• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

School Night Vegan

  • Recipe Index
    • All Recipes
    • Mains
    • Sides
    • Desserts
    • Snacks
    • Drinks
  • My Story
  • Hire Me
You are here: Home / Sides / Perfect Vegan Gravy

Perfect Vegan Gravy

17/12/2019 by Richard Makin 4 Comments

perfect vegan gravy

Is it even a vegan roast dinner without PERFECT VEGAN GRAVY? This stuff will elevate your vegan roast like you wouldn’t believe.


How many times have you experienced a decent vegan roast with less-than perfect vegan gravy? As a northerner, that’s a crime and a sin I will NOT tolerate! So here’s your PERFECT vegan gravy recipe – just in time for Christmas!

It’s not the quickest of recipes, but it’ll shock you how much better than store bought gravy this tastes. If you’re my Mum, you’ll want to put some peanut butter in at the last minute – I say YOU DO YOU! Feel free to customise!

perfect vegan gravy

What does perfect vegan gravy taste like?

There’s no getting away from it: perfect vegan gravy is made from plants. And I’m not trying to hide that! This gravy is never going to have that gross, oily, meaty flavour you get with normal gravy – and I’m glad about it. 

But that doesn’t mean it lacks flavour – OHHHHH BOY has this got flavour! You’ve got a good dose of jam and wine for sweetness, marmite and and soy for umami, balsamic for acidity and a boisterous mirepoix base to get you going! It’s going to kick your roast dinner into the next stratosphere!

Do I need any specific ingredients?

Yes! Just one – but it’s a fantastic stock cupboard ingredient to have as a vegan ANYWAY, so be sure to buy in and keep for special occasions!

Marmite

Marmite, which any US readers might be unfamiliar with, is a yeast extract with a strong, sharp salty umami flavour. In my house we put it on toast, popcorn, roast potatoes! It’s going to make this gravy taste delicately meaty without being greasy or artificial.

You can grab marmite here!

Marmite
perfect vegan gravy

What the hell is a “mirepoix”?

A mirepoix is the absolute CORE of this perfect vegan gravy recipe – and many, many others! It’s been around since the 18th century and is credited to a French cook (hence the name!). In it’s simplest form, a mirepoix is a trio of aromatic vegetables which, when cooked together, give a dish a magically kick-ass flavour. 

Traditionally, that trio of vegetables is onions, carrots and celery. Something about the combination of these three just hits the tongue in a truly satisfying way. Chances are, you’ve experienced mirepoix many times before but didn’t even know where all that flavour was coming from.

It just gives me so much pleasure that the basis of so many French dishes, despite being one of the least vegan friendly cuisines on the planet, start with mirepoix! Vegetables are truly, supernaturally powerful and I am tempted daily to have mirepoix tattooed across my knuckles.

mire poix ingredients

What can I use this perfect vegan gravy recipe with?

Since we’re nearly at Christmas (at time of writing!) my first thought goes to MARMITE HASSLEBACK POTATOES and ROAST DINNER with ROASTED BRUSSELS SPROUTS. But it’s truly versatile! Why not try it on a pie or bangers and mash!? Here are a few suggestions for accompaniments!

  • vegan fried chicken
    Vegan Fried Chicken
  • marmite hassleback potatoes
    Marmite Hassleback Potatoes
  • Sprouts and Shiitake Mushrooms
    Brussels Sprouts and Shiitake Mushrooms

Disclosure: some of the links above are affiliate links, meaning at no additional cost to you, I may earn commission when you click through and make a purchase.

perfect vegan gravy

Next Level Vegan Gravy

The gravy is sweet, salty umami heaven. My mouth is literally watering while writing this even though I just ate an entire roast. If you’re making a roast dinner for a big family, double the recipe and go wild!
Print Recipe Pin Recipe Rate Recipe
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Course: Main Course
Cuisine: English
Keyword: perfect vegan gravy
Servings: 4
Calories: 84kcal
Author: Richard Makin

Equipment

  • no specialist equipment required

Ingredients

  • 2 small red onions chopped roughly
  • 3 cloves garlic chopped roughly
  • 80 g spare leaves or stalks whatever you’ve got left after chopping your broccoli, cauliflower, sprouts – pretty much any brassica will do!
  • 2 small carrots chopped roughly
  • 2 stalks celery chopped roughly
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 4 tbsp vegan red wine or 4 tbsp of the water from soaking mushrooms
  • 1 tbsp dark soy sauce
  • 1/2 tbsp marmite
  • 1/2 tbsp balsamic vinegar
  • 1 tbsp jam I used greengage jam but go wild! Black currant works well, damson even better. Aim for tart jams, rather than super sweet ones
  • 2 dessert spoons flour
  • 750 ml boiling veg stock
  • 4 fresh sage leave chopped
  • 1/4 tsp dried thyme
  • Two bay leaves
Metric – US Customary

