This Easy and Simple Vegan Gravy recipe is the vegetarian gravy you've been waiting for! Made with nutritional yeast and marmite for a ton of flavour, this vegan brown gravy is perfect with mashed potatoes, vegetarian poutine, or as part of your Thanksgiving table. This healthy gravy recipe is made from scratch and it's super simple!
All aboard the gravy train!
Are you guys ready to take a trip to gravy town? Because that is where we are going today. Allllllll aboard!!!
I made a LOT of vegetarian gravy recipes in order to crack the code for the perfect recipe, and here it is. I'll let you in on not one but TWO secret ingredients that take this vegan brown gravy to the next level.
Would you like to dunk your Crispy Potato Wedges in amazing vegan gravy? Of course you would. And you guys, do I even need to point out that fries + vegetarian gravy + cheese curds = VEGETARIAN POUTINE?!!!
Honestly this is the best vegan gravy recipe - it's every bit as good as a traditional gravy recipe, and I'm so excited to share it with you today.
It’s easy, and I’ll walk you through it step by step. Let's do this!!
The secret ingredients...
Time to gather up your gravy-making ingredients! There are two secret ingredients that take this vegetarian gravy recipe from simple to sublime: nutritional yeast and Marmite.
Nutritional yeast is the magic vegan pixie dust that’ll give your gravy that je ne sais quoi. Marmite (or Vegemite) adds a punch of umami flavor and gives the vegan gravy a nice brown color. You can replace the marmite with an equivalent amount of dark soy sauce. But Marmite is delicious and you should have it in your life!
Let's make Vegan Gravy together!
Step 1: make your roux
First things first, grab your favorite saucepanf and heat the olive oil to a nice shimmer over medium-high heat.
Add the flour, and cook, whisking constantly, for 1-2 minutes, until the flour is starting to get a nice toasty smell to it.
Add the flour, and cook, whisking constantly, for 1-2 minutes, until the flour is starting to get a nice toasty smell to it.
Step 2: add the broth
The mixture will be quite thick at this point (see below) but will smooth out once you start adding broth.
Add ½ cup of the vegetable broth, and whisk it into the flour mixture until there are no lumps or clumps. Then add the remaining broth, and whisk until smooth.
Step 3: thicken and season
Reduce the heat and simmer the gravy, whisking more or less constantly, until it begins to thicken.
Now add the Marmite - just a teaspoon at this point - whisk to combine, and then taste and season your gravy. Add salt and pepper, and perhaps a bit more Marmite. It should be savory and delicious at this point.
Transfer to a gravy boat or whatever you're serving from, and serve this vegan gravy recipe hot!
Amazing Vegan Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- ¼ cup flour I used whole wheat pastry flour, but all purpose or a gluten-free flour is fine too
- 3 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- 2 cups good quality vegetable broth hot
- 1-2 teaspoons Marmite
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- freshly cracked black pepper
Instructions
- Heat the olive oil in a sauce pan over medium-high heat.3 Tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- When the oil begins to shimmer, whisk in the flour. Whisk constantly for about 1-2 minutes until the flour begins to smell a bit nutty.¼ cup flour
- Add the nutritional yeast and continue to whisk for one more minute.3 Tablespoon nutritional yeast
- Add ½ cup of the broth and whisk into the flour mixture so that it is smooth and there are no lumps.2 cups good quality vegetable broth
- Add the remaining broth.
- Simmer the gravy, whisking constantly, until it begins to thicken and is bubbling. This could take about 5 minutes.
- Reduce the heat to low, and whisk in the dried thyme, some freshly cracked black pepper, and 1 teaspoon of Marmite.½ teaspoon dried thyme, freshly cracked black pepper, 1-2 teaspoons Marmite
- Taste your gravy and decide whether you want to add a bit more Marmite, and adjust the seasonings as necessary.
- Transfer to a gravy boat, and serve hot!
Notes
- Nutrition values are an estimate only.
- Can this gravy be made gluten-free? I have't personally tried this recipe with a gluten-free flour, but I'm confident that it would work out with an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend in place of the regular flour.
- Can this gravy be made in advance? Yes! You can make it, keep it in the fridge for up to 5 days, and re-heat it when you're ready to serve. It will thicken as it cools and will thin out again when you reheat it.
- How do you reheat this gravy? I've used both the microwave and the stovetop to reheat this gravy.
- Can I freeze this gravy? Yes! Pour it off into a container and throw it in the freezer. Thaw and re-heat when you're ready to use.
