Weekly Spotlight: How to Make and Use Gravy in Holiday Entrees!

Gravy is an important aspect of holiday meals. Not only does it add a creaminess to a dish, but gravy is also a flavor powerhouse. Being vegan doesn’t mean you have to give up gravy and making your own from scratch is pretty simple. This guide includes gravy recipes, along with holiday entrees that have their own gravy recipe. This is the guide for all your gravy needs!

Gravy is an excellent sauce to know how to make and comes together by mixing a fat (such as butter) with flour and adding broth to create a thicker sauce. Usually with gravy, you make a roux first (mixing the fat and flour) before adding the liquid. For making vegan gravy, you can use vegan butter to mix with the flour, and then use vegetable broth or vegan chicken or beef broth to create your gravy. With vegan gravy, you can use extra seasonings like nutritional yeast, miso, and even Dijon mustard to bring out even more flavor. These gravy recipes are excellent to make this holiday season!

There’s also a section for biscuits and gravy in case you’re looking for ways to use gravy for your holiday breakfasts and brunches!

Looking for more about gravy? Check out these roundups for recipes that use gravy and ten different gravy recipes to enjoy!

We also highly recommend downloading the Food Monster App  — with over 20,000 delicious recipes, it is the largest meatless, vegan, plant-based, and allergy-friendly recipe resource to help you get healthy! And don’t forget to check out our Weekly Meal Plan Archives!  

This week, we’re bringing delicious, fully vegan, and plant-based ways to use seitan to create delicious holiday entrees!

Gravy Recipes

Source: White Wine and Mushroom Gravy

These gravy recipes are all ways to make vegan gravy! There are many ways you can flavor your gravy, and that includes adding miso or using mushrooms as a base to your gravy. This brings out an umami flavor to your gravy that works well with many dishes!

• Oil-Free Gravy by Alenoosh Matakupan
• Miso Gravy by Iva Mrdjanov
• Savory Mushroom Gravy by Katie Koteen
• Glowing Turmeric Chanterelle Gravy by Nele Liivlaid
• White Wine and Mushroom Gravy by Carol Clayton

Holiday Dishes with Gravy

Source: Filo Pastry Parcels with Mushroom Gravy

These dishes all have a gravy recipe included in them, so if you’re looking for a way to make a dish that goes well with your gravy, this is a perfect way to get started! Many of these use mushrooms because mushrooms, when cooked down, can create a delicious umami flavor that works well with savory dishes!

• Filo Pastry Parcels with Mushroom Gravy by Amy Lanza
• Smashed Baked Potatoes With Miso Gravy by Iva Mrdjanov
• Macrobiotic Millet Cauliflower Mash With Shiitake Gravy by The One Peaceful World Cookbook: Over 150 Vegan, Macrobiotic Recipes for Vibrant Health and Happiness
• Holiday Loaf with Mushroom Gravy by Lena Novak
• Healthy Country ‘Meatloaf’ With Gravy by Katie Koteen
• Mushroom Gravy by James Wythe

Biscuits and Gravy

Source: Biscuits and Gravy

If you’re hosting a holiday breakfast or brunch, another perfect way to use gravy is for making biscuits and gravy. This perfect pairing makes a flavorful addition to your spread and offers a delicious savory (or even sweet and savory!) taste. Making vegan biscuits and gravy is simple: all you need to do is swap the butter for vegan butter for the biscuits and then use vegetable broth or a vegetable broth base, vegan butter, and other seasonings for your gravy.

• Biscuits and Gravy by Francesca Bonadonna
• Cornmeal Biscuits and Tahini Gravy by Cameron Keller
• Oil-Free ‘Sausage’ Biscuits and Gravy by The China Study Family Cookbook
• Calcium-Packed Navy Bean Biscuits and Roasted Garlic Gravy by Kelly Williams
• Biscuits and Sausage Gravy by Heather Blackmon

Easy Ways to Help the Planet:

• Eat Less Meat: Download Food Monster, the largest plant-based Recipe app on the App Store, to help reduce your environmental footprint, save animals and get healthy. You can also buy a hard or soft copy of our favorite vegan cookbooks.
• Reduce Your Fast Fashion Footprint: Take initiative by standing up against fast fashion Pollution and supporting sustainable and circular brands like Tiny Rescue that raise awareness around important issues through recycled zero-waste clothing designed to be returned and remade repeatedly.
• Support Independent Media: Being publicly funded gives us a greater chance to continue providing high-quality content. Please consider supporting us by donating!
• Sign a Petition: Your voice matters! Help turn petitions into victories by signing the latest list of must-sign petitions to help people, animals, and the planet.
• Stay Informed: Keep up with the latest news and essential stories involving animals, the environment, sustainable living, food, health, and human interest topics by subscribing to our newsletter!
• Do What You Can: Reduce waste, plant trees, eat local, travel responsibly, reuse stuff, say no to single-use plastics, recycle, vote smart, switch to cold water laundry, divest from fossil fuels, save water, shop wisely, Donate if you can, grow your food, volunteer, conserve energy, compost, and don’t forget about the microplastics and microbeads lurking in common household and personal care products!