Quick Vegan Gravy

This 10 minute Quick Vegan Gravy is rich, savory, and the perfect topping for mains and sides. Easy enough to make on a weeknight for baked potatoes and steamed veggies, but delicious enough to deserve a place at the holiday table, this easy condiment is a keeper.

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Hey Internet, it’s funny that I’m publishing a gravy… because I already have one! Last year I created this vegan mushroom gravy to mimic the (non-vegan) gravy my dad made when I was growing up.

But I know not everyone like mushrooms, or even a chunky gravy. This didn’t really occur to me until recently, seeing as my dad’s gravy was the only one I ever knew. It was dark, chunky, and rich.

I didn’t even know how good a simple brown gravy could be. That doesn’t mean my mushroom gravy is any less good, but it’s nice to have options.

This quick vegan gravy is actually great because it’s ready in less than 10 minutes so you can use it anytime (not just on Thanksgiving) and it’s just sooo savory.

It’s also super customizable and made with pantry-friendly ingredients you probably already have on hand.

This gravy is great on anything from mashed potatoes to mushroom lentil loaf or even just to straight up steamed or roasted veggies!

It’s especially perfect for the other recipe I’m publishing today: my seitan turkey!

I’m not sure how long I can really talk about gravy, so let’s just get into the recipe before I just start writing gibberish.

Oh and if you're looking for holiday recipes, check out my vegan holiday recipes guide.

What You’ll Need

The base of this recipe is vegetable broth. Vegan chicken broth or vegan beef broth will also work, but this recipe tastes good just with plain old vegetable broth too.

I used soy sauce to give this gravy a rich flavor. Can’t have gluten? Make sure to use gluten-free tamari. Can’t have soy? Use No-Soy or coconut aminos instead.

Another super savory element to this gravy? Nutritional yeast! And before you ask, no it doesn’t make it taste cheesy. Just delicious.

If you don’t like nutritional yeast you can omit it, but it doesn’t have a strong nutritional yeast flavor in this recipe. It just adds another layer of flavor.

The rest of the flavor comes from spices. I used onion powder, garlic powder, smoked paprika, and a pinch of nutmeg. You can customize how you like, but this makes a perfect gravy in my opinion.

You can add a pinch of sugar if you feel like it--I do that sometimes.

Finally, to get this to a thick, gravy-like consistency, I used arrowroot powder to thicken it as I prefer it to cornstarch but both will work. 

I was actually afraid of this stuff when I first started cooking (what?!), but it’s easy: after you’ve brought the gravy to a low boil, all you do is dissolve a little of this stuff into a small amount of water and whisk it into the gravy and it will thicken within a few minutes!

Alright, let’s talk about how easy it is to make this gravy… I kinda already told you. ;)

Tips for Making Quick Vegan Gravy

• So the first step is REALLY complicated. It’s really hard. You have to add all of your ingredients except the water and arrowroot powder / cornstarch to a medium saucepan over medium high heat.
• Then take a whisk and mix everything together until the spices have dissolved and let it heat until it’s at a low boil.
• Mix your arrowroot powder / cornstarch with the water and whisk it with a small whisk or a fork until all the powder has dissolved. Pour the mixture into the pot and use your big whisk to mix it again.
• Turn the heat down to medium and mix it until the gravy has thickened. You may cook it on low for a little longer if desired. If it hasn’t thickened to your liking yet, you can always add more arrowroot powder cornstarch, just make sure you dissolve it in a few tablespoons of water first.

That’s really it! 4 steps! 

Does It Keep?

This gravy keeps well in the fridge in an airtight container (I like to use mason jars) for up to 5 days. 

It will thicken a bit but will loosen somewhat when heated. If it gets too thick, just stir in a little water.

You can also freeze this gravy in an airtight, freezer-safe container for up to 3 months.

How to Customize This Gravy

There are many ways you could make this gravy your own:

• Add vegetables, like mushrooms, celery, and carrots for classic flavor
• Play with the herbs, use French thyme or tarragon--or use fresh herbs for a brighter flavor
• Add lemon to brighten the flavors in a light citrusy way
• Nix the soy sauce / tamari and use some salt
• Use a little liquid smoke like hickory or another flavor to turn up the smokiness
• Like heat? Add a little cayenne / chili / hot sauce to the gravy
• For more Asian cuisine-style flavorings, try a little sesame or fermented black bean paste for a whole lot of umami flavor! You could try adding miso near the end of the cooking process, too.
• Miss gravy based on chicken broth? Use a vegan chicken broth or better yet, use a teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base in your gravy. You could even just add some Poultry Seasoning!

What to Serve with Gravy

This gravy is honestly great on anything and everything. Of course I love it on mashed potatoes and baked potatoes--any kind of potatoes, really.

And, you know, it’s REALLY great on seitan turkey, but it also goes really well with seitan chicken nuggets or seitan beef too.

It’s also really good on pasta (especially with some lentils or tofu), on top steamed or roasted vegetables, or even on toast!

Oh, and of course it’s amazing on Mushroom Lentil Loaf. ;)

This gravy would be especially good on vegan steak.

More Vegan Sauces

Sauces are my fave. They just make everything more interesting and diverse, flavor-wise. Try some of the sauces below, or request one by contacting me through my contact form or messaging me on Instagram.

• Mushroom Gravy
• Homemade Teriyaki Sauce
• Melty Stretchy Vegan Mozzarella Sauce - Only takes 5 minutes!
• Melty Stretchy Vegan Cheddar Sauce - Also only takes 5 minutes!
• BBQ Sauce
• Vegan Ranch
• “Honey” Mustard Dressing
• Lemon Miso Tahini Dressing
• Tzatziki Sauce

Anything Else?

As always, I hope you love this recipe--I know I do, and Mr. Zardyplants does too.

This quick vegan gravy is:

• Savory
• Thick
• Smoky
• Rich
• Packed with umami flavor
• And awesome on mashed potatoes, vegetables, meat alternatives and more! 

Let me know in the comments below if you make this recipe or tag me @Zardyplants on Instagram so I can see your beautiful recreations! If you tag me on IG, I will share your post in my stories :)  

Also, one quick request: if you love how this recipe looks or tastes, please leave me a 5-star rating and a nice comment–ratings help more people find my recipes which helps me keep providing them! Thank you!

<3 Liz

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