A creamy, luxurious and rich vegan stroganoff on the table in under 30-minutes. With seared mushrooms smothered in a silky, dairy-free gravy, this stroganoff recipe is perfect for quick dinners on cool nights.
Serve it over pasta, rice or some crispy smashed potatoes with garlic.
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What is Stroganoff?
Stroganoff is a Russian dish traditionally made with a rich sour cream gravy and sautéed pieces of beef.
In this vegan version, we are using meaty mushrooms and plant-based ingredients to create a creamy, luxurious sauce to serve over pasta or rice.
My Mum used to make Stroganoff regularly when I was a kid and I never enjoyed it. But this vegan Stroganoff is deliciously comforting, rich and full of traditional flavours. Sorry Mum, I like my version better.
Why This Vegan Stroganoff Works
Reader Review. "Beef stroganoff has always been a special meal favourite of mine. But this? This is better." (Adam) ★★★★★
If you love mushroom pasta and mushroom soup, or if you feel like something hearty like my vegan bolognese, I think you're going to love this mushroom stroganoff. This is a great, back-pocket recipe on chilly nights.
Ingredients & Substitutions
Making this super quick dinner is made even simpler with easy to find ingredients.
Mushrooms. I use a mixture of Cremini and Swiss mushrooms but sliced Portobellos will work too. Ideally, you want to use a mushroom with a robust flavour. Asian mushrooms, excluding Shitake, are too delicate for this dish.
Cornstarch. A cornstarch slurry made with the liquid of the sauce thickens the finished mushroom stroganoff and gives it a gorgeous gloss. If you don't have cornstarch, you can use 3 tablespoons of flour. You'll need to stir the flour in to the mushrooms and cook it in for a minute before adding any liquids. It's a slightly different process but it will work the same.
Vegan sour cream or cream cheese. Vegan Stroganoff should have a subtle tang to it, and we get this from the Dijon mustard and the sour cream. I've used vegan cream cheese too and it works a treat. In a pinch, you can use a few tablespoons of coconut milk too.
Dijon mustard. The bite and acid from mustard balances the richness of sauce. Don't skip it.
Worcestershire sauce. This sauce isn't traditionally vegan as it contains anchovies but you can get plant-based versions. If you can't get your mitts on a vegan sauce, use soy or tamari for a gluten-free option. I have used both and it worked great.
Nutritional Yeast. We add a tablespoon of "notch" for its umami but if you can't get it, or ran out, omit it. No worries.
Paprika. Try to get Hungarian paprika but if you can't, use sweet or regular paprika.
Parsley or dill. Herbs add freshness and contrast to meals. During testing I tried both parsley and dill and both are great. I must say though, fresh dill with its citrusy-anise flavour took this dish to the next level. Dill features strongly in Russian cuisine.
Tips For Cooking Your Mushrooms
Mushrooms are at the heart of this vegan Stroganoff so let's make sure we cook them with a little love.
Step-By-Step Instructions
You'll find full instructions and measurements in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
Step 1. Preparing the base
Heat the oil and butter in a large pan or pot and sauté the onions until soft, around 3-minutes. Stir in the paprika, pepper and mushrooms and cook, stirring regularly until most of the liquid has cooked away, around 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
If you are serving the mushroom Stroganoff over pasta, cook the pasta in well-salted boiling water according to the packet instructions while the mushrooms are cooking. When al dente, strain the noodles and drizzle the pasta with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
Step 2. Add the liquids
Stir in the soy sauce and add the stock and dairy-free milk before adding the Dijon mustard and nutritional yeast. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, but don't allow it to boil.
Step 3. Thicken with cornflour
Carefully, remove a quarter cup of the liquid and combine it in a bowl with the cornflour. Stir well and return the mixture to the pot. Over low heat, continue cooking the sauce stirring regularly. The sauce will thicken as it cooks over a few minutes.
Step 4. Add the sour cream or cream cheese.
Remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in your sour cream or cream cheese until melted in to the sauce.
And boom! you're done. It's that quick and easy.
Your mushroom Stroganoff is now ready to serve. If you are serving it with pasta cooked in salted water, you may not need to add salt. If not, season to taste and serve.
