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    Home » Recipes » Sauces

    Published: Sep 23, 2020 · Modified: Dec 17, 2020 by Melanie McDonald · This post contains affiliate links · As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. · 36 Comments

    Vegan Red Wine Gravy

    JUMP TO RECIPE PIN
    4.90 from 28 votes
    red wine gravy on mashed potato

    Not your average Vegan Red Wine Gravy! This one is infused with sweet vegetable & fresh herb flavour and is super tasty, rich & flavoursome. Just perfect for serving with your holiday feast!

    vegan red wine gravy pouring on mashed potato

    I have a thing about gravy. I just love it. Especially on roast vegan beef and vegan mashed potatoes. A good gravy like this Vegan Red Wine Gravy elevates a meal and brings everything together, and this one is an intensely savoury, can’t-stop-mopping-it-up delicious gravy that you’ll want to pour over everything!

    We're talking a sweet vegetable base, red wine, herbs, garlic, onion etc, all simmered together into a thick, rich, saucy, gravy. And it is packed with flavour. It leaves storebought gravy packets or granules in the shade. There is no comparison.

    Gravy really can make or break a dish. There is nothing worse than bad gravy and nothing better than good gravy!

    Jump to:
    • Is red wine vegan?
    • What ingredients do you need
    • How to make Vegan Red Wine Gravy
    • Success Tips
    • Making ahead and freezing
    • Serving Suggestions
    • Hungry For More?
    • Recipe
    • Making ahead and freezing
    • Recipe FAQS
    • Comments & Reviews

    Is red wine vegan?

    Not all wine is vegan. Animal products like egg white or fish swimbladders are sometimes used in the fining/filtering process. It's not difficult to find vegan wine though so you'll have no problems finidng it for this vegan gravy recipe. Barnivore is a great online directory to use when searching. Have it ready on your phone when you go to the liquor store. You can type in the name of a wine and it will tell you if it's vegan friendly or not.

    What ingredients do you need

    (For detailed measurements and instructions, see the printable recipe card).

    Here's what's going in the gravy pot today:

    • Onion, garlic, celery & carrot - The base of any good recipe. They add such a flavour-base to this gravy.
    • Flour - To thicken (if you're gluten-free you can use cornstarch)
    • Red wine - For amazing depth of flavour
    • Stock - More flavour and to thin things out
    • Soy sauce or Tamari - My secret weapon in savoury vegan dishes. It adds a "meaty" flavour and darkens the colour.
    • Fresh herbs - Optional but recommended for another layer of flavour
    • Salt and pepper - Flavour!
    • A touch of sugar - Important for balance
    • Cranberry Sauce - Optional but recommended if you have some as it really elevates the gravy to new levels.

    How to make Vegan Red Wine Gravy

    Good vegan gravy is really easy to make. Here's how it's done:

    • Step 1 - Saute the veggies slowly until golden and caramelized
    • Step 2 - Add the flour and cook it out
    • Step 3 - Add everything else and simmer
    • Step 4 - Sieve and serve, or store in the fridge for later
    gravy in a jug

    Success Tips

    • Slow cooking the veggies and getting them nice and caramelized is really important for flavour. Don't rush them.
    • If at all possible add the optional fresh herbs and vegan cranberry sauce. They really elevate it.
    • Use really good quality, tasty stock.
    • Make it ahead if you can. The flavours get better with time.

    Making ahead and freezing

    My Vegan Red Wine Gravy can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in a sealed container in the fridge. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and warm gently on the stovetop when needed.

    Serving Suggestions

    This Vegan Red Wine Gravy is a savoury, comforting and super-tasty addition to any meal, whether it be a special dinner for friends or family, on your Sunday roast, or for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner.

