This is a delicious and easy to make Vegetarian Gravy recipe that makes a savory full-flavored gravy that everyone, including the meat eaters, will love! This delicious vegetarian gravy comes together quickly with just a few ingredients and without drippings.
The best vegetarian gravy recipe made with traditional ingredients like a butter roux and vegetable bouillon is so flavorful that everyone will love it! It’s a must have for your vegetarian Thanksgiving dinner.
You don’t have to skip the gravy on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day just because you’re vegetarian. And I have vegan and gluten free swaps for you too.
I first shared this recipe in 2016. It’s still one of my favorites! I mean, who doesn’t love gravy, and to have a stellar easy veggie gravy recipe at my fingertips, especially for the holidays, is so important to me! I’ve updated it for you here. These are updates to the recipe, the photos, and the information all for a better user experience. I hope you try this vegetarian brown gravy and love it as much as I do!
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Please let me know if you have any questions about this recipe. I read all the comments myself and I try to help as soon as I can. I have readers from all levels of comfort and experience in the kitchen on my site, and I’ve tried to answer some of your questions already in the post. But if I’ve missed anything, please feel free to leave a comment and ask. The comments can be easily found using the orange circle on the lower left, then Join the discussion!
You’re vegetarian, what do you eat at Thanksgiving?
When I first became a vegetarian, way back over 30 years ago, I remember people asking what I ate at Thanksgiving. My answer was always something along the lines of, “everything you do, just not the turkey”.
I’m a bit wiser now, and now I know the answer isn’t quite that simple.
I mean, many of the side dishes are made with turkey or even in the turkey.
The stuffing (my favorite part of the meal), is usually cooked in the bird, or at least made with giblets or chicken broth. That’s why I had to perfect a great vegetarian stuffing. I also have a Crock Pot Vegetarian Stuffing.
And, the gravy is almost always made with turkey pan drippings or chicken broth.
I tried buying cans of vegetarian gravy years ago. I made them a little better by stirring in a spoonful of sour cream, but they never came even close to the real stuff.
But when you think about it, gravy is just a roux with some broth and some flavorings. And I have an amazing homemade vegetable broth recipe.
And if you don’t want to make your own broth, you can make a great Better than Bouillon gravy.
This gravy is a great rich and flavorful veggie gravy that you’ll want to pour on everything!
Perfect Gravy
Not only did I work on making a delicious vegetarian gravy recipe, I’d say that the gravy we made is superb! Creamy. Rich. Moist. Full of flavor. Creamy & buttery.
And, as far as I can tell, just as good as the meaty stuff.
Now, it has been years since I’ve had turkey gravy, but even my meat-eating husband said this one was great! He did say it wasn’t exact, meaning that he would be able to tell the difference, but I still consider this a big win!
And how can you make gravy vegetarian?
Technically, gravy is made from the dripping of the turkey or other meat juices combined with flour and broth, butter, and spices.
Here, you’ll basically make vegetable drippings by making a better than bouillon gravy.
How to make
This veggie gravy is full of flavor, thick and smooth, and will please an omnivore or vegetarian alike. Trust me when I say this vegetarian gravy will be a hit with everyone!
Be sure to scroll down to the printable recipe card for full ingredient amounts.
In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Mix in the flour, and cook for a couple of minutes. Part of the color of the gravy will come from this cooking, so don’t skimp on the time here.
Add in the water or the homemade broth if using that, Better than Bouillon, potato starch, salt and pepper, and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Mixing well.
Taste for salt and pepper, garnishing with additional pepper if desired. Serve hot.
That’s it!
Oh, and if you want to make a smaller amount of gravy, simply cut the recipe in half, and you can use the servings slider on the recipe card to help with those calculations.
How long can I store it?
It’s a great make-ahead vegetarian gravy, making it perfect for thanksgiving. Because I know I always appreciate anything that can be made ahead and stored in the fridge.
I typically like to use it within 5 days. It will separate a little in the fridge, just stir it back together as you reheat it.
Reheat it on the stove or in the microwave. It can even be reheated on top of your Thanksgiving Day leftovers!
Can I freeze it?
You can make this gravy today and freeze it for the big day. Or, if you have lots of leftovers that you want to save, tuck them away in the freezer.
Allow the gravy to cool completely, then place it in air tight containers and into the freezer for up to 3 months.
You can even place it in ice cube trays for smaller portions, and pop those in freezer bags for storage.
When you’re ready to eat it, thaw it in the fridge overnight.
Vegetable gravy for all meals
Now I can have gravy again on my Thanksgiving meal, Christmas dinner, or any meal in-between!
This gravy is great on:
Mashed potatoes and gravy
Biscuits and gravy
Gravy on breakfast
Shepherd’s pie
stew
meatballs and gravy
poutine, which is French fries topped with cheese and covered in gravy
Pot pie
Check out more of my Classic Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Better than Bouillon
Our recipe uses Better than Bouillon vegetable base. No, this isn’t a sponsored post for them, it’s just a product that I’ve come to use often around here, and I really love it.
