The Best Cashew Gravy
Makes about 4–5 cups, depending on how much broth is added
Creamy • Savory • Herbaceous • Rich
Deeply roasted cashews blend with savory herbs and coconut aminos into a silky, full-flavored gravy that can be made as thick or pourable as you like.
This recipe is 100% plant-based.
This gravy has been around in my kitchen for close to thirty years, which probably tells you something about how much I love it.
When I first changed the way I ate, one of the things I knew I needed—especially when the family gathered around the table for Thanksgiving—was an indulgent, delicious gravy. Not something that felt like the healthy substitute sitting sadly beside the real thing. I wanted a gravy I would choose because I genuinely loved it.
So I developed this one.
And all these years later, I’m still making it.
I have other gravies now that I love too. There’s my mushroom gravy and my miso mushroom gravy, and sometimes Thanksgiving comes around and I can’t decide which one I want.
So I make two.
Problem solved.
But this cashew gravy is completely different from either of those. When you begin with cashews, you’re already working with this beautiful natural creaminess. Then I roast them until they’re deeply golden, and that’s really one of the secrets to this recipe.
Don’t skip the roasting.
Raw cashews would certainly make something creamy, but that’s not what makes this gravy special. Roasting gives the cashews a deeper, almost savory nuttiness that changes their character completely. Blend them with broth, coconut aminos, sage, thyme, and a huge handful of fresh herbs, and they become this silky, rich gravy that doesn’t really taste like anything else.
Traditionally, parsley might seem like the obvious herb to reach for.
I reach for cilantro.
I love cilantro so much that I use an entire cup of it, and after making this gravy that way for so many years, that’s still my favorite. But I’ve made it with parsley too, and it’s wonderful—just different. So I’ve given you the choice. Try both someday and decide which one belongs in your gravy.
And then there is something rather magical that happens with this recipe.
I sometimes call it the endless gravy.
I’ll have the gravy completely finished on the stove while I’m getting everything else ready for dinner. I turn off the heat, come back a little while later, and it’s thickened.
So I add some broth.
Then we eat dinner, put the leftovers away, and the next day I take out the gravy.
It’s thick again.
I add more broth.
Heat it. Eat some. Put it away.
And somehow, the next time I open the refrigerator, I swear there’s still gravy in there.
Most foods work in the opposite direction. You keep eating them and eventually you’re scraping the bottom of the container wondering who took the last spoonful. This gravy seems to reproduce overnight.
Not a bad arrangement, if you ask me.
Of course, every time you add broth or water, you’re also diluting the seasonings a little, which is why I always taste and adjust as I go. I happen to like sage and herbs quite boldly in my gravy. You may like yours gentler.
Make it yours.
That’s something you’ll find in many of my recipes. Unless we’re dealing with something more scientific, like bread dough where ratios really matter, I want you to taste your food. A recipe gives you a place to begin, but your own palate should have the final word.
And don’t save this gravy only for Thanksgiving.
Pour it generously over mashed potatoes on an ordinary Tuesday. Make a lentil loaf and spoon it over the top. Serve it with roasted vegetables or baked potatoes. Put it on your holiday table at Thanksgiving or Christmas alongside all the things you’ve spent two days cooking.
It belongs in both places.
Although I have to admit, one of my favorite things about serving it at Thanksgiving has always been watching the non-vegan eaters reach for my gravy.
There may be another gravy sitting right there on the table, but somehow the cashew gravy starts making its way around.
I’ll notice someone taking a spoonful.
Then another.
Then somebody asks to pass it back.
I consider that one of the greatest compliments you can give plant-based food. When someone chooses the vegan dish not because they’re vegan, not because they’re trying to be healthy, and not because anyone told them they should—but simply because it tastes better to them—you’ve already said everything that needs saying.
Fortunately, this is the endless gravy, so there’s usually enough to share.
After nearly thirty years, I still haven’t grown tired of it. It’s rich and creamy, filled with roasted cashew flavor and all those herbs I love, yet made from ingredients that I feel wonderful about eating.
I hope it brings as much savory goodness to your table as it has brought to mine over all these years.
And if you open the refrigerator tomorrow and discover that somehow you still have more gravy than you remember putting away, don’t question it.
Just heat it up, add a little broth, taste your seasonings…
and enjoy another helping of Food That Feels Like Medicine.
INGREDIENTS
For the Cashew Gravy
225 g raw cashews (1½ cups)
240 g vegetable broth (1 cup), plus 1–2 cups more as needed
180 g water (¾ cup)
60 g coconut aminos (¼ cup)
5 g arrowroot powder (2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground sage, plus more to taste
1 packed cup fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Fine sea salt, to taste
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
METHOD
Step 1 — Roast the Cashews
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C).
Spread evenly on a baking sheet:
225 g raw cashews (1½ cups)
Roast for approximately 8–12 minutes, stirring once or twice, until the cashews are deeply golden and fragrant.
Watch them carefully toward the end—they can go from beautifully toasted to burnt quickly.
Remove from the oven and allow to cool for a few minutes.
For a stovetop option, toast the cashews in a dry skillet over medium heat, stirring frequently, until evenly golden and fragrant.
Step 2 — Blend the Gravy
Add the roasted cashews to a high-speed blender along with:
240 g vegetable broth (1 cup)
180 g water (¾ cup)
60 g coconut aminos (¼ cup)
5 g arrowroot powder (2 teaspoons)
1 tablespoon dried thyme
1 tablespoon ground sage
1 packed cup fresh cilantro or flat-leaf parsley, roughly chopped
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Blend on high until completely smooth and silky, stopping to scrape down the blender if necessary.
The mixture will be quite rich and concentrated at this stage.
