You don’t have to skip the gravy on Thanksgiving and Christmas Day just because you’re vegetarian. Mom’s Vegetarian Gravy is a savory full-flavored gravy that comes together quickly with just a few ingredients. And there’s a vegan option too.
This gravy is a great rich and flavorful veggie gravy that you’ll want to pour on everything!
And, it just happens to be vegetarian; so all your vegetarian guests will love you!
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You’re vegetarian, what do you eat at Thanksgiving?
When I first became a vegetarian 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”.
But, 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 poultry broth. That’s why I had to perfect a great vegetarian stuffing. I also have a Crock Pot Vegetarian Stuffing.
And, the gravy is definitely made with turkey or chicken. 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.
Gravy perfected
Not only did we work on a gravy, I’d say that the gravy we made is superb! Creamy. Rich. Moist. Full of flavor.
And, as far as I can tell, just as good as the meaty stuff.
Now, it has been years since I’ve had the meaty stuff, but even my husband said this one was great! And, he’s a meat eater! 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!
What is gravy?
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 possibly broth, butter, or spices.
Here, you’ll basically make vegetable drippings by making a better than bouillon gravy
Vegetable gravy for all meals
Now I can have gravy again on my Thanksgiving meal, my Christmas meal, or any meal in-between!
Mashed potatoes and gravy? Check!
Biscuits and gravy? Check-y-d-check!
Gravy on breakfast? Yeppers!
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.
You can use regular veggie broth, or homemade broth as well, just sub in equal parts for the water.
Can I make this vegan?
This bouillon gravy can easily be made vegan by using a vegan broth base and vegan butter.
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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Mom’s Vegetarian Gravy Recipe
Mom’s Vegetarian Gravy
Ingredients
- ½ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups water
- 1 ½ tablespoons Better than Bouillon vegetable base
- 1 tablespoon 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.
I am not vegetarian but this gravy looks and sounds delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Oh my goodness! Excellent gravy!
I’m not a vegetarian but I would eat that gravy on EVERYTHING!
I am forever trying to make a delicious vegetarian gravy. Thank you!
Such a great gravy. I am so amazed that it’s vegetarian. I need to try it:)
I wonder if I could use corn starch instead of potato starch?
Holly, yes, you can use corn starch instead of potato starch. Use the same amount as called for for the potato starch in the recipe. I think that potato starch has a better silky mouthfeel than corn starch, so I tend to use it more. Corn starch will have a slightly grainier feel. But it’s a fairly small amount, so you may not even notice it. Happy Thanksgiving!
How long would I be able to store it?
Brenda, 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.
I made the gravy but did not get the darker colour. Do you think this is attributed to the veg broth?
Tracey, yes, if you used a different broth you’ll get a different color. I always use that Better than Bouillon vegetable paste. It has a nice dark color, you get A LOT out of one small jar, and it tastes great! Here’s the Amazon affiliate link for it: https://amzn.to/2YxNrAE Also, you could cook the roux a bit longer to darken the color, get it a nice golden or even a peanut butter color before adding your broth. That’ll make the color darker as well.
This gravy is wonderful