Take a look here through my Amazon affiliate link at Better than Bouillon, and you can buy some while you’re there.
Better than Bouillon Concentrated Stocks are fat free and have 1/3 less salt than ordinary bouillons. The seasoned vegetable base flavor is also vegan. They have many other vegetarian flavors like mushroom and “no chicken” and “no beef”, which would all be great in this gravy!
You can use regular veggie broth, or homemade vegetable broth as well, just sub in equal parts for the water.
Can I use bouillon cubes instead of the base?
In theory, yes, you can use cubes instead of the Better Than Bouillon base. Or even a powdered bouillon instead of the base.
Keep in mind that the flavors in different brands will very. Some are stronger than others. Also, some have a lot more salt than others. So I can’t vouch for the flavor on all other brands, but if you have one you love, by all means give it a go. And I’d love to hear back if you love it!
Better Than Bouillon has less sodium than most bouillons. So, if you’re swapping bouillons, I’d recommend leaving out the 1/4 teaspoon salt while making the gravy, until you know how salty it is. Then you can add more back in if needed.
1 cube of bouillon is equal to 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon base. And, one teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon dissolved in 8 ounce of hot or boiling water is equal to one 8 ounce can of broth. Since I call for 1 & 1/2 Tablespoons base that would be 4 & 1/2 cubes.
This bouillon gravy can easily be made vegan by using a vegan broth base and vegan butter.
Can I make this gluten-free?
Simply use one of those gluten-free flour as a one-for-one substitute for the flour in this recipe.
And, though I haven’t tried it, you could possibly use cornstarch or potato starch in place of the flour.
Can I use corn starch instead of potato starch?
Yes, you can use corn starch instead of potato starch in this recipe.
Use the same amount of corn starch as potato starch as called for in the recipe.
I think that potato starch has a better silky mouthfeel than corn starch, so I tend to use it more often in my recipes.
Corn starch will have a slightly grainier feel. But it’s a fairly small amount, so you may not even notice it.
Can you buy vegetarian gravy?
You can buy vegetarian gravy, but I’ve never found one that’s very good.
Even if you doctor them up, they don’t come close to the real flavors. And this is so easy to make, don’t even bother looking for store-bought veggie gravy!
Kitchen tools you may need for this recipe
Note: these are affiliate links
Better than Bouillon vegetable base
Gravy Boat with Saucer
Small saucepan
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Vegetarian Gravy Recipe
Vegetarian Gravy
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups water
- 1 ½ tablespoons Better than Bouillon vegetable base
- 3 tablespoons potato starch
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon coarse ground black pepper
- freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a small saucepan, melt the butter. Mix in the flour, and cook for 2 minutes.
- Add in the water, Better than Bouillon, potato starch, salt and pepper, and cook until thickened, about 5 minutes. Mixing well.
- Taste for salt and pepper, garnishing with additional pepper if desired. Serve hot.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third-party calculations, and should be considered estimates. Actual nutritional content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
Such a tasty and simple recipe! I love being able to have a vegetarian gravy option for our guests.
Wow this gravy recipe is really good! I’ve made many disappointing vegetarian gravy recipes but this one turned out great! I used it for a veggie shepherds pie (yum).
This is one the best gravy i tasted that did not have the juice of the turkey! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Can you swap cornstarch for the potato starch? Thanks!
Jen, yes, you can swap cornstarch for potato starch. I’ll actually be updating the post with this information today. I do find that potato starch has a nicer texture – a little less gritty, but it will still work.
Hi, could you use bouillon cubes instead of the base?
Ash, in theory, yes, you can use cubes instead of the base. Or even a powder instead of the base. Keep in mind that the flavors in different brands will very. Some are stronger than others. Also, some have a lot more salt than others. Better Than Bouillon has less sodium than most bouillons. So, I’d recommend leaving out the 1/4 teaspoon salt while making the gravy until you know how salty it is. Then you can add more back in if needed. 1 cube of bouillon is equal to 1 teaspoon Better Than Bouillon base. And, one teaspoon of Better Than Bouillon dissolved in 8 oz. of hot or boiling water is equal to one 8 oz. can of broth. Since I call for 1 & 1/2 Tablespoons base that would be 4 & 1/2 cubes.
Thanks for the question. I think it will be helpful for other people and I’m going to add it to the post.
Can this gravy be made a day ahead?
Sandy, yes, this is a great make ahead gravy. I typically like to use it within 5 days. It will separate a little in the fridge, just stir it back together as you reheat it. Reheat it on the stove or in the microwave.
This was delicious, made it today and just added some Morning Star patties crumbled in