Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff

Our Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff is the perfect comfort food to start cooking at home if you haven't already. Creamy, hearty and umami-packed, this Mushroom Stroganoff has become a favourite this fall. Easy to prepare and made with basic ingredients, you can have this yummy meal ready in less than 30 minutes.

What is Stroganoff?

Stroganoff is a Russian dish that originated during a cooking contest in 1891. The first Strogranoff was made by a French cheff in Russia during this contest and named after a wealthy Russian family.

Nowadays, Stroganoff has become popular in many countries around the world and the original recipe containing beef and sour cream has been changed to please the different tastes, cultures, and lifestyles.

Our version is vegan, creamy, umami-packed and so so delicious. We use a large amount of different mushrooms which makes our Stroganoff have the perfect texture and taste.

Our Mushroom Stroganoff is:

• Vegan
• Can be made gluten-free
• Comforting
• Umami-packed
• Creamy
• Perfect for autumn and winter

Why should you try our Vegan Stroganoff recipe

This creamy mushroom dish is especially easy to make using really simple ingredients. If you love mushrooms, this is your comfort dish for the season. The best thing about this Stroganoff is that you can use a wide variety of mushrooms, making it easy to include local and seasonal products.

Our Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff recipe is made with plant-based cream made from soaked cashews which makes the dish lighter and healthier.

From start to end, it shouldn't take you longer than 30 minutes to prepare and enjoy this hearty meal.

How to make the best vegan Stroganoff

As mentioned before, this Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff uses simple ingredients that you will already probably have at home. Otherwise, we give you some alternatives or different products that you can as well use.

Ingredients

Mushroom mixture. Yes, this is the first ingredient you need to prepare this delicious Vegan Stroganoff. For our recipe, we added three different types of mushrooms: White Button Mushrooms, Cremini Mushrooms and Oyster Mushrooms. You can use other types such as Shiitake mushrooms, Portobello mushrooms, or even dried porcini. This last one will need to be rehydrated before use.

Olive oil. To start cooking the rest of the ingredients, we add a tablespoon of olive oil to the frying pan. You can as well use vegan butter or another vegetable oil such as rapeseed or sunflower.

Yellow onion. I love checking this website when it comes to deciding which type of onions to use for the different recipes. Yellow onions are best for slow cooking and caramelization. Shallots or yellow onions are the best options for this dish. Still, you can use white or red onion.

Garlic.

Thyme. For our Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff, we like to add fresh thyme from the garden. You can as well use other dried or fresh herbs such as fresh parsley, rosemary, basil or sage, or oregano.

Marmite. If you are reading us from England, no need to explain what Marmite is and you probably have it at home. If you are from somewhere else, Marmite is a yeast extract spread used as well in cooking to add saltiness and umami flavor to your dishes. You can as well use soy sauce, vegetable stock, or vegetable broth instead of Marmite.

Mustard. If you have Dijon Mustard that will be your best option but you can use regular yellow mustard.

White wine. This is optional as you may not want to include alcohol in the Stroganoff. The alcohol will evaporate while cooking but if you prefer to leave this ingredient out is totally fine.

Step-by-Step Method

1. Leave the cashews soaking in hot water. Add some olive oil to a large skillet or pot to medium-high heat. Add finely chopped onion and cook until it starts to soften. Then add finely minced garlic and thyme. Cook for a few more minutes until fragrant.
2. Roughly cut the mushrooms and add them to a large skillet or pot. Turn down the heat to medium heat. Cook for a couple of minutes until they release the water and then add the white wine. Leave simmering while you prepare the cashews cream.
3. Prepare the cashew cream. Drain and rinse the soaked cashews and add them into a blender jug. Add water, mustard, and marmite, and blend until you have a smooth cream. If you are not using marmite, you may want to add some stock at this point.
4. Add the cashews cream to the pan, mix well, and leave simmering for 5 minutes. Cook the pasta following the package instructions and add to the pan with the creamy mushroom sauce. Mix well, season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve.

