This wonderfully savory vegetarian gravy has been one of our most popular recipes for years. A touch of the English condiment Marmite adds terrific savoriness to this gravy. You won’t taste it, but it makes all the difference.
Really good vegetarian gravy — trust me
I am a gravy drinker. WOW, that feels good to get off my chest. On my hips, maybe — but off my chest. I should probably be a little bit sorry, but I’m not. Remember in elementary school, how some of the kids who went on to peak in high school used to say, “Your mama’s so fat she thinks gravy is a beverage?” Well, that offended me. Not because my mama was fat or because I was. We weren’t, thanks. Not even because it is an empirically offensive thing to say. But because gravy is a beverage, and anyone who didn’t realize that should really have shut their gravy hole and stopped wasting my time.
I wasn’t that popular in high school.
I’m not saying that I would suck down a big-gulp size cup of gravy (or anything, for that matter) with a straw. But gravy is special. I usually like it more than the thing it’s poured on top of. So sometimes, especially now that I have a kitchen with doors that close to the rest of the house, I might skip the thing it’s supposed to be poured on and just sort of elegantly tip the spout of a personal-size gravy pitcher into my mouth. I figure it’s society’s problem that this isn’t considered an acceptable practice. Someday we’ll have a Constitutional amendment, and then our social and moral obligations will finally be aligned.
As you can see, gravy is important to me. That’s why I think you should trust me when I say that this vegetarian gravy (which you can make vegan, if you like) meets and even exceeds the standard for excellent gravy, period. It uses three different vegetable-based umami powerhouses — shiitake mushrooms, soy sauce, and marmite (trust me on this last one, you won’t taste it at all) — to make it every bit as savory and deeply delicious as a meat-based gravy.
Vegetarian gravy with a vegan option
We like to make our vegetarian gravy with butter, but it also tastes great when made vegan with a good olive oil or vegan butter. Since it keeps well and isn’t dependent on meat drippings, this is a great part of the holiday meal to make ahead.
The Best Vegetarian Gravy
This recipe is adapted from a simple turkey gravy developed by Serious Eats editor J. Kenji López-Alt. I prefer the flavor when a bit of butter shines through from the roux, but it also tastes great when made vegan with a good olive oil. Since it keeps well and isn’t dependent on meat drippings, this is a great part of the holiday meal to make ahead. It will keep in the fridge for up to five days or in the freezer for a few months. Reheat gently before serving.
Ingredients
- 8 cups good vegetable stock (or 7 cups stock and 1 cup good, dry white wine)
- 8 dried shiitake mushrooms
- 1/2 cup butter (to make it vegan, substitute a good olive oil or Earth Balance)
- 1 minced shallot, optional
- 1/2 cup PLUS 3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 tablespoons soy sauce
- 1/2 teaspoon Marmite
- Salt and ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Pour the vegetable stock into a medium pot and drop in the shiitakes. Bring stock to a boil over high heat, then remove from heat and let mushrooms steep for 30 minutes. Pour stock and mushrooms into large spouted measuring cup or bowl, and wipe out the pot with a paper towel.
- Add the butter to the empty pot and melt over medium-high heat. If using the shallot, add and cook for a minute or so, whisking once or twice. Add the flour and cook, whisking, until it turns very lightly golden, about two minutes. Pour in the stock with the mushrooms in a stream, whisking the whole time. Add soy sauce, marmite, and a few grinds of pepper.
- Bring stock back to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer, uncovered, until gravy is reduced by almost half, about 20 minutes. Taste for seasoning and add salt and additional pepper if desired. Remove mushrooms before serving.
Notes
This recipe is great for meat-eaters' Thanksgiving leftovers, too, if you've run out of turkey gravy.
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Nutrition Information:
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 105Total Fat: 7.8gCarbohydrates: 8.3gFiber: 0.5gProtein: 1g
Can I freeze the leftovers?
Isa,
I’ve made this three times now without marmite, subbing for nutritional yeast (to taste) and it’s so delicious! My husband and son are both meat eaters and neither one can believe this is vegetarian. I make it up ahead just to have on hand, it’s really that good!
Hi Shoni, thank you for that reply! Glad you all like the gravy. 🙂
Hi there!
The recipe sounds amazing and I am exciting to try it BUT I live in Iceland and we don’t really get Marmite here. Is there an alternative for that? Just some kind of nutritional yeast?
I would be so grateful if you replied.
Thanks 🙂
Hi, Isa! I agree with Shoni that it’s fine to leave out the Marmite. You could replace it with a little bit of miso paste if you like, but I wouldn’t worry about it. If you’re in Reykjavik and really want to find Marmite I’m sure you could — but why stress?
Lucky you living in Iceland. We spent a week there over the summer and thought it was wonderful.
