This gravy is delicious with mashed potatoes or Lentil & Rice Loaf. It’s rich and flavorful even without the typical processed ingredients found in vegan gravies, such as soy sauce, non-dairy butter, flour, and cornstarch.
Ingredients
2 cups water
¼ cup raw unsalted cashews (1½ ounces)
6 medium white or brown (cremini) mushrooms (6 ounces)
1½ cups chopped yellow onion (½ of a large onion)
1 small carrot, sliced
1 celery rib, sliced
2 teaspoons freshly minced garlic
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning (dried)
freshly ground black pepper
Instructions
1. Place the water and cashews into a blender, and set aside.
2. In a medium saucepan on high heat, add 1 tablespoon of water, and when it starts to sputter, add the mushrooms, onion, carrot, and celery. Cook stirring for about 3 minutes until the vegetables soften, adding a little water as needed to prevent sticking. Add the garlic and poultry seasoning, and continue stirring for another 2 minutes (adding water as needed).
3. Add the cooked vegetables to the blender of water and cashews, and blend until smooth (add more water if you’d like a smoother consistency). Return the gravy to the saucepan (on medium heat) and stir briefly just to reheat, grinding a bit of black pepper in at the end. Serve immediately.
Preparation: 10 minutes
Cooking: 15 minutes
Makes: about 3 cups
NOTES
Cashews: If you do not have cashews on hand, you can try a little tahini (sesame seed paste) or walnuts; but cashews are my favorite choice because they are soft and yield a smooth final gravy. If you don’t eat nuts or seeds, try some white beans in place of the cashews; the gravy won’t be as rich, but it will provide a smooth gravy look and texture. If you want to use flour, use rice flour (I would whisk it in after blending and returning to the saucepan), as it doesn’t clump like wheat flour.
Poultry seasoning: I have a fondness for poultry seasoning, especially around the holidays; but if you don’t have any, you can use a combination of dried onion, sage, rosemary, marjoram, parsley, and/or thyme.
Mushrooms: Any edible mushrooms may be used in this recipe, or a mix.
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This looks awesome. I love the trend to using more cashews for fat content and thickening.
This looks phenomenal. Thank you for the timely recipe.
Cathy,
I made this today and it was delicious…..Creamy, earthy, and the poultry seasoning was perfect!!! I can not believe how yummy this was
My toughest critic in the kitchen (my husband) LOVED IT!!!
Planning to make your lentil loaf for Christmas!!!!
Keep those delicious recipes coming
By the way….Have a Merry Christmas!!!!
Hi Margarita, I’m so glad to hear that, thank you for the feedback!
And glad your husband liked it too, woo hoo! Merry Christmas to you as well!
I’ll be making the lentil loaf AND mushroom gravy (and mashed potatoes) for Christmas dinner too! Thank you SO MUCH for your blog and these great recipes!
Let me know how it goes! Happy ho-ho!
This gravy is AWESOME. I made this it for the second time this week tonight for Christmas Eve dinner. It was a hit! I also made the Chunky Cranberry Sauce for a cooking demo last month and the audience LOVED it. Straightupfood.com is the number one site I recommend my clients visit for tasty recipes. Thank you Cathy, you and your recipes are awesome.
Hi Trisha, Thank you for your comments and for getting the word out! Great website, you’re helping others, way to go!
Cathy, I wish (upon a star) that you will publish a cookbook with all of these wonderful recipes before I get too old (I’m almost 82 now) to even cook.
Ha! Ok, will do, Lilly! Working on it diligently.
I second that! …and will be in line to buy! Thanks for delicious HEALTHY recipes!
This lentil-rice loaf is delicious. One of the best meatless loafs I have tried, and I have tried many, having been plant-based, oil and diary free since March 18, 2001 after hearing Dr. Esselstyn give a talk “Heart Attack-proof Yourself at an exercise conference!! I love your site and your recipes. If you are looking for a great no-chicken, chicken salad, try the one on Susan Voisin’s website blog.fatfreevegan.com. It is the best one I have found! Keep up the good work!
Judi
How long will this last in the refrigerator? Can this gravy be frozen and eaten later?
Thanks!
I don’t keep anything in the fridge longer than 5-7 days. Not sure about freezing the gravy; seems like it would work, just reblend it after thawing.
What if you don’t have carrots or celery on hand? Are these ingredients important to the overall flavor of the gravy? Sounds really good!
It would probably be fine without them.