Make Ahead

Vegetarian Mushroom Thyme Gravy

by:
November  1, 2010
5
24 Ratings
Vegetarian Mushroom Thyme Gravy
Photo by James Ransom
  • Prep time 30 minutes
  • Cook time 25 minutes
  • Serves 6
Author Notes

As much as I love everything about cooking Thanksgiving dinner I stress about one thing....the gravy! A vegetarian friend came to the rescue offering up her vegetarian gravy. Through the years it has been tinkered with and has become my "go to" recipe any time I need the perfect gravy for both vegetarians and carnivores. It can be used on mashed potatoes, vegetables, stuffing and even turkey! You can use any type of dried mushroom. I have used shitake mushrooms but mixed dried mushrooms will provide more interesting flavors. To make a vegan version substitute olive oil for the butter and additional broth for the cream. - sticksnscones —sticksnscones

Test Kitchen Notes

Sticksnscones' mushroom gravy solves nearly every Thanksgiving dilemma there is. It's vegetarian-friendly, requires no pan drippings (ideal for when you're deep-frying your bird or when brining has rendered the drippings too salty), and comes together in no time, yet hides deceptively deep layers of flavor -- umami-rich dried mushrooms fortify the stock, and sauteed shallots, soy sauce, fresh thyme and sherry round out the rich but balanced sauce that we'd like to pretend is actually a soup. Heads up: One time we tested it, we accidentally used just 2 tablespoons of flour and ended up really liking that too -- it was less creamy and voluptuous, more free-flowing with a concentrated hit of mushroom flavor and color. - A&M —The Editors

What You'll Need
Ingredients
  • 1/3 cup dried mushrooms(shitake or mixed)
  • 2 cups vegetable stock
  • 3 tablespoons butter
  • 1 1/2 tablespoons minced shallot
  • 3 tablespoons flour
  • 3 tablespoons soy sauce
  • 1/2 cup light cream
  • 1 tablespoon sherry
  • 1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
  • 1 pinch salt and pepper, plus more to taste
Directions
  1. Bring vegetable stock to a boil. In a small bowl pour stock over mushrooms. Let soak for 20 minutes.
  2. Remove mushrooms from bowl, setting the stock aside for later. Mince or thinly slice the mushrooms.
  3. In a medium saucepan melt the butter. Add the minced shallot and saute for 5 minutes over medium heat until softened.
  4. Add the flour to the butter/shallot mixture stirring constantly. Cook for a 2 minutes.
  5. Gradually add 1 1/2 cups of the reserved vegetable stock(leaving mushroom sediment out), stirring well to incorporate after each addition. Cook over medium heat until thickened.
  6. Add the reserved mushrooms, soy sauce, cream, sherry & thyme to the gravy. Cook for a few more minutes until heated through and thickened to desired consistency. Season to taste with salt & pepper.
  7. Pour over anything on your plate!
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139 Reviews

bunches000
bunches000 January 16, 2023
Best gravy ever! I have switched up my usual crockpot pheasant to use this instead. None of my family is vegetarian, so I just use chicken broth. I also just use onions, red wine & dried thyme. I have made this 2 days ahead and it warms up great. It also works great in a crock pot.
 
JKC
JKC November 30, 2022
Quite simply: Fab! And can be made ahead, to boot.. Used a combination of shitake, porcini and maitake. A keeper, for sure.
 
Jean M.
Jean M. November 9, 2022
Best gravy I've ever made! The touch of Sherry is the perfect finishing touch.
 
Emily
Emily January 7, 2022
This recipe is very rich and VERY delicious! I used porcini mushrooms which made this so flavorful that it made my dogs crazy just smelling it. I used a mix of stock and heavy cream instead of light cream and I also used port instead of sherry because that’s what I already had. It turned our beautifully!
 
Mae
Mae December 15, 2021
I made this without the mushrooms because I didn't have any, and it was still really delicious! Just used 1.5 cups broth and skipped the mushroom steps. I love the Sherry - I hadn't ever made gravy with wine before! Served it over homemade roasted mushroom ravioli. Definitely a keeper. I look forward to trying it with the mushrooms.
 
MaryH
MaryH November 14, 2021
A family favorite and Thanksgiving must have. I have made with dried porcini for an extra rich taste and added fresh crimini mushrooms diced. I have made it GF with great results as well. So tasty. I triple for a group of 30.
 
Sarah F.
Sarah F. November 23, 2020
This gravy has become my favorite part of Thanksgiving dinner. I make mashed potatoes simply so I have more things to douse with the gravy! It's delicious.
 