- What if I don't have Marmite? As stated above, you can replace the marmite with an equivalent amount of dark soy sauce. But Marmite is delicious and you should have it in your life!
- What if I don't have nutritional yeast? The nooch is super important for this recipe, so there isn't a substitute. Go out and get yourself some, it's bonkers good on popcorn!
Nutrition
Chris says
Hi Katie, just to let you know it does work with gluten-free flour (I used rice flour but might try it with gram flour next time), I also made it low FODMAP by using onion infused olive oil instead of the onion granules. Thanks for the recipe, a definite keeper.
Chris, UK.
Katie Trant says
Good to know!!
Emmi says
I’ve made this a few times now and it’s the best!!! One thing I do differently is use mushroom broth in place of veggie broth, because I just love the flavour of mushrooms. So so yummy 🙂 and suuuuuuuch a fast and easy recipe.
Katie Trant says
Yay! So glad you like this one as much as we do, Emmi!
Sara says
This is now my go-to gravy recipe! It has so much flavor and love that it is vegan. I don't have Marmite so I used vegan oyster sauce in place. The one I have is made with mushroom powder but also has yeast as listed ingredient. Mixed in with the gravy, it adds the missing salty rich flavor without overpowering mushroom flavor. I have also used this as a soup base and added in roasted veggies and more veggie stock. Thanks for an excellent vegan gravy recipe!
Megan says
My carnivorous husband loved this!
Grrrr says
I just want to say THANK YOU, this recipe is delicious! Since going vegetarian, I’ve struggled to find a decent gravy to go with a Sunday roast... until now. The flavour is amazing, and the texture is just right (unlike a lot of store-bought vegetarian gravy). I could practically drink this stuff, it’s so good. And it’s quick and easy to cook too. I added a dash of vegan Worcestershire sauce and a sprinkle of onion powder just to give it a little extra. Perfect!
Claire says
You weren't kidding when you called this amazing. I've been eyeing this recipe for a while given that one of my favorite holiday foods is mashed potatoes and gravy. Thanksgiving usually ends up being a vegetarian cheat day for me because my mom makes turkey gravy. ANYWAY. I made your lentil shepherd's pie and wanted GRAVY. I skeptically bought some Marmite specifically for this. I've only had it on toast one time and I did not care for it (Marmite, as it turns out, is not big in the US). I made this gravy and honestly had an out of body experience when I tasted it. It was spiritual, it was emotional; it was healing.
Ok, that might be a bit much but it tastes like legit gravy! It is sooooo good. I want to eat it on everything! And I will! I am just pleased as punch to have a vegetarian gravy recipe so I don't have to cheat AND it has nutritional benefit from the nooch AND it tastes just as good as any gravy I've ever had.
P.S. After feeding your lentil shepherd's pie and this gravy to my meat eating husband last night he said "wow, this is so good! Gosh this is good!" about 10 times in a row. Cleaned his plate, he did. I would say it was a success.
Laura says
So easy to make and I used the vegan better than bullion. Delicious...
Emily says
Yum! Thanks so much for sharing this! I love this gravy. It is awesome how well it reheats! I love being able to make part of the meal in advance!
Alex says
This gravy is delicious! Even better than I anticipated. As a bonus, I had acquired a jar of marmite months ago and didn't know what to use it for, never having tasted it. This recipe gave me an excuse to finally open it up and give it a try. Boy have I been missing out. It really adds a whole other dimension of flavor. I'll be making this for Thanksgiving (:
Roos says
Just wanna say thank you for this amazing recipe 🙂 my boyfriend needs sauce with all his food, and I usually omit it where I can (call me crazy but I just see sauce as unnecessary fats and stuff). But I really wanted to eat kale mash (boerenkoolstamppot, it's a Dutch dish made with kale and mashed potatoes :)) and hesitant as he was (he hates those healthy Dutch recipes) he loved it with loads of this gravy! I made way too much gravy by mistake so I froze it in a ln ice cube maker thing, so I can freeze it and dose easily when needed. Thanks for giving me back my kale mash Katie!!
sustainable cooks - sarah says
It's so important that you know that I HATE gravy.
And yet, this was delicious. DELICIOUS!!!
CJ says
I bought Marmite specifically to make this. This is now my official go-to gravy recipe! It was easy, delicious and quick. My non-vegan hubby said it was excellent also. Thank you!
Sylvie says
I’m a fan of veg/vegan gravies but this one is the easiest ever!! I made it tonight for my family, and my 3yr old asked wide-eyed “mama, where did you get this SAUCE??!!” He liked it. A lot. And so did the rest of us! Yum.
