Easy Vegan Whiskey Sauce - the best sauce for vegan steak

Name: Easy Vegan Whiskey Sauce - the best sauce for vegan steak
Prep time: 3 min
Cook time: 10 min
Ingredients: 1¾ cups (4dl) Whiskey (or use the non-alcohol whiskey mixture); 4 tbsp Balsamic Vinegar; 3 tbsp Barbeque Sauce (vegan); 2 tbsp Ketchup; 5 tbsp Tomato Paste; 2 cups (5dl) Oat Cream (or another non-dairy cream); 2 tbsp Chopped Rosemary; 2 tsp Thyme; 2 tsp Brown Sugar; Salt and Pepper to taste

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Let me introduce you to one of the best vegan sauce recipes ever, the almighty delicious vegan whiskey sauce. This easy vegan whiskey sauce is amazing with vegan steak, nut roast, and any other plant-based meat-like dish you can imagine. Drizzle this vegan whiskey gravy generously on top of my vegan scalloped potatoes and you’ll be in foodie heaven.

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What makes any meal better? A rich, creamy sauce, if you ask me. The kind of sauce that’s ultra comforting, deeply flavorful, and perfectly scoopable with my potatoes. Because, for a sauce lover like me, sometimes I eat potatoes just as an excuse to eat extra gravy. One small bite of potato can scoop up a LOT of sauce when done right. And that’s just the kind of deliciousness we’re talking about here. Ultra-rich, highly scoopable, absolutely irresistible whisky sauce. It’s a deeply flavorful vegan gravy that makes everything better.

Origins of whisky sauce

Whiskey sauce is the delicious original sauce served with Haggis. It’s a Scottish masterpiece of a full-flavored gravy…and this easy vegan whiskey sauce is just as delicious, rich, and flavorful as the original.

Things you’ll need to make vegan whisky sauce

A flame-safe saucepan (if you want to flambé. Otherwise a regular saucepan will do just fine)
Lighter with a long handle (only needed if you want to flambé the sauce)

Ingredients to make easy non-dairy whiskey sauce

Whiskey, or use the non-alcohol whiskey mixture
Balsamic vinegar
Vegan Barbecue sauce, smoky and sweet
Ketchup
Tomato paste
Oat cream or another non-dairy cream
Fresh or dried Rosemary, chopped
Dried Thyme
Brown sugar
Salt and pepper to taste

How to make the best easy vegan whiskey sauce

Pour half of the whiskey, half of the balsamic vinegar, and rosemary and thyme Into a saucepan. Bring to a boil and let the sauce reduce and thicken for 3-5 minutes.
Transfer the sauce to a bowl and set aside.
Next, put the saucepan back on the heat and add the remaining whiskey and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil. Let the sauce bubble for several minutes to burn off the alcohol (if you have a flame-safe saucepan, you can quickly flambé the sauce).
Now, whisk in tomato paste, barbecue sauce, and ketchup and let it simmer for a minute.
Add half of the first sauce reduction you made, or all of it if you want a very intense whisky taste. Bring to a boil and let simmer for a couple of minutes.
Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in 3-5 tablespoons of oat cream to temper the sauce. Whisk in the remaining cream and heat the sauce again, making sure it doesn’t come to a boil.
Serve and enjoy.

Should I flambé whiskey sauce?

That’s up to you. I don’t flambé (set fire to) my whiskey sauce, because I’m not the biggest fan of setting anything on fire. But you can easily flambé your whiskey sauce if you want. Doing so will burn off nearly all of the alcohol, leaving only the delicious deep whiskey flavors.

Simple way to flambé whiskey sauce

Pour half of the whiskey, half of the balsamic vinegar, and rosemary and thyme Into a flame-safe saucepan. Bring to a boil and let the sauce reduce and thicken for 3-5 minutes.
Transfer to a bowl and set aside.
Next, put a flame-safe saucepan on the heat and add the remaining whiskey and balsamic vinegar and bring to a boil. Add half of the first whiskey reduction you made and combine. Carefully, use a lighter to set fire to the sauce, being careful to keep the flames away from anything flammable. Let the flames burn out naturally (it should burn out in 1-2 minutes max).
Next, whisk in tomato paste, barbecue sauce, and ketchup and let it simmer for a minute.
Remove the sauce from the heat and whisk in 3-5 tablespoons of oat cream to temper the sauce. Whisk in the remaining cream and heat the sauce again, making sure it doesn’t come to a boil.
Serve and enjoy.

Easy way to thicken whiskey sauce

If you want a thicker sauce, just let the sauce simmer for a few minutes longer to allow the sauce to reduce and thicken. If you are still having trouble getting a thick sauce, just whisk together a teaspoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of water and whisk the mixture little by little into your sauce until it has the thickness you desire.

How to thin whiskey gravy

For a thinner sauce, just add a little vegetable stock or water to the sauce. To make it thinner but still extra creamy, you can add a little extra plant cream.

Does the alcohol in whiskey dissolve during cooking?

Yes, but the answer is a little more complex than that. If you flambé the sauce most of the alcohol will dissolve leaving only the delicious whiskey flavor behind.

Studies suggest it takes around three hours of cooking time to completely dissolve all the alcohol in a recipe, so if you’re planning to serve this sauce to children I recommend using my easy whiskey sauce whiskey substitute.

What to serve with whisky sauce

Frequently asked questions

Can you make whisky sauce in advance?

Yes. This sauce is great when made in advance. You may want to add a little extra liquid (water or plant cream) to the sauce when you reheat it to make it a little thinner as the sauce tends to thicken a bit when it’s reheated.

How to reheat whiskey sauce?

There are several ways to reheat gravy:
Reheating in a saucepan – You can reheat whiskey sauce by gently reheating the sauce in a saucepan while stirring. Add a little extra liquid if needed (water or plant cream) as the sauce may thicken when reheated.
Reheating in a microwave – place the sauce in a microwave-safe bowl and add a little extra water or plant milk. Cover with a microwave-safe lid and reheat the sauce in the microwave for 2-3 minutes depending on how much sauce you’re reheating. Stir the sauce before serving to combine everything and make the sauce creamy.

What can I substitute for whiskey? A non-alcohol substitute?

You can substitute the whiskey with a mixture of peach nectar, apple cider vinegar, 1 tablespoon of smoked paprika, and 1 tablespoon of brown sugar.

Whiskey sauce substitute:
50% peach nectar
50% apple cider vinegar
A tablespoon smoked paprika
One tablespoon brown sugar
1 tablespoon liquid smoke

Can I freeze whiskey sauce?

It depends on the type of non-dairy cream you use when making the sauce. Although you can freeze oatmeal, it tends to become a bit grainy when it’s defrosted. Coconut milk has the best freezing and reheating properties of plant-based creams and milk (in my experience), but you can try freezing with other plant creams if you are ready to experiment. I can’t guarantee the results but I would love to hear what you find out if you try it.