Caramelized Shallot Gravy
Updated Nov. 7, 2025
- Total Time
- 45 minutes
- Prep Time
- 10 minutes
- Cook Time
- 35 minutes
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
- ⅓cup sunflower oil or avocado oil
- 1pound shallots, thinly sliced
- 2tablespoons cornstarch
- 3fresh thyme sprigs
- 1fresh rosemary sprig
- 2½tablespoons soy sauce or gluten-free tamari
- 2tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 1tablespoon sugar
- Salt and black pepper
Nutritional analysis per serving (10 servings)
115 calories; 7 grams fat; 1 gram saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 3 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 12 grams carbohydrates; 2 grams dietary fiber; 5 grams sugars; 2 grams protein; 226 milligrams sodium
Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.
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Preparation
- Step 1
Heat a medium pot over medium heat. Add the oil and shallots and cook, stirring occasionally, for 10 minutes.
- Step 2
Add ⅓ cup of water to the shallots and scrape any browned bits on the bottom of the pan to release them into the liquid. Repeat after 5 minutes. Cook until the shallots caramelize, turning lightly golden with crispy edges.
- Step 3
Sprinkle with the cornstarch and stir to coat. Add the thyme, rosemary, soy sauce, vinegar and sugar, plus 2½ cups water. Bring to a simmer and cook for 10 minutes over medium heat, stirring occasionally. Pluck out and discard the herb sprigs. Season the gravy to taste with salt and pepper.
- Step 4
Serve as is or add the gravy to a blender and blend until smooth, if desired. (If blending the gravy hot, remove the center plug from the blender lid and cover lid with a kitchen towel before blending, to release the steam so it does not build too much pressure while blending.) Gravy will keep, refrigerated, for up to 5 days.
Private Notes
Comments
I made this for Sunday roast and it was a huge hit. I burned the first batch of shallots, so I had to do it all over again. The second batch was very complex in flavor, sweet with delicious umami notes. I will definitely be making it again for Thanksgiving!
Can someone shed light on the requirement for sunflower or avocado oil? How about some plain old normal olive oil or butter? Or even a neutral flavored grapeseed? It seems like soy sauce, vinegar, shallots, and the Bruillard effect are doing the heavy lifting here.
Sunflower and avocado oil also have a higher smoke temperature than olive oil and butter and are generally better for sauteing.
Delicious vegan gravy recipe. I had so much rosemary in my garden and was happy to use a few sprigs for this. My thyme was less plentiful but I used what I had dried. This gravy had lots of flavor but I did not have any shallots on hand so I substituted 1/2 onion and 2 cloves of garlic. And I had some leftover homemade veggie stock in the fridge so I substituted about 1/2 the water with it. I used an emersion blender to combine and then strained it. I will definitely make this again.
I added no sugar and still found this sweeter than I prefer. I cut the balsamic by 2/3 and found it more vinegary than I prefer. I got to something I liked by taking the 'finished' gravy, and mixing it with a vegan butter/flour roux, more veg broth, and a bunch of shiitake powder. I'd guess it was about 3/5ths gravy from this recipe and 2/5ths of the mushroomy gravy. My guests loved it. I think this is just not the flavor profile I want from gravy.
I made this for thanksgiving and after blending the original recipe mixture, I added a few ladles of the turkey drippings and blended it all together. Was a huge hit and great on turkey and beef.