    Try serving it with:

    • creamy vegan mashed potatoes and vegan chicken breasts
    • vegan roast
    • vegan Yorkshire puddings
    • Beyond Meat meatloaf
    • roast potatoes
    • Mushroom Lentil Loaf with Cranberries
    • pies like my individual easy mushroom pies
    • hot dipped sandwiches
    • Thanksgiving dinner
    • Christmas dinner

    Hungry For More?

    If you love tasty sauces then be sure to check out my:

    • Green Sauce
    • Vegan Stir Fry Sauce
    • Cashew Cheese Sauce
    • Peanut Sauce

    Recipe

    gravy on mashed potato

    Vegan Red Wine Gravy

    Author: Melanie McDonald
    4.90 from 28 votes
    Not your average Vegan Red Wine Gravy! This one is infused with sweet vegetable & fresh herb flavour and is super tasty, rich & flavoursome. Just perfect for serving with your holiday feast!
    Print Recipe Pin Recipe SaveSaved!
    PREP TIME: 5 minutes
    COOK TIME: 25 minutes
    TOTAL TIME: 30 minutes
    Servings: 8 servings (3 cups in total)

    Ingredients
      

    • 2 teaspoons olive oil , Optional. Saute with a bit of water to keep oil-free
    • 2 medium onions , chopped
    • 1 medium carrot , chopped
    • 1 stick celery , chopped
    • 1 clove garlic chopped , chopped
    • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour , or cornstarch/arrowroot
    • 1 cup / 240 mls vegan red wine
    • 2 cups / 480 mls stock
    • 2 tablespoons Tamari or soy sauce , gluten-free if necessary
    • 1/2 teaspoon salt
    • 1/4 teaspoon pepper
    • 2 teaspoons sugar
    • 2 to 3 sprigs of fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme or sage OPTIONAL (stalks can go in)
    • 1 bay leaf OPTIONAL
    • 2 tablespoons cranberry sauce , OPTIONAL

    RECOMMENDED EQUIPMENT

    • Fine Mesh Sieve
    Prevent your screen from going dark

    INSTRUCTIONS
     

    • Warm the olive oil in a medium pan over a medium heat.
    • Add the chopped onion. carrot, celery and sauté slowly, stirring often, for about 10 to 15 minutes until golden brown and caramelized.
    • Add the garlic and cook for another minute or two.
    • Turn down the heat to the lowest, add the flour and stir very well. It will be clumpy and weird looking. Keep it stirring and let the flour cook for about one minute.
    • Remove from the heat and very gradually a few drops at a time, add the red wine, stirring very well in between each addition to work out most of the lumps. We are straining it later though so don't worry about some small ones.
    • Once all the red wine has been added, pour in the stock, salt, pepper, sugar and Tamari, then add the optional cranberry sauce and herbs.
    • Turn the heat back up to medium and bring to a gentle simmer. Stir constantly until thickened (about 10 minutes). You must stir it the whole time or it will get really lumpy.
    • Once it's nice and thick, strain through a sieve over a bowl or clean pan, mashing all the veggies and herbs down with a spoon to get maximum flavour from them.
    • Serve right away or store for another day.

    NOTES

    Success Tips
    • Slow cooking the veggies and getting them nice and caramelized is really important for flavour. Don't rush them.
    • If at all possible add the optional fresh herbs and cranberry sauce. They really elevate the gravy.
    • Use good quality, tasty stock.
    • Make-ahead if you can. The flavours get better with time.

    Making ahead and freezing

    My Vegan Red Wine Gravy can be made up to 4 days ahead and stored in a sealed container in the fridge. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Defrost in the fridge overnight and warm gently on the stovetop when needed.
    Calories include the optional ingredients. 

    NUTRITION

    Serving: 1servingCalories: 72kcalCarbohydrates: 9gProtein: 1gFat: 1gSaturated Fat: 1gSodium: 650mgPotassium: 125mgFiber: 1gSugar: 5gVitamin A: 1431IUVitamin C: 3mgCalcium: 13mgIron: 1mg

    Nutritional information is provided for convenience. The data is a computer generated estimate and should be used as a guide only.

