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!
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, 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!
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.
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!
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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
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!)
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!
can i have a recipe for the yorkshire puddings???