Easy Vegan Peppercorn Sauce

What to expect from this recipe?

When trying our vegan green peppercorn sauce recipe, you can expect a tangy, savory flavor. The sauce is made with fresh green peppercorns, which provide a milder, more delicate flavor than traditional black peppercorns. While some variations only include one, this recipe uses both butter and cream to make the sauce richer and creamier.

Instructions

1. Melt vegan butter on medium heat in a non-stick frying pan or cast-iron skillet.
2. Add chopped onion and garlic and cook until tender for about 2-3 minutes.
3. Add green peppercorns and mix them well. Fry for a minute to activate their flavor.

Cooking tips

• Add cornstarch to the vegetable broth – If you don’t have a silicone whisk or are less experienced in thickening soups and sauces, we recommend mixing the cornstarch with the broth and adding it to the hot frying pan thereafter. Using this method, you can be 100% sure there will be no lumps.
• Flour vs cornstarch – We prefer cornstarch or tapioca starch over the flour. Starches are more powder-like, so they are easier to dissolve. They give a clear and glossy finish, while flour can make sauces cloudy. Flour must also be cooked longer than starches to activate its thickening powder. If you were to make this sauce ahead of time and plan to store it for a long, we recommend using flour instead of starch.

Variations

• Green herbs: Using a blend of fresh herbs such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, and chives makes for a fresh and fragrant sauce. Add 1 Tablespoon of freshly chopped right at the end, then take the sauce off the heat. Leave it to rest before serving.
• Spirits: While brandy or whiskey commonly go with black peppercorn, cognac pairs better with green ones. You can cook off the alcohol content to leave only its aroma. Add 1 Tablespoon.
• Wine: Red wine is more for black, but 1 Tablespoon of white wine can add a unique aroma to the green peppercorn. Once again, only the flavor will remain after you boil the sauce with it.
• Button mushrooms will give this classic recipe a more robust and earthy flavor. Add ⅓ cup of mushrooms chopped into tiny cubes.

Serving ideas

What goes perfectly with a vegan peppercorn sauce? Many delicious vegan dishes can be served with it. Here is what we recommend:

• Skip vegan onion gravy and pour it on vegan mashed potatoes.
• Cauliflower Steak (pictured below)
• Tofu Steak
• Oyster Mushroom Steak – skip the teriyaki sauce and grill them with only the spice rub
• Cabbage Steak
• Portobello Mushroom Steak
• Seitan Steak (not gluten-free)

Equipment

• Frying pan over cast-iron skillet – We love using our skillet from UnoCasa, since it distributes heat evenly. It is perfect to caramelize ingredients or make food crispy, although it is not necessary for cooking sauces. A simple non-stick frying pan or saucepan would work as well.
• Whisk over spatula → To avoid a lumpy sauce, you should use a whisk. In our experience, using a wooden spoon or spatula may not always guarantee a lump-free sauce. If you use a non-stick frying pan, use a silicone whisk. If you use a cast-iron skillet, a simple balloon whisk works perfectly.

Storing tips

• Fridge: You can store this vegan green peppercorn sauce in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days without any problem. It is spoiled if the sauce separates, smells bad, or white/blue mold appears.
• Reheat: Reheat the sauce over low heat, but don’t boil it. Otherwise, the starch gets re-activated, and the sauce becomes thin. If that happens, add another Tablespoon of cornstarch and boil.
• Freezer: You can store the sauce in an airtight container in a freezer. When you want to use it, thaw it at room temperature or in the ridge and follow the reheating instructions above.