Vegetarian Sausage Gravy
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Savory vegetarian sausage is cooked with onions, garlic, herbs and spices and enveloped in a creamy white sauce to produce a vegetarian version of one of the most beloved American comfort dishes. This Vegetarian Sausage Gravy recipe is so deliciously creamy and rich in flavor, even the most avid carnivores will love it!
Here is the dialogue that took place between me and my husband after I handed him a plate of this vegetarian sausage gravy and biscuits without saying a word about it being vegetarian:
- Me: “So, what do you think?”
- Him: [chewing and nodding simultaneously] “Mmm, it’s really good.”
- Me: “How good?”
- Him: “Very, very good. Better than most sausage gravies you find in restaurants.”
- Me: “Really?
- Him: “This gravy just has so much more flavor, much richer than a lot of the restaurant versions.”
- Me: “Awesome. It’s vegetarian.”
- Him: [Pauses and looks up surprised] “Really?? Wow, I wouldn’t have guessed it!”
And I have to agree: when it comes to flavor this vegetarian sausage gravy doesn’t miss a beat. And the silky creamy texture of this sauce drizzled over your favorite flaky biscuits makes for an utterly irresistible meal.
We’ve always been a very health-conscious family, emphasizing eating whole foods and lots of homegrown veggies, cooking from scratch, limiting junk food, and avoiding certain things altogether. And that desire to eat healthy also includes not eating a ton of meat and regularly incorporating meatless dishes into our meal plan. I developed this recipe in an effort to “clone” one our favorite dishes into a meatless alternative and I’m happy to say it was a success.
When I was developing this recipe I tried several options and my favorite for flavor and texture was the sausage patties from MorningStar Farms. That was several years ago and no doubt there are additional options on the market now. Use your favorite vegetarian sausage.
Sausage gravy is a quintessential American comfort dish that is enjoyed for any mealtime, whether it’s breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner. Serve the gravy over freshly made biscuits with a piece of fruit for breakfast or with a veggie or salad for lunch or dinner. For the best flaky biscuits, be sure to try our BEST EVER Buttermilk Biscuits!
Vegetarian Sausage Gravy Recipe
Let’s get started!
Finely chop up the veggie sausages, onion, garlic, parsley, sage and thyme.
Heat the butter in a skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onions 8-10 minutes until golden and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the veggie sausage and cook for 4-5 minutes until lightly browned.
Sprinkle the flour over the mixture, stir to incorporate, and cook for a minute.
Pour in the milk (and heavy cream, if using), stirring constantly to prevent lumps.
Stir until smooth and add the vegetable bouillon, salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a simmer, stirring regularly, and cook until the sauce is thickened.
Add the parsley, sage and thyme and simmer for another minute. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Serve immediately over freshly baked biscuits and garnish with chopped fresh parsley.
Enjoy!
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Vegetarian Sausage Gravy
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1 medium yellow onion , finely diced
- 1 clove garlic , minced
- 8 ounces vegetarian sausage (I'm using Morningstar Farms Original Veggie Sausage Patties, thawed and finely chopped
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups whole milk or combination of milk and cream , vegans use cashew milk or non-dairy milk of choice
- 2 teaspoons vegetable bouillon base or 1 cube vegetable bouillon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage or 1/4 teaspoon dried ground sage
- 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme or 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme leaves
- 8 buttermilk biscuits , cut in half (click link for our biscuit recipe)
Instructions
- Heat the butter in a medium skillet over medium-high heat and cook the onions 8-10 minutes until golden and beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook for another minute. Add the veggie sausage and cook for another 3-4 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the mixture and stir to incorporate, cooking for another minute.
- While stirring constantly to prevent lumps, pour in the milk and heavy cream. Stir until smooth. Add the vegetable bouillon, salt, pepper and cayenne. Bring to a simmer and stir until thickened. Add the parsley, sage and thyme and simmer for another 2 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste.Serve immediately over the biscuits. Garnish with some additional chopped fresh parsley.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 8, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
If u have acid reflux like me use less cayenne. I learned the hard way. Also the sauce wasn’t thick so I had to add a mixture of water and cornstarch to thicken up. Aside from it being too spicy it was good
We had been looking for something to fill the biscuits and gravy void after going vegetarian and this recipe was PERFECT! We doubled the amount of cayenne and used vegan chickenless seasoning salt and breakfast sausages from Trader Joe’s. It was delicious! Would highly recommend it to anyone.
I’m so glad you enjoyed it, Margo, thank you!
I used cashew milk and avocado butter… It turned out great! This is a keeper.
Fantastic, Brin, thanks so much!
I’m not vegetarian but my wife is. I make these for her every now and then and it has become a tradition to “make those veggie biscuits and gravy” now! She loves them and I can’t even tell that they’re vegetarian! Awesome!!!
That’s wonderful, Chris, I’m so glad you both enjoy this recipe, thank you!
AMAZING! it’s a family fave now
I had a taste for B&G, but I am trying to get to a mostly plant-based diet for hubby and me. I usually use a recipe triangulation involving the most stars combined with the most reviews. Seldom do I trust so few reviews: there are so few good vegiterian/vegan recipes that ACTUALLY taste good. THIS RECIPE IS AWESOME!! Hubby agrees. I’ve already passed it to family who like to cook. I’ll have to inspect this site for more awesomeness. If this recipe was that good, I hope to find more! I’ll be testing with non-dairy milk-products to make it vegan. Some tummies don’t like the dairy in this house.
I’m absolutely thrilled to hear that, Susan, thank you so much!
I made this the second time using almond milk, it was super-duper and NO GUT BUST! I kept the butter, but if made with a plant-based butter alternative can easily be made vegan. I encourage everyone to try it!
So awesome, Susan, thanks so much!
Amazing recipe, easy to make and tasty spices, yum! My meat eating husband was scraping his plate clean. Exactly the recipe I was looking for, Thanks :)
Fantastic, Laura, I’m so glad you both enjoyed it, thank you!
Delicious! This is going to be the go to gravy recipe in our house. So good!
I used a beef bouillon cube since that’s what I had, and it ended up being a touch overwhelming. I’ll probably only use part of a cube next time.
Thank you, Elizabeth, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
I LOVE this recipe!
I’m always looking for the best sausage gravy at restaurants. This beats them all.
I can’t thank you enough.
That’s wonderful, Todd, thank you so much!