Easy vegan mushroom steaks served with a creamy peppercorn sauce, the perfect plant-based family dinner served with roast potatoes and veg.

Vegan Mushroom Steaks with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce

Name: Vegan Mushroom Steaks with Creamy Peppercorn Sauce
Prep time: 12 min
Cook time: 25 min
Total time: 37 min
Yield: 3
Cuisine: British, Gluten-free, Vegan, Dairy-free
Ingredients: 2 teaspoons olive oil; ½ red onion, halved and thinly sliced; 1 clove garlic, crushed or finely grated; 1 tablespoon crushed peppercorns (use your peppermill, a spice grinder or a pestle and mortar); ½ teaspoon white pepper (for warmth, but this can be skipped); 1 teaspoon tamari sauce (or soy sauce); 150ml (10 tablespoons) brandy; 300 ml (1 ¼ cups) vegetable stock (1 vegetable stock cube); 1 pinch salt; 125ml (8 ½ tablespoons) plant-based cream; 2 tablespoons sundried tomato paste (you could use tomato puree/paste, but sundried tomato paste has a more intense and rich flavour); 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar; 1 tablespoon tamari sauce (or soy sauce); 1 teaspoon dried thyme (or fresh thyme); salt and black pepper to season; 1 tablespoon olive oil (to toss through veg, just a drizzle on each); 6 large mushrooms (like portobello mushrooms or large flat cap mushrooms), cleaned (or skin peeled off) and stalks removed carefully.; 600g (1 ⅓ lbs) frozen roast potatoes (or fresh potatoes halved or quartered and par-boiled for 10 - 15 minutes.; 12 asparagus tips; 6 medium carrots, washed and cut into thick slices

I've been playing around with recipes for an easy Easter lunch for my family.

I wanted something special that I could cook in my wee kitchen without stress.

I love mushrooms, so I thought mushroom steaks would be a great option, and indeed they are absolutely delicious and rather special when served with a creamy peppercorn sauce made with a shot of brandy for that luxurious taste.

Cooking dinner in a small kitchen

Easter lunch usually means hours in my teeny kitchen with several pots of food cooking and something else in the oven.

There are dishes and utensils everywhere, and a sink full of washing up.

No room to move, and the room is usually hot and steamy too!

And Easter should be a time to relax with your family, not spent juggling cooking times, several pots and getting sweaty (and sweary) clearing up.

By the time you've done all that, you aren't even interested in enjoying the meal; you just want to lie down in a dark room in peace.

But, this year is different!

This Easter I'm using my new Ninja CRISPi (which I love already) to make Easter lunch, which means the whole meal for my wee family is cooked in one rather stylish kitchen gadget in green (my favourite colour, well, sage if we are being accurate).

And I'll be stress-free!

roast dinner cooked in the Ninja CRISPi.

Easter lunch cooked quickly

The thing I love about air fryers, and especially the Ninja CRISPi, is that I can cook a whole meal for us in one go.

And it's quicker too!

For Easter lunch, warm the creamy peppercorn sauce (which is made ahead) in the microwave, while the whole meal cooks in one clever stacked dish and no messy kitchen.

The Ninja CRISPi is a portable (and really quite light) layered cooking system which comes with two glass containers (the food cooks in), with crisper plates to divide the food and help crisp the top layer.

First, cook the marinated mushroom vegan steaks in the bottom layer with seasonal asparagus, and on the top layer, cook the roast potatoes and carrots (of course, you could choose different veg).

Voila, a whole meal cooked in one go and no pots in sight!

And the glass dish goes in the dishwasher for easy clean up.

It's a game-changer for me.

I actually want to make roasts like this for special occasions like Easter lunch, Christmas dinner or just for Sunday dinner, and it's something I usually avoid like the plague.

Easter table set with a William morris table runner.

Setting the table

While the Crispi does all the work, I have time to set the table and make it look nice.

You might be admiring the dinner set and beautiful tableware I set the table with.

The (Waterside) cream ribbed plates are the perfect size to plate up dinner, and they match the gorgeous Morris & Co table runner (the design is the strawberry thief, I do love William Morris fabrics), and sit so well beside the generously sized (arbor leaf) natural coloured placemats.

Then I added a pink flower, pink water glasses and a wee green glass tulip tealight holder.

I'm quite pleased with it all.

There's something about laying a beautifully set table and having matching plates and complementary colours in your table linen that makes it a bit more of a special occasion and not just a rushed weeknight dinner where you put in very little effort (or is that just me?).

And I prefer spending time setting the table and adding a candle and napkins than sweating away in the kitchen.

I can enjoy the celebration with my family.

Marinated mushrooms steaks in a Ninja CRISPi glass dish.

Less washing up too

Having less washing up is a huge bonus too.

