A wonderfully meaty and complex vegetarian gravy, this mushroom gravy includes smoked paprika and white wine along with the mushrooms for a real flavour boost. If you like mushrooms, you’ll love this. Make sure to give yourself enough time to cook it properly and keep in mind that it can be made ahead of time and refrigerated.

If you prefer a gravy without pieces of mushrooms (but just as much flavour) try this vegan gravy without mushrooms instead. I like the deeper flavour of mushroom gravy but for picky eaters you may like an option without. This is pictured served over dairy-free mashed potatoes (but is equally good with poutine, or pasta, or dumplings).

Ingredients

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Mushrooms: standard button mushrooms are excellent and will make for a very good gravy. If you want a bit more depth, you can use a mix of different mushrooms like shiitake and oyster.
• Broth: use mushroom stock for an even more pronounced mushroom flavour. Otherwise vegetable broth or any other broth will be good.
• Wine: choose a dry wine either way, but white for something slightly lighter and red if you want it to be a bit stronger.
• Paprika: this is smoked paprika to add a bit of a meaty taste. You can sub sweet paprika in a pinch.

Step by Step

Step 1: cut the mushrooms into pieces and add to a hot pot with the oil.

Step 2: cook for about eight minutes, stirring occasionally.

Step 3: add the onion and cook for another eight minutes or so, on lower heat. Stir in the spices.

Step 4: pour in the wine and cook for another five minutes.

Step 5: after a few minutes you’ll see that the wine has reduced.

Step 6: add the broth and bring the gravy to a simmer. Cook, covered, for ten minutes.

Step 7: stir in the starch mixture and simmer for another minute to thicken.

Step 8: season to taste and serve hot.

Recipe Notes

Cooking the gravy for several minutes once the broth has been added intensifies the flavour. Without this step, it can taste like vegetable broth and lack a more savoury element.

If you like the taste of mushrooms but not the texture, you can strain them out before serving the gravy. I used to really dislike mushrooms and refused to eat them but searing them makes all the difference in terms of texture. So if your idea of mushrooms is rubbery and tasteless, sear them until golden and then see how you feel (it carries through, even in gravy).

I highly recommend making this with wild mushrooms when they’re in season, so if you have access to foraging areas and know what to look for, try this with any type of (edible) bolete. That’s my personal favourite but parasol is good here as well. I wouldn’t use chantarelles as they should be kept for dishes where they can come through more strongly. Giant puffball doesn’t have enough flavour for gravy.

How to Store

Storage: keep in a sealed container in the refrigerator for up to three days. Gently reheat in a saucepan before use.

Freezing: mushroom gravy freezes well. Transfer fully cooled gravy to an airtight container and freeze for up to three months. Thaw in the refrigerator before reheating as usual.

Expert Tips

• Use good stock: as with any vegetarian gravy, you will taste the stock or broth base used. Choose one that tastes good on its own.
• Give it time: the mushrooms need time to sear, the wine needs time to cook down, and the gravy needs time to cook. If you try to take shortcuts here and reduce the cooking times, your gravy won’t have the same depth of flavour.
• Season to taste: every broth type will have a different level of salt, so consider the amount listed in the recipe card as a starting point. Taste the gravy and add more salt if needed before serving – it’s better to have too little at the beginning than too much!

More Mushroom Recipes

Mushroom Pot Pie
Mushroom Kroppkakor (Swedish Dumplings)
Crispy Roasted Mushrooms
Mushroom Fajitas