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.
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. You can read more about why I’m a vegetarian as well.
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.
You could also give my mushroom sauce recipe a try.
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
Serve it over chicken and rice
It’s great on vegetables like cauliflower and broccoli
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 stock 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!
Also, some bouillons will dissolve better than others; some may leave a gritty texture.
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.
Francine
I am not vegetarian but this gravy was so delicious. Thanks for the recipe!
Suzy
Oh my goodness! Excellent gravy!
Lisa
I’m not a vegetarian but we had a vegetarian guest and I made this for her. Everyone loved it – even my kids who eat meat! Thanks for the delicious gravy recipe that is so inclusive to all.
Jane
I am forever trying to make a delicious vegetarian gravy. Thank you! This was easy and so beautiful!
Ilona
Such a great gravy. I am so amazed that it’s vegetarian.
Holly
I wonder if I could use corn starch instead of potato starch?
Debi
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!
Brenda
How long would I be able to store it?
Debi
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.
Tracey
I made the gravy but did not get the darker colour. Do you think this is attributed to the veg broth?
Debi
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.
Jim
This gravy is wonderful
Rose Accardi
Hi Debi
This recipe is fabulous! Am I able to freeze the gravy?
Debi
Rose, You know, I’ve never tried. That’s a great question. Next time I make it I’ll do some testing. I think it would work well frozen though. I’d put it in an air-tight container and freeze, probably 3-4 months. When you’re ready to eat it, thaw it in the fridge overnight. You could even place it in ice cube trays for smaller portions, and pop those in freezer bags for storage. So glad you loved it!
Cotes
Wow. This is better than any gravy I have had in the last 10 years. Maybe longer. And I have not been a vegetarian during that time. Try it I was forced to use cornstarch instead of potato starch but it seem to work I found myself licking it off my fingers while it was still cold earlier when I was heating up leftovers.
beland
Fantastic. I substituted the salt with Trader Joe’s Umami seasoning and it added a wonderful depth. This is a keeper!
Mindy
Delicious gravy. Better than Bouillon vegetable base makes this the amazing gravy it is
Lynn
Once again, for those transitioning to plant-based, this is a delicious gravy that will satisfy those who have grown up with turkey gravy.
Kathi
I had this at a friends last year, and was I shocked to learn that it was vegetarian! It was SO yummy, making it for the same friends this year when they come for Friendsgiving!
Lynn
Use vegan butter and made this vegan– delish!