Vegan brown gravy is a delicious and versatile sauce that can take your plant-based meals to the next level. With its rich, savory flavor and smooth, creamy texture, it’s the perfect topping for mashed potatoes, stuffing, roasted veggies, and more.
Traditional gravy recipes often rely on animal fat, broth, or meat drippings for their depth of flavor, but vegan brown gravy uses plant-based alternatives to achieve the same richness without animal products. Not only does this make it an ideal choice for vegans, but it also caters to those with dietary restrictions, like dairy allergies.
The beauty of vegan brown gravy is in its versatility; once you master the basics, you can adjust it to suit your taste or meal. With just a few tweaks, you can create a lighter, more herbaceous gravy for summer meals or a deeply savory one for holiday feasts.
What makes vegan brown gravy so irresistible? It’s all about the rich and savory flavors that come together to create a velvety-smooth sauce that’s perfect for drizzling over potatoes, tofu, vegetables, or whatever else you fancy. Whether you’re hosting a holiday feast, preparing a cozy Sunday dinner, or simply craving some comfort food on a chilly evening, this gravy is sure to hit the spot.
This sauce tastes a lot like regular savory brown gravy but it’s gluten-free, dairy-free and cholesterol-free. The pepper gives this a little spice that your kids may not love (like mine). Feel free to leave it out.
Ways to Customize Creamy Brown Gravy
This creamy gravy/sauce can be used in many ways. Use it as the “soup” or “glue” for a casserole, pour it over pasta, top a baked potato, pour it over veggies or any other way your heart desires. Here are some simple recipe variations to try depending on your use for the brown gravy:
- For a richer and creamier gravy, add a splash of coconut cream.
- Experiment with different herbs and spices to customize the flavor of your gravy. Fresh herbs like rosemary, sage, or parsley can add a burst of freshness, while ground spices like smoked paprika or cayenne pepper can add depth and complexity.
- If you prefer a smoother gravy, you can use an immersion blender or transfer the gravy to a blender and blend until smooth before serving.
- Feel free to adjust the consistency of the gravy by adding veggie broth or more rice milk if it’s too thick, or simmering it longer if it’s too thin.
Serving Suggestions
Vegan brown gravy is wonderfully versatile and can be paired with many dishes. Here are some ideas:
- Mashed Potatoes: A classic combination that never fails. Vegan brown gravy over fluffy mashed potatoes is a staple side dish for holiday dinners and cozy meals.
- Stuffing and Roasted Vegetables: Drizzle your gravy over stuffing or roasted carrots, parsnips, and Brussels sprouts for a comforting plate.
- Vegan Meatloaf: Enhance a slice of lentil or nut-based loaf with a generous helping of gravy for a satisfying main course.
- Savory Bowls: Use vegan brown gravy as a sauce for savory bowls with grains, roasted veggies, and tempeh or tofu.
- Shepherd’s Pie: Add a layer of vegan brown gravy to the base before adding mashed potatoes on top. It adds extra flavor and moisture to the dish.
How to Make Creamy Vegan Brown Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp brown rice flour (other flours may be substituted)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp white pepper (black pepper may be used)
- 1 dash of sweet (not smoked) paprika (may be omitted)
- 1 Tbsp Braggs Amino Acids (tamari or soy sauce can be used but it is NOT gluten-free)
- 1 ½ cup Rice Milk
If you aren’t familiar with Bragg Liquid Aminos, nutritional yeast or brown rice flour, don’t get nervous! Bragg Liquid Aminos taste similar to soy sauce but is gluten-free. Nutritional yeast is something that most vegans use to get a cheesy or savory flavor. Brown rice flour is a gluten-free flour that I often use in sauces. Try them! most people love them, and you’ll find they aren’t intimidating at all.
If you still aren’t convinced about the brown rice you can also make this with corn starch. The taste is the same but the consistency varies slightly. It’s still delicious. I’ve also made it with wheat flour.
Instructions
Step 1 – Toast Dry Ingredients
In a skillet, add the dry ingredients and cook for a few minutes to toast the dry mixture on medium heat.
Step 2 – Add Liquids
Once you start to smell the dry mix toasting, add the rice milk and Braggs. Stir regularly with a whisk.
Step 3 – Stir
After the gravy starts to thicken switch to a silicone spatula and stir gently so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan. Continue cooking until it reaches a perfect gravy consistency.
