Gluten-free Vegan Gravy

This gluten-free vegan gravy is flavourful, with a great umami kick, oil-free and made with healthy ingredients. Serve this as an easy sauce for dishes such as mashed potatoes, roast vegetables and Brussels sprouts. Perfect for Christmas and the holiday season!

Christmas is almost here, and I have mixed emotions. Don't get me wrong, I love Christmas and the holiday season. But it always reminds me of how fast time is flying. The decade is nearly over and yet here I am still trying to process 2018. Yikes.

Anyway, onto the much less stressful topic of gravy. Well, gravy can be stressful. For example, imagine the scenario of needing to impress a party of people with an array of dietary requirements. You want a gravy that's super tasty, that pairs well with a variety of dishes. But you also want to keep it on the healthier side.

That's where my easy gluten-free vegan gravy recipe comes in. This stuff is so good, you may catch yourself eating it by the spoonful!

Healthier gluten-free vegan gravy

Now, there isn't a shortage of gluten-free vegan gravy recipes out there. But, a lot of them call for ingredients such as vegan butter and oil which, while great in moderation, I like to avoid in large quantities.

This recipe, however, is relatively low in fat. Regardless, you don't have to worry about missing out on flavour and thickness. The key ingredient here, which is dried porcini mushrooms, have that delightful kick of earthiness that everyone loves about gravy. The addition of onion granules, mustard and nutritional yeast really intensifies its umami profile.

For saltiness, I used powdered vegetable stock when making the broth. However, you can also skip this and sub ⅛ of the amount of liquid you're using for tamari (gluten-free soy sauce).

How to thicken gravy

There's a variety of methods you can use to thicken gluten-free vegan gravy. By far the easiest option is adding gluten-free flour, which you can also switch out for cornflour or arrowroot powder. I've tested this with a variety of flours, and buckwheat flour also achieves a great result.

Furthermore, the rehydrated porcini mushrooms also contribute to the thickness when you blend them at the end.

Serving ideas

Gluten-free vegan gravy is so versatile and literally goes with everything! Okay, don't take that literally and start pouring gravy on your porridge in the morning. But anyway, here are a few serving suggestions for all your gravy enthusiasts out there:

• Mashed potatoes! Duh. I feel like these are incomplete without a generous drizzle on top.
• I love dipping vegan croquettes in gravy. The cheesiness works so well with the deep, earthy flavours.
• Serving it with lentil loaf is literally a Christmas dinner dream come true.
• If you fancy trying something different, why not pour it over homemade gluten-free pelmeni (Russian-style dumplings)?!

How to make gluten-free vegan gravy

• Rehydrate the mushrooms. Cover the mushrooms in the vegetable broth in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, cover, take off the heat and leave to stand aside while you prepare the other ingredients.
• Add the onion to a non-stick frying pan or saucepan. Sauté for around 3 minutes, then add the onion granules and fresh rosemary, and sauté for 2 minutes more.
• Add the flour together with the plant based milk. Sauté for around 2-3 minutes, working continuously to ensure that the flour doesn't begin to stick.
• Pour in the mushroom-vegetable broth mixture, and add the mustard and the nutritional yeast. Bring to a simmer and stir over a medium heat for around 2 minutes.
• Transfer to a blender or food processor and blend until your desired consistency is reached. You can keep it as chunky or as smooth as you like.

Let me know in the comments: what's your favourite way to serve gravy? If you give this gluten-free vegan gravy a go, be sure to tag me on Instagram (@earthofmariaa) so I can see your creations, and leave your feedback in the comments below!