Serves 6 to 8
This easy mushroom gravy is rich, savory, and the only gravy recipe you need, and it just happens to be vegan. Pour it over mashed potatoes, biscuits, cutlets, a roast: really anywhere that gravy would be appropriate, which in my opinion is everywhere.
It’s also very easy and pantry friendly! Dried spices are all you need sometimes, when you’re cooking with them in the correct way, and this is the way.
The secret is building flavor in layers: sautéed onions, cremini mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sage, a splash of white wine, and a good flavorful broth. A nice long simmer is crucial for cooking the flour down and getting everything silky and creamy. It all comes together into something deep and delicious, with the exact right amount of herby savoriness that you want out of gravy. Nutritional yeast is optional, but it makes the gravy creamier and more savory.
A lot of the flavor depends on your broth. If you don’t have time to make your own, I like “chicken” flavored broths, Better Than Bouillon no-chicken flavor is my go-to. It’s cheaper than boxed broth and honestly tastes better.
This easy vegan mushroom gravy keeps beautifully in the fridge for days and freezes well, so don’t be afraid to make it ahead. It’ll thicken as it sits, just stir in a splash of broth when you reheat.
Easy Mushroom Gravy FAQ
Can I make this ahead of time? Yes, and you should. This gravy is actually better the next day. Store it in the fridge for up to 5 days. It’ll thicken as it sits, just stir in a splash of broth when you reheat.
Can I freeze it? Yes. It freezes well for a couple of months. Thaw in the fridge overnight and reheat on the stove, stirring in a little broth to loosen it up.
What broth should I use? A flavorful broth makes all the difference here. Better Than Bouillon no-chicken flavor is my favorite. It’s cheap and packed with flavor. Mushroom broth works great too if you want to double down on the mushroom flavor.
What can I use instead of wine? Just use more vegetable broth. You’ll lose a little depth but it’ll still be a good gravy.
How do I make this gluten-free? Use about 3 tablespoons of cornstarch instead of the flour. Mix it into the broth the same way. If you need to thicken further, don’t add cornstarch right to the gravy, mix it with equal parts water first, then stream it into the hot gravy, stirring constantly.
Can I use different mushrooms? Cremini are my go-to but you can use white button, or mix in some shiitakes. Portobello sliced intto bite size pieces are nice. If you want to use your fancy farmer’s market best (morel, oyster, what have you) that is totally fine, but it will be expensive. Maybe just try half cremini, half fancy.
My gravy is too thin. What happened? Make sure you’re stirring often during those 20 minutes. If it’s still thin, let it cook a bit longer. It thickens as it cools too, so it may be just right by the time you serve it.
My gravy is too thick. How do I fix it? Stir in a splash of broth or water until you get the consistency you want.
What’s the nutritional yeast for? It adds a creamy, savory depth, kind of rounds everything out. It’s optional, but I always use it.
Easy Mushroom Gravy
Ingredients
- 4 cups vegetable broth
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1 medium yellow onion diced small
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 16 oz cremini mushrooms thinly sliced and chopped
- 4 cloves garlic minced
- 2 teaspoons dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon dried sage
- 1/2 teaspoons salt
- Several dashes fresh black pepper
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (chardonnay is great)
- 2 tablespoons nutritional yeast
Instructions
- In a small bowl, mix the flour with about 2 cups of vegetable broth until well dissolved. Once dissolved, add the remaining broth and mix. Set aside.
- Preheat a 2 quart pot over medium heat. Saute the onion in oil for about 5 minutes with a pinch of salt, until translucent. Add mushrooms, garlic, thyme, sage, salt and pepper and saute for about 5 more minutes.
- Add wine and turn heat up to bring to a boil. Let wine reduce for about 3 minutes. Add the broth/flour mix and the nutritional yeast, if using. Lower heat to medium and cook for about 20 minutes, stirring often.
- Taste for salt and pepper and serve.
Isa, I don’t have any nutritional yeast any suggestions for a substitute or something else to add flavor.
Tried this recipe: cut it in half and did half vegetarian and half with drippings from a turkey. The veg version was better BY FAR! Two slight changes we made, were to add 2 star anise pods to the sautee of mushroom, garlic etc, and we only had 8 oz of mushrooms. Used a standard “garden vegetable broth,” nothing fancy. The gravy was brilliant!! Thank you!
How necessary is the wine in this recipe? Will omitting it completely ruin the gravy?
I’m sure it will still work fine without wine. But it’s more fun when you have a glass on the side.
Does this recipe turn out well if using gluten-free flour?
Well I had Baby Bella mushrooms I wanted to use, no white wine or nutritional yeast on hand, still the recipe turned out incredibly delicious. I was even asked to share the recipe and have added it to my list of holiday bests. Thank you!
I used hand picked Chanterelle mushrooms for this build. After cleaning the shrooms i sliced them and tossed in the pan to cook’em once they were done i shoved’em off to the side and melted 2-3 TBS of butter, tossed in chopped onions n gaaalic and cooked them down as well. I tossed in the above stated herbage adding Rosemary as well, because why not. The end result was fabulous that pared well with baked spuds n smoked pork loin. Thank you for the plans.
I made this last year and it was great. Making it again for thanksgiving this year!
This is the most amazing gravy I have ever had in my life! I used to be a Thanksgiving/Xmas only kind of gravy guy, but now we’ll whip up a batch of mashed potatoes and this in the middle of the summer just because. Summer gravy cravings?! Yes, it’s THAT good.
I don’t even like gravy but I like this!