Once your Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff is ready to serve, you can add some truffle oil and fresh thyme before serving.

Tips for cooking Mushrooms

Some people don't necessarily enjoy mushrooms because of their texture or taste. As well, depending on how you cook fungus, it can get quite rubbery and unpleasant. We share some tips for cooking mushrooms that will help prevent them from getting rubbery, soggy, or slimy.

• Don't clean them with water. Once wet, mushrooms are difficult to dry which means they will still have water when trying to cook them, becoming soggy. Instead, clean them with a paper towel or a with a special brush.
• When cooking mushrooms, use a large pan to make sure you are not overcrowding the pan. This will allow the mushrooms to cook until nice and golden instead of steaming.
• Add salt at the end of the cooking process. Adding salt while the mushrooms are cooking or before, will make them release more water and prevent them from cooking until they are golden.
• Choose mushrooms you like. You can find a large variety of mushrooms when the weather gets colder. October, November, and December are perfect for getting mushrooms in local markets around Europe. Find your favorite variety as I think this is something really personal.
• Use fresh mushrooms. Mushrooms can get quite fishy and slimy if not used when fresh. When it comes to mushrooms, don't wait too long to eat them once you store them in the fridge. As well, frozen mushrooms can be used to make this recipe. I personally haven't tried but if you follow the packet instructions, it should be a great option for cooking this meal.

Serving Suggestion

Our Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff is served over pasta. Our favorite option for this dish is Garofalo Mafalda Corta.

This delicious dish can be served on rice, brown rice, over mashed potatoes, polenta, quinoa, or barley. You can get creative and serve this dish for an special occasion.

Before serving this hearty and creamy Stroganoff, add some truffle oil and fresh thyme. If you want to add a bit of acidity, a drizzle of lemon juice pairs amazingly with this meal. If you have nutritional yeast, add some before serving to give the pasta meal a "cheesy" note.

We strongly recommend serving some vegan garlic bread on the side to get all that lovely sauce!

If you are thinking of serving a side dish with your creamy sauce pasta, maybe a fresh salad like our Beetroot Salad, or roasted pumpkin would be really nice option.

You can keep leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 2-3 days. If you made have extra Stroganoff, we recommend not mixing it with the pasta and simply cooking some more pasta the day you are having the leftovers.

FAQ and Tips

• Can I make this creamy pasta gluten-free? Yes, The only ingredient containing gluten is marmite. You can substitute this ingredient for gluten-free vegetable stock or mushroom stock. Instead of serving the Stroganoff with regular pasta, serve it with your favorite gluten-free pasta, rice, or quinoa.
• How can I make this recipe Nut-free? To make this Mushroom Stroganoff nut-free, substitute the cashew cream for coconut milk, coconut cream, or vegan sour cream. Coconut milk is creamy and has a nutty flavor as well. We use it in many of our recipes and it works really well when making this sauce too.
• This recipe can be made for the whole family. If you are cooking for toddlers or kids, simply avoid using white wine or any other type of alcohol. If you are making this for under one-year-old babies, take a portion of the sauce out for them before you add the salt and pepper or stock.
• What can I use instead of Marmite? You can use stock instead of water when blending the cashews if you don't have Marmite or want to make this meal gluten-free.
• What type of pasta is best for stroganoff? We like using a short type of pasta that will soak up all the sauce and make the dish really comforting and hearty. Other types of pasta such as Cavatappi, Campanelle, Shells, Rotini pasta, or any type of pasta will absorb the sauce well and will not overcook easily.

If you tried our recipe, please leave a comment or tag us on Instagram @Sixhungryfeet. We are always happy to see your creations! 

Other creamy plant-based recipes:

• Vegan Creamy Mushroom Pasta
• Vegan Creamy Tomato Pasta with Cashew Cream
• Roasted Red Pepper and Sun-dried Tomato Pasta
• Vegan Fettuccine Alfredo Pasta