Recipe Tips
A few tips to making this vegan Stroganoff your new go-to Winter bowl.
How to Store
Generally, creamy pastas are best served fresh, but this pasta will keep OK in the fridge for up to 3 days. You may find that the sauce firms up in the cold.
You can freeze the sauce but I don't recommend freezing the pasta and sauce together. Cook up a fresh batch of the pasta after thawing the frozen sauce out.n
Gently reheat any leftovers in a pan on the stovetop. If the sauce has thickened, add touch of plant-based milk to loosen it up again.
Making Stroganoff Gluten Free
Worcestershire sauce isn't traditionally gluten-free (or vegan), so you'll either need to hunt down a gluten-free/vegan version or swap it for tamari sauce.
Use a gluten-free pasta rather than egg-free noodles. Or simply serve with rice or potatoes.
Stick to the cornstarch method for thickening the sauce rather than using flour.
FAQs
Mushroom stroganoff will keep in the fridge in a sealed container for up to 4 days.
Yup! To freeze the sauce, allow it to cool completely and transfer it to a freezer-proof container for up to 2 months. To thaw, transfer the container to your fridge and thaw it overnight. Reheat it over low heat in a pot to serve.
My mother used to serve her Stroganoff with penne or spiral pasta.I've photographed the recipe using fettuccini but you can use any noodle that the sauce has room to cling to. Spaghetti is too thin, you want some bulk.
More mushroom recipes.
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Make This Recipe
Vegan Stroganoff at Home
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon olive oil
- 1 tablespoon vegan butter
- 1 brown onion peeled and thinly sliced
- 500 g / 18 oz Swiss mushrooms (or mixed mushrooms) wiped and sliced - around 1cm thick
- 2 teaspoon paprika Hungarian or regular
- ¼ black pepper
- 3 garlic cloves peeled and minced
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce (vegan) or soy/tamari
- 1 and ½ cups / 375ml vegetable stock
- 1 cup dairy-free milk
- 1 tablespoon Dijon
- 1 tablespoon nutritional yeast optional
- 1 and ½ tablespoon cornstarch
- 2 tablespoon vegan cream cheese or sour cream
- 300 grams egg-free pasta or serve with rice or potatoes
- salt to taste
Instructions
- Over medium heat, melt the oil and butter in a large pan or pot and sauté the onions until soft, around 3-minutes. Stir in the paprika, pepper and mushrooms and cook, stirring regularly until the liquid has cooked away, around 7 minutes. Stir in the garlic and cook for another minute.
- If you are serving the mushroom stronganoff over pasta, cook the pasta in salted boiling water according to the packet instructions while the mushrooms are cooking. When al dente, strain and drizzle the pasta with a little olive oil to prevent sticking.
- Reduce the heat to low-medium and stir in the Worcestershire sauce, or soy if you can't get a vegan Worcestershire. Add the stock and dairy-free milk before stirring in the Dijon mustard and nutritional yeast. Bring the mixture up to a simmer, but don't allow it to boil - we dont want the sauce to split
- With a ladle, carefully remove a quarter cup of the liquid and combine it in a small bowl with the cornflour. Stir well until the cornflour is completely mixed in and return the mixture to the pot. Over low heat, continue cooking the sauce stirring regularly. The sauce will thicken as it cooks. This will only take a few minutes.
- When the sauce has thickened, remove the mixture from the heat and whisk in the cream cheese until it has melted in to the sauce. Keep whisking until the cheese has absorbed fully. It's now read to serve over pasta, rice or potatoes. Season if needed.
Madison says
I have this meal every day as a part of my weekly meal prep and I'm in awe. So tasty but I must admit, mine doesn't look as pretty!
Adam says
Beef stroganoff has always been a special meal favourite of mine. But this? This is better.
Taste Of Bollywood says
Wow... I love this recipe. Look so delicious and yummy.
Thank you so much for sharing with us. Keep sharing!
Schnithouse Rundle St says
Thanks for sharing the recipe! It is a very nice recipe. I like it. Keep sharing!