Easy and creamy vegan mushroom sauce for pasta & more

This easy and quick vegan mushroom sauce goes very well with almost everything. Use it as a pasta sauce or as a dip with roasted veggies, and it makes an excellent gravy for mashed potatoes.

Ingredients

• Mushrooms- I used white button mushrooms in this recipe. You can use shiitake mushrooms or a mix of button and shiitake mushrooms to make this vegan sauce. If using dried shiitake mushrooms, rehydrate them before using them in the recipe.

• Coconut milk- I used homemade coconut milk to make this mushroom gravy sauce. You can use store-bought coconut milk or other plant-based milk like almond milk or soy milk.
• Cashew cheese sauce- Cashew sauce makes the sauce creamy and cheesy. I used homemade cashew sauce, and you can use store-bought as well. Please check recipe notes for replacements or other variations.
• Spices- I used garlic, dried thyme, and oregano to flavor the sauce. Fresh herbs also work very well in this recipe. Red chili flakes and freshly ground pepper powder will add spiciness to the sauce.

• Spinach- Spinach is optional in this recipe. But I always try to sneak some leafy greens into my recipes. You can also use other leafy veggies like kale, collard greens, and swiss chard in this vegan mushroom gravy.

Instructions

• Slice the mushrooms, finely chop the spinach( if using) and keep them aside.
• Heat a pan or skillet. Once it is hot, add oil, oregano, thyme, finely chopped garlic, red chili flakes, and ground black pepper. Cook it on low flame for a couple of minutes.

• Then goes the sliced mushrooms into the pan. Cook the mushrooms on high flame for 2 to 3 minutes. 

• Add the finely chopped spinach and cook it for another 3 to 4 minutes over medium heat.

• Add cashew cheese sauce to this mushroom and spinach mixture and mix it well.

• Now add the coconut milk and stir it once.

• If using flour, add it now and mix everything well. Let it cook on a medium flame for 4 to 5 minutes.

• Switch off the flame. The delicious and creamy vegan mushroom sauce is ready to serve.

Recipe Notes and variations

• Instead of cashew cheese sauce, you can use cashew cream and nutritional yeast for the cheesy flavor.
• You can skip cashew sauce and use coconut cream for a nut-free version.
• Spinach is optional, and you can use other greens like kale, collard leaves, and swiss chard. You can skip the leafy greens altogether.
• I sometimes use flour to thicken the sauce and sometimes skip it. It will taste good in both ways.
• I sliced the mushrooms, and you could finely chop them.
• This mushroom cream sauce is vegan, and for a gluten-free version, skip the flour or use any gluten-free flour or potato starch.
• I used homemade coconut milk to make this recipe. You can use store-bought coconut cream or thick coconut milk to make this creamy mushroom sauce.
• I used coconut oil to make this vegan mushroom gravy. You can use olive oil or vegan butter as well.

Serving suggestions

This all-purpose vegan mushroom sauce is very versatile, and you can serve it in many ways. Some of the ways I usually serve this mushroom sauce are

• As pasta sauce: Add cooked pasta to this mushroom sauce in the final step and simmer it for another couple of minutes. Finally, creamy and delicious vegan mushroom pasta is ready to serve. 
• I use this mushroom sauce to make baked pasta as well. Take a baking tray and layer it with cooked pasta. Pour this mushroom spinach sauce over the pasta and bake it for 15 to 20 minutes at 180 degrees C. You can also top the pasta with vegan cheese.

• As a side dish or gravy for mashed potatoes, baked potatoes, or baked veggies like cauliflower, zucchini, or sweet potato.
• As a sandwich spread: Make this mushroom sauce a little thick and use it as a topping for your open sandwich. 
• As salad dressing: Yes, this creamy mushroom sauce goes well with any steamed veggies. You can add some cooked chickpeas, kidney beans, or black-eyed peas to this mushroom sauce to make a filling salad dinner.

Storage

We are using coconut milk and cashews to make this vegan sauce. This sauce will be good only for a couple of days in the refrigerator. I prefer making it fresh as and when needed.

You can freeze the sauce, but the texture might change a bit. And reheat the leftover sauce, add a splash of water or milk to loosen a bit.

As you are here, you will like my other mushroom recipes

Mushroom stir fry with potatoes

Mushroom potato burgers

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