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!
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!
Dang, this was good! Usually I have to quadruple the spices in recipes but this had great flavor as written! Will be a new favorite. 🙂 covered six biscuits with leftovers.
That’s awesome, Autumn, thank you so much!
We’ve made this so many times – it’s one of our favorites. Now we’ve started doubling the recipe to have leftovers – which may be even better the next day.
That’s wonderful, Lindsey, thank you so much!
This was a very simple, easy to follow and flavorful recipe. Only modification I made was to the amount of butter/fat I used. By the time I added the sausage the butter was absorbed therefore I was concerned with the roux I was going to make before adding the milk. I added 1.5 tbsp more and a light drizzle of olive oil and it was perfect. Only other thing I would modify next time I make this is I would probably add more milk to thin it, it got quite thick and didnt dispurse well among the biscuits I made(I used a personal recipe for these). Dont get me wrong, the think gravy was DELISH, however it covered only 4 of the 8 biscuits I made, which just means I’ll have to eat them for breakfast with butter and jam, lol.
WOW! What a REALLY good recipe!!!
Thanks, Kristen! :)
I walked off meat two months ago and so far have found great replacements for so many favorites. My husband loves biscuits and gravy so this gives me hope! Thanks for the good ideas.
You’re welcome, Jane! These biscuits and gravy are so flavorful, even meat eaters will love them :)
I just made this with homemade biscuits for my husband’s birthday breakfast and – WOW. I honestly cannot believe how great it tasted. I used Field Roast breakfast sausage and otherwise followed the recipe exactly. My husband literally licked his plate clean, and I wasn’t far behind him! This is the best gravy I’ve ever had, veggie or otherwise.
Awesome, Stephanie, you’ve made my day – thank you! :) That sounds like the perfect birthday breakfast and I’m thrilled you and your husband enjoyed it so much!
Actual review here!
Made tonight – I cook “fancy” recipes periodically that take lots of ingredients and a long time..and I always say, “It’s good, but how can it be better? More spice, more citrus, veggies a little crispy?” This one? I tasted and verbatim: “Oh my god, this is really good.” Omnivorous husband said it was maybe the best biscuits and gravy he had ever had. Coming from Georgians, mind you. Definitely a win – great flavor.
Wonderful! And yes, that is especially flattering coming from Georgians :) I’m so glad this was a hit, Lynx, and really appreciate the feedback, thank you!
P.S. I also have my carnivore version on my blog if you’re ever interested in trying that one. Best, Kimberly
My family loves my vegetarian beef stew that I make using the Morningstar BBQ ribs. I remove the sauce from them chop them and sautee them before adding to my stew.
Love the recipe, looks great – but just an FYI on Morningstar – They are owned by Kellogg which uses Monsanto seed for the majority of it’s products, so it is a GMO product and not a clean source.
I am a ‘vegetarian’ ( sometimes eats fish label it as you pleas) I’ve used many of Morning star products which have accompanied me to many BBQ events with family and friends. Any morning star can be chopped up and added to a salad or added to tacos. I think i want to try a casserole or quiche with the maple flavor sausage! ^_^
I’d make a blt with the veggie bacon strips.
I want to try the Roasted Garlic & Quinoa Burger
I’d crumble up the black bean burgers and use them in tacos.
I would make some of their buffalo products because our family lives spicy food!