This is GORGEOUS! Making ahead for Christmas dinner and not sure it’ll last that long. Also made the original Kenji recipe for the meat-eaters, this is easily as good. Everyone knows Christmas rests on the gravy #nailedit
Also super easy and all ingredients I had in the cupboard. Thank you so much!
Thanks to each of you for the feedback. I’m so happy that this recipe has made Thanksgiving day (and all gravy days!) better for so many vegheads. 🙂
You just saved thanksgiving for two new vegetarians!!! This gravy just blew our socks off! My dad, who is not a vegetarian and is picky about his gravy, also gave it two thumbs up!
I just made this to bring to Thanksgiving dinner tomorrow and it is so delicious!!! I probably ate 20 spoonfuls before I forced myself to put it in the fridge and save it for tomorrow. I used fresh shitake mushrooms rather than dry and they still gave it a nice flavor. I also added the shallots and minced them very finely so they give a little bit of texture and a huge amount of flavor to the finished product. I also added more Marmite than the recipe called for (about double!) just because I love the flavor it adds. This will most definitely be my go to gravy always and forever.
I made this tonight for chicken bowls (KFC style—we ban KFC but husband loves their bowls) I halved the recipe for two and we’ve got a bit of leftovers, thank goodness, because it is SO FREAKING DELICIOUS!!! Meat eating husband sat over it as it thickened with a spoon, he loved it. Now I know why you’d consider this a drink! I’ve never had meat gravy other than KFC, and though I love that gravy this beats it easily. The only things I changed were red onion for shallot and nutritional yeast for marmite (I didn’t have either one) and I added minced garlic to the mix, taking advice with additional white wine for water.
My goodness, this is beyond yummy…thank you!
Oh my god, that’s good! Used mirapoix and crimini mushrooms and sauteed them first. Used a stick mixer to puree the mushrooms but still wound up straining some out. And I discovered I’m a fan of Marmite. Awesome!
Lynn, I’m so glad you like it. And that’s a nice twist to blend in sautéed mushrooms. Happy Thanksgiving!
So, I was going to serve winter squash soup shooters tomorrow, but now I’m thinking I might switch that to gravy shooters. This stuff is awesome. Can’t wait to see how it does after a night in the fridge. Made it with the wine and shallots for flavor, but strained it all. Omitted the marmite. Perfect 6 cups. Thanks!
Well, that’s brilliant. I might just do some gravy shooters after everyone goes to bed. 🙂 So glad you like it!
Hahaha! The introduction is hilarious.
(Thanks for the veganization, too.)
I found this by chance and am so glad I did. Subbed Bragg’s liquid aminos for the soy sauce and gluten free Cup 4 Cup for the flour and it was the best gravy I’ve ever had. Thank you SO much!
My daughter and her partner are vegetarian and coming for Christmas dinner. Never made veg gravy before , so here goes! Hope its as nice as you say! Thanks. Doreen
Made this for our Friendsgiving for my veggie friends. Halved the recipe, though I still used the full amount of dried mushrooms for extra oomph. Sauted the shallots until slightly caramelized and don’t have marmite, so used white miso. Turned out great!
Happy Thanksgiving!!
Making this right now, but the vegan version!! So excited!!
Will let you know how it turns out!
Some tweaks: fresh shiitake and no marmite
Why does every vegan gravy recipe include soy sauce?
Had to omit the mushrooms and yeast because my boyfriend refuses to go near fungi, and I didn’t have the marmite on hand. I really want to try it with those ingredients because it was so delicious without them! I baked pastry buns filled with mashed potatoes and veggie ground beef substitute and the gravy made the perfect dipping sauce. I wanted to drink it. @[email protected] Thank you for the recipe!
Can you please give me the recipe for the mashed potato stuffed pastry buns with veggie ground beef? It sounds delicious!
HO. LY. CRAP.
This was amazing! I used it to make vegetarian Poutine and DEAR LORD. I used vegemite instead of marmite, though, and also chucked in a little bit of nutritional yeast flakes. I left the mushrooms in, as I could only find sliced shiitake, but they were delicious and didn’t detract from the recipe.
Thank you so much!
I love this recipe, it’s worked out beautifully for me. I’ve played with it a bit, substituting ground porcini mushrooms for the shiitake, and it still tasted delicious.
Carolyn, I can’t tell you how much this recipe has helped me! It is SOOOOOO delicious. I had just eliminated meat and dairy from my diet right before Thanksgiving. Being able to still have gravy that tastes THIS GOOD w/o meat is going to be a big factor in helping me stay on this path.
Thanks so much!
Holy crap was this gravy good! I subbed nutritional yeast for the marmite based on some other recipes I’d seen – everyone (all meat eaters, myself included) loved it. I will 100% make again!
I’m obsessed with this gravy.
