Your Thanksgiving dinner will be extra tasty with this recipe for The Best Vegan Gravy. Smooth, savory and packed full of flavor, this stuff is the real deal.
Yay for November. Yay for cold weather. And yay for the holidays. Can you tell this is my favorite time of year?
I know everyone says they love this time of year, but I really love it! Like cozy blankets, apple cider, holiday movies every day of the week kind of love. Ok, I think you get the picture.
But, one of the best parts of this time of year is the food.
And believe me when I say that I have you covered for your holiday feasting.
In my opinion, the MOST important part of a holiday meal is the gravy.
Think about it...it goes on everything on the plate, it provides the bulk of the flavor and it keeps everything moist and delicious.
It is the star of the show.
How to make The Best Vegan Gravy
Traditional gravy calls for the drippings of a turkey. Luckily for us vegans, I have found the secret ingredient that gives you that deep, rich flavor - no animal fat required.
And that super special, must-have ingredient is one I've shared with you many times.
It is the Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base. I don't know how they make this stuff, but it is a vegan's dream.
I have been recommending this stuff since the first time I tried it, and I continue singing it's praises because I haven't found anything that has even come close.
The only store I have been able to find the vegetarian version of this brand at is Whole Foods. It's really inexpensive and will last you all season - a little goes a long way.
*If you don't have a Whole Foods near you, they also have it available online here.
Other than that, we are just going to make a simple roux, add in some spices and call it a day. This recipe only takes minutes to make but tastes like the flavors have been developing all day.
*Looking for a low fat version? Check out my Mashed Potatoes and Gravy recipe from last year.
Want more Thanksgiving inspo? Check out all of my Thanksgiving recipes here.
The Best Vegan Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base*
- 3 cups water
- 3 tablespoon vegan butter
- 3 tbsp flour plus more for thickening
- ¼ teaspoon poultry seasoning
- pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add bouillon and water to a mixing cup and stir until bouillon is dissolved.
- Heat a sauce pan over medium heat. Add butter and flour and whisk until butter is melted and a smooth & bubbly roux begins to form (approx. 2 minutes).
- Pour in bouillon/water mix and continue to whisk until it heats through and begins to bubble (approx. 5 minutes).
- Gravy should begin to thicken, but if it is not thick enough, combine 1 tablespoon of flour with 1 tablespoon of water in a small bowl. Whisk until smooth, then add to the gravy. Repeat with additional flour/water until desired thickness is reached.
- Once it reaches your desired thickness, turn heat to low and add poultry seasoning and pepper. Whisk one final time and taste to adjust seasoning.
- Serve immediately or leave on stove over low heat (whisking regularly) until ready to use.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
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Lisa
This is a good base recipe! I use it for Thanksgiving and make it a day or two ahead of time. I like to add a good pinch of sage with the poultry seasoning and then let a sprig of thyme steep in it as it's cooling off. I take the sprig out before storing the gravy until we use it on Thanksgiving Day.
SP
This is the only gravy recipe I use. It is absolutely the best gravy ever! Even non vegans ask for the recipe. It is amazingly easy to make and perfect every time. Thank you!🤗
Rene
Thanks so much!
Tricia Berkow
Besides all purpose flour, do you think a fine flour such as rice flour or potato starch would be a good substitution?
Rene
Hi Tricia - I haven't tried it with anything other than all purpose. If you need a GF option, I really like the all purpose GF flour from Trader Joe's, or a cornstarch slurry should do the trick!
Ruth
Made Best Vegan Gravy ever this evening - So Good !!!
Rene
Awesome! So glad you liked it!
Ritika
Made this gravy for last night’s Thanksgiving dinner and it was so good! Super easy and super delicious— I had made 6 cups of gravy and my family thought that was a lot— By the end of the night, there was only 1/3 left! Thank you for this recipe!
Rene
Haha - you can never have enough gravy! So glad it was a hit!
Xochitl
first time making this and my family (non-vegans) loved it! I used the Better than Bouillon organic vegetable base instead because it was all I could find, and turned out delicious 🙂 also recommend adding the Trader Joe’s vegan chicken-less seasoning if u have it.
Rene
Yum! That does sound like a good add. So glad your whole family liked it!
Laura
All the flavor! I was skeptical because I had never made gravy before but it was easy and tasted delicious! Will definitely be making this again.
