Vegetarian Creamy Mushroom Sauce
This rich and flavourful Vegetarian Creamy Mushroom Sauce is perfect for pouring over fluffy mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, or using as a warm dip with freshly toasted bread. Loaded with sautéed mushrooms, vegetable broth, aromatic seasonings, and heavy cream, this sauce is a must have for your holiday table.
Vegetarian-Friendly: This creamy mushroom sauce is entirely vegetarian, made with a base of vegetable broth for rich depth of flavor. It works well as both a gravy and a versatile sauce for a variety of dishes.
Easy: The recipe takes less than 25 minutes to prepare, making it perfect for both everyday meals and holiday dinners. For larger events, it can be kept warm in a slow cooker or food warmer to serve when needed.
Flavor: Unlike gravies that lack taste or rely heavily on flour, this mushroom sauce is full of flavor. It includes sautéed mushrooms, aromatics, and seasonings to create a a creamy and flavourful sauce.
Serving Suggestions: This sauce pairs so well with mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, or other meats. You can also dip toasted baguette slices in it or thin down the sauce with additional broth to serve as a hearty mushroom soup.
Ingredients
- Butter: You’ll need unsalted butter to cook the onions and garlic, but if you don’t have any, margarine, salted butter, or even olive oil will work just fine.
- Onions: Use red or white onions.
- Garlic: Stick with freshly chopped garlic cloves for the best flavor. Garlic paste isn’t ideal here since it can taste a bit off or change the texture.
- Mushrooms: Use any kind of mushrooms you like. I usually go with cremini or white mushrooms. You can slice them thin or finely chop them as it’s up to you and how chunky you want the sauce.
- Broth: A good broth makes all the difference. I like using vegetable bouillon dissolved in hot water, but boxed veggie or meat-based broth works too.
- Seasonings: I like to use Italian seasoning, chili flakes, white pepper, garlic powder, and dried parsley. Feel free to adjust based on what you like or have in your pantry.
- Cornstarch: Cornstarch helps thicken the sauce. If you’re out, you can use a tablespoon of flour instead and just sprinkle it in after the mushrooms are cooked, then stir in the broth and seasonings.
- Heavy Cream: This is what makes the sauce rich and creamy. If it gets too thick, just add a splash of whole milk milk to thin it out.
Instructions
Step 1: In a microwave-safe bowl, heat 1 cup of water with the vegetable bouillon for about 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir until the bouillon is fully dissolved. Set aside.
Step 2: In a large pan or medium-sized pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chopped onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Then add the mushrooms and cook until they’ve reduced in size and most of the moisture has cooked off.
Step 3: Add the garlic powder, dried parsley, chili flakes, and white pepper. Stir well to coat the mushrooms in the seasoning. Pour in the prepared vegetable broth and the remaining 1 cup of water.
Step 4: In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of the heavy cream until smooth and no lumps remain. Pour this into the pan along with the rest of the heavy cream, and stir until combined. Let the sauce simmer gently for about 10 minutes, or until it thickens to your liking. Taste and add salt if needed. Once the sauce is thick and creamy, serve it right away over mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, or any dish you like.
More Side Dish Recipes
Vegetarian Creamy Mushroom Sauce FAQ
Can I freeze this mushroom sauce?
I don’t reccomend freesing the mushroom sauce, as the texture may change due to the cream.
My sauce is too thick, what should I do?
Add in a few tablespoons of whole milk at at time until the sauce is thinned out.
How should I reheat the sauce?
I like to reheat my mushroom sauce on the stovetop over medium heat. Add a little milk while reheating, since the sauce tends to thicken even more after being stored in the fridge overnight. Stir occasionally until heated through and smooth.
If you try this recipe, please leave a star rating below! Don’t forget to follow me on Instagram and Pinterest for all the latest recipes by Sweet and Seasoned.
Vegetarian Creamy Mushroom Sauce
Ingredients
- 1 Vegetable bouillon
- 2 cups water
- 2 tablespoon Unsalted butter
- 1 Small onion (approximately 1/3 cup), finely chopped
- 3 Garlic cloves, finely minced
- 3 cups Cremini mushrooms, thinly sliced
- 1/2 tablespoon Italian seasoning
- 1 teaspoon Garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Dried parsley
- 1 teaspoon Chili flakes
- 1/4 teaspoon White pepper
- 1 tablespoon Cornstarch
- 1 cup Heavy cream
Instructions
- In a microwave-safe bowl, heat 1 cup of water with the vegetable bouillon for about 2 minutes. Remove from the microwave and stir until the bouillon is fully dissolved. Set aside.
- In a large pan or medium-sized pot, melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, reduce the heat to medium-low and add the chopped onions and garlic. Cook until the onions are soft and translucent. Then add the mushrooms and cook until they’ve reduced in size and most of the moisture has cooked off.
- Add the garlic powder, dried parsley, chili flakes, and white pepper. Stir well to coat the mushrooms in the seasoning. Pour in the prepared vegetable broth and the remaining 1 cup of water.
- In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch with a few tablespoons of the heavy cream until smooth and no lumps remain. Pour this into the pan along with the rest of the heavy cream, and stir until combined. Let the sauce simmer gently for about 10 minutes, or until it thickens to your liking. Taste and add salt if needed. Once the sauce is thick and creamy, serve it right away over mashed potatoes, grilled chicken, or any dish you like.
Leave a Reply