Simple Mushroom Gravy Recipe (Vegan or Vegetarian)

You’re going to love this delicious vegetarian or vegan mushroom gravy recipe. Full of rich and savory flavors, it’s simple to make from scratch and tastes incredible on top of mashed potatoes and more.

This crowd-pleasing mushroom gravy has been a standout on our Thanksgiving table for many years. It receives the highest praise… even from our omnivore friends and folks who don’t usually like mushrooms! (Check out the reviews.)

It’s also easy to customize mushroom gravy to your liking. You can make it vegan or use dairy, leave it chunky, or blend it at the end for an extra creamy, thick gravy. Whatever you desire – it’s all gravy, baby!

Mushrooms are a key ingredient to make the best-tasting vegan gravy possible. The combination of mushrooms, garlic, and soy sauce come together in this recipe to create highly desirable, mouth-watering natural umami flavors – without the need for meat! In fact, umami means “the essence of deliciousness” in Japanese.

Ingredients

The recipe below yields approximately 3 cups of mushroom gravy. For an extra-large holiday gathering, you may want to double the recipe! Especially if you’re hoping for leftovers.

• 1/2 pound of brown Cremini or mini Portobello mushrooms (one common 8-ounce package)
• 1.5 cups vegetable broth (low sodium)
• 2 tbsp olive oil, butter, or vegan butter alternative
• 3 ounces shallots (substitute with 1 small yellow or white onion)
• 2 cloves of garlic
• 2 Tbsp white all-purpose flour (*see gluten-free notes below)
• 1 Tbsp tamari or soy sauce
• salt and black pepper, to taste
• A splash of red wine for de-glazing the pan (optional – we use about an ounce)
• 1/3 cup crème fraîche. To make vegan mushroom gravy, you can either simply omit the cream completely, or sub with plain full-fat canned coconut milk instead. You can also use heavy cream in a pinch, but wait to add it until the gravy is finished cooking and removed from the heat as it may curdle (including when re-heated).
• 1 Tbsp nutritional yeast. Optional – but highly suggested, especially if you are not going to use crème fraîche!

FAQ: How to thicken gravy without flour?

To thicken gravy without flour and make gluten-free mushroom gravy, do one of the following:

• Substitute the wheat flour with an equal amount of 1:1 gluten free flour or rice flour
• OR replace the flour with HALF the amount in cornstarch or arrowroot powder (1 Tbsp in this case)
• The process of cooking down and reducing the gravy will also naturally thicken it.
• Blending the gravy at the very end (optional) will also thicken it even further.

Instructions

1) Make a Shallot, Garlic & Mushroom Gravy Base

• Begin by heating olive oil, butter or vegan butter in a saucepan over medium-high heat. Then add the diced shallots (or onions) and minced garlic to the pan, and saute until they’re tender and translucent – about 5 minutes.
  
  
• Next, add a half-pound of washed and finely-chopped brown cremini or portobello mushrooms. If you don’t intend to blend your gravy at the end, cut them nice and small. Or, feel to free to cut some into larger slices if you like big bites of mushroom!
  
  
• Sprinkle over salt and pepper to taste.
  
  
• Now simmer the mushrooms, onions, and garlic on medium-high heat until they’re soft and reduce to about one-third of the original volume (about 10 minutes). During this time, the mushrooms will release their natural juices, which will begin to evaporate and concentrate flavors! Stir occasionally.

2) Create a Roux

• Add 1 tbsp tamari or soy sauce and optional 1 tbsp of nutritional yeast to the mushroom mixture. We sometimes skip the nutritional yeast when we use crème fraîche since they both provide a somewhat similar tangy, nutty, and “cheesy” flavor. Or, do both!
  
  
• Next, evenly sprinkle over 2 tablespoons of all-purpose white flour (or gluten-free alternatives as described above). Mix thoroughly to evenly coat all of the mushrooms. This should make everything quite thick and stick together like a paste. Continue to cook for 5 minutes, stirring frequently. 
  
  
• Here is where we like to add a splash of red wine (about an ounce or so) to de-glaze the pan and add a beautiful pop of flavor! If you choose to do the same, stir it in and then allow everything to cook and simmer for another few minutes.

3) Add Broth, Reduce and Thicken

• Finally, pour in the vegetable broth, adding a little at a time and mixing as you go. Bring the gravy to a simmer and then allow it to reduce for 20 to 30 minutes, or until it reaches your desired consistency.
  
  
• When the mushroom gravy is just about done, add the optional 1/3 cup crème fraîche* or plain full-fat coconut milk and heat through. Also do a taste-test at this time and add more salt and black pepper if needed. 
  
  
• To make an even thicker, smoother vegan mushroom gravy, you could opt to blend the finished gravy (which also helps to “hide” the mushroom chunks from picky eaters). Either blend right in the pan with an immersion blender or carefully transfer to a regular blender. You can also blend just a portion.

*If you aren’t familiar with cooking with crème fraîche, it is an excellent choice to create a thick and wonderfully creamy mushroom gravy. It is a cultured (fermented) cream product, similar to but less tangy than sour cream. Most importantly, it does not curdle when heated as many other dairy products do. (Pro tip: add some of the leftover crème fraîche to your mashed potatoes. Yum.)

Ways to Enjoy Mushroom Gravy

Serve and enjoy your delicious mushroom gravy with all of your favorite holiday sides – or with any dinner, any time of year! Mushroom gravy is excellent over mashed potatoes (duh) or Thanksgiving stuffing, including our favorite sweet and savory vegan sourdough bread stuffing recipe.

Gravy is also fantastic drizzled over other vegetables like sautéed green beans, collard greens or kale, or garlic and herb roasted Brussels sprouts. Gravy can be served over french fries to make poutine, added to pasta to create a stroganoff-like dish, on top hot sandwiches, meatloaf, turkey, or other meat.

How to Store or Preserve Mushroom Gravy

Store leftover mushroom gravy in the refrigerator in an air-tight container, and use within one week.

To preserve leftovers, you can also freeze mushroom gravy! Once cooled, add it to freezer safe containers (like our favorite reusable BPA-free plastic freezer storage containers). Freeze for up to 6 months and defrost in the refrigerator for the best results.

Enjoy!

All in all, I hope you love this simple mushroom gravy recipe as much as we do. Please stop back by to leave a review once give it a try!

If you’re looking for other holiday side dish ideas, be sure to check out our highly-rated fresh cranberry sauce recipe or this delicious sweet potato, apple, and fresh cranberry bake. Or, get inspired here: 20+ Satisfying Vegan and Vegetarian Holiday Recipes That Everyone Will Love.