Best Mushroom Sauce without Cream

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This Mushroom Sauce without Cream is thick, silky, savory, and delicious! It comes together in minutes and goes on any protein or veggie for a quick dinner.

This is the sauce that’ll make you weak in the knees!  It’s my creamy and rich Mushroom Sauce that’s absolutely delicious!  The mushrooms are seared with onions and garlic until they are a perfect deep brown color and salty, nutty, earthy flavor.  Thyme brings in more earthiness and a fantastic herbed backdrop. 

This sauce is gluten free and low carb. Vegetable broth is added to create the start of a delicious sauce.  Finally, a cornstarch slurry with milk (or cold water), is whisked in to thicken it up to a glorious, silky creamy finish! No heavy cream needed!

This Mushroom Sauce Goes on Everything!

This Low Carb Mushroom Sauce without cream is a great option for quick and easy dinners. Many times, you have a protein in the fridge or freezer, but the question is what the heck to do with it??

This easy creamy Mushroom Sauce Recipe is a wonderful way to jazz up chicken, steak, a burger, veggies or pasta! I made this sauce with a veggie ‘burger’ and most recently made a garlic mushroom pasta recipe using this mushroom sauce.

Mushrooms Are Good For You Too

Mushrooms are a weakness for me.  I can eat them for breakfast with eggs or on toast, for lunch, and dinner.  The aroma of sauteed or roasted mushrooms brings a smile to my face.  The earthy and savory flavors are absolutely everything.

After completing my studies at Cornell for a Certification in Nutrition, I really started to look at natural, real foods and what they can provide us.  Mushrooms are not just delicious, they are nutritious too! 

Mushrooms are a great source of antioxidants, which work to get rid of free radicals, a type of chemical that can harm a person’s body cells, potentially leading to cancer.   They also contain fiber, potassium and vitamin C, which help with heart health. 

Mushrooms also contain Selenium, which is a mineral not found in most fruits and vegetables.  Selenium helps with liver enzyme function and can also improve immune response to infection by stimulating the production of T-cells.

So, why wouldn’t you eat mushrooms??  Here are some more recipes to try!

• • Mushroom & Black Bean Tostadas
  • Stuffed Chicken Rolls with Mushroom Ragu
  • Mushroom Quinoa Risotto
  • Portabella Egg Nests with Manchego Cheese
  • Creamy & Healthy Mushroom Soup
  • Caramelized Mushroom & Onion Pork Roast

Quick note!  This post contains affiliate links, which means I earn a commission (at no extra cost to you) if you purchase from them.  This commission is what helps me keep this blog afloat :).  But, I also share these links because I have used the products, genuinely love them, and want you to know exactly what I used. 

Just a few Simple Ingredients for a Gluten Free Mushroom Sauce

• White Button Mushrooms, cremini, or baby bella
• Onion
• Garlic
• Dried Thyme, crushed
• Salt and Ground Black Pepper
• Vegetable Broth or Chicken Broth
• Cornstarch
• Milk – I used 1%, but you can replace with cold water or broth

No Special Equipment Needed

You need a large skillet/frying pan for making the veggies and curry sauce. I use my absolute favorite 12″ Ceramic Pan, which is great because food really does slide right off with minimal oil and I don’t have to worry about food sticking and burning.  It comes with a glass lid, which is perfect for watching your dinner cook!

Time Saving Prep-Ahead Steps for this Mushroom Sauce

We are all extremely busy and making dinner during the week can be overwhelming. Here are the steps you prepare in the day(s) in advance and store in the fridge as your meal Kit… (See the recipe below for more details) 

This entire recipe can be made ahead but is better when you prep the ingredients and make the sauce right before eating it.

So, first dice your onions, mince the garlic, slice your mushrooms.

Cooking Steps for Low Carb Mushroom Sauce without Cream

Preheat a large skillet and drizzle or spray with extra virgin olive oil.

If you are making this amazing mushroom sauce to go over chicken or steak, you can cook your protein in the skillet before you cook mushrooms. Remove the protein and set it aside, leaving all of the delicious browned meat bits in the skillet to cook with the mushrooms.  

To the pan or skillet over medium heat, add the onions, garlic, mushrooms, and thyme to the skillet and stir to mix together. Then spread out into a layer so as many mushrooms as possible are touching the skillet bottom.

Let sit without stirring for about 3-4 minutes until the mushrooms get a beautiful browned sear. Then stir so that the other side of as any mushrooms as possible get a sear.

Add a pinch of salt and ground black pepper and then let the mushrooms cook down for another 5 minutes.

While the mushrooms are cooking, making the slurry by mixing the cornstarch into the cold milk until completely dissolved.

TIP: to make this entirely dairy free, just replace the milk with cold water or broth.

Add the Vegetable broth and stir to scrape up all of the browned bits from the bottom.

Add the cornstarch slurry, as this is the thickener. Whisk to ensure you don’t get any clumps. It will thicken pretty fast. Bring back to a light simmer.

Add back your protein or veggie to the sauce or serve the sauce over it.  Or mix this delicious sauce with pasta or rice or quinoa.

ENJOY! 😍 Carrie

Mushroom Sauce Recipe FAQs

What are the best mushrooms to use in this Mushroom Sauce recipe?

White Button Mushrooms, cremini, or baby bella are the best mushrooms to use in this Mushroom Sauce recipe. However, you could also use a variety of different mushrooms, including shiitake mushrooms.

How far in advance can I make this sauce?

You can make this Mushroom Sauce and store in the fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.

Can I freeze this sauce?

You can make this Mushroom Sauce and store in the freezer in an airtight container for up to 4 months. To reheat, place the frozen sauce in the refrigerator overnight to thaw. Then reheat either in a pot on the stove or in the microwave.

Are there other ingredients that could be added to this Mushroom Sauce?

This Mushroom Sauce isa very easy recipe with just a few ingredients. However, you can certainly add other ingredients to make new versions, such as red wine or parmesan cheese. If you want to add red wine, I suggest adding ¼ cup to the mushrooms to deglaze the pan before adding the broth. Let the wine cook down for a few minutes before adding the broth and slurry. The parmesan cheese should be added at the very end.

Can I make this Mushroom Sauce without Cream in the Slow Cooker?

This is such an easy and fast recipe, that I recommend making it in a pan on the stove. However, you could make this Mushroom Sauce without Cream in the Slow Cooker if you desire. To do so, simply add all of the ingredients, expect the cornstarch and milk slurry to the slow cooker insert. Increase the broth from 1 cup to 1 ½ cups broth. Set the slow cooker on high for 4 hours or up to low on 8 hours. During the last hour of the cooking, whisk in the cornstarch slurry so that the slow cooker can continue to cook and let the sauce thicken.

Is this a good Mushroom Gravy recipe?

This mushroom sauce is an excellent gravy to use for a roast turkey or beef roast, as well as mashed potatoes.

Have you tried this recipe? If so, please leave a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ star rating in the recipe below! I love to hear your feedback and your rating helps others to find this recipe. Thanks so much!