour with half the amount of cornstarch. Mix it with a spoonful of water into a slurry and whisk it in along with the stock. Be sure to use gluten free tamari sauce instead of soy, and GF vegetable stock.
For a smooth gravy, you could blend it with a stick blender. Thin out with some more veggie stock, if necessary, and season to taste.
Serving
Season with salt and pepper to taste, then pour into a jug and serve with all your favourite gravy needing dishes!
It’s perfect on mashed potatoes with some vegan sausages, or served with a vegan roast dinner.
What to do with leftover gravy?
Leftovers can be stored in the fridge in a covered container for 3-4 days.
Reheat in a pan on the stove, or in the microwave. If it’s thickened up too much, you can add a splash more water or veggie stock.
You could use small amounts of leftover gravy in a pasta sauce, add it to a savoury pie, or use it to enhance the flavour of a soup.
We hope you enjoy this vegan gravy recipe! Try it with these other yummy recipes:
📖 Recipe
Vegan Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil
- 1 onion finely chopped
- 1 tsp brown sugar
- 1 (80 g) portobello mushroom (or 4 chestnut mushrooms) finely diced
- 1 tsp dried herbs
- 1 tsp balsamic vinegar
- 2 tbsp flour
- 1 ½ cups (360 ml) vegetable stock or broth
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a saucepan over medium heat, sauté the onion with the olive oil and brown sugar, until light golden brown.1 tbsp olive oil, 1 onion, 1 tsp brown sugar
- Add the diced mushrooms and cook down until the mushrooms have shrunk down and their liquid has cooked off.1 (80 g) portobello mushroom (or 4 chestnut mushrooms)
- Stir in the dried herbs, balsamic vinegar and flour until well combined.1 tsp dried herbs, 1 tsp balsamic vinegar, 2 tbsp flour
- Next, add the vegetable stock and soy sauce. To make the veggie stock we use 1½tsp bouillon mixed with 1½ cups boiling water.1 ½ cups (360 ml) vegetable stock or broth, 1 tbsp soy sauce
- Simmer the gravy until it reaches your preferred thickness. We let it simmer for around 5 minutes for a quite thick gravy.
- Pour into a jug or gravy boat for serving, and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
This information is calculated per serving and is an estimate only.
Zuzana says
Quite simply this is the best gravy I've EVER tasted. I'd eat it by the bucketful: rich, classy, luxurious and completely moreish. I love your recipes!
Sophie and Paul says
Hi Zuzana, so glad you love it, and our other recipes too 🙂 Thanks for your comment! Paul & Sophie