So The Best Vegetarian Gravy in The World is...?

[Pickles89]

Would you believe it, I've never done gravy before! Only ever had it a couple of times when I had the school Christmas dinner, and once at a friend's house! Anyway, so I'm making a nut roast with root veggies at Christmas this year, and want a nice packet vegetarian gravy to go with it. What would you recommend? Also, any gravy-related tips and tricks I should know?

I’ve only made one but I love it to death and make it often. It’s incredibly easy. It’s not out of a packet.

1 onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tsp plain flour
2 tsp English mustard
2 tsp Soy sauce
1 vegetable stock cube, made up to 300ml

Fry onion, add flour and let thicken, add soy and mustard, add stock slowly letting it thicken, leave to simmer aa long as you can.

If you really want instant they’re much of a muchness. Any own brand onion or veg gravy or bisto.

But give this a whirl, it’s grand.

Have you got your nut roast recipe? I’ve shared my favourite one on here loads but that’s because it’s so good.

Or Bisto original in the red tub.

Following this thread for ideas. Has anyone made gravy with porcini mushrooms? The stock from that is quite meaty amd may make a good base

@AnneLovesGilbert If you wouldn't mind sharing your nut roast recipe that would be amazing.

PriamFarr - seconding Bisto in the red tub - I didn't believe it was suitable for vegetarians until I read the box.

I'd make it up with home made veg stock - not a cube as it would be too salty. Maybe some wine in the stock as well.

The one I always make is miso-based. It's a recipe by Marie Laforêt, from her book 'Vegan'. It's very quick and easy, and delicious. Even confirmed carnivores like it.

1 shallot (or 1/2 small onion)
2 tbsp olive oil
3 tbsp white miso
1 tbsp brown miso
400ml boiling water
2 tbsp cornflour

Dice the shallot.
In a small pan, combine the oil and 2 misos, and heat up on a high heat.
Add the shallot and turn the heat down a bit. Cook for a few minutes, stirring constantly.
Add half the water and stir well to combine everything.
Add the cornflour, stir, then add the rest of the water. Cook until the gravy has thickened.

This is my favourite vegetarian gravy. There are so many umami containing ingredients that it’s very rich without any of the flavours dominating. I do find it needs a little sweetening, either with a port or Malaga wine, or just sugar depending on your taste.

Ingredients
1 tbsp vegetable oil
2 onions, peeled and halved
1 garlic clove, peeled
200ml red wine
10g dried porcini mushrooms
400g flat mushrooms, sliced
½ bunch thyme
2 bay leaves
1 tsp marmite
1 tsp tomato paste
6 black peppercorns
1 tbsp cornflour

Method
Heat the oil in a large saucepan over a high heat. Add the onions and colour until well browned. Add the garlic and brown for a further two minutes.
Add the red wine and cook for eight to 10 minutes until a syrup is left. Add two litres of water and the remaining ingredients. Turn down to a low simmer for an hour. Strain the liquid into a saucepan. Discard the vegetables.
Simmer the liquid for 20 to 30 minutes until about 400ml remains. Mix the cornflour with two tablespoons of water and whisk into the stock. Cook for three or four minutes until thickened. Adjust seasoning to taste.

With vegan gravy, can you make ahead and successfully reheat?

@AnneLovesGilbert I just had my eye on a random one from the internet. Please do share yours!

Thanks everyone! I'm worried tom attempt making my own from scratch as it's my first time making the nut roast, so if I screw that up and the gravy's ok everyone can drown theirs in gravy, but if I screw both up we are in trouble! I like cooking but something invariably goes wrong every time!

Lots of very finely chopped onion which you fry very slowly & gently, any old gravy granules, veg stock or failing that the water from the sprouts - a good glug of mushroom soy sauce. Lots of black pepper.

Here in the Welsh Valleys we are weaned on gravy and have it at least every Sunday without fail, often in the week too.😉☺️

My Mam’s gravy recipe.

Melt a chunk of butter (probably about 3-4oz)in a saucepan.
If you eat meat you can use the juices from the roast instead of butter.
Add about 2 tablespoons of white flour, stirring to form a roux/paste.

Slowly, stir the vegetable water from your boiled potatoes/parsnips/carrots/cabbage into the roux. Begin with the root vegetable water and don’t overdo the cabbage/sprout water.
Put the pan over low heat and keep stirring as you add more vegetable water. It will form a thick sauce.
When you have the thickness and volume you want add a stock cubes bouillion dissolved in a little hot water.
1 tsp Marmite, 1tsp English mustard.
Taste to decide if you need salt and/or pepper.
I use gravy browning to add colour to my gravy.
If the gravy looks lumpy use a stick blender.

This is an old-fashioned gravy but I can assure it is really lovely.
You can add sautéed onions and/or leeks if you are having sausages and mash.

Pickles89
Everyone makes mistakes when they start cooking but please be positive, you really can do this.
I have been cooking for so long that I can’t recommend a simple cookbook. I loved Rose Elliot’s vegetarian books back in the day.

Course! veganonboard.com/easy-nut-roast/

I made it last year as my mum is vegan and I tried loads of recipes none of which had any structure and/or had weird or hard to get ingredients. This one is a winner, I’ve made it many times this year.

It freezes a dream. I double it, reduce the soy a bit as it’s quite salty, then made a 1lb loaf and about 6 large muffins using silicon cases then freeze one or the other. The muffins have extra crunch as they have more surface area.

To ease your workload on the day, and cooking time while you’re juggling potatoes and veg, you could make the nut roast in advance, wrap in grease proof paper and whack in it the freezer, then wrap in foil on top of the grease proof and reheat.

The muffins I freeze in the silicon cases they cooked in then reheat as they are. Super crunchy.

Another vote for red Bisto as a backup. I get the reduced salt one. The onion one is nice as well.

@AnneLovesGilbert Oh My Gosh that sounds so much quicker and simpler than the one I was thinking of!! Thank you so much! Making it in advance would be really good, but how do I know how long to cook for? Would it not get dried out reheating?

@IamEarthymama Thank you, that was a lovely encouraging message! I'll give it my best shot! Being able to make the nut roast in advance would certainly ease the pressure!

I cook it as long as it says, I can check the recipe. Then it’s very forgiving in being reheated, just whack it in the bottom of the oven well covered in paper and it’ll be hot enough in less than half an hour. Muffins will be quicker.

I’ve never found it to dry out, it’s wet-ish before it’s cooked with the stock and onions. Toddler DD likes the mixture raw

I had no idea red bisto was vegetarian! I assumed it had beef stock in it.

@AnneLovesGilbert Oh that's a good recipe! I'm saving that. Also if you could post your Nut Roast recipe, that would be grand .

If you are concerned you could make the gravy in advance and freeze it.

@AnneLovesGilbert

I’ve only made one but I love it to death and make it often. It’s incredibly easy. It’s not out of a packet.

1 onion, finely sliced
1 tbsp vegetable oil
3 tsp plain flour
2 tsp English mustard
2 tsp Soy sauce
1 vegetable stock cube, made up to 300ml

Fry onion, add flour and let thicken, add soy and mustard, add stock slowly letting it thicken, leave to simmer aa long as you can.

If you really want instant they’re much of a muchness. Any own brand onion or veg gravy or bisto.

But give this a whirl, it’s grand.

Have you got your nut roast recipe? I’ve shared my favourite one on here loads but that’s because it’s so good.

Please share your nut roast again 🙏

veganonboard.com/easy-nut-roast/

@Panacotta
@Jacaranda75

@AnneLovesGilbert thanks, I am going to make this on Christmas Day .