Let’s talk about vegan gravy for a minute. (Because like with many things, I have… some opinions).
Like its non-vegan counterpart, vegan gravy is great on mashed potatoes, stuffing, biscuits, veggie roasts, and even rice. Unlike its non-vegan counterpart, vegan gravy needs a little bit of love in the flavor department to bring the kind of umami punch that makes it worthy of this purpose. Luckily, we’re up for the challenge!
If you’re making a traditional gravy it’s going to have some natural savory flavor, plus the flavors of whatever the original dish was cooked with. Vegan food doesn’t really work like that, so we’re building our flavors from the ground up. A huge plus of this approach is that you get a consistently delicious vegan gravy every time.
There is another thing that’s “weird’ about my vegan gravy and that’s the way it is thickened. In this space I often discuss my aversion to making a roux. Hey, I think I’m a pretty good cook by now, but something about trying to almost-burn flour without burning it, is just unnecessarily stressful for me. This roux skepticism led to my beloved one pot vegan alfredo pasta and it led to my vegan gravy recipe, which I think is equally worthy of love.
As longtime readers will know, I had a WFPB phase years ago, in which I avoided refined flour and added oils. In the present day, I reject many of the cooking notions from those times, but I did learn a few tricks that stuck with me, and one of them is thickening sauces and dressings with cannellini beans.
Phew, I said it. This vegan gravy is thickened with beans instead of flour and I’m not sorry about it. I know it sounds weird, but you have to trust me. You cannot in any way taste the beans. I tested this on multiple people. Not only do they sneak in some extra nutrition, but white beans provide the perfect creamy, starchy thickener for your vegan or vegetarian gravy, making it robust fresh or in leftovers form. They also make this gluten-free, without the sad gloopiness you’ll see in cornstarch gravies.
Now that we’ve gotten past the bean thing, the flavor stars of this super umami vegetarian gravy are nutritional yeast, miso, and soy sauce. Perhaps things you don’t already have in your fridge if you’re just having plant-based dinner guests over, but if you plan to be cooking more vegan dishes, all three of these ingredients are staples. (Use tamari if you need the dish to be strictly gluten-free).
The rest of the seasoning comes from fresh garlic and onion, poultry seasoning, vegetable broth (use vegan chicken- or beef-style broth if you have it handy), and olive oil. Yup, this gravy is made with heart-healthy olive oil, no saturated fat in sight! Win to the win. Oh, and no, this doesn’t have any mushrooms, nor does it need them. I stand by that statement.
Some readers will recognize this as a version of the same beloved vegan gravy shared with my roasted garlic mashed potatoes. I found that readers liked the gravy even MORE than the potatoes, but it wasn’t getting a lot of attention because it was tucked away in a corner there. So, I’ve revised it with new photos and its own recipe page, to make sure it gets consideration for your meatless Thanksgiving or Christmas table this year. Bon appetit!
Easy Vegan Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp olive oil (increase to 2 tbsp for a richer flavor and texture)
- 1 yellow or white onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 tsp poultry seasoning (see note)
- 1 tbsp miso (dark miso is best, but you can use any kind)
- 2 tbsp nutritional yeast
- 1 tbsp soy sauce
- 1 cup low-sodium vegetable broth (I use all-natural vegan "chicken" flavored broth)
- 1 and 1/2 cups cooked cannellini beans (1 standard can) rinsed and drained (or use other white beans such as great northern)
Instructions
- Heat the oil in a nonstick pan over medium heat. Add the diced onion when the oil is hot. Cook the onion, stirring intermittently, until the onion is well-browned. (This adds color and flavor to the gravy!)
- Add the garlic and poultry seasoning and stir to combine. Add the miso and nutritional yeast and cook for 30 seconds more. Add the soy sauce, vegetable broth, and cooked beans to the pan, stir, and bring to a gentle boil, taking care to scrape any solids from the bottom of the pan; then turn off the heat. The purpose of this step is just to heat the mixture, so don't cook it for longer than needed, or some of the liquid will cook out and your gravy will be too thick.
- Remove from the heat, transfer to a blender, and blend until smooth. You can also use a food processor or immersion blender, but may need to blend for more time to get the beans fully processed. Add more vegetable broth if needed to thin to your desired texture. This vegan gravy is designed to be thick but pourable.
- Serve warm, with mashed potatoes, biscuits, or whatever dishes you desire!
