Some veggie and vegan dishes are just crying out for gravy, from veggie toad-in-the-hole, to nut roast and mushroom Wellington. The good news is you can make a vegetarian gravy that is as delicious and rich as any meat-based sauce, by following our top tips. And no gravy granules in sight. 

The flavour of your gravy should work with the main you are serving it with, but most veggie gravies start with a simple base of chopped carrot, celery, onion and garlic, plus a hardy herb such as thyme, which is then cooked with a little flour (to bring thickness to your sauce), before simmering with stock. 

Some recipes call for roasting your veg in the oven, others suggest frying the vegetables first. Either way you want to cook the onion, carrot and celery until they are very soft and starting to caramelise at the edges, as this brings a depth of flavour and also colour to your gravy. Check out or easy recipe for vegetable gravy that is vegan too.

As above, you want to gently brown your veg to give the right colour to your gravy. Other ways of bringing that pleasingly rich, brown tone include stirring in a little marmite, soy sauce or mushroom paste, which all add a nice umami hit too.

Mushroom gravy usually uses a mushroom stock made by soaking dried porcini mushrooms, before combining with cooked mushrooms and sticky onions, flour, flavourings and stock. Try this easy mushroom gravy to serve with your plate of veggie sausages and mash:

This all depends on the meal you are serving it with and how you want to balance the flavours. Mustard, lemon and miso all add a nice layer, while sauces such as redcurrant and cranberry jelly bring a little sweetness too. Or add mulled wine for a festive spin to your Christmas veggie gravy as we have. 

Veggie gravy is simple to make ahead as there are no meat juices required, so you can make a batch whenever you have the time, then store in the fridge for up to 4 days. Or pour into a tupperware and freeze for up to 3 months. 

Any veggie main wrapped in pastry or vegetarian or vegan roast will benefit from a side of veggie gravy. Try serving up Andy Water’s recipe or Graham Campbell’s veggie haggis with a jug of our veggie gravy (above) to pour over. If you want to make a gravy that’s suitable for a spicy nut roast such as Hari Ghotra’s try adding a little sweetness to the gravy with a spoonful of cranberry sauce or even a little mango chutney stirred in to balance the spicy, nutty main.