Inspired by the classic American dish (or is it British? A London hotel also claims credit), I put together this gluten free vegan à la king recipe with super firm tofu, slivered blanched almonds, raw whole cashews, dry white wine, sliced mushrooms, roasted red peppers, frozen green peas and more. It’s thick, savory, creamy and perfect for fall, winter or whenever you’re feeling like comfort food. Ladle the sauce over toast, biscuits, rice, broad noodles or even sweet potatoes and you’re in for a treat.
This recipe makes ~4-6 servings.
A few things…
- For best results, use a high speed blender like a Vitamix for the sauce. It’ll make it super creamy.
- I used super firm tofu, because it doesn’t crumble easily when you stir the vegan à la king sauce. It stays nicely intact. If you don’t care about that, feel free to substitute pressed firm or extra firm tofu. It’ll taste the same.
- Since we’re using tofu and we don’t add any broth or bouillon, you’ll need to add salt at the end.
- Maybe you aren’t feeling tofu for this vegan à la king? Feel free to swap in a fully cooked vegan chicken substitute of your choice. It might change how much salt you need at the end, so taste the dish and decide from there.
Please enjoy! And explore other UVK recipes, like Vegan Feta, Vegan Tofu Ricotta Cheese, Vegan Slow Cooker Seitan and Green Pea Stew, Green Pea Soup with Spinach and Vegan Pistachio Pesto, Curried Black-Eyed Pea Soup and more.
Vegan à la King
2½ cups chopped yellow onion (OR ~1 large onion, chopped)
4 large garlic cloves
¼ cup slivered blanched almonds
½ cup raw whole cashews
1 tsp dried thyme
1 tsp dry rubbed sage
½ tsp dried marjoram
½ tsp dried savory (OR dried rosemary)
3-4 Tbsp nutritional yeast
½ tsp garlic powder
¼ tsp onion powder
½ tsp salt (+ more to taste)
2½ cups water
2 Tbsp vegan butter
3 cups sliced white mushrooms (OR an 8 ounce package of whole white mushrooms, sliced)
⅓ cup dry white wine
16 ounce package of super firm tofu, diced into cubes (see notes above)
½ cup jarred roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
1 cup frozen green peas
Finely chopped parsley, to top
Black pepper, to taste
1. First, you’ll make the vegan à la king sauce. In a medium saucepan, add the onions, 3 garlic cloves (sliced in halves), the almonds, cashews, thyme, sage, marjoram, savory (or rosemary), nutritional yeast, garlic powder, onion powder, ½ tsp salt and the water. Bring it to a boil. Cover and lower the heat to a simmer for 15 minutes.
2. Add the contents of the saucepan to a high speed blender (like a Vitamix) and blend until completely smooth. Set aside.
3. In a large skillet, melt the vegan butter over medium-high heat, and then, add the mushrooms. Fry them up until golden brown on the outside. Finely chop the last garlic clove and add it to the skillet. Stir for ~30 seconds.
4. Add the wine to the skillet. Allow it to reduce down to ¼. Add the tofu and stir around a few minutes or until cooked through. Pour the vegan à la king sauce in the blender into the skillet. Stir ~5 minutes or until it’s hot.
5. Remove the skillet from heat. Stir in the roasted red peppers, green peas, parsley and black pepper. Taste the vegan à la king and adjust the flavor if needed (I usually add another ½ tsp salt. Sometimes, a bit more nutritional yeast). Serve over toast, biscuits, rice, noodles, or a sweet potato.