Instructions

  • Into a large sauce pan over medium heat, add around two tbsp of oil. Add the onions and cook for a minute. Add the garlic and cook for a further minute.
  • Add all your chopped veg along with the salt. Cook for around five minutes, stirring regularly to make sure they cook evenly and don’t burn.
  • Slosh in the wine, soy sauce, marmite, balsamic vinegar and jam. Cook for a minute or two until the liquid has halved in volume.
  • Add the flour and stir to coat all the vegetables. Immediately add the stock, being careful to avoid a spluttering pan. Stir well to make sure all the flour is hydrated and not lumpy. Reduce heat to low and simmer for around 10 minutes or until the gravy has thickened nicely. Make sure you’re stirring frequently to stop it from sticking.
  • When the gravy is thick enough, strain through a sieve removing all the vegetables. Using the back of a ladle, squeeze all the gravy out of the vegetables (that’s the super tasty stuff).
  • Serve immediately.
  • (Nb. My mums super power is making gravy and she ALWAYS add a good few spoons of chunky peanut butter to hers. I know it sounds weird but give it a try – it’s FRICKIN delicious!)

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Next Level Vegan Gravy
Amount Per Serving
Calories 84 Calories from Fat 9
% Daily Value*
Fat 1g2%
Saturated Fat 1g6%
Sodium 1229mg53%
Potassium 254mg7%
Carbohydrates 16g5%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 8g9%
Protein 2g4%
Vitamin A 5495IU110%
Vitamin C 7mg8%
Calcium 27mg3%
Iron 1mg6%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Tried this recipe?Mention @schoolnightvegan or tag #schoolnightvegan!

Filed Under: Sides Tagged With: perfect vegan gravy

Previous Post: « Vegan French Toast
Next Post: How to Slay Veganuary in 7 Steps! »

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Steve

    07/10/2019 at 09:04

    5 stars
    Made this gravy last night and served it with sausages (Sainsbury’s Shroomdogs), roast squash, kale and Yorkshire puds, it was delicious. Unfortunately Yorkshire puds didn’t quite turn out as hoped so if you can create a fool proof recipe for them I’d be very grateful!

    Reply
  2. ola

    30/12/2019 at 19:49

    can i have a recipe for the yorkshire puddings???

    Reply
  3. Kim

    17/05/2020 at 21:12

    I made a version of this where I blended in the veggies and it came out so good! Thank you!

    Reply
  4. Gloria

    25/12/2020 at 02:29

    5 stars
    I love it, easy to follow the steps, my boys 13 and 9 yrs old, love it. However they said is a bit sweet. How can improve to reduce the sweetness? Thanks x

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




Primary Sidebar

Follow School night vegan

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter

My name’s Richard Makin and I’m the School Night Vegan.

I’ve been exploring the world of plant-based cuisine since November 2017 when I switched from life-long vegetarian to full-time vegan! Read More…

  • All Recipes
  • Sides
  • Mains
  • Dessert
  • Snacks
  • Drinks

Why not try…

Salted Caramel and Pecan Swirls

Vegan Cinnamon Swirls with Salted Caramel and Pecan Glaze

Roasted Pepper Caponata Skillet Pizza

Black and Red Currant Cheesecakes

vegan tofu scramble

Vegan Tofu Scramble

PRIVACY POLICY

Footer

schoolnightvegan

🌿Anything you can cook, I can cook vegan⁣⁣⁣🌿
He/Him⁣ • Food Editor @wickedhealthy⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ • Column @olivemagazine⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣⁣ • Best Blog @veganfoodandliving⁣

