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.
Table of Contents
⭐ 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.
⏲️ Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Set the Instant Pot to sauté. Cook the vegetables and fennel for about 5 minutes until the mushrooms release their moisture.
Step 2: Deglaze with ½ cup of vegetable broth.
Step 3: Stir in the remaining ingredients. Turn off the Instant Pot.
Step 4: Add the tomatoes, stir the bottom of the Instant Pot, then cook on High Pressure.
🥘 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.
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🔪 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
The best substitute for marmite is vegemite. Both are vegan and have similar, although not identical, tastes. Miso paste, in the same amount, is another worthy and more accessible substitute. Nutritional yeast can also be used in a pinch.
Cool bolognese sauce to room temperature and store it in an airtight container for a week. It's great to make ahead for a quick meal on busy weeknights.
Canned tomatoes, because they have already been cooked and condensed, will yield a dark, thick, and rich sauce. Use diced or crushed tomatoes that are packed in juice. If you use whole tomatoes, break them up before adding them to the sauce.
Yes. Place the sauce in a durable freezer container or heavy freezer bag and freeze them for 3-4 months. Freeze the sauce without the pasta because the pasta can get soggy after it thaws.
🍝 Recommended Vegan Pasta Recipes
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👩🏻🍳 Recipe
Instant Pot Vegan Mushroom Bolognese Sauce
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Ingredients
- 1 pound chestnut mushrooms - button mushrooms
- 1 medium yellow onion - diced small, 1 cup
- 1 large carrot - peeled and diced, ¾ cup
- 2 stalks celery - diced small, 1 cup
- 1 teaspoon fennel seeds - ½ teaspoon ground
- ½ cup vegetable broth
- 1 cup walnuts - chopped
- 4 cloves garlic - peeled and minced or pressed
- 3 tablespoons soy sauce
- 3 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
- 2 teaspoons marmite - see notes for substitutions
- ¼ cup tomato paste
- 2 teaspoons oregano
- 1 teaspoon red chili flakes
- 28 ounce canned tomatoes - packed in juice
Instructions
Instant Pot
- Heat the Instant Pot on HIGH SAUTE, then add the mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, and fennel seeds.
- Sauté the vegetables for 5 – 10 minutes until the mushrooms release their moisture. Stir occasionally.
- Deglaze with ½ a cup of vegetable broth. Stir the bottom of the Instant Pot so that any bits on the bottom are released.
- Add the walnuts, garlic, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, marmite, tomato paste, oregano, and chili flakes. Stir well. Turn the Instant Pot off.
- Stir in the tomatoes. Use a wooden spoon to clean the bottom of the Instant Pot. Secure the lid and close the steam release handle. Set the Instant Pot to HIGH PRESSURE for 20 minutes.
- If you are serving the sauce over pasta, start the water now.
- Once cooking has finished. Carefully release the steam release handle. Once the float valve is down, carefully remove the lid.
- Stir the sauce. If you want it thicker, set the Instant Pot to HIGH SAUTE and cook it for 5-10 more minutes until you have a consistency you like. This is also a good time to taste the sauce and adjust any of the flavorings.
- Stovetop Instructions
- Heat a heavy-bottomed pot over medium heat. Add the mushrooms, onions, carrots, celery, and fennel seeds. Sauté the vegetables for 5-10 minutes, stirring them often until the mushrooms have released their moisture.
- Deglaze the pot with ½ a cup of vegetable broth. Use a wooden spoon to pick up any bits of vegetables that have stuck to the bottom.
- Add the walnuts, garlic, soy sauce, balsamic vinegar, marmite, tomato paste, oregano, and red chili flakes. Mix everything well.
- Add the tomatoes, mixing them with all the ingredients. Bring the sauce to a slow simmer, cover the pot, and simmer the sauce for 1 hour or until the sauce is reduced and thick.
- Uncover and continue simmering until you have a consistency you like.
Video
Notes
- This recipe is intended for a 6 quart or larger Instant Pot.
- Avoid the Instant Pot burn notice by turning the pot off between the saute and high-pressure cooking cycles. Stir the bottom of the pot to remove any ingredients stuck to the bottom before pressure cooking.
- The best substitute for marmite is vegemite, miso paste, or nutritional yeast.
Store Bolognese sauce in an airtight container in the refrigerator for a week. It freezes well for 3 months. I don't recommend freezing it with pasta mixed in because the pasta can get soggy once thawed.
Nutrition
Nutritional information is an estimation only.
MJ
It is a myth that mushrooms absorb water. https://www.epicurious.com/archive/blogs/editor/2008/09/cleaning-mushro.html
Denise
Interesting mushroom debate on this thread. There certainly a lot of perspectives. Thanks for sharing this.