This creamy vegan mushroom stroganoff with tempeh recipe is a cozy, high-protein dish with savory tempeh crumbles and tender mushrooms for a plant-based dinner that's the ultimate comfort food.
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Why This Recipe Works
- The savory stroganoff sauce is made with simple ingredients, without vegan sour cream, coconut milk, or vegan butter, including nut butter, for a lower-fat, vegan version of this traditional Russian dish. It’s also prepared without added olive oil or other cooking fats.
- Tempeh crumbles add some of the flavor and texture you might expect from traditional beef stroganoff, only this recipe is (of course) an entirely meat-free version.
- Simmer tempeh a day ahead or cook it while you prep and start the rest of the ingredients for an easy vegan mushroom stroganoff that can be made on a weeknight.
- Satisfying comfort food from a creamy pasta dish packed with flavor, protein-rich, and nutrient-dense.
Ingredients, Notes, and Substitutions
Tempeh. As noted above, you can simmer tempeh crumbles while you start the rest of the dish, and it's well worth it. Cooking tempeh in vegetable broth and soy sauce gives it a great, less bitter flavor. It tenderizes it for a healthy plant-based ground meat alternative.
Mushrooms. We love the earthy flavor of mushrooms, and this easy vegan mushroom stroganoff is no exception. Better yet, you can use different mushrooms, such as inexpensive brown chestnut or white button mushrooms, to a mixture including shiitake mushrooms. If you have a few cremini mushrooms, toss them in too!
Lemon juice. Lemon juice brightens the flavor, and although we like to squeeze a lemon over the top of the dish right before serving, you can also add 1-2 tablespoons of lemon juice to the sauce. This allows you to taste it first.
Leeks. This recipe already has onions, but leeks add a unique mellow root flavor plus extra fiber.
Dry white wine. White wine is used to deglaze the skillet after cooking the veggies. If you don’t want to use wine, substitute with vegetable broth or mushroom stock.
Plant milk. Use any non-dairy milk like oat or unsweetened almond for the creamy sauce.
Dijon mustard. Dijon has a nice kick of flavor to the creamy sauce. Grainy mustard makes a good alternative for Dijon if you need one.
Pasta. Traditionally mushroom stroganoff is served over wide egg noodles. You can find vegan versions of wide noodles, including tagliatelle or fettuccini. For a creamy pasta dish that passes the spoon test, use rotini pasta or other shapes that are bite-sized and easier to manipulate.
Please see the recipe card at the bottom of this post for the complete list of ingredients with measurements plus recipe instructions.
Pro Tips
Most packaged mushrooms are cleaned before packaging. Because mushrooms readily absorb water, cleaning them with a paper towel rather than rinsing them is best.
Tempeh Crumbles
I devoted a post to making tempeh crumbles because many healthy recipes use it as a ground meat replacement. Tempeh can have a strong, somewhat bitter flavor, so I recommend simmering it in a flavorful liquid. Simmering also softens tempeh, so it more readily takes on the taste and has a nice texture.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Crumble and simmer the tempeh in vegetable broth and soy sauce for 20 minutes.
Step 2: Drain the tempeh and gently press out the moisture.
Step 3: Cook the onions and leeks, then add the garlic, tempeh, thyme, and paprika. Stir the tempeh to brown it for a few minutes.
Step 4: Add the mushrooms and stir until they soften and release moisture. Then deglaze the pan with white wine. Stir to remove any stuck-on veggies from the bottom and let the mixture simmer until the wine is absorbed.
Step 5: Stir in the plant milk, mustard, and vegan Worcestershire sauce.
Step 6: Add the cooked pasta and add lemon juice.
Serving Suggestions
This delicious dish makes an excellent main with steamed broccoli, asparagus, or other veggies. You can also opt for a nice green salad with a flavorful dressing.
In terms of herbs, fresh parsley as a garnish is excellent for adding peppery flavor. It's also nice to add a little green.
Storage / Freezing / Reheating
Store leftover vegan stroganoff in an airtight container for 4 days. Although the entire dish can be frozen, it’s best to freeze the stroganoff sauce and make fresh pasta the next time you serve it.
Reheat the stove in the microwave. Adding a little plant milk or mustard will maintain the creamy texture, as the cooked pasta and tempeh will absorb some of the sauce.
