Vegan Beef Tips and Gravy Recipe (with Mustard Mash)

This is one of our favourite easy vegan recipes, using portobello mushrooms as the main ingredient. When cubed and fried with some unami-rich soy sauce and aromatics they make a perfect vegan beef substitute, packed with flavour and providing the perfect meaty texture. Why buy processed plant-based beef when you can make your own delicious vegan beef tips and gravy.

We’re going to be honest, we made this recipe just for the two of us. It was a get the kids in bed and sit down to a perfect dinner and a glass of wine recipe. But there is no reason why you couldn’t scale this up for the whole family. Just double up on all the ingredients for a family of four.

If you want to try a similar recipe with a more unusual mushroom choice then check out our recipe for lion’s mane vegan steak tips in a red wine jus (instead of gravy). It also pairs well with our mustard mashed potato and makes for a delicious plant-based version of the meat alternative.

We love these wholesome meals, they’re great all year round, but especially during the winter months. At the time of writing, we’re looking at creating a vegan beef stew recipe too. If you’d like a similar alternative though, we have a tasty one-pot plant-based chicken casserole, a perfect excuse to use your dutch oven.

Vegan Beef Tips Ingredients

300g Portobello Mushrooms

2 Tbsp vegan butter

2 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1 tsp garlic cloves (minced)

Freshly ground salt (to season)

Fresh parsley (chopped to serve)

Vegan Beef Gravy Ingredients

1/4 cup dry red wine

1 Tbsp vegan butter

1/2 small red onion (diced)

1 cup vegan beef stock (suggest Oxo cubes, use vegetable stock as an alternative)

1 Tbsp dark soy sauce

1/2 tsp onion powder

1/4 tsp garlic powder

Pinch of dried rosemary

Pinch of dried thyme

1 1/2 Tbsp corn flour

2 Tbsp cold water

Mustard Mashed Potatoes Ingredients

1/2 kg King Edward or Maris Piper potatoes

Fine salt to season water

50 g vegan butter

1 tsp wholegrain mustard

How to Make Mustard Mashed Potatoes

Peel and chop the potatoes into cubes. Now is a great time to also clean and then chop your portobello mushrooms ready for your vegan beef tips. Then over high heat, place a saucepan large enough for the potatoes and enough water to cover them.

Season the water with a sprinkle of salt and bring it to a boil, then turn the heat down slightly, closer to medium heat and let the water continue to bubble, cooking the potatoes for around 20 minutes. Don’t let the water level drop too low, no potatoes should be exposed. You can check to see if they’re ready by poking one with a sharp knife. If the potato just falls straight off the knife then it’s soft and they’re ready, whereas if they’re still slightly raw on the inside it will hold onto the knife and need a bit longer.

While the potatoes are boiling and steaming you have enough time to make your vegan beef tips and gravy. So you can jump to that part of the recipe until are ready to mash the potatoes.

After your potatoes have boiled for at least 20 minutes, get a colander, and drain the potatoes from the pan and let them steam dry in the colander for 2-3 minutes.

Return the potatoes to the pan you boiled them in, and then add the butter and wholegrain mustard.

Set the pan over very low heat, then with a potato masher, mash your potatoes until they’re smooth. The low heat will help to steam out some more moisture giving a fluffy perfect texture to your mustard mash. Once mashed smooth you can turn off the heat, and sit the lid or a plate on top to keep them warm until you’re ready to serve up.

How to Make Vegan Beef Tips

Start by cleaning the mushrooms. You should not get them wet, so do not clean them under running water or submerge them. Simply wipe any dirt off of the stalks with a damp paper towel, but only if you need to. If you were to get your delicious mushrooms wet they would soak up all that moisture like a sponge and they would remain soggy as they cooked, just not yielding the texture we’re aiming for, and making it harder to retain the flavours they’re being cooked in.

To turn your cleaned portobello mushrooms into raw vegan beef pieces you should cut them into 1-inch cubes. If the stalks are too tough you can remove them but there’s nothing wrong with using them as well. Peel and dice half a small yellow onion as well to sauté later when making the gravy.

In a large non-stick frying pan, heat the vegan butter over medium high heat until it has melted. Now add your cubed mushrooms to the pan, roll them around in the butter at first then spread them out. Just as we do in our Simple Breakfast for Mushroom Lovers Recipe you should leave the mushrooms to fry for at least 5 minutes on one side, without turning or moving them.

You want the mushrooms to have browned, almost caramelized before turning them over to sear an opposite side. You can check one or two pieces close to the 5-minute time by lifting them with a pair of tongs. Once browned on one side, turn all of your simmering mushroom beef tips over and fry the other side until you’ve achieved the same golden brown colour again.

During the 10 minutes it takes to brown your mushroom “beef” tips you should make up your 1 cup (236 ml) of “beef” flavoured vegan stock (or vegan beef broth if you’re from the US), using the stock to boiled water ratio on the packaging, and then leave it on the side ready to make your gravy later.

Now you can add the soy sauce and minced garlic to the frying pan as well. Fry everything for another minute while rolling the mushrooms around the pan allowing them to absorb the soy sauce, and take on the aromatic flavours of the minced garlic. Then season with some freshly ground salt and take the pan off the heat for a moment.

While the pan is off the heat using a pair of tongs or similar just take out the fried mushrooms and set them aside for now. You’re going to be left with the fried minced garlic and remaining seasonings in the pan. What you’re going to do now is deglaze the pan with some red wine.

How to Make Vegan Beef Gravy

Return the pan to the stove on medium-high heat and throw in your 1/4 cup of red wine. You’re going to let this simmer until it’s reduced by half. Do this while using a wooden spoon and scraping the bottom of the pan, loosening all the seasonings and garlic. You should be able to almost clean the pan, collecting all the flavour in the remaining wine after it has reduced.

Now add to the pan the vegan butter and diced onion, sautéing the onion for about 2 minutes.

Pour in the beef stock you prepared earlier, along with the remaining ingredients, the soy sauce, garlic powder, rosemary and thyme. Stir them together for a moment.

Mix the 1 1/2 tablespoons of cornflour with 2 tablespoons of water. Whisking them together until there are no lumps of cornflour. Then add this to the stock in the frying pan, whisking everything together, and then turn the heat down until your gravy is just simmering.

Gently stir the gravy in the frying pan until it thickens, add vegan beef tips back to the pan for a couple of minutes so they warm through again. If you haven’t already mashed your potato side then turn off the heat and cover the “beef” tips until you’re ready to serve.

Frequently Asked Questions