Step 4 – Serve
Serve while warm, if gravy gets too dry add a little rice milk
Storage and Reheating Tips
If you make a big batch, you can store leftover vegan brown gravy in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. It also freezes well, so consider freezing single servings to reheat later.
To reheat, warm it slowly on the stove, adding a bit of vegetable broth or water if it’s too thick. Whisking it as it heats helps maintain the smooth texture.
Vegan brown gravy is the perfect addition to any plant-based meal, adding a rich, savory flavor that satisfies cravings for classic comfort food. Whether it’s for a holiday feast or a cozy dinner, vegan brown gravy is sure to impress both vegans and non-vegans alike!
More Plant Based Sauces
If you like this recipe, you’ll love these plant based sauces too:
- Homemade BBQ Sauce
- Spicy Vegan Ranch
- Raspberry Vinaigrette Salad Dressing
- Creamy Italian Dressing (Oil-Free)
- Homemade Vegan Ranch
Creamy Brown Gravy
Rich, creamy vegan brown gravy made with plant-based ingredients. Perfect for mashed potatoes, stuffing, or any comfort dish in need of flavor!
Ingredients
- 2 Tbsp nutritional yeast
- 2 Tbsp brown rice flour (other flours may be substituted)
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ½ tsp onion powder
- ¼ tsp white pepper (black pepper may be used)
- 1 dash of sweet (not smoked) paprika (may be omitted)
- 1 Tbsp Braggs Amino Acids (tamari or soy sauce can be used but it is NOT gluten-free)
- 1 ½ cup Rice Milk
Instructions
- In a skillet, add the dry ingredients and cook for a few minutes to toast the dry mixture on medium heat.
- Once you start to smell the dry mix toasting, add the rice milk and Braggs. Stir regularly with a whisk.
- After the gravy starts to thicken switch to a silicone spatula and stir gently so it does not stick to the bottom of the pan.
- Continue cooking until it reaches a perfect gravy consistency.
- Serve while warm, if gravy gets too dry add a little rice milk.
Notes
- Feel free to leave out the pepper if desired
- Corn starch can be used instead of brown rice flour
April says
This sounds delicious! Can you substitute the rice milk with any nut milk?
Holly says
Yes you can April! Just make sure it isn’t vanilla flavored. Unsweetened works great but regular will work too!
April says
Thanks kindly, Holly.
Kathleen says
This looks and sounds absolutely yummy. Can’t wait to try it. Thanks Holly!
Holly says
I hope you love it Kathleen!
Holly says
Thank you Kathleen! I know you will like it!
Kathleen says
Holly…I made this sauce today & it was OUTSTANDING. So much so that I made another batch and put it over pasta, broccoli and some rehydrated TVP like a casserole. I cannot tell you how delicious this was!! Thank you Thank you.
Holly says
I’m happy to hear that Kathleen! It is so versatile I use it in many, many ways.
Sammie says
Is there a way to make it without any milk? I’m the only dairy-free (or at least lactose-free) person in my family, and we have limited food space. I’d rather not need to buy things if I can substitute (I only have vanilla soy).
Holly says
Hi Sammie,
You can try it with veggie broth. I’ve made a similar sauce before. It tastes lightly different but still good.
It won’t work with vanilla flavored milk, only unsweetened and unflavored milks.
Kim says
This sauce/gravy is wonderful. Having it over rice and broccoli. Yum…
Pam says
How do you think it will change the taste if I leave out the nutritional yeast? Nutritional yeast really irritates with my stomach.
Lindsey says
I just finished a huge plate of mashed potatoes with this gravy. It is my new most favorite gravy. I just saw a post on FB about making a large amount of the dry mix to have on hand for gravy emergencies. I will be doing that this week.
Kimberly says
This recipe is delicious! I have made it with unsweetened soy milk and unsweetened cashew milk. Both turned out great.
Michael Ann Myers says
This may need to be amended, as there is such a thing as gluten-free tamari. Love your recipes!
Julie says
My bottle of tamari says it is gluten free, but your recipe says tamari it is not gluten free, or are you just saying the regular soy sauce is not gluten free?
Thom Spengler says
Gluten comes from wheat. Soy sauce contains wheat, tamari does not. That’s why tamari is gluten-freet
VeggieTater says
I had no rice or flour so whizzed some oats into flour and it worked beautifully! Always happy to add oats to whatever!
Holly says
I love using oat flour! I almost always have oats on hand but I don’t always have rice flour these days. We downsized and now I have a small pantry, I just don’t have room for all my old staples.
I’m thrilled to know the oat flour worked well!