I grew up eating stroganoff and although I didn’t like mushrooms as a kid, this vegan mushroom stroganoff is one of our favourite dishes these days. I’ve kept the classic flavours here – of course – with white wine, Dijon mustard, and paprika, but used a plant-based cooking cream instead of smetana or sour cream.
Served with a wide-cut pasta, rice, or even mashed potatoes, it’s a comfort-food treat that’s just right for colder weather. If you’re a mushroom fan, you’ll love this, especially if you like creamy pasta. This is ready in about half an hour and can be a weeknight dinner or a special meal to serve to guests with a nice winter salad.
For for vegetarian mushroom mains, try my mushroom pot pie, vegetarian stuffed pumpkins, or vegan shepherd’s pie.
Ingredients
Ingredient Notes and Substitutions
- Cooking cream: while you can use a sour cream substitute, I haven’t found any that actually taste good. Cashew cream is too sweet and oat cream sometimes separates when it comes into contact with the wine, so for this recipe, a store-bought option is best. Of course you can use a dairy version in the same quantity.
- White wine: there’s no good substitute for wine here. It’s a key flavour note and can’t be omitted. Use a dry wine. Most of the alcohol should evaporate as the wine reduces.
- Mushrooms: button mushrooms are fine but don’t have a very strong flavour, so I prefer something a bit more distinctive like oyster mushrooms. When they’re in season we use wild mushrooms like boletes.
- Mustard: this must be Dijon or equivalent, like German mustard. Yellow mustard is not a good substitution.
- Pasta: of course using traditional egg pasta is not vegan, but while pappardelle and tagliatelle are usually made with eggs, roughly equivalent fettuccine is usually made with water. I generally use spelt pasta but any works (choose a gluten-free type if needed).
Step by Step
Start cooking the pasta while the wine is reducing for a speedy mushroom pasta. Cooking the mushrooms will take the most time and is the most important element, but this is easy to make at home!
1. Add the oil and mushrooms to a hot frying pan. Please note that my portable induction cooktop runs much hotter than a regular stove.
2. Cook until browned and any liquid has evaporated.
3. Add the onions and cook another couple of minutes.
4. Stir in the garlic and spices, and cook for another minute or two.
5. Add the wine and deglaze the pan.
6. Reduce the wine by about half.
7. Stir in the cooking cream, mustard, and lemon juice.
8. The sauce is ready. Season as needed and serve hot.
Recipe Notes
The sauce can be kept warm while the rice or pasta cooks if necessary. If making brown rice, be sure to prepare it ahead of time as it takes a lot longer to cook than the mushroom sauce does.
Adding a little extra lemon juice helps to imitate the classic slightly sour flavour of smetana, and it shouldn’t be left out. The sauce is meant to be slightly sharp to balance out the cream.
A touch of smoked paprika is added to give a hint of meaty flavour, but it can be replaced with all sweet paprika. It doesn’t make the dish taste smokey at all but rather adds a bit of complexity.
How To Store
Storing: it doesn’t keep well if the sauce is already mixed with the pasta, as the pasta will absorb the sauce as it sits. Rice is fine. Otherwise, to store, refrigerate the sauce in a sealed container. Gently reheat to serve.
Freezing: the sauce can be frozen without pasta, in an airtight container, for up to a month. Only freeze if absolutely necessary as it does have a tendency to separate slightly when thawing, like most creamy sauces.
Newsletter
Expert Tips
- Start the pasta: don’t wait until the sauce is done to cook the pasta if you want to meal to be ready in a timely fashion. Remember that water takes a while to boil.
- Don’t forget to reduce: if you don’t reduce the wine, the sauce will be bland and too thin. This is a key step and can’t be skipped.
- Season to taste: as always, taste and add salt and pepper as needed before serving.
- Sear the mushrooms: for the best texture and flavour, the mushrooms must be seared, not steamed. This means that you must use a large pan, don’t crowd it, and avoid stirring.
More Weeknight Dinners
Hearty Lentil Chili
Vegan Refried Beans
Chickpea Pumpkin Curry
Cabbage Lentil Soup
If you make this Mushroom Stroganoff or any other vegetarian mains on Occasionally Eggs, please take a moment to rate the recipe and leave a comment below. It’s such a help to others who want to try the recipe. For more OE, follow along on Instagram, Facebook, and Pinterest, purchase the Occasionally Eggs cookbook, or subscribe for new posts via email.
Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
Ingredients
- 2 teaspoons olive oil
- 400 grams mushrooms finely chopped
- 1 medium yellow onion diced
- 2 cloves garlic minced
- 1 teaspoon sea salt to taste
- ½ teaspoon black pepper to taste
- ½ teaspoon sweet paprika
- ¼ teaspoon smoked paprika
- Pinch hot pepper flakes optional
- 200 ml dry white wine
- 2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
- 200 ml vegan cooking cream or sour cream
- ½ lemon, juice only ~1-2 tablespoons (to taste)
- Parsley, to serve
- Wide pasta or rice for serving
Instructions
- Heat a large frying pan over medium-high heat.
- Once the pan is hot, add the olive oil and mushrooms. Stir once, then cook for 5-6 minutes, stirring as infrequently as possible, until the mushrooms are browned and any liquid released has evaporated.2 teaspoons olive oil, 400 grams mushrooms
- Reduce the heat to medium and stir the onion into the pan. Cook for another 2-3 minutes, until the onions are fragrant.1 medium yellow onion
- Stir in the garlic, salt, pepper, paprika, and hot pepper (if using). Cook for another minute or so.2 cloves garlic, 1 teaspoon sea salt, 1/2 teaspoon black pepper, 1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika, 1/4 teaspoon smoked paprika, Pinch hot pepper flakes
- Deglaze the pan with white wine, scraping any bits off the pan if needed. Cook with the lid off for several minutes, until the wine is reduced by half. Start the water for the pasta now, cooking according to package instructions.200 ml dry white wine, Wide pasta or rice for serving
- Once the wine has reduced, stir in the mustard, cooking cream, and lemon juice. Taste and season to your preference.2 teaspoons Dijon mustard, 200 ml vegan cooking cream or sour cream, 1/2 lemon, juice only
- Serve the sauce over the pasta, rice, or mashed potatoes with a sprinkling of chopped parsley. The sauce is best fresh.Parsley, to serve
* For American cup measurements, please click the pink link text above the ingredient list that says ‘American’.
Nutrition
Nutrition is provided as a courtesy and is an estimate. If this information is important to you, please have it verified independently.
Carmela Campbell says
Could the sauce be made ahead of time ??
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Carmela, the sauce can be stored in the refrigerator for a day or two.
Ellen says
This looks good. Just a note to say: the American link for the measurements is missing.
Alexandra Daum says
Hi Ellen, thanks for noting that, fixed now.