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Vegetable Toad in the Hole with Onion Gravy

Vegetable toad in the hole, roasted carrots, swede, parsnip & onions in a Yorkshire pudding batter, complete with a vegetarian onion gravy.

This meat free toad in the hole recipe is the perfect size for two uses my easy foolproof Yorkshire pudding recipe and cooks in around 45 minutes.

Roasted vegetable toad in the hole having vegetarian onion gravy poured over it.

Veggie Toad in the Hole.

There are two foods that I view as quintessentially British, Yorkshire Pudding and Toad in the Hole.

This roasted vegetable toad in the hole is a vegetarian variant of a classic British frugal meal.

Although I’m pretty sure my Grandad, who was a butcher, will be turning in his grave at the thought of veggie Toad in the Hole!

This recipe is not a sacrifice in any way shape or form, it is simply stunning. And that is before you add the swoon-worthy vegetarian onion gravy!

A gravy that gets its flavour from dried porcini mushrooms and then a bit of marmite and black treacle.

It is simply the best veggie gravy I have ever tried!

Close up roasted vegetable toad in the hole.

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use different vegetables?

Yes, in fact, I would urge you not to get too wrapped up in the ingredients I use to stuff my toad in the hole. Experiment and play with what is good in your local market.

Some of my favourites are fennel and leek, roasted pumpkin and onion, cauliflower and broccoli.

Do I have to use Marmite in the onion gravy?

No, but I would urge you to give it a try. I get it, I really do not like marmite, it’s horrible on toast, but in this gravy, it is THE magic ingredient!

Can I use other dried mushrooms?

Yes, and they will be cheaper, however, they will not have the same punch of flavour as porcini mushrooms.

What’s the secret to perfect Yorkshire pudding batter?

I talk in detail about the perfect Yorkshire pudding batter in my Foolproof Yorkie recipe.

But for me, there are two things that you must do!

  1. Rest your batter before cooking, overnight is best but aim for nothing less than 4 hours.
  2. Meaure by volume, I’m not a fan of cup measures, but for this dish volumetric measures work perfectly. I use three identical bowls and line them up, crack the eggs into one, then fill up the other two bowls with milk and flour.
Overhead roasted vegetable toad in the hole with a jug of vegetarian onion gravy.

Serving Suggestions

Aside from the rather foxy vegetarian onion gravy, I like to serve this roast vegetable toad in the hole with extra veggies.

Here I have served it with some roasted tender stem broccoli. But it is equally good with some garlic asparagus or this buttered cabbage.

Another option that is a little more work, but equally delicious is petit pois a la Francaise. Just omit the bacon if you are sticking vegetarian.

In a similar vein, it would be equally good with braised cavolo nero kale.

You will have plenty of swede left over when you make this recipe. But fear not, I have a great recipe for swede and carrot mash that will use it up!

Due to many requests, I have created a new recipe for a vegan onion gravy too!

Vegetarian onion gravy poured over a roasted vegetable toad in the hole.

Equipment Used

I only mention brands of equipment if I think that they make a material difference to a recipe. If you have any questions feel free to ask them in the comments section below the recipe.

For the toad in the hole:

  • Oven.
  • Mixing bowl.
  • Whisk.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and or spoons.
  • Prep bowls, I prefer to use 3 identically sized bowls to estimate the volumetric measurement for the batter.
  • 20cm or 8″ round baking tin.
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Chopping board.

For the vegetarian onion gravy:

  • Stovetop.
  • 15-16cm or 6″ saucepan, not nonstick if possible
  • Kitchen knife.
  • Chopping board.
  • Weighing scales and or measuring cups and or spoons.
  • Stirring and serving spoons.
  • Blender.
Vegetarian onion gravy poured over a roasted vegetable toad in the hole.
Yield: 2 Servings

Vegetable Toad in the Hole Recipe with Vegetarian Onion Gravy

Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 45 minutes
Resting Time: 4 hours
Total Time: 4 hours 50 minutes

Roasted vegetable toad in the hole, a fantastic veggie version of the classic British comfort food recipe, it even comes with vegetarian onion gravy!