I just want to say that I made a variation of this for Thanksgiving dinner tonight and it’s the only gravy I’ve enjoyed since I gave up meat 5 years ago.
I had to make a couple changes due to missing some ingredients (I omitted the mushrooms and yeast. Sauted some garlic and added a swanson flavor boost) but if I hadn’t found this recipe I would have been completely without gravy again this year.
Of course, I have to say I won’t be saving it strictly for Thanksgiving! It’s SOOOOOOOOOOO good!
I will definitely be acquiring the correct ingredients and trying it that way as well.
Thank you so much!
Found this today and made a half recipe. It is a terrific gravy, can’t wait to serve it tomorrow. I’ll be making the turkey, and traditional gravy, but we have a few vegetarians in the party, and I’m staying away from gluten. I used rice flour, and it worked fine. Thanks for a recipe I will use for years to come!
Or, Cath, what about this gorgeous little number from The First Mess? http://www.thefirstmess.com/2013/01/30/mushroom-stout-vegan-pot-pies-with-sweet-potato-crusts-recipe/
And to all who have asked, YES, you can absolutely make this in advance. Will keep in the fridge for about 5 days or in the freezer for several months. Just reheat gently. I’ll add this information to the recipe notes.
I love this recipe and am going to try it for Friendsgiving that I’m hosting this weekend. I wanted to ask about making it in advance and keeping it in the fridge. You mention to reheat gently, what does that mean? Also, have you done it? Does the flavor change?
Hi Cath, I’m sorry, I just saw this now! I don’t think I’d blend in the mushrooms because they don’t get particularly soft even after all that soaking and simmering. Freezing should work out great, or just keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days and reheat gently.
For a vegan main, how about something like Gena Hemshaw’s Vegan Lentil Shepherds Pie (http://food52.com/recipes/19408-vegan-lentil-shepherd-s-pie-with-parsnip-and-and-potato-mash) or Umami Girl’s Farro with Shiitakes and Broccoli (just omit the parmesan cheese) (https://umamigirl.com/2010/11/vegetarian-main-dishes-farro-with-broccoli-recipes.html) or Winter Squash with Quinoa and Spinach (http://www.seriouseats.com/recipes/2011/10/dumpling-squash-spinach-quinoa-cilantro-lime-dressing-recipe.html)? Good luck!
Sounds and looks scrumptious! I have 2 vegan nieces coming to Christmas dinner, so I’m definitely going to try this out.
What do you think of blending in the mushrooms instead of taking them out after soaking them? Can I make it in advance and freeze?
One more…any suggestions for a delicious vegan main course?
Warm Regards,
cathx
Can I make this 2 days ahead of time?
Is it possible to use fresh mushrooms instead of dried ones?
Thanks so much for the wonderful recipe- I can’t wait to try it. Is this something you can make ahead of time??
Isn’t Marmite basically just MSG?
looks delicious and yummy! thanks for the great recipe! need to try this!
will have to try this great recipe!
Oh yes, you made me want to drink this.
I’m making a late Friendsgiving dinner for a bunch of Australians this week and we’ve got a couple of vegos, so this is perfect!
Do you think Vegemite might work in place of the Marmite or is that aggressive?
Hi Leah, sorry to take so long to reply to your question. To be honest, I’ve never actually tried Vegemite. I’ve heard it has a stronger flavor, so I’m not sure, but I bet it would be okay. If you make it, would you mind reporting back? enjoy your Friendsgiving!
I definitely think Vegemite is a little stronger and slightly funkier. I’m making it as I type and just added a tiny bit of Vegemite, maybe a 1/4 or a 1/3 of a teaspoon and it tastes pretty good! Still reducing, but we’ll see how it goes over later. Thanks!
This sounds like a delicious gravy recipe to try out. Thanks for making it available.
Want to make it even better?? Sautee shallots or a bit of onion & garlic in that butter and add nutritional yeast in with that flour. Many of my family members prefer mine to the traditional giblet gravy my dad makes. Even the meat eaters!
Justine, I definitely thought about adding a bit of shallot or onion, but wanted to keep it on the smoother side for Thanksgiving. I’m sure that (and the nutritional yeast — good idea!) would make it even more savory.
Who knew you held such a dark secret!
You sure went through quite an exercise to justify your gravy consumption addiction. Vegetarian gravy sure sounds incongruent on face, but I think you can simply, and guiltlessly dive into your passion by simply ceasing to call it gravy, and simply refer to it as ‘soup’.
Just think about it, you could even start a trend – souping your foods!
OK, you’ve given me the strength to also come out;
Hi, my name is Henry, and I’m a gravy-aoholic!
I’ve always been the Saucier to my friends and family, and always seem to arrive at just that moment when they look at the roasting pan and say, “hey, you want to make the gravy?”
Henry! Soup! Yes! I’m in. Glug, glug.