Okay, gang: Thanksgiving’s just one week away, so here’s Part 5 of my Nomtastic Thanksgiving series! Just tuning in? I’ve already got you covered for turkeyBrussels sprouts, cran-cherry sauce, and mash—and today, I present to you: a flavor-packed, make-ahead Umami Gravy!

Paleo umami gravy in a white gravy boat.

Yep, this is a rich, thick gravy that you can pour on EVERYTHING. I love my Easy Paleo Herb Gravy and my Slow Cooker Roast Chicken & Gravy, but this recipe’s the one you break out for company.

collage of the cooking steps for paleo umami gravy.

Traditionalists may scoff because there are no turkey pan drippings in this gravy, but by using bone broth or rich chicken stock, you can minimize your game-time kitchen chaos by making this gravy a couple of days before Thanksgiving. You simply reheat it just before you go into Feast Mode. (I don’t know about you, but this lady hates frantically cooking against the clock.)

Plus, this gravy is packed with carefully selected ingredients that boost umami: savory bone broth, tomato paste, dried and fresh mushrooms, and fish sauce. Once all these flavorful ingredients have simmered, simply purée everything together and voila! Thick gravy!

Umami Gravy keeps in the fridge for several days, and is a great item to keep in the freezer for everyday meals. Just cook up your favorite quick-cooking protein and simmer it in this fantastic gravy.

Umami gravy in a pot.

Ready for the recipe?

Time to make Umami Gravy!

Makes 3 cups

Ingredients:

  • ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons ghee (or fat of choice)
  • 2 onions, diced
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • ½ teaspoon fish sauce
  • ½ pound cremini mushrooms, sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves, minced
  • 4 cups bone broth or organic chicken stock
  • 3 fresh thyme sprigs
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper

Equipment:

Here’s how you make it:

Rinse the dried mushrooms with cool water and place them in a small bowl. Add enough water to cover the mushrooms and set aside for at least 30 minutes to soften.

Reconstituting dried porcini mushrooms in a bowl of water.

In a medium saucepan, melt the ghee over medium heat. Add in the onions and sauté for 10 to 15 minutes or until translucent.

Sautéing chopped onions in a pot.

Then, drop in the tomato paste and fish sauce.

Measured tomato paste getting ready to be put in a pot of sautéd onions for umami gravy.

Don’t worry—the smidge of fish sauce doesn’t make your gravy fishy; it just amps up the umami. (Don’t know what umami is? Listen to our podcast by clicking here!)

Someone pouring a teaspoon of fish sauce into a pot of onions and tomato paste for umami gravy.

Stir to evenly distribute the umami boosters…

Mixed sautéed onions with tomato paste and fish sauce in a pot on the stove.

…before dumping in the sliced cremini mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until the liquid is released and evaporated, about 10 minutes.

Sliced cremini mushrooms dumped into a pot for umami gravy.

In the meantime, fish the reconstituted porcini mushrooms out of the bowl of water, and roughly chop them up.

Someone chopping up reconstituted porcini mushrooms on a cutting board.

Add the garlic to the saucepan, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.

Garlic is added to the pot with sautéed onions and mushrooms for umami gravy.

Then, mix in the reconstituted dried mushrooms, pour in the broth…

Someone adding bone broth to a pot with sautéed onions and mushrooms.

…and drop in the thyme sprigs.

Someone adding a sprig of thyme to a pot for umami gravy.

Increase the heat to high and bring the gravy to a boil.

Bringing the pot to a boil for umami gravy.

Decrease heat to medium-low to maintain a strong simmer/low boil, and cook until the gravy has reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Be patient—you want half of the liquid to evaporate in order to concentrate the flavors. Plus, you don’t want the gravy to be thin and watery once blended.

A pot with the ingredients for umami gravy coming to a boil.

Remove from the heat. Take out the thyme twigs and season to taste with salt and pepper.

Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, purée the gravy until smooth.

Using an immersion blender on the ingredients for umami gravy in a pot.

Seriously good gravy.

A closeup of the blended umami gravy.

Serve over Butterflied Big Bird (Spatchcock Turkey) and Instant Pot Autumn Mash!

Pouring umami gravy into a bowl of mashed sweet potatoes.

Now get cookin’—and stay tuned for a Thanksgiving wrap-up post tomorrow!


Looking for more recipe ideas? Head on over to my Recipe Index. You’ll also find exclusive recipes on my iPhone and iPad app, and in my cookbooks, Nom Nom Paleo: Food for Humans (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2013), Ready or Not! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2017), and Nom Nom Paleo: Let’s Go! (Andrews McMeel Publishing 2021).


 PRINTER-FRIENDLY RECIPE CARD

Umami Gravy

4.84 from 12 votes
Prep Time10 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Servings 9 servings
This gravy is pure, unadulterated umami. I recommend freezing some in an ice cube tray so you’ll always have individual servings of gravy at the ready. Perfect for your Whole30 Thanksgiving!

Ingredients 
 

  • ½ ounce dried porcini mushrooms
  • 2 tablespoons ghee or fat of choice
  • 2 onions diced
  • 1 teaspoon tomato paste
  • ½ teaspoon fish sauce
  • ½ pound cremini mushrooms sliced
  • 3 garlic cloves minced
  • 4 cups bone broth or organic chicken stock
  • 3 fresh thyme sprigs
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
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Instructions 

  • Rinse the dried mushrooms with cool water and place them in a small bowl. Add enough water to cover the mushrooms and set aside for at least 30 minutes to soften.
  • In a medium saucepan, melt the ghee over medium heat. Add in the onions and sauté for 10 to 15 minutes or until translucent.
  • Then, drop in the tomato paste and fish sauce. Stir to evenly distribute the umami boosters, before dumping in the sliced cremini mushrooms. Cook the mushrooms until the liquid is released and evaporated, about 10 minutes.
  • In the meantime, fish the reconstituted porcini mushrooms out of the bowl of water, and roughly chop them up.
  • Add the garlic to the saucepan, and cook for 30 seconds or until fragrant.
  • Then, mix in the reconstituted dried mushrooms, pour in the broth, and drop in the thyme sprigs. Increase the heat to high and bring the gravy to a boil. 
  • Decrease heat to medium-low to maintain a strong simmer/low boil, and cook until the gravy has reduced by half, about 30 minutes. Be patient—you want half of the liquid to evaporate in order to concentrate the flavors. Plus, you don’t want the gravy to be thin and watery once blended.
  • Remove from the heat. Take out the thyme twigs and season to taste with salt and pepper.
  • Using an immersion blender or a regular blender, purée the gravy until smooth.

Notes

Don’t worry—the smidge of fish sauce doesn’t make your gravy fishy; it just amps up the umami. (Don’t know what umami is? Listen to our podcast by clicking here!)
Makes 3 cups total, serving size is 1/3 cup.

Nutrition

Calories: 66kcal | Carbohydrates: 5g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Like this? Leave a comment below!

About Michelle Tam

Hello! My name is Michelle Tam, and I love to eat. I think about food all the time. It borders on obsession. I’ve always loved the sights and smells of the kitchen. My mother was (and is) an excellent cook, and as a kid, I was her little shadow as she prepared supper each night. From her, I gained a deep, abiding love for magically transforming pantry items into mouth-watering family meals.

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13 Comments

  1. Ok I just came across this recipe and already finished my Thanksgiving shopping! I have a ton of baby bellas, do you think those would be ok instead of the cremini?! And also have no dried porcini….so more bellas?!! Or should I just suck it up and go to the store!!

  2. 5 stars
    I didn’t have porcini mushrooms, so I substituted powdered porcinis. This will be my go-to gravy from now on! It’s so delicious.

  3. 5 stars
    We used a variation of mushrooms and it was mouthtastic. The gravy is so so thick without any added gums. The recipe makes a lot, but you can easily get through it.

  4. Any way to make this AIP friendly? Other than keeping the black pepper off, what could I sub for the tomato paste? Thanks!

  5. Any other mushrooms that would work instead of cremini? Having a hard time finding them. Also could dried Thyme work?

    1. Cremini mushrooms are just brown button mushrooms. Most grocery stores carry them, it just doesn’t always say cremini on the package.

  6. 5 stars
    This is delicious and easy to make, so thank you for the recipe. I have to say, though, that I was not able to get the smooth thick texture with the immersion blender alone. I tried, but the mushroom and veggie pieces were still somewhat chunky. So I threw it in the Vitamix and it turned into a beautiful creamy gravy.