- Prep-time: / Ready In:
- Makes 5 cups gravy
- Serving size: ½ cup
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It’s not hard to see why rich brown gravy represents comfort food for people of many different backgrounds. This vegan gravy recipe gets its creamy, savory goodness from fresh mushrooms, dried spices, and—surprise!—cooked brown rice. It's a Forks Over Knives fan favorite!

Ingredients
- 2 cups cooked brown rice (see note)
- 8 ounces button mushrooms, sliced (about 4 cups)
- 4 cups low-sodium vegetable broth
- ½ teaspoon dried sage
- ½ teaspoon dried marjoram
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 clove garlic, minced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lime juice (from 1 to 2 limes)
- ⅛ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Sea salt
Instructions
- In a saucepan, combine the rice, mushrooms, and vegetable broth. Bring to a boil over medium-high heat, then reduce the heat to medium and simmer until the mushrooms are tender, about 10 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and let cool slightly.
- Carefully transfer the mixture to a blender or food processor and blend until smooth. (Alternatively, leave the mixture in the pan and use an immersion blender to blend until smooth.)
- If necessary, return the mixture to the pan. Add the sage, marjoram, thyme, garlic, lime juice, pepper, and salt to taste.
- Cook over medium heat for 10 minutes to blend the flavors. Cover to keep the gravy warm, and serve with mashed potatoes, biscuits, or whatever dish calls for great gravy.
Per serving (½ cup): 57 calories, 12 g carbohydrates, 1.8 g protein, 0.4 g total fat, 0.1 g saturated fat, 0 g cholesterol, 62 mg sodium, 1.1 g fiber, 1.1 g sugar
Note: Nutritional information is provided as an estimate only.
Comments (15)
(4 from 6 votes)I made this recipe without having seen the comments, as I was referencing the recipe at the back of the printed 2014 FOK Plan book. I came here specifically to comment because it came out great and as someone who is working toward veganism, finding this kind of comfort food is a revelation. My BF, who is not at this point limiting his meat eating (and who loves mashed potatoes and gravy) loved it, which says a lot. I really can't understand the negative comments. Mine in no way had a rice-forward taste, nor was it bland, at least not with recently purchased dried marjoram & thyme and sage from my garden. I saved some time by using a package pre-cooked brown rice from Trader Joe's that I had on hand- it is a surprisingly good product. I did the first 2 steps yesterday, then blended the mixture this today before reheating and adding the herbs. The texture and thickness came out perfectly, so I will likely use the same process in the future. I thought the lime was a weird addition as I was pulling ingredients together, so when the time came I added it a little bit at a time and found that it added a note that really balanced the flavor. I did NOT add the full amount, perhaps only 1 Tablespoon. I would not leave it out.
This was literally horrible haha. Just like pureed rice.
The recipe says see note for the brown rice???? I can't find the note. Please advise
Tasty! Ignore the negative comments. Makes a boat load.
Had to add tons of extra seasoning to make this taste right! When I got the flavor honed in, it was decent.
Love this!
I would make this, but would definitely add corn starch or flour to thicken this up. When I make vegan gravy, I take some of the broth and put it in a small plastic container with a TBSP. or so of the above, and shake it so it is smooth and not lumpy, and pour it into the pot.
Rice overwhelms taste of good shiitake mushrooms. Not enough umami. Lime juice adds a strange taste. Texture not great. Won’t make this again.
Sounds amazing!
I have a question. I am trying to steer clear of brown rice because of the arsenic content. Could this be made with some other grain, such as quinoa, millet or farro?
I've seen recipes just thicken with a few tbsp of flour. On Dr Fuhrman site one recipe had gravy base made with blended steamed cauliflower and chickpeas plus flavorings. So many choices not just rice.
maybe potatoes or potato flour?
Use Tapioca Starch (Flour) instead of regular wheat flour or corn starch!
This is delicious. I kick it up with some diced grilled poblano pepper mixed in. Feels decadent.
we use this gravy at least twice a month and love it - relatives have no idea it's vegan