Notes
Nutrition
P.S. I’m not sure if this would be considered a vegan white gravy or brown gravy. Definitions seem to vary. But you can definitely use it in any dish that would call for either type of gravy.
Other comforting recipes you might like:
Raspberry Vanilla Bean Vegan Scones
Vegan Chile Colorado Seitan Stew
I'm Shannon, the writer and photographer of Yup, it's Vegan! I'm a morning person based in Baltimore, USA. My mission is to create healthy plant-based recipes that anyone would enjoy, using seasonal produce with inspiration from global flavors.
Me, somewhere says
I love bean gravy but never thought to add miso. Thanks for the suggestion, I can’t wait to try it!
Allison says
I see it says 1 1/2 COOKED beans but how much is it if it’s dried?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
If you want to use dried beans for this recipe, you should cook them separately first, and then measure out 1 and 1/2 cups of cooked beans. -Shannon
Maaike says
Hi,
We love the gravy so much. To be fair I have never eaten a ‘normal’ gravy but still. During the week we prefer easy & fast. Would it be possible to freeze this gravy?
Regards
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I haven’t tried freezing this but I think it should freeze well.
Thomas says
What’s the big deal, olive oil, flour, make a rue. Vegatable broth. Salt and pepper, done.
Throw in some herbs with the rue like Thyme, Rosemary, Sage. done. Maybe a little lemon juice at the end to brighten it up, done.
Daveigh Jones says
1: it’s roux, not “rue”.
2: this adds protein and is perfect for people who are allergic or sensitive to wheat.
3: it’s also perfect for people who don’t want oil in their diets.
Diane says
I made this for a staff Christmas party – it was excellent! I was very pleasantly surprised at how good it was and how perfect the colour and consistency was. I should have used the no sodium variety of vegetable broth because the soy & miso add more than enough salt to the gravy. The gravy was a hit across the board for meat lovers and vegans alike.
amac says
i only have red onions, would that change the flavor too much?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi, it’s not ideal but I think it would still taste good
DANI says
Could I make this a day ahead & reheat it? How does it hold up?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Definitely! You may need to thin it out with a bit more broth when you reheat it as it can thicken when it cools. Serve hot for sure though.
Katie says
This recipe is amazing. My non-vegan family loves it (so do I).
Lisa says
Oh my salivating tongue, this is good stuff!!! This recipe is probably the 10th vegan gravy recipe I have tried…and BY FAR the BEST! Even my non-vegan family loved it! SUPER easy to make! I love that it does not use fungus…I mean mushrooms!! lol I do not like mushrooms! Thank you for sharing this gem; definitely a keeper!!!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Lol we are so on the same page about mushrooms. I’m very glad to hear that you and your family loved the gravy!
Michelle says
I’ve made this several times now, it’s so easy and delicious! Love that the beans sneak in some extra nutrition and you really can’t tell they are there. The first time I did make the mistake of cooking it down too much and mine was very thick in texture but still tasted great!
Melody says
It seems to me that you use soy sauce in cooking frequently. My daughter is allergic to soy and soy sauce. What would you recommend for substitution?
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Hi Melody, I have a fair amount of soy-free recipes on the site here but I do use soy sauce often as it’s a great source of concentrated savory flavor. Some people like coconut aminos as a soy-free alternative – it does have a bit of coconut flavor and natural sweetness. In this particular recipe I would just increase the vegetable broth and add a little bit of molasses if you happen to have it! Feel free to ask me about individual recipes you have questions about, too, but general I find that’s a pretty good sub…
Heather D says
Is the nutritional yeast flavor noticable? Not really a fan of it’s flavor but I am quite intrigued by the rest of the recipe.
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
I’m not a huge nutritional yeast person myself, I don’t like vegan cheeze recipes that use it heavily, for example. I like it in this recipe – it’s a pretty small amount and it’s more about adding savory tones so I’d guess you will probably like it fine! You can always try using half the amount at first if you’re unsure.
Edward says
Thanks for your recipes.
I hope you will consider removing the oil from your recipes. It really is not necessary.
I already deleted it from one recipe for vegan gravy and just replaced it with water which works just as well.
Keep up the great work!
Shannon @ Yup, it's Vegan says
Thanks for your comment. I have received this request many times and considered it at length. Ultimately, I completely disagree with you and I won’t be doing so. Of course, I always encourage folks to modify recipes at their own risk to suit their dietary needs. Happy cooking!