In a small kitchen, tidying and washing up can seem endless, even with a dishwasher to take the strain.

So a big thumbs up for the CRISPi!

When dinner is cooked, I can pop the glass container in the dishwasher and add the plates and glasses after we've enjoyed a relaxed dinner together.

If there are leftovers, just add a lid to the glass dish (each dish comes with a lid) the meal was cooked in and pop it in the fridge, then use the reheat (recrisp function) to reheat it to serve the next day (it has roast, air fryer, recrisp, and keep warm functions).

Anyway, enough about the CRISPi, which is my current obsession! )

Let's get back to the recipe.

Mushroom steaks served with a creamy peppercorn sauce, roast potatoes, asparagus and carrots.

What you need to make mushroom steaks with creamy peppercorn sauce

Here are the simple ingredients you need to make this mushroom lover roast dinner.

Peppercorn sauce

Olive oil
Red onion - you could use white onion or shallots
Garlic
Crushed black peppercorns - crush the peppercorns in a pestle and mortar or just use your regular pepper mill, you season your meals with
Tamari sauce - or soy sauce (tamari is a gluten-free version of soy sauce)
Brandy - oh yeah baby! (Remember the sauce is cooked and you only serve a little with each portion, so don't panic, you can skip adding the sauce for certain family members if you like, or serve the 'steaks' with dijon mustard instead)
Vegetable stock
Salt
Cream - any plant-based cream

This peppercorn sauce can be made ahead if you like and kept in an airtight container in the fridge and reheated in a bowl in the microwave or in a pot, just before serving your mushroom steaks.

Mushrooms steaks & marinade

Large mushrooms - like flat cap mushrooms or portobello mushrooms
Sundried tomato paste - you could use tomato paste (tomato puree), but use sundried if you can get it or use my recipe for easy homemade sundried tomato paste, as it has more flavour.
Tamari sauce - once again this can be substituted with soy sauce
Balsamic vinegar
Dried thyme - or fresh thyme
Salt & black pepper

Such a tasty marinade and quick to whip up!

Veg on the side

Olive oil - just a little
Roast potatoes - or mashed potatoes if you prefer them (I think a roast needs roast potatoes)
Carrots
Asparagus
Salt and black pepper - to season

Of course, you can serve it with your favourite vegetables.

The full printable recipe is at the bottom of the page, including method, notes and nutritional information (just underneath the step-by-step photos).

Keep reading, scroll down or use the jump to recipe button at the top of the page.

For more Easter lunch ideas, search Sunday Dinner, or for an Easter bake, make this easy lemon drizzle cake, a coconut cake or Easter brownies with mini eggs.

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Also, join my Facebook group Living on the Veg.

It's a very friendly community with lots of recipes and chat. I'm in there every day chatting with group members, many of whom have become friends over the years.

Remember and say hi. I'm always happy to chat and answer questions.

Oh, and don't forget to sign up for my daily recipe. One easy recipe sent to your inbox every morning for inspiration.

How to make vegan mushroom steaks with creamy peppercorn sauce

A step-by-step photo guide followed by a full printable recipe.

Step 1

First, make this cream sauce, with peppercorns (this can be made ahead, chilled in the fridge and reheated before serving).
Sauté the onion and garlic in a little olive oil until soft, then add the crushed peppercorns and spices and gently cook them.

Step 2

Add the brandy and vegetable stock and cook down for 15 - 20 minutes until thickened.
Then, add the cream and taste to check the seasoning.
Serve with the mushroom steaks, or allow to cool and store in an airtight container in the fridge until you need it (2 -3 days), then reheat to serve.

Step 3

In a small bowl, add all the marinade ingredients and mix well.
This will be brushed on the mushrooms.
It can be made ahead of time too and kept in the fridge for 2-3 days until you need it.

Step 4

Brush your large mushrooms with the marinade, adding the extra marinade into the inside of the mushrooms.
Place the mushrooms in the bottom of an air fryer (I use my Ninja CRISPi) next to the asparagus tips (see recipe card for cooking in the oven tips).
Add the crisper plate (or shelf divider / top shelf) above the mushrooms.

Step 5

Add the potatoes to the top layer of the air fryer. I cooked frozen roast potatoes, but you could parboil potatoes for 15 minutes and add those.
Then add thickly sliced carrots.
I toss the asparagus, potatoes and carrots in a little oil and season them before adding to the air fryer.
Cook on air fryer setting (see recipe card for full details).
Serve the complete meal and pour some of the creamy sauce over the mushrooms.

mushroom steaks, Ninja Crispi recipe, plant-based easter recipe, vegan easter roast, vegan easter lunch, vegan easter dinner, mushroom recipe, air fryer mushrooms

Dinner

British, Gluten-free, Vegan, Dairy-free

Yield: 3

Author: Jacqueline Meldrum