Casey T.
Casey T. November 16, 2020
Loved this recipe, was able to make it gluten-free and vegan by substituting Naturali vegan block for the butter, tamari for the soy sauce, gluten-free white flour, and Oatly cream. Have already shared and will be making more this holiday season.
 
Cook@117
Cook@117 October 7, 2020
Better to dump the rehydrated mushrooms and save the stock used to rehydrate them. Then sauté several ounces of mushrooms with the shallots until the mushrooms give up their moisture. Dried mushrooms have do not have a pleasant taste.
 
Jordan B.
Jordan B. November 6, 2024
wait so throw out the mushrooms and just use the liquid they were in?
also, do you guys think fresh mushrooms would work just as well? xx
 
Windischgirl
Windischgirl November 17, 2024
I always add 1 to 1 1/2 lbs cremini mushrooms, sliced and sautéed until the liquid has evaporated. And the dried mushrooms are best sliced thinly after being rehydrated
 
Kelli E.
Kelli E. December 22, 2019
Always delicious and better than pan gravy!
 
Donna C.
Donna C. November 27, 2019
Is the 1/3 cup of mushrooms dried mushrooms or measured as rehydrated? There’s a big difference.
 
Megan
Megan November 27, 2019
I measure them dry and that has worked well for me!
 
Jill F.
Jill F. November 27, 2019
The recipe states 1/3 cup of dry mushrooms- it says nothing of rehydrating before measuring. In fact, as described, you pour the hot stock over the 1/3 cup of dry mushrooms to rehydrate them. Straightforward recipe- there are no hidden steps in here and it turns out great as directed.
 
Megan
Megan November 26, 2019
This has become my standard back-up gravy. I make it gluten free using gf all purpose flour and tamari. I still make gravy with the drippings on the day of, but having a triple batch of this takes the pressure off. Also ensures I have enough gravy and extras just make leftovers even better. You cannot go wrong with this one!
 
rosemary |.
rosemary |. November 25, 2019
Wondering how far in advance this delicious gravy can be made. Has anyone prepared it more than a day prior?
 
Windischgirl
Windischgirl November 25, 2019
My gravy was made last weekend, but without the cream, and frozen. Willbe thawing tomorrow!
 
rosemary |.
rosemary |. November 26, 2019
Great plan! Thanks!
 
tia
tia November 12, 2019
Make this gravy.

I just hosted Thanksgiving (early) for a bunch of people, including one vegetarian and a couple of people who generally regard anything vegetarian as inherently inferior. They abruptly changed their tune when they tried this. I'm very glad I doubled the recipe. I'm usually pretty meh on leftovers, but I'm looking forward to eating this over and over. I can even see making it for meals other than Thanksgiving.

I used a mix of dried shitake and dried porcini mushrooms. I also substituted cognac for sherry, since I didn't have any.
 
mystic
mystic August 2, 2019
what type of sherry do you use cream or fino?
 
Jill F.
Jill F. January 23, 2019
I just made this for the second time, and this time I used oat flour and tamari for my gluten free daughter. It turned out perfect. Served it over roasted mushrooms, cauliflower and brussel sprouts.
 
rosemary |.
rosemary |. November 24, 2018
Wow! So delicious. I made this using gluten-free flour and low-sodium tamari. Even with the substitutions, it was over-the-top amazing. Will be making this one again and again. Thank you!!
 
rengahan
rengahan November 21, 2018
This is a great recipe for many reasons. 1) It is delicious. 2) You can make it as vegetarian as you need it to be. 3) You don't have to wait for the turkey. It can be made in advance and warms up beautifully. 4) You can use fresh mushrooms or dehydrated. I love this gravy!
 
Jill F.
Jill F. November 18, 2018
Can we use corn starch instead of flower to make this gluten free? I can sub tamari for the soy, but not sure ratios to thicken if we do not use wheat flour.
 
rengahan
rengahan November 21, 2018
It's possible to adjust for cornstarch instead of flour. I don't know the exact ratio, but I do know you don't need as much cornstarch to thicken stock into a gravy. Also, you may want to consider dusting it in at the end rather than making a roux as written in the recipe.
 
Tracy D.
Tracy D. November 21, 2018
I used potato starch but beware... You do not need nearly as much as regular flour. I had to expand it to make a double batch to save my gravy! Btw, it was still delicious.
 
Suz
Suz September 13, 2018
Made this as a sauce for chicken schnitzel, and hubby loved it! (I did, too)