A creamy, comforting, DELICIOUS recipe for mushroom stroganoff. The silky vegan cream sauce coats chewy mushrooms, providing the perfect combination of savory, rich, umami-packed flavor in every bite.
Table of Contents
A hearty stroganoff that's also vegan
This mushroom stroganoff, a stew believed to have been invented by a Russian aristocrat, is good enough indeed to be food for royalty: it's loaded with big flavor and texture with a creamy, silky sauce that hugs your tastebuds.
Better still, it takes very little work for you, the cook, to put it together. In fact, you can easily get this recipe done in about 30 minutes flat. And you can make it with pantry ingredients, especially if you use dried or frozen mushrooms, which are both good options.
I have always loved mushrooms and foods like this delicious mushroom stew, mushroom curry, vegan mushroom lasagna, and vegan alfredo sauce with mushrooms are often on the menu around here. I can't get enough of this mushroom stroganoff and if you try it, I bet you'll be back for more!
Recipe FAQs
Carrots and potatoes would be great in this sauce, alongside the mushrooms. You can also stir in cubes of tofu to make a tofu stroganoff and bump up the protein in the dish.
Use 16 oz fresh mushrooms--a mix of wild mushrooms, including oyster mushrooms, morels, chanterelles and shiitake mushrooms along with mushrooms like portobello or cremini mushrooms would be wonderful. But if you can't find wild mushrooms just use what you can get your hands on.
Yes, use a tablespoon of apple cider vinegar instead to deglaze the pan and add more flavor.
Recipe card
Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff
Ingredients
- ½ cup raw cashews (for the cashew cream). If nut-free use an equal quantity of pumpkin seeds.
- 1 tablespoon avocado oil or any neutral oil
- 4 cloves garlic (minced or crushed)
- 1 red onion (finely sliced)
- 8 oz cremini mushrooms or button mushrooms (or button mushrooms or portobello mushrooms)
- 3 oz dried mushrooms (or use 8 oz fresh wild mushrooms)
- 1 tablespoon thyme (or use 1 teaspoon dried thyme)
- ½ cup dry white wine (or use ¼ cup cognac or whisky)
- 1 tablespoon pickled banana peppers (optional, or use pickled jalapeno peppers for more spice, or capers.)
- ½ teaspoons vegan worcestershire sauce (see ingredients list above for alternatives)
- 2 tablespoons tamari (or soy sauce. If soy-free see ingredients list above for alternatives)
- ½ teaspoon paprika
- Salt and ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- If you are using dried mushrooms, soak the mushrooms in 2 cups water for 30 minutes to reconstitute them. When done squeeze the mushrooms to get as much liquid out as you can, then chop into thin slices. Don't throw away the stock after you're done--we'll use it in the sauce and it'll add amazing umami.
- Make the cashew cream by blending the cashews (or pumpkin seeds) in a blender with ½ cup water. Set aside.
- Heat oil in a wide skillet. Add the fresh/frozen/reconstituted mushrooms to the skillet along with some salt and ground black pepper. Saute over medium-high heat until the mushrooms begin to caramelize and turn golden-brown.
- Add the garlic and onions to the skillet and saute a couple more minutes until the onions are soft.
- Add the chopped banana peppers to the skillet if using. Mix them in, then stir in the wine or cognac or whisky.
- Let the alcohol evaporate completely, then stir in the cashew cream or pumpkin seed cream. Add the mushroom stock from reconstituting the dried mushrooms or, if you don't have that, use 2 cups water or vegetable stock. Mix in the vegan Worcestershire sauce and tamari.
- Finally stir in the paprika, taste, and season with more salt and pepper if you wish. Garnish with parsley and serve over corkscrew or ribbon-shaped pasta.
Notes
- Meat adds flavor and umami to a recipe, so when you skip it you need to make sure you are adding enough flavor to make up for all that you take out. Mushrooms have lots of umami but they can still use help from other umami-rich ingredients like mushroom stock, soy sauce and vegan Worcestershire sauce.
- Brown and caramelize the mushrooms thoroughly. This not only improves the texture of the mushrooms and gets rid of the slippery texture, it also helps build flavor and color in the recipe.
- Try and use a wide skillet so the mushrooms fit in a single layer. That way they won't steam but will brown nicely.
- Adding in a tiny bit of alcohol helps with the caramelization and building the base flavors of the dish. It also helps deglaze the pan and adds back those tasty little brown bits sticking to the bottom of the pan back into the sauce. The alcohol cooks out, but if you need a substitute you can use a couple of tablespoons of apple cider vinegar instead.
Nutrition Information
To print recipe card without images, uncheck "instruction images" after clicking the "print recipe" button.
Serve
Serve the vegan mushroom stroganoff over any ribbon-shaped pasta, including pappardelle, fettuccine or tagliatelle, or a corkscrew pasta like cavatappi or rotini, which will grab onto the thick sauce.
You can also serve the vegan stroganoff with rice--brown or white. Or serve it over vegan mashed potatoes for a treat even kids will love.
Store
- Refrigerate: Store leftover vegan mushroom stroganoff in the fridge for up to three days.
- Freeze: Freeze the stroganoff for up to three months in an airtight container.
- Reheating: Reheat the stroganoff in the microwave for 2-3 minutes (or more) on high until creamy again. Add a bit more vegetable stock if needed and stir halfway through.
Wendy says
Made this evening with capers and without Worcestershire sauce and it is awesome! Had it brown and wild rice!
Kat says
Hi! I love this copying the whole thing over there’s no way to get rid of all the pop-ups correct? I just can’t focus with all that going on. Thank you and keep up the great work.
Vaishali says
Just hit the "print recipe" button in the recipe card and it will print without any ads.
Joe says
Our family had this last night but I didn't even try sneaking in some tofu. My wife would know in a flash. But even without the extra protein it was better than good. Thanks for the recipe
Vaishali says
So happy you all loved it, Joe!
Jane Brown says
Another winner! I “mushed” silken tofu into the sauce for more protein. Even tofu-skeptical hubby didn’t notice. Thanks again for helping to make my vegan journey easy and delicious.
Vaishali says
Jane, that's so awesome you tried it. Love that you added tofu into the sauce. Sneaky but smart! 😀