Step 3 — Cook Until Creamy
Pour the blended gravy into a medium saucepan and place over medium-low heat.
Cook gently, stirring frequently, until the gravy is hot and begins to thicken.
Once the arrowroot begins thickening the gravy, keep the heat gentle and avoid a hard boil.
Step 4 — Thin & Season to Taste
As the gravy thickens, gradually stir in additional vegetable broth, beginning with:
½ cup vegetable broth
Continue adding broth, a little at a time, until the gravy reaches the consistency you love. Depending on how thick you prefer it and how long it sits, you may use anywhere from:
1–2 additional cups vegetable broth
Taste as you go.
Add:
Fine sea salt, to taste
Additional ground sage, as desired
Additional dried thyme, as desired
Freshly ground black pepper, to taste
This is an important part of the recipe. As you add more broth, you’re also diluting the seasonings, so continue tasting and adjusting until the gravy is both beautifully pourable and deeply flavorful.
Step 5 — Let the Gravy Settle
Reduce the heat to low and cook for another 2–3 minutes, stirring frequently, until everything is smooth and cohesive.
If the gravy becomes thicker than you want while it waits for dinner, simply stir in another splash of warm vegetable broth.
The consistency should be creamy and generous—thick enough to coat a spoon, but loose enough to pour beautifully over whatever is underneath it.
Step 6 — Serve
Taste one final time and adjust the salt, pepper, sage, or thyme if needed.
Serve warm over mashed potatoes, roasted vegetables, savory pies, plant-based holiday roasts, biscuits, or anything else deserving of a generous spoonful of gravy.
And don’t be surprised if you need to add another splash of broth before the second helping.
Cashew gravy has a mind of its own when it comes to thickening—but fortunately, it’s very forgiving.
NOTES
Roast the Cashews Until Golden
The roasting is an important part of this gravy.
Don’t stop when the cashews are merely warm or lightly toasted. Allow them to become beautifully golden and fragrant. That deeper roasting develops the rich, savory nuttiness that forms the foundation of the gravy.
Watch closely toward the end, because cashews can darken quickly.
Cilantro or Parsley?
Both work beautifully, but they create distinctly different gravies.
Cilantro is my personal favorite and the version I make most often. It gives the rich roasted cashew base a fresh, bright herbal flavor that keeps the gravy from feeling heavy.
For a more traditional savory gravy, use flat-leaf parsley instead.
Choose the herb you love.
Let the Cashews Do the Thickening
Cashews naturally create a remarkably creamy, full-bodied sauce once blended and heated.
The small amount of arrowroot in this recipe is there to help the gravy come together, not to provide all of its thickness. Using only:
5 g arrowroot powder (2 teaspoons)
allows the roasted cashews to do most of the work and gives you a gravy that remains creamy and pourable rather than becoming overly thick as it sits.
The Broth Is a Range for a Reason
This gravy will continue to thicken as it cooks and as it sits.
Begin with the broth and water in the recipe, then keep additional warm vegetable broth nearby. You may need:
1–2 additional cups vegetable broth
depending on how thick you like your gravy and how long it sits before serving.
Add the broth gradually. You can always make gravy thinner, but it’s considerably harder to make it thicker again once you’ve gone too far.
Season as You Thin
This may be the most important secret to this gravy.
Every time you add more broth, you’re not only changing the consistency—you’re also diluting the flavor.
Taste as you go and don’t be afraid to add additional sage, thyme, salt, or pepper until the gravy tastes deeply seasoned again.
The measurements in the recipe give you a strong starting point. Your taste buds determine the finish.
About the Sage
I love sage in this gravy and often end up using considerably more than the starting amount, particularly when I’ve added extra broth.
Ground sage can vary in strength and freshness, however, which is why the recipe begins with:
1 tablespoon ground sage
Add more gradually as the gravy is thinned and taste after each addition.
This gives you plenty of that warm, savory sage flavor without overwhelming the gravy.
Arrowroot & Heat
Once the gravy begins to thicken, keep it at a gentle heat rather than allowing it to boil vigorously for an extended period.
Arrowroot performs best with gentle cooking and doesn’t need prolonged boiling to do its job.
If the gravy becomes too thick, simply whisk in additional warm broth.
Make It Ahead
This gravy is an excellent make-ahead recipe.
Prepare it completely, allow it to cool, and refrigerate in a covered container.
It will become considerably thicker when chilled—don’t worry. Reheat gently on the stovetop and whisk in vegetable broth a little at a time until the silky, pourable consistency returns.
Taste again after thinning and adjust the seasonings if needed.
Freezing
Cashew gravy can also be frozen.
Allow it to cool completely, transfer to a freezer-safe container, and freeze. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator, then reheat gently while whisking in additional broth as necessary.
If it looks slightly separated at first, a vigorous whisk—or a quick return to the blender—will usually bring it beautifully back together.
A Final Thought
There are some things that don’t need to pretend to be the thing they replaced.
This gravy isn’t trying to imitate a traditional meat gravy. Its richness comes from deeply roasted cashews, its savory character from coconut aminos and herbs, and its creaminess from simply blending those ingredients until they become something wonderful of their own.
And perhaps that’s one of the things I love most about plant-based cooking.
You don’t always have to recreate what was there before. Sometimes you take completely different ingredients, follow their strengths, and end up with something you like even better.
Make it thick. Make it a little thinner. Use cilantro like I do or choose parsley. Add another spoonful of sage if you’re standing at the stove thinking it needs it.
Taste. Adjust. Taste again.
The best gravy isn’t the one that follows the measurements perfectly. It’s the one you can’t resist taking one more spoonful of before it reaches the table.
.
This is the kind of food that nourishes quietly.
It asks us to slow down,
to listen,
and to remember what is enough.