Ingredients

  • 2 large eggs
  • Flour, The same volume as the eggs ~75g
  • Milk, The same volume as the eggs ~110ml
  • ½ Tsp Salt
  • ¼ Tsp Black Pepper
  • ½ Tsp Dried Rosemary
  • ½ Tsp Dried Thyme
  • 100g (⅔ Cup) Baby Carrots
  • 100g (⅔ Cup) Parsnip
  • 100g (⅔ Cup) Swede AKA Rutabaga
  • ½ Red Onion
  • 2 Tbsp Flavourless Cooking Oil

For the Vegetarian Onion Gravy

  • 300g (2 Cups) Onions
  • 30g (2 Tbsp) Butter
  • 1 Tbsp Tomato Puree
  • 400ml (1⅔ Cups) Vegetable Stock
  • 15g (⅓-½ Cups) Dried Porcini Mushrooms
  • 1 Tsp Marmite
  • ½ Tsp Black Treacle or Molasses

Instructions

  1. Sift the flour into a large mixing bowl and add the beaten egg and milk and mix to form a batter.
  2. Mix in the thyme, rosemary, salt and pepper and set aside for at least 4 hours in the fridge, overnight is best.
  3. Cut the onions for the gravy in half lengthways, then peel and slice into 3-5mm thick half-moon shapes.
  4. Add the butter for the gravy to a small (15-16cm or 6") saucepan (not non-stick) and melt it over a medium-low heat.
  5. Add the onions and cook over a low-medium heat for 45 minutes stirring every 5 minutes or so, if the onions start to darken too quickly reduce the heat.
  6. Heat the vegetable stock until it is boiling and add the dried mushrooms, then turn off the heat and allow them to soak for 10 minutes.
  7. Preheat your oven to 220°C or 430°F, whilst the oven is heating up place a 20cm (8") shallow baking tin in there with the cooking oil.
  8. Peel the swede and cut it into 1.5-2cm (½¾") cubes.
  9. Peel the parsnip and cut it into 1.5-2cm (½¾") cubes.
  10. Add the diced parsnip, swede and carrots to the baking tin, toss to coat in oil and then return it to the oven for 10 minutes.
  11. Peel the halved red onion and then cut it into quarters taking care not to trim off too much of the root, we want the onion to hold together.
  12. When the vegetables have been roasting for 10 minutes remove the pan from the oven and pile the vegetables up away from the edges of the pan and add the red onion wedges.
  13. Pour over the Yorkshire pudding batter and place the pan in the oven and cook for 30-35 minutes. DO NOT OPEN THE OVEN UNTIL THE TOAD IN THE HOLE IS COOKED!
  14. 10 minutes before the toad is cooked blend the stock and dried mushrooms, it will form a nice gravy like texture.
  15. Add the tomato puree to the onions and stir 1-2 minutes.
  16. Pour the mushroom gravy over the onions and turn the heat up to medium.
  17. Stir in the marmite and treacle, feel free to adjust the amounts of these to your liking and then add salt if required, it should not be.
  18. Simmer the gravy until the toad in the hole is ready to serve.

Notes

If you are not vegetarian try cooking this in a hard animal fat like lard, beef dripping or duck fat, it is incredible!

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

2

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 635Total Fat: 33gSaturated Fat: 11gTrans Fat: 1gUnsaturated Fat: 20gCholesterol: 223mgSodium: 1493mgCarbohydrates: 69gFiber: 8gSugar: 21gProtein: 18g

Calorific details are provided by a third-party application and are to be used as indicative figures only.

Did you make this recipe?

If you made this recipe, I'd love to see what you did and what I can do better, share a picture with me on Instagram and tag me @krumplibrian and tell me how it went!

Betty

Friday 17th of July 2020

Love this idea! Toad in the hole is one of my faves, I didn’t think I could do without the sausage but this is perfect! Ketchup and peas are my go too aswell haha!

Brian Jones

Tuesday 21st of July 2020

It was as the result of an experiment for some vegetarian friends and it was a resounding hit, so much better than those awful veggie sausages! And if you ain't vegetarian and cook it in lard or duck fat it is spectacularly good :o

Claire | Sprinkles and Sprouts

Tuesday 28th of February 2017

I saw this on Instagram and was blown away. GENIUS IDEA!!!

I tagged a veggie friend and I