RealGravy

Vegetarian and Vegan Gravies

Beetroot Gravy

Roasted beetroot blended into a deep crimson gravy, balanced with red wine vinegar and yeast extract so it tastes savoury rather than sweet.

  • Vegetarian
  • Vegan
  • Dairy free
  • beetroot
  • earthy
  • vegan
  • striking colour
Illustration of Beetroot Gravy
Prep
15 min
Cook
1 hr
Total
1 hr 15 min
Serves
5
Difficulty
Medium

Beetroot has a natural earthiness that sits surprisingly close to the flavour of a proper meat gravy, which is why it works here. Roasting rather than boiling concentrates it and stops the gravy tasting watery. The colour is startling, somewhere between claret and beetroot juice, and it looks brilliant against mash.

Ingredients

Makes about 550ml, five servings

Scale

Kit

  • Roasting tin
  • Saucepan
  • Blender
  • Sieve

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 200C, 180C fan, gas 6. Toss the beetroot, onion wedges and unpeeled garlic with two tablespoons of the oil, season, and roast for 40 minutes until the beetroot is tender and the onion edges are dark.

  2. Beetroot will not brown the way a carrot does, but the onion will, and that browning is where your savoury flavour is coming from. Do not pull the tin out early.

  3. Squeeze the garlic from its skins. Heat the last tablespoon of oil in a saucepan, add the roasted vegetables and garlic and stir for two minutes to warm through.

  4. Sprinkle over the flour and stir for a minute so it coats everything, then pour in the hot stock, add the thyme and bring to a simmer.

  5. Cook uncovered for 15 minutes so the beetroot softens completely and the liquid takes on that deep red colour.

  6. Remove the thyme stalks and blend until smooth. For a really silky gravy, push it through a sieve afterwards, pressing hard with a ladle.

  7. Return to a low heat, stir in the yeast extract, red wine vinegar and sugar, and simmer for two minutes. Season well. Taste for balance, as beetroot needs both salt and acid to stop it tasting like pudding.

Tips worth knowing

  • Wear an apron and use a board you do not care about. Beetroot stains everything it touches.
  • Vacuum packed cooked beetroot works if you are short of time, but roast it for 20 minutes with the onion first or the gravy will taste flat and pickled.
  • The vinegar does two jobs. It balances the sweetness and it brightens the colour, which otherwise drifts towards brown.
  • Do not over reduce this one. Beetroot gravy goes claggy quickly, so keep it looser than you think.

Change it up

  • Stir a teaspoon of creamed horseradish into each portion at the table for a sharper, more traditional pairing.
  • Add a splash of vegan red wine when the stock goes in for a deeper, more grown up flavour, or a spoon of blackcurrant cordial if you want no alcohol.
  • Add a grated apple to the roasting tin for a fruitier gravy that goes well with roast celeriac.

Keeping and reheating

Four days in the fridge and three months in the freezer. The colour holds up well. Reheat gently and add a fresh drop of vinegar to wake it up.

Questions people ask

Does beetroot gravy taste sweet?

It can if it is not seasoned properly. Beetroot is sugary, so it needs salt, vinegar and something savoury like yeast extract to pull it towards a gravy rather than a sauce for dessert.

What do you eat beetroot gravy with?

It is excellent with mash, a nut roast, roast celeriac or anything with horseradish nearby. The earthiness suits winter food and it looks remarkable on a white plate.

Can I use pre-cooked beetroot?

Yes, but choose the plain vacuum packed sort rather than anything in vinegar, and roast it for twenty minutes first to concentrate the flavour before it goes into the pan.