Funny, I didn’t see the ingredient measurements so I winged it. It might not have been exactly like yours, but it was def delish. So the recipe is flexible too - bonus. ????
Katie Trant says
Oh weird, the measurements didn't show up for you in the recipe card? I can see them there now, so I hope that no one else has that same problem!
Hayden says
Hi there
Just wanted to say that I made this and it's amazing! Thank you for your gravy sorcery!
It freezes well, a quick blast in the microwave and I'm in gravy heaven.
Cheers Hayden
NZ
Katie Trant says
Oh good one, I've never tried freezing it before!
Marie Eve says
The ultimate poutine game changer for anyone making gravy from scratch, vegan or not! Thank you so much!!
Katie Trant says
I love using this gravy for poutine. So good!
Vegan Imp says
Perfect gravy! This is my first year cooking a vegan Thanksgiving and I was worried bout the gravy with no meat or dairy. Your recipe looked too simple to be truly excellent, but your simple gravy is rich, grandma-traditional tasting, and inspired. Having no Marmite, I substituted red miso, and this was gravy to charm and fool all the carnivores present! And it takes 5 minutes to make, and reheats beautifully. Thank you, thank you! I will use this gravy so often.
Katie Trant says
So glad to hear that the gravy worked out for you. It's definitely my favourite recipe, though it's been years since I've had the real deal. Good to know that miso can be used in place of the Marmite!
Stephen says
Thank you, this was deliciously simple!
Katie Trant says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Deena Kakaya says
ah, it is Marmite! That picture is so not telling Katie. So, can you actually taste the marmite? very clever idea my friend x
Katie Trant says
I think the Marmite adds a little something, but it's not the predominant flavour by any means.
Linda @ Veganosity says
LOL! I love mushrooms, and they are the base in my vegan gravy! I do love nutritional yeast, but I've never tried Marmite. It's on my list of new things to try. Your pictures are lovely!
Katie Trant says
I know, I'm kind of a freak in the vegetarian world as a mushroom hater. I always believed I'd develop a taste for mushrooms as I got older, much like broccoli and red wine. But nope. And I've put genuine effort into trying to like them. I've tried different types, I've tried them prepared in different ways. It turns out I can handle some of the funkier types; I like enoki mushrooms, I like that crunchy brown fungus that is in a lot of Asian soups, and teeny tiny baby chantarelles. But in general I just plain old don't like them, which is the bane of my existence as a vegetarian as many restaurants will have one veggie item and it often features mushrooms.
Linda @ Veganosity says
I totally get it Katie. When I actually think about what a mushroom is, it kind of creeps me out too, so I just don't think about it because I do like them. Although, I don't like raw mushrooms, they must be cooked for me to eat them.
Garrett Michael Hayes says
I didn't even know that hating mushrooms was LEGAL for vegetarians until my sister revealed her own dislike of them.
Katie Trant says
Ha! It seems mushroom-hating vegetarians are a rare breed, but we're definitely out there!
Alissa says
I bought a container of Marmite a while back for a veggie burger recipe. It gave the veggie burgers an amazing, savory flavor, but since then I've been at a bit of a loss as to what to do with it. This is perfect! I'll give it a try for Thanksgiving this year.
Katie Trant says
I developed a taste for Marmite back when I lived in New Zealand, so every once in a while I'll have a slice of hot buttery toast with a super thin layer of marmite on it. Sooo good! But a jar does last me forever. Great idea to add it into veggie burgers as well! I'll definitely give that a try.
kellie@foodtoglow says
I'm definitely trying this, Katie. I am in the Marmite camp (phew - we can still be friends!) and am overly fond of nooch so putting the two together in gravy is only sensible, right? This also looks a perfect way for folk who need a low fibre diet to get a healthy food-moistening option for their meals. I shall try it soon!
Katie Trant says
Yay for Marmite! Though I must warn you my allegiance is to the Kiwi Marmite. The British stuff is ok, but the stuff from New Zealand is thicker and blacker. Don't even get me started on Vegemite! Good news for low fiber diets too, I didn't consider that! Perhaps for those folks sticking with all purpose flour is the best option for the thickener.
Caroline @ Shrinking Single says
My tastebuds aren't up to distinguising different marmites. I lived in Namibia for a while and my friend there swore the marmite was completely different to British marmite. But I am all for the marmite, yegemite, promite and pretty much any other mite.
Katie Trant says
I one time did a blind taste test between British Marmite, Kiwi Marmite, and Vegemite and pretty much nailed it! I'll eat the others in a pinch, but Kiwi Marmite is my one true love.