    Tried this recipe?Rate it & leave your feedback in the comments section below, or tag @avirtualvegan on Instagram and hashtag it #avirtualvegan

    This recipe was originally published on December 23rd 2015. I've tweaked the post a bit and now I am republishing it for you. The actual recipe remains the same. I hope you enjoy it. Thank you for following A Virtual Vegan!

    Recipe FAQS

    What can I use instead of red wine?

    Red wine really does make gravy taste amazing but if you can't use it, dry white wine also works well. For an alcohol-free alternative replace it with more stock. A tablespoon of balsamic vinegar (not any other kind of vinegar is a good addition too if you have some.

    Can I use dried herbs instead of fresh?

    A quarter teaspoon of dried rosemary, thyme or sage would be ok, or a small pinch of all 3.

    Hungry For More?

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      Recipe Rating




    1. Nancy D. says

      November 17, 2022 at 2:42 pm

      What is mls stock. I'm not vegan , but this looks delicious. Also what kind of red wine did you use?

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        November 17, 2022 at 4:11 pm

        It says 2 cups / 480 mls stock. mls is the measurement. You can use any stock you like. Any red wine will work. I just use whatever vegan wine is at a good price or that I happen to have in my wine rack. My general advice is to use a similar quality of wine that you would drink. Not too cheap for cooking and not an expensive one. Just middle of the road.

        Reply
        • Nancy D. says

          November 18, 2022 at 10:23 am

          Hi Mel,
          I'm laughing at myself. After my first comment to you I went back and re-read the recipe. Being from the US I read just the American measurements and not the European ones. Hence my confusion as to what mls stock was. I knew the recipe was vegan and at first I thought it was some kind of new vegan type stock. What can I say. I need to read a little more carefully in the future. Can't wait to make this. Looks delish.

          Reply
          • Melanie McDonald says

            November 18, 2022 at 12:47 pm

            Ha ha! No worries. I'm English, living in Canada with a largely US audience, so all of my recipes have cups and mls. I hope you enjoy the gravy!

    2. Kim Richardson says

      December 17, 2021 at 5:53 am

      5 stars
      Lovely recipe. Thank you.

      What can I do with the left over mash? It tastes great and I hate waste. I might try and do a pie or something with it. Watch this space.

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        December 17, 2021 at 9:48 am

        Most of the flavour is gone from it anyway because you've cooked and mashed it all out so I usually compost it. It's not going to add much other than a bit of substance to anything else. But if you wanted you could add it to soups or stews. If you don't want to use it right away it will freeze for up to 3 months. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    3. Whack says

      November 25, 2021 at 10:33 am

      5 stars
      Mel,

      WHY ARE THERE ONLY 5 STARS AS A MAXIMUM RATING? I FEEL AS IF I'M BEING CHEATED ON RATING THIS as this red wine gravy is EXCEPTIONAL! We've made it for our Thanksgiving dinner this year (2021). I'm going to put it onto mashed potatoes and I'm sure everyone else will think I'm nutz! If there's any left in the morning, I'll have one of my favorite meals... Pancakes and gravy! I Can hardly wait!

      Ours came out not quite as thick as we'd hoped so we took a few of the veggies from the pot, put them into the blender and blitzed it and it thickened right up!

      While I'm at it, y'know, you can take the remaining veggies and plate them along with a quinoa, black wild rice, pine nuts, pecans, dried cranberries and pineapple (we stuffed our pumpkin with that mixture) and it makes a spectacular dinner! Absolutely Spectacular!

      My only regret, my cooking partner wouldn't double the red wine gravy recipe so I know it's not going to be enough... (I put a straw into the pot and sucked up a bit 😁 )

      Reply
      • Melanie McDonald says

        November 25, 2021 at 10:39 am

        Ha ha! So pleased you enjoyed it. Happy Thanksgiving to you!

        Reply
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