Vegan Mushroom Gravy

This Vegan Mushroom Gravy is savory, saucy, and easy to make. It’s just as tasty as its traditional counterpart but made with 100% plant-based ingredients. Serve it with mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving and your favorite comfort food dinners!

This recipe was originally published on November 15, 2017. It was updated with new recipe information and photos on October 18, 2024.

Mushrooms are one of my favorite meat replacements, and this mushroom gravy recipe is no exception! Savory and hearty mushrooms and porcini mushroom powder simmer in a velvety and rich sauce, infusing the sauce with so much flavor you’ll never miss the butter or meat.

Best of all, this vegan mushroom gravy recipe is incredibly easy to make. Just sauté the fungi, stir in flour, broth, and seasonings, and let it simmer to perfection on the stove. Spoon it over vegan mashed potatoes, drizzle it on Roasted Cabbage “Turkey” or open-face sandwiches, and make it whenever comfort food cravings strike.

For more vegan Thanksgiving recipes, check out my Vegan Mashed Potatoes, Butternut Squash Slow Cooker Stuffing, and Vegan Sweet Potato Pie recipes.

Ingredients

Cremini Mushrooms: Also known as “Baby Bellas,” cremini mushrooms are immature portobello mushrooms. They are meaty, tender, and savory. Find them in the produce section of most well-stocked grocery stores. If desired, you can swap any of your favorite mushroom varieties, such as white button, portobello, oyster, and king oyster.

All-Purpose Flour: This ingredient is stirred and cooked with the sautéed mushrooms, developing a nutty flavor and allowing the broth to thicken when simmered. You will need just two tablespoons. For a gluten-free alternative, use chickpea powder.

Porcini Mushroom Powder: This ingredient intensifies the depth, richness, and umami, keeping this vegetarian mushroom gravy recipe meat-free. You can find it in specialty grocery stores and online (Amazon, The Spice House).

Vegetable Stock: This adds moisture and sauciness to mushroom gravy recipes. Use homemade or store-bought stock. I like to mix Better Than Bouillon vegetable bouillon paste with hot water.

Seasonings: Rosemary, freshly cracked pepper, and salt season the gravy, adding herbal and peppery notes. Sea salt or kosher salt enhance the sauce’s flavor. Use fresh or dried rosemary.

Nutritional Yeast: Also known as “nooch,” nutritional yeast provides an extra layer of umami flavor to make the best mushroom gravy. Find it in health foods stores, the health food aisle of well-stocked grocery store, or online (Amazon, Walmart, iHerb).

Tamari: This Japanese sauce has a flavor similar to soy sauce but is made without wheat, so it is smooth and rich, enhancing the recipe’s umami flavor while keeping the mushroom gravy vegan. If needed, swap in soy sauce, Bragg’s liquid aminos, or coconut liquid aminos.

How to Make Vegan Mushroom Gravy

• Sauté mushrooms. Heat the oil in a saucepan over medium heat. Add the garlic, and sauté a for until slightly golden, about 2 minutse. Then add the mushrooms and a pinch of salt. Stir and sauté until tender, about 7 minutes.

• Add & toast flour. Add the all-purpose flour and stir well. Cook the flour until it smells nutty, for about 30 seconds. This is the roux for this vegan mushroom gravy.

• Add liquid and seasonings. Add the porcini powder, vegetable stock (or water and bouillon), black pepper, and rosemary. Use a wooden spoon to scrape the stuck bits off the bottom of the pot.

• Simmer. Bring to a simmer and reduce the heat to medium-low. Cook the gravy for 30 minutes, until it has reduced and thickened.

• Season. Stir or whisk in the tamari and nutritional yeast. Season the gravy to taste with salt.  Remove the gravy from the heat, and serve. It’s amazing over vegan mashed potatoes.

Jenné’s Recipe Pro-Tips

• Stir the flour well. Prevent burning by stirring the flour well as it toasts. You will know to add the liquid and seasonings when it smells nutty, after about 30 seconds.
• Cook the gravy until reduced. Keep an eye on the homemade mushroom gravy as it simmers. It should cook at a calm simmer, so reduce the heat if it starts to roll or boil. If the gravy reaches your preferred consistency before 30 minutes, you can remove it from the heat early.
• Cool slightly before serving. The gravy will be hot after simmering. Let it cool for at least 5, ideally 10 minutes, before serving for the best presentation.
• Make ahead directions. Save on holiday mealtime stress by making this easy mushroom gravy ahead of time. Refrigerate in an airtight container for up to two days. Reheat it over low on the stovetop, adding an extra tablespoon or two of vegetable broth if needed to reconstitute it.

Recipe Variations

Though I dare say this brown mushroom gravy is perfect as-is, you can give it your own twist by making any of the following adaptations.

• Mushrooms: Make this gravy with nearly any type of edible mushroom. You can substitute all or part of the cremini with white button, portobello, oyster, or king oyster mushrooms.
• Gluten-Free: Mushroom gravy is super simple to make. Swap chickpea flour or 1-to-1 gluten-free flour for all-purpose and follow the recipe directions as listed.
• Herbs: Stir in dried thyme or rubbed sage in addition to or in place of the dried rosemary before simmering or chopped parsley before serving.

Storage Directions

• Refrigeration: Leftovers keep covered in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
• Freezing: You can also freeze the healthy mushroom gravy. Let it cool to room temperature before transferring it to a freezer-safe container and freezing it for up to 3 months. Defrost the gravy overnight in the refrigerator or on the stovetop over low-heat.
• Reheating: Warm the gravy in the microwave or on the stovetop on medium-low heat, stirring it periodically for 5-10 minutes until hot. If needed, stir in a splash of vegetarian stock or broth to reconstitute it.

More Vegan Oyster Recipes

• King Oyster Mushroom Vegan Scallops
• Mushroom Carnitas Tacos
• Mushrom Alfredo Pasta
• Mushroom Veggie Slides
• Mushroom Étouffée