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Vegan Mushroom Gravy! If you need a healthy, vegan gravy for Thanksgiving– try this one! Made with dried mushrooms, fresh mushrooms and so much umami flavor. Delicious on everything!
Is it appropriate to want to drink gravy? Because, that’s how I feel every time I make this vegan mushroom gravy recipe. The perfect excuse to whip up a pot of mashed potatoes, stuffing, noodles– if you can put gravy on it, I want to do it with this.
Even though we’ve still got a few weeks until Thanksgiving, my brain went there last weekend. I’m the first to admit that I decidedly don’t love Thanksgiving food in general, but I occasionally get a craving for the full plate: potatoes, roasted vegetables and lots of this vegan mushroom gravy.
I don’t know why I’ve never posted my mushroom gravy recipe before, but I figured it was about time to do so. This is the gravy that I make just about every year for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Since BL and I are usually the only vegetarians at the table, I take it upon myself to make sure we have a gravy just for us.
In fact, I made this vegan mushroom gravy last year and pretty much everyone at the table choose this over the turkey one. My father-in-law didn’t even realize he was eating the mushroom gravy until after the meal when he kept talking about how good the gravy was. Mushrooms > Turkey.
You’ll need both fresh and dried mushrooms for this gravy. I used a mix of dried wild mushrooms along with fresh cremini mushrooms or baby bell mushrooms. White button mushrooms or shiitake mushrooms can be used instead if you’d like.
Additionally, you’ll need:
The secret for this gravy is the combination of both dried mushrooms and fresh mushrooms for the ultimate umami kick.
Using the liquid from the dried mushrooms also gives this gravy a delicious umami boost.
You’ll first need to rehydrate the dried mushrooms in the base of a glass measuring cup or bowl. Let sit for 20 minutes, or until softened. Don’t throw away the mushroom soaking liquid! You’ll use that to add more umami flavoring to the gravy.
From there, heat the extra-virgin olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Sauté the shallots, mushrooms, garlic, thyme until very tender and golden brown. This will take 15-20 minutes, stirring often so they don’t burn.
Next, whisk together the mushroom liquid with cornstarch until dissolved. Add that alongside the vegetable broth to the mushroom mixture and simmer until thickened. To finish, stir in the balsamic vinegar and season to taste as needed with salt and black pepper. The balsamic acid is key here to help balance the richness of the mushrooms.
You can choose to leave this gravy with the chunks of mushrooms or puree it for a silky sauce. I prefer to add it to the blender and pulse a few times so it’s a little chunky but mostly silky. The splash of balsamic vinegar at the end brightens the gravy and helps cut through the richness- don’t skip it!
If you have any leftovers, store them in the refrigerator for two to three days. You can also store it in the freezer for up to four months.
To freeze, place the gravy in an airtight container or even ice cube trays if you plan to use a small amount at a time. Thaw, then reheat and use as desired.
While this vegan mushroom gravy is fantastic on any mashed potato recipe, I love my Instant Pot mashed potatoes to keep the stove open during a heavy cooking day, like Thanksgiving. This vegan mushroom gravy is also fantastic in my Roasted Thanksgiving Bowl, on Cauliflower Steaks, with my lentil Thanksgiving meatballs or just with crusty french bread.
If you’re looking for ideas to round-out your holiday feast, you’ve gotta try my mini vegetable wellingtons, my vegan stuffing and my fresh green bean casserole.
PrintVegan Mushroom Gravy! If you need a healthy, vegan gravy for Thanksgiving– try this one! Made with dried mushrooms, fresh mushrooms and so much umami flavor. Delicious on everything!
Tag @delishknowledge on Instagram and hashtag it #delishknowledge
This recipe was first posted in 2018 and updated in 2021.
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(18 comments) leave a comment
This recipe is a yearly staple, always a hit! The only substitution I make is using Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base for my stock. Very delicious, highly recommend!
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Thanks for this delicious sounding recipe! Does it matter what type of balsamic vinegar you use? I only have variations from “The Olive Tap” on-hand and am wondering if they will do. Also, can this be made ahead and stored in fridge or freezer?
Hi Kathryn, the vinegar helps to enhance the richness of the mushrooms, but you can use another type of vinegar! Start with a few drops to make sure you like the taste.
Delicious!! Thank you! I couldn’t find dried mushrooms at my local store so, I just upped the cremini mushrooms by a 1/2 cup and added 1 cup water mixed with 1 tsp of Veggie Better than Bouillon for the slurry. Also, switched the balsamic vinegar for red wine vinegar. SO SO GOOD.
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So glad you liked it!!
can you make this ahead?
Yes! I make it ahead and freeze it.
The soy sauce is added in when?
You will deglaze the pan with it after sauteeing the mushrooms. Thanks!
I cannot get enough of your blog, it is vegan heaven, there is an endless supply of delicious, do-able recipes without too many foreign ingredients, and as a fitness girl so many of your recipes fit the bill! This one is so perfect as we are going into winter, and who doesn’t love gravy! Please keep up the incredible work, I am so glad I found this blog!
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Thank you Erin! That comment totally made my day. Glad you are here. 🙂
I made this as 2nd gravy for my couple friends with food intolerances for a Thanksgiving pre-game party, it turned out better than the classic turkey gravy. It was so delicious & simple. Thanks for the great recipe!
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So glad you liked it Rebecca! xo
Logically step 1 refers to the dried mushrooms, but on first reading through it is slightly confusing. So the fresh mushrooms are getting cooked with the garlic, shallots etc while the dried are soaking?
Just want to be sure I am understanding this clearly before I start – still on my first cup of coffee so maybe I shouldn’t even post, but if anyone else is confused your answer will save them my embarrassment 😉
As it is , this is making my mouth water, and I am not even vegan or vegetarian, just a lost soul with a major dairy allergy looking for good recipes to fit my truncated diet. This looks so good I wouldn’t bother telling my guests it is vegan – it is just what I was looking for!
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Yes, that’s it though I’ve updated the recipe instructions to make it more clear.
Thank you 🙂
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My husband and I changed our eating habits which included switching from white potatoes to sweet potatoes. Now when we even try white at friends on holidays and such it is as if they have no flavor. We are hooked on the sweet but have yet to find a good gravy. This was perfect. It was so good. Like you we wanted to drink it. And a perfect compliment to the sweets. I am sure it would be good on the whites too.
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So glad you liked it!