Is Gravy Vegan? Bisto, KFC, Ikea & More
Is gravy vegan? This post will tell you everything you need to know about this savoury sauce. We’ll take a closer look at the ingredients of popular gravy brands such as Bisto, KFC, Ikea, Quixo & much more!
Today, we’re diving deep into the world of… gravy.
Yup, gravy!
I’ve been posting a lot of Christmas-related “Is It Vegan?” content lately, and since most people like to enjoy some gravy with their Christmas dinner, it made sense to write a post about it!
I know that my first Christmas dinner as a vegan was quite tricky to navigate; I had no idea what I could and couldn’t eat and it became quite overwhelming. So although I was craving the same hearty, comforting flavours that everyone else was eating, I ended up having a sad, lifeless nut roast with some plain vegetables on the side!
Luckily, it doesn’t have to be this way. There are in fact quite a few vegan gravy options out there! In this post, we’ll look at famous brands like KFC, Bisto, and Ikea, and see the full list of ingredients in their gravy recipes.
Is Bisto gravy vegan?
Let’s start with Bisto (aah, Bisto), seeing as it’s one of the most popular gravy brands in the UK. Their classic gravy granules come in 7 flavours: Beef, chicken, lamb, pork, turkey, onion, and vegetable. They also have Southern-style gravy granules, gluten-free gravy granules and original gravy powder. Not all of these products are vegan but some of them are.
Original beef, chicken, lamb, pork & turkey
These flavours of gravy granules contain meat powder so they are neither vegan nor vegetarian. More recently, Bisto has released a vegan-friendly meat-free range of gravy granules, which includes chicken flavour and beef flavour. Here are the ingredients for those…
Bisto meat-free chicken gravy granules
Potato Starch, Dried Glucose Syrup, Salt, Rapeseed Oil, Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5′-Ribonucleotides), Vegan Chicken Flavour Stock (1.5%) (Vegetable Stock (Water, Carrot, Leek, Onion, Thyme, Dried Bay Leaf), Yeast Extract, Flavouring, Salt), Colour (Ammonia Caramel), Flavourings, Autolysed Yeast Extract (Autolysed Yeast, Salt, Vegetable Extract), Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Sugar, Sage Extract, Black Pepper Extract, Onion Oil, Rosemary Extract
Bisto meat-free beef gravy granules
Potato Starch, Dried Glucose Syrup, Salt, Rapeseed Oil, Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5′-Ribonucleotides), Mushroom Stock (2.5%) (Mushroom Concentrate, Rapeseed Oil, Glucose Syrup, Salt), Colour (Ammonia Caramel), Flavourings, Sugar, Onion Powder, Potassium Chloride, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Black Pepper Extract, Onion Oil, Rosemary Extract
Onion
Bisto onion gravy is vegan-friendly. The ingredients are as follows:
Potato Starch, Maltodextrin, Palm Fat, Salt, Onion Powder (5%), Flavourings (contain Wheat), Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Colour (Ammonia Caramel), Sugar, Dried Onion (1%), Flavour Enhancers (Monosodium Glutamate, Disodium 5′-Ribonucleotides), Garlic Powder, Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Black Pepper Extract, Rosemary Extract
Vegetable
Bisto vegetable gravy is vegan:
Potato Starch, Maltodextrin, Salt, Palm Fat, Sugar, Wheat Flour (with added Calcium, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Flavouring,Dried Onion, Colour (Ammonia Caramel), Onion Powder, Flavour Enhancer (Monosodium Glutamate), Yeast Extract Powder (contains Barley), Emulsifier (Soya Lecithin), Dried Parsley, Carrot Juice Powder, Acidity Regulator (Citric Acid), Sage Extract, Black Pepper Extract, Ground Lovage, Onion Oil, Rosemary Extract
Southern-style granules & original gravy powder
The Southern-style granules and original gravy powder are made with vegan-friendly ingredients but as they’re only labelled ‘vegetarian’, it’s not clear if they are suitable for vegans. I have contacted Bisto for clarification on this and will update this post when I receive a response.
Is Bisto gluten-free?
Classic Bisto gravy granules and powder are not gluten-free because they use wheat flour as a thickener. However, they do make gluten-free gravy granules which are also vegan-friendly. It’s important to note that there is a cross-contamination warning label for those with allergies to milk, celery, mustard, soya, and eggs.
Is KFC gravy vegan?
KFC gravy is not vegetarian or vegan because it’s made with chicken fat. Although they don’t share their exact recipe, their nutritional & allergen page shows it also contains egg and milk.
Is Ikea gravy vegan?
Ikea gravy is also known as cream sauce or its Swedish name, allemansrätten. This gravy is meat-free and vegetarian but sadly it’s not vegan because it contains milk protein. In Ikea stores, the vegan-friendly veggie balls come with a tomato sauce rather than cream sauce.
Quixo gravy
Aldi’s Quixo gravy is suitable for vegans. It’s made with the following ingredients:
Potato starch, Palm oil, Maltodextrin, Wheat flour (Wheat flour, Calcium carbonate, Iron, Niacin, Thiamin), Colour: Ammonia caramel; Flavouring (Contains soya), Flavour enhancers: Monosodium glutamate, Disodium Guanylate; Emulsifier: Lecithins (Soya); Onion oil.
Other meat-free gravy brands
Finally, here’s a list of some more “meaty” vegan gravy granules that you can buy in the UK:
- Tesco for beef, for chicken, for pork, for lamb, free-from chicken & free from beef gravy granules
- Asda for chicken, for meat, and free-from chicken gravy granules
- Morrison’s for chicken, for beef, and free-from gravy granules for meat
- Sainsbury’s for meat, for chicken, and free-from gravy granules
- Kallo low-salt organic gravy granules
- Marigold instant gravy granules
- Goldenfry beef gravy granules
- Hubbard’s Foodstore gravy granules
Summary
Some gravy is vegan, including certain Bisto flavours and a few supermarket own-brands. It’s important to note that recipes can change over time so it’s best to always check the ingredients before purchasing. When checking the ingredients list, make sure to look closely for additives such as meat broths or meat extracts, which won’t be highlighted as allergens. Other ingredients to watch out for are milk and eggs.