Rene
Woowho! So glad you liked it! And gravy can be intimidating. Luckily this recipe is pretty foolproof 🤗
Lindsay K.
This really is the best vegan gravy I’ve ever had. So simple and absolutely delicious. It was perfect for Thanksgiving!
Rene
Thanks so much!!!
Theo
Publix carries the Better Than Bouillon No Chicken Base!
Lauren
Have you tried this with the vegetable base better than bouillon? That’s what I have on hand at the moment, just wondering if it works well with this recipe.
Rene
I have not tried it, but I know others have. It should work just fine though!
Theo J
Publix carry’s the vegan bouillon!
Rene
Woo Who! Good to know!
Kathleen Olsen
Absolute huge fan - will you please include nutritional info in your recipes?
Sara
Does this reheat well? I am trying to make everything I can the day before thanksgiving so I can spend more time visiting with loved ones.
Rene
It does! It will get congealed in the fridge, but once you heat it up it will loosen up again. I've reheated this gravy many times! Enjoy!
Lynn
I used a 1/2 tablespoon of the Knorr selects premium vegetable stock bouillion powder (because it has some mushroom and yeast extracts that I wanted the umami flavour from) and 1/2 tablespoon of the better than boullion vegetable (can't find the no chicken base). Other than that I used vegan margarine and it is very simple and delicious!
Rene
Yay! So glad you liked it.
Jody
This gravy was so good ...and so simple to make.
Made this to go with our Easter dinner! It satisfied both vegetarian and meat eaters .
I added some Italian seasoning and used better than bouillon vegetable broth! Tasted just like regular chicken/ turkey gravy. Will make this recipe every time! Thank you so much for sharing your recipe!??
Rene
Woo! So glad it was a hit at your holiday dinner Jody!
The Compassionate Dreamer
Hi! We made this gravy as a part of our vegan Thanksgiving feast this year, and it was absolutely amazing! It was super easy to make and everyone loved it. I wrote about it here: https://thecompassionatedreamer.blogspot.com/2019/12/my-very-vegan-thanksgiving.html Thank you so much for the amazing recipe! ❤️
Rene
So glad you liked it! And your spread looked amazing 🙂
Lisa
This is the best vegan gravy! I love it but I also added green bell pepper and onion and it tastes even better! Super tasty!!! Ever since I went vegetarian I was bummed that I would not be able to enjoy my mothers home made gravy. But then I found this recipe plus adding the green pepper and onion made it pretty close to her recipe!
Rene
Awesome! So glad you were able to adapt it to your exact taste 🙂
LC
Wow! So simple yet so delicious! I doubled the recipe but used only 5 cups of water with vegetable bullion. Made it gluten free by adding brown rice flour - was the perfect consistency! Super impressed - thanks for sharing!
Rene
So glad you liked it - and so glad to hear that GF flour worked for the recipe! 🙂
Angie
I've made this twice and both times had to add extra flour because it wouldn't thicken up. Would it be better to start with more roux in the beginning or add less liquid? I worry about lumps when adding flour at the end. That being said, it was delicious even with the Better Than Bouillion Veggie Base, which is all I could find at my grocery.
Rene
Yes, I would just start with more flour in the beginning. Glad you liked it!
Marilea
This gravy is easy to make and tastes delicious. Thank you for sharing the recipe.
Ecfinn
OK, I pride myself on my gravy. I am vegetarian and married to a vegan and I love gravy. I have a great, simple recipe that I use (also calls for BTB). I saw your recipe for Biscuits and Gravy, with the link to your gravy and I thought "psssh, it's not gonna be better than MY gravy." DAMMIT IT IS! I made it last night. It was so good. How is it so good without any fancy tricks like wine? We had it on biscuits last night for dinner and it was one of the best meals ever. (Confession: I bought canned biscuit dough). Thank you for sharing this. It is my new gravy recipe...gonna try it with the BTB No-Beef base for my St. Patrick's Day dinner.
Rene
This literally made me laugh out loud 🙂 So glad you liked it! And yes, it is good with the "beef" flavor too. Definitely a different flavor, but really good!
Cassie
Had some leftover potatoes from thanksgiving and needed to make a quick and easy veggie gravy to go with it. This recipe turned out ABSOLUTELY DELICIOUS! Could not recommend it more. No one could even tell it was vegan!
Rene
Woo - love it!