Frequently Asked Questions
Suppose you want to avoid using tempeh crumbles or don't like the taste. In that case, there are several alternatives for adding a meaty texture. This includes using soy, TVP crumbles, ½ a cup of bulgur, or another grain, including brown rice or commercial vegan ground beef. Regarding vegan stroganoff, you can always add more meaty mushrooms and skip the tempeh.
Yellow mustard won't have the kick of Dijon or grainy mustard. Still, it adds a creamy texture and slightly cheesy flavor to vegan recipes without relying on nutritional yeast.
More Vegan Dinner Ideas
Vegan Mushroom Stroganoff with Tempeh
This creamy vegan mushroom stroganoff with tempeh recipe is a cozy, high-protein dish made with healthy, low-fat ingredients for comfort food with gusto.
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 45 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour
- Yield: 6 1x
- Category: Tempeh
- Method: Stovetop
- Cuisine: Russian
- Diet: Vegan
Ingredients
- 8-ounce (225 gram) tempeh block
- 4 cups vegetable broth or 4 cups water with 2 vegetable bouillon cubes
- 1 tablespoon soy sauce or Tamari
- 1 medium onion chopped
- 2 leeks, washed and chopped
- 2 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- 14 ounces mushrooms, sliced
- 1 cup dry white wine or vegetable broth
- 1 ½ cup plant milk
- 2 tablespoons Dijon mustard
- 1 tablespoon vegan Worcestershire sauce
- 12 ounces pasta of choice
- ½ lemon squeezed over the top (2 tablespoons)
- Salt and black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Slice the tempeh into quarters for easier handling, then crumble the tempeh about the size of your thumbnail. Add it to a medium pot with 4 cups of vegetable broth and 1 tablespoon of soy sauce.
- Bring the broth to a boil, lower medium-high heat, cover, and simmer the tempeh for 20 minutes. Drain the tempeh crumbles, then use the back of a spoon to press the crumbles against the side of a colander to remove as much moisture as possible.
- Start the water for the pasta and cook according to the package instructions as you cook the stroganoff.
- Heat a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat, then add the onions and leeks. Cook for 5 minutes, often stirring, until they soften.
- Add the garlic, thyme, paprika, and tempeh. Continue cooking and stirring, and let the tempeh brown a bit.
- Stir in the mushrooms and let them cook until they are soft and their moisture is released.
- Deglaze the pan by adding 1 cup of white wine. Cook for another 5 minutes or until most of the wine has evaporated. Stir the bottom of the pan to pick up any veggies from the bottom.
- Stir in the plant milk, mustard, and vegan Worcestershire sauce. Simmer on low for 5-10 minutes until the sauce thickens.
- Once the pasta is done, drain it and add it directly to the stroganoff sauce or serve the sauce over the cooked pasta.
- Squeeze in half a lemon, then taste. Add salt and black pepper.
Notes
- Use the time the tempeh is simmering to prepare the rest of the ingredients.
- I used button mushrooms for this recipe, but you can use any mushrooms or a mix. Be sure to wipe them with a paper towel rather than rinsing them, so they don’t get waterlogged.
- If you decide not to use tempeh, consider adding soy crumbles, TVP (textured vegetable protein), bulgur, or another grain.
Keywords: vegan mushroom stroganoff with tempeh
Becca
You left leeks out of the ingredients list but mention them multiple times in the recipe which left me very confused.
Becca
I ended up making this even tho I didn’t have leeks.
I added spinach and roasted cherry tomatoes into it for some extra veggies.
Was really good!
★★★★
Denise
What a super idea adding the spinach and tomatoes. I'll bet that was tasty indeed :).
Denise
I apologize for that mistake. I've corrected in in the recipe. Much appreciated!
Patty
Takes longer than stated. Is not that tasty but smells great.
★★★
Denise
Hi, thanks for trying out this recipe. I'll have a look at the times when I make this again. You might try adding more of the spices or adding a tablespoon of soy sauce next time you make it.
Suzanne
Doesn't the tagliatelle have eggs?
Denise
Hi Suzanne, you want to be sure to check the package that it is vegan. You can also substitute any vegan pasta in this recipe. We like flat noodles, so fettuccini will also work. Cheers 🙂
Rosalie
I’m not sure if I needed to reduce the white wine or not. It would be really helpful to add that. 🙂 otherwise all went well