Instant Pot Vegan Mushroom Bolognese Sauce

Instant Pot vegan mushroom Bolognese sauce is brimming with mushrooms, crunchy walnuts, savory spices, and my secret sauce ingredient comes together easily and delivers rich flavor and rave reviews.

This recipe takes my versatile basil tomato sauce a step further for a hearty sauce using walnuts for a vegan meat sauce. It's reminiscent of my tempeh bolognese recipe that uses simmered tempeh crumbles instead of ground beef, but the Instant Pot adds another dimension, making it super easy. 

Are you searching for a rich sauce that doesn't take hours to cook? Or perhaps you've already tried yummy vegan puttanesca sauce or want something slightly heartier than spicy and quick arrabbiata spaghetti sauce. Welcome to the complex flavor of meaty vegan bolognese.  

⭐ Why You'll Love This Recipe

• Great with your favorite pasta, zucchini noodles, over rice, or in vegan lasagne with melted vegan mozzarella cheese or tangy hemp parmesan cheese. 
• Make ahead for meal prep and freezer-friendly. 
• Great for meatless Mondays and vegan or Instant Pot beginners.
• No Instant Pot or pressure cooker? Make this on the stovetop - instructions included. 

📋 Recipe Ingredients

Mushrooms. Brown chestnut mushrooms or white button mushrooms work well for this sauce and are readily accessible. Depending on their size, use 20-25 mushrooms, which amounts to 5 ½ cups chopped. 

Fennel. Fennel seeds highlight the mushroom flavor. It has a slight licorice flavor which I love for crumbled tofu sausage. ½ a teaspoon of ground fennel or caraway seeds are the best substitute. 

Walnuts. Chop raw or unsalted walnuts for a meaty texture. 

Marmite. Salty and super-umami yeast extract is my secret ingredient for this sauce. Use a teaspoon of white miso paste. Miso is the mushroom supercharger I use for creamy nut-free vegan tuna casserole. 

Balsamic vinegar. I like the sweetness of balsamic vinegar as an alternative to red wine for this sauce. If you use wine, use it to deglaze the bottom of the Instant Pot. 

Oregano. Dried oregano is the only dried herb you’ll find here. Use Italian seasoning as a substitute. 

Red pepper flakes. Cayenne pepper is a good substitute, or add extra black pepper. 

Tomatoes. For the best flavor, use tomatoes packed in juice. Break up whole tomatoes before cooking if you use them. 

Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.

📖 Recipe Variations

Make this recipe nut-free by adding ½ a cup of red lentils or brown lentils for a meatier texture. 

🥘 Stovetop Instructions

• Use a heavy-bottomed pot to make the sauce. Heat the pot to medium heat, then add the mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, and fennel. Simmer the ingredients until the mushrooms have released their moisture.
• Deglaze the pot, then add the remaining ingredients. Be sure you mix everything well. Bring the sauce to a slow simmer, then cover the pot. Simmer the sauce for 1 hour. Check it a few times to ensure that it doesn’t need more broth.
• Uncover the pot and stir the sauce. If you want it further reduced, simmer it for longer.

🔪 Pro Tips

• Add the vegetables after the bottom of the Instant Pot is hot. This helps keep them from sticking. 
• Avoid the Instant Pot burn notice by deglazing the bottom of the pan. I've found that if you keep the bottom of the pot clean and turn the Instant Pot off between the sauté and pressure cooking cycles, it really helps. 
• I used a quick release of the steam handle for this recipe. If you get busy, it won't matter. The sauce will continue to reduce during natural release. 
• For a thicker sauce after pressure cooking, set it to simmer or saute and continue cooking. It reduces the longer it cooks. 

🍴 Serving Suggestions

The most obvious is pasta! Bolognese is a hearty sauce that is compatible with robust types of pasta. Consider tagliatelle, pappardelle, fettuccine, or tube shapes such as rigatoni and penne. I like chewy whole wheat pasta. 

Fresh basil leaves chopped or torn add a bright, herby flavor to Bolognese sauce, as does a little chopped fresh parsley. Reserve this as a garnish. If you add it to the sauce, do so at the end of cooking. Fresh basil is delicate and does not stand up to pressure cooking very well. 

This is a delicious meal to serve with a side of French bread or a mix of green salad with vegan mustard and honey dressing or green goddess avocado salad dressing. 

💭 Frequently Asked Questions