Melissa
This is very, very good. I'm the only vegan at our Thanksgiving and I love gravy. I put this on everything!
Rene
Woo - one of my faves too!
Catie
This recipe is incredible!! Thank you!! I had to stop myself from devouring the whole thing by the spoonful. (Instead of 3 cups of water, I did 1 cup of vegetable broth and 2 cups of water. I also exclusively used whole wheat flour and it tasted great.)
Mark
Best. Gravy. Ever. Our first fully plant based vegan Thanksgiving and this was hands down the favorite of the family! Our 7 year old gave it a huge thumbs up! The kids got good taste!
Wendy VanTil
Seriously this is the best vegan gravy. So happy I found this recipe.
Giovanna Fernandes
Just made this for vegan Thanksgiving tomorrow. It’s so delicious I had to stop myself from spooning another try again and again. Let’s see how it’ll go with the non-vegan guests 🙂
Amanda
Can you make with whole wheat flour?
Rene
I've never tried it, but I don't see why not.
Shannon
I see that this recipe calls for the "better than bouillon no chicken base" product. I typically purchase the "premium vegetable better than bouillon" product which is also vegan. Is there a difference in taste?
Rene
Hi Shannon - I actually have never had the vegetable version (I'm so hooked on the no chicken one). It probably has a slightly different flavor, but I'm sure it will still be delicious. Let me know how it comes out!
Jay
I've had both the veggie and chickless as well as the beefless base and there is a definite difference in taste. The chickless one is made from yeast extracts that give it an umami punch perfect for a vegan gravy. IMHO of all 3 the chickless one is my favorite by far and a staple in our cupboard.
Rene
Thank you for the thorough review!
Carol
Very good I used low sodium vegetable broth instead of the water no poultry seasoning but added ground mushroom powder it was very good next time though I will use low sodium chuckles bullion it was a little to salty with the regular also I used chickpea flour to make it also gluten free
Janice Wang
I made this for thishyear’s Friendsgiving. It was soooo good. Thank you so much for sharing such a delicious and simple recipe!!
Rene
Yay! Love Friendsgiving. Glad it was a hit.
Amanda
Oh my goddd, sososo good.
I got my wisdom teeth out yesterday and have only been able to eat soft foods. Instant mashed potatoes were tiresome without beloved gravy. I made this with coconut oil instead of vegan butter (because I had none), and the Better than Bouillon vegetable base. It came out perfect!!! Will definitely make this again for Thanksgiving and Christmas!!
Rene
Woo who! Glad you liked it!
Staci Belton
Did you use the same amount of vegetable base as the recipe calls for? I could only find the vegetable base in my store. So I am going to try it tomorrow.
Nichelle
So good! Thanks for sharing 🙂
Rene
You're welcome - one of my faves too!
Cendi Hall
I am so glad I found this recipe today! This will be my go to gravy recipe from now on. I was literally eating it with a spoon! It's just that good! Thank you so much for posting this.
Rene
Yes! One of my faves too!
Linda
This was the most amazing gravy, my whole family was asking for the recipe.
Debra
Tasty and very easy to make. This will be one of my go to recipes. Thank You! ?
Rene
You are so welcome. Glad you liked it!
Amelia
Made this today for Thanksgiving dinner, and it was SO excellent! I added a finely diced shallot (before adding the flour to make the roux) and improvised my own "poultry seasoning" with some dried herbs, pepper, and nutmeg, and it turned out great. I can't wait to find countless new uses for this gravy, year-round.
Rene
I'm the same way. This time of year, gravy is a staple in my house!
Alexis
Can this be pre-made and re-heated? It says serve immediately so I wasn’t sure if the consistency would be weird. This is my first vegan(ish) Thanksgiving!
Rene
Hi Alexis - you can make it ahead of time and reheat it. I use it for leftovers days after Thanksgiving. Have a great holiday!
Julli
Excellent!! WHAT a relief to find a good one when having to make gravy for 17 only 2 of whom are vegan - but maybe now we'll have 15 new converts 🙂
So far I've only tried this with brown rice flour and only needed half the broth. I'll use chickpea flour next and see what happens…
TamiG
I made a vegan version of KFC bowl. This gravy was perfect topper! Was I the only one that had to add 3 MORE TBS flour?!?
marja
No, I also added a total of 6 tbsp of flour to make it thick enough. Otherwise great and simple recipe!