By Tara Parker-Pope
- Total Time
- About 30 minutes
- Rating
- 5(271)
- Notes
- Read community notes
This vegetarian gravy has all of the hearty sausage flavor without all of the meat. It came to The Times in 2012 by way of Amy Lawrence, and her husband, Justin Fox Burks, who write the Chubby Vegetarian blog.
Featured in: Southern Flavors on a Vegetarian Table
Learn: How to Make Gravy
or to save this recipe.
Print Options
Include recipe photo
Advertisem*nt
Ingredients
Yield:6 servings
- 1(10-ounce) package cremini (baby bella) mushrooms
- 1tablespoon canola oil
- ½cup diced shallots
- 1teaspoon dried sage
- ¼teaspoon red pepper flakes
- Scant ⅛ teaspoon ground clove
- 1tablespoon soy sauce
- 1tablespoon maple syrup
- 1tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1tablespoon all-purpose flour
- 1½cups whole milk
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (6 servings)
110 calories; 6 grams fat; 3 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 2 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 10 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 7 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 178 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
Powered by
Preparation
Step
1
Slice mushrooms about ¼-inch thick. You will blend them later, so there’s no need to be overly precise. Add the canola oil to a medium frying pan over high heat, and then sauté the mushrooms until browned. Add the shallots to the pan and continue to cook for another minute until the rawness has been cooked out of the shallots and they’re translucent.
Step
2
Place the mushrooms and shallots into the work bowl of your food processor, and add the sage, red pepper flakes, clove powder, soy sauce and maple syrup.
Step
3
In the same pan over medium heat, melt the butter and add the flour. Whisk the mixture until fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisk in the whole milk, and heat the mixture until slightly thick. Add the milk mixture to the food processor that contains the mushroom mixture. Pulse until the mushrooms are finely chopped and well incorporated into the milk, but leave some chunkiness for a nice texture.
Step
4
Return the mixture to the pan and keep warm until ready to serve. If it gets too thick, add some milk or stock to thin it out.
Ratings
5
out of 5
271
user ratings
Your rating
or to rate this recipe.
Have you cooked this?
or to mark this recipe as cooked.
Private Notes
Leave a Private Note on this recipe and see it here.
Cooking Notes
K
06.22.15 Substituted olive oil for canola, a pinch of cayenne for the red pepper flakes, and skim milk for whole. Tasty, though almost ruined by the unnecessary and unwelcome sweetness of the maple syrup. Next time I'd eliminate the syrup and instead add a dash of dry sherry.
enera
I didn't want a milk-based gravy so used stock for the liquid instead. There was a bit too much red pepper flake for my taste. I would guess the milk would've toned it down.
Liz N.
I made this last year for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely incredible! It comes out to be this incredibly savory umami bomb of a gravy. I was making this for my vegetarian and lactose intolerant friend so I subbed the milk for cashew milk and it turned out great.
Paul
Yes, go easy on the clove. Even the "scant" amount is close to overpowering the dish. Using sherry instead of maple syrup was also the right step. Despite the sage, cayenne and clove, I found that bit of salt brings out the overall flavor of the mushrooms.
Susan
It was too sweet. Skip the maple syrup. I think other writer suggested dry sherry and I will do that next time. I recommend you do too.
Big Lar
This was excellent as written, and perfect over buttermilk biscuits. Next time I might reduce the maple syrup a little but I dunno, I might not.
Gillian Zyland
What my mother and aunts always did at Thanksgiving:the (not-such-a) secret little bottle of Kitchen Bouquet.
ja
I should have skipped the maple syrup. Made it way too sweet for my liking. I think there is a sweetness to Southern style gravy, and I know some of us like it that way, but I prefer my gravy without it. I added a bit of Vegemite at the end to try to balance out the sweetness.
Cee, Berkeley CA
I thought this was quite good! My first vegetarian thanksgiving and really liked this. I didn't have maple syrup or clove powder, so i subbed 1 tsp sugar after seeing the "too sweet" notes and allspice, bc it's what I had. I also used immersion blender in the pot I made the roux in. Would make this again.
Heather
I'm better at preparing a bechamal (sp.) in a pot than a pan. For deeper flavor, add toasted walnuts.
Jennie
I didn't blend it, which worked out fine, more like a mushroom sauce. Paired nicely with the stuffed acorn squash recipe on NYT cooking.
Marg
Made this gravy at the last minute, so used ingredients on hand. I used 1/3 of a sweet onion in place of shallots. Ground cloves were MIA, so skipped those here. Gravy was delicious! I used it on a reheated boneless, skinless chicken breast and leftover rice. The flavor of the maple syrup comes through. So omit that if you don't want a sweet undertone. I don't usually like savory plus sweet, but this worked for me.
lisatrout
I made this to the letter with the exception of using fresh sage because I had some from my garden (instead of dried), and my family agreed this was excellent. We’ll be making it again.
Eileen Davis
I so enjoyed making this. Several substitutes because who wants to go out?Did not have enough mushrooms (cremini) for the stuffing so I added chopped walnuts with the bread crumbs. The gravy was great with fresh sage and brandy in place of the maple syrup. I can see how the maple would be yummy too. Delicious and a holiday decadent meal that I will make again.
Storm
I chopped the mushrooms, but didn't bother to blend them after cooking. It still had a lovely texture. I dislike most sweetened sauces, but I did not find the maple syrup overpowering (or even noticeable eaten together with the stuffed acorn squash). Substitutions: Garlic and scallions for shallots; thyme and tarragon for sage; stock for 1/2 of the milk.
Paul
Yes, go easy on the clove. Even the "scant" amount is close to overpowering the dish. Using sherry instead of maple syrup was also the right step. Despite the sage, cayenne and clove, I found that bit of salt brings out the overall flavor of the mushrooms.
Liz N.
I made this last year for Thanksgiving and it was absolutely incredible! It comes out to be this incredibly savory umami bomb of a gravy. I was making this for my vegetarian and lactose intolerant friend so I subbed the milk for cashew milk and it turned out great.
Jane
Loved this alternative to the fatty meatty kind
KimR
Substituted heavy cream thinned with a little skim for the whole milk. Hey, it’s what I had on hand. Wonderful! A bit rich, but spectacular flavor.
Susan
It was too sweet. Skip the maple syrup. I think other writer suggested dry sherry and I will do that next time. I recommend you do too.
Private notes are only visible to you.