Richard Makin
These BUFFALO OYSTER MUSHROOM BAO are the absolute These BUFFALO OYSTER MUSHROOM BAO are the absolute “Naomi-Campbell-stomping-the-runway-vanta-black-knee-high-boots-the-house-down” of the BAO world.⠀
⠀
I’m serious. If you hate bao then don’t tell your face or it’ll volley a phone at your bonce and call it “a successful career decision”. ⠀
⠀
GET THE RECIPE for these vegan superstars VIA THE LINK IN MY BIO!⠀
⠀
#vegan #veganchef #bao #veganbaking #veganbao #vegancomfortfood #oystermushroom #buffalobao
🎶 My CREAMY VEGAN WILD MUSHROOM PASTA brings al 🎶 My CREAMY VEGAN WILD MUSHROOM PASTA brings all the carbs to the bowl, ⠀
and they’re like: “just live your best life”, ⠀
and I’m like: “I’ve really been trying to separate my sense of satisfaction from superficial sources like indulgent food but actually I’ve come to realise that food is one of life’s purest pleasures and our bodies are literally DESIGNED to seek out gastronomic joy so why deny the very pleasures which make me human??” 🎶 ⠀
⠀
Love that Kelis song. Absolute banger.⠀
⠀
TAP THE LINK IN MY BIO FOR THIS VEGAN CREAMY WILD MUSHROOM PASTA RECIPE!⠀
⠀
#vegan #veganchef #pasta #creamypasta #mushroompasta #mushrooms #veganuary #veganuary2021
I wrote this tarka dal recipe for @wickedhealthy b I wrote this tarka dal recipe for @wickedhealthy because I needed an intervention. Seriously, I went through a phase of making this six times a week, so putting this recipe out into the universe was a legit cry for help.⠀
⠀
HELP ME! I CANT STOP! CALL MY MUM, TELL HER IM TRAPPED IN A DAL LOOP AGAIN!⠀
⠀
Tap the link in my bio for this recipe but USE IT WISELY! ⠀
⠀
#vegan #veganchef #tarkadal #wickedhealthy #veganuary #veganuary2021 #veganrecipes
Do you think there's a kid somewhere in the world Do you think there's a kid somewhere in the world named CRISPY TOFU NUGGET? ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Whenever I'm down, I think about how ACE it would be to join a teen skateboard gang with Crispy and spend all my time listening to AVRIL LEVINE like all the ROCK KIDS do! Yeahhh rock and /or roll! ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Our band is called "Pizza Bat" but it's pronounced "Puhzuh Buhrt"⁠⠀
⁠⠀
If you're too SCARED to join our HEAVY COUNTRY ROCK GROUP then that's ok, you can come to our show at the LOCAL LIBRARY. I'll be serving these CRISPY TOFU NUGGETS in honour of my BEST FRIEND! ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
TAP THE LINK IN MY BIO FOR THE RECIPE!⁠⠀
⁠⠀
#vegan #pizzabat #veganchef #baking #veganbaking #veganuary #veganuary2021 #tofunuggets #tofu
I am going as this VEGAN CARAMELISED ONION RISOTTO I am going as this VEGAN CARAMELISED ONION RISOTTO for halloween this year because it's SPOOKILY delicious. ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Yep, I'm the queen who turns up to the party in a risotto costume while everyone else is dressed as a sexy mouse. Maybe I'll wear a wedge heel this year?? Nah, too sexy. ⁠⠀
⁠⠀
TAP THE LINK IN MY BIO TO GET THE RECIPE FOR MY VEGAN CARAMELISED ONION RISOTTO!⁠⠀
⁠⠀
#vegan #veganchef #veganrisotto #veganitalian #risotto #caramelisedonion #veganuary #veganuary2021
Wrap your eyeballs around this glossy-ass VEGAN FR Wrap your eyeballs around this glossy-ass VEGAN FRENCH TOAST (and yeah! I like it DARK - what you gonna do? TELL MUM??)⁠⠀
⁠⠀
It's easy, breezy and just a LITTLE bit sleazy, but hey! I just call it breakfast!⁠⠀
⁠⠀
Tap the link in my bio for the RECIPEEEEEE!⁠⠀
⁠⠀
#vegan #veganfrenchtoast #frenchtoast #veganchef #vegancooking #veganuary #veganuary2021
When I say “EASY CREAMY VEGAN PASTA” I mean VE When I say “EASY CREAMY VEGAN PASTA” I mean VERY easy and VERY creamy. And no, you don’t have to get up at the crack of dawn and trudge down to the cashew barn to milk the cashews and make cashew cream.⠀
⠀
Nor do you have to go to the Bechamel region of France and make a REAL bechamel sauce (anything made outside of Bechamel is actually just a “sparkling white sauce”).⠀
⠀
BUT WHATS MY SECRET??? You’d better TAP THAT LINK IN MY BIO TO FIND OUT!⠀
⠀
#vegan #veganchef #vegancook #creamypasta #veganpasta #veganpastasauce #veganuary #veganuary2021
Load More... Follow on Instagram

Copyright © 2021 School Night Vegan on the Foodie Pro Theme