Vegan Brown Gravy

This recipe for very delicious vegan brown gravy looks a little complicated at first, but it really is easy to make! It’s like making any other gravy, with just a few additional steps for sauteing some mushrooms and onions. Worth every step!

While making this tasty gravy, your house will smell like the holidays, with the rosemary and thyme aromas. The base is made with two different kinds of mushrooms: dried porcinis and portobellos. I had never bought dried mushrooms before, and after looking around my regular grocery store, I found a basket of different packages of dried mushrooms. None were porcini mushrooms, though, so I asked an employee and they said they had some in the back. It certainly pays to ask!

The flavor of this brown gravy is so good. You can taste the onions, the mushrooms, the thyme and the rosemary. It tastes like a good holiday brown gravy, only meat free! I only added 1/2 teaspoon of salt to the gravy at the end of it cooking. It seemed plenty salty to me. If you like saltier food, maybe start with the 1/2 teaspoon, then add salt from there to your taste.

I strained the gravy just once, using cheesecloth over a colander, all over a large mixing bowl. Then I transferred the cheesecloth ball containing the strained mushrooms, along with the colander, over to a smaller bowl to drain more. Once I felt the mushrooms had drained enough, I went ahead to thicken the gravy. After thickening the gravy, you can strain it again to make it even smoother, but I didn’t see a need for a second straining. I ended up with three full cups of gravy.

Don’t throw out the mushroom mixture! Keep it to use as a side dish, top some potatoes with it, or eat it with pasta. It’s very flavorful!

This recipe can be made ahead and reheated in a saucepan before serving. Adapted from Veganosity. If you are looking for other holiday recipes, please check our Thanksgiving page or our Recipe Index.

Print Recipe

Vegan Brown Gravy

A delicious holiday-worthy gravy. The deep flavors of the mushrooms, broth, rosemary and thyme create an aromatic and delectable brown gravy that your entire family will love.

Course

Side Dish

Cuisine

American, French

Keyword

fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, garlic, onion, porcini mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, vegan, vegetable broth, vegetarian, veggie

Prep Time

40 minutes

Cook Time

25 minutes

Servings

cups

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
• 1/4 cup water
• 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms
• 3 cups water
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 1 medium red onion diced small
• 1 green onion diced small
• 3 cloves garlic
• 1/4 cup vegetable broth, for deglazing the pan
• 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth, additional
• 6 ounces portobello mushrooms sliced and cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces
• 5 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 3 sprigs fresh thyme
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• black pepper to taste

Course Side Dish Cuisine American, French Keyword fresh rosemary, fresh thyme, garlic, onion, porcini mushrooms, portobello mushrooms, rosemary, thyme, vegan, vegetable broth, vegetarian, veggie Prep Time 40 minutes Cook Time 25 minutes Servings cups Ingredients 3 tablespoons all purpose flour 1/4 cup water 1/2 cup dried porcini mushrooms 3 cups water 2 tablespoons olive oil 1 medium red onion diced small 1 green onion diced small 3 cloves garlic 1/4 cup vegetable broth, for deglazing the pan 1 1/2 cup vegetable broth, additional 6 ounces portobello mushrooms sliced and cut into 1- to 2-inch pieces 5 sprigs fresh rosemary 3 sprigs fresh thyme 1/2 teaspoon salt black pepper to taste

Instructions

Prepare the flour paste:

1. In a cup, mix the flour with 1/4 cup of water. Set aside.

Hydrate the porcini mushrooms:

1. Place the dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl with 3 cups of water to soak for 30 minutes. Set Aside.

   

To make the gravy:

1. Meanwhile, heat the olive oil in a large skillet or dutch oven over medium high heat. Add the onions after the oil has heated a little. Cook 3 minutes or until the onions start to brown. Add the green onion and cook 2 minutes. Add the garlic and cook 1 minute more.
2. Pour 1/4 cup of the vegetable broth into the pan and deglaze the pan by scraping the bottom of the pan with a spatula to loosen any cooked on material. Add the sliced portobello mushrooms and cook about 5 minutes or until they start to lose their water. (As the mushrooms cook, they will begin to release water, making the pan become visibly "juicier.") Cook until the mushrooms begin to brown some.

   
3. Pour the soaking porcini mushrooms, and the 3 cups of water they are soaking in, into the pan.
4. Add the rest of the vegetable broth, the rosemary sprigs and the thyme sprigs. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Try to keep the boiling to a low simmer the entire time, for the least liquid evaporation. I cooked mine with a lid on the pan to keep in as much moisture in as possible.

   
5. Line a colander with a cheesecloth and place over a large mixing bowl. Pour the cooked mushroom mixture through the cheesecloth-lined colander.
6. Rinse the pan. Once you have removed all the liquid you would like from the mushroom mixture, pour the removed liquid back into the rinsed pan, place on medium high heat, and bring it to a boil.
7. Stir in the flour paste, reducing the heat to maintain a low boil. Continue stirring until the gravy thickens. This isn't a very thick gravy, but it does slightly thicken. Once thickened, add salt and pepper and stir another minute.
8. You can serve the gravy as is, or you can strain it through a wire strainer to make it even smoother. (I didn't strain mine a second time.) Serve warm. This recipe can be made ahead and reheated in a saucepan before serving.

   

Recipe Notes

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