This vegan gravy is super rich, flavorful, and incredibly easy to make. It's perfect for holidays and it tastes amazing over mashed potatoes or with a vegan meatloaf.
In a small bowl, combine the dried mushrooms and 1 1/2 cups of water. Let it soak for 1-2 hours.
In a large pan, heat some vegan butter or margarine. Sauté the chopped onion for about 3 minutes until it becomes translucent. Then add the minced garlic and cook for another minute.
Add the flour and the tomato paste. Stir well.
Cook for for about 3 minutes. Then add the mushrooms (including the water they were soaked in) and the vegetable broth. Stir well and bring to a boil. Let it cook for a minute.
Then add the canned coconut milk, the soy sauce, the thyme, and the rosemary. Season with salt and black pepper.
Transfer everything into a blender and process until very smooth. Pour into a small pot or the pan you just used and heat again. Serve immediately or save it for later.
Notes
I used a mixture of dried button mushrooms, porcini, Slippery Jack, and shiitake. But any mixture you can find is okay. But you need to use dried mushrooms for this recipe. It does not work with fresh mushrooms.
I recommend using a high speed blender for this recipe, so the gravy becomes super smooth. If you don't own one, just process it a bit longer. You could also use a handheld immersion blender instead, but this also takes longer and your sauce might not get as creamy.
Make sure to use full-fat coconut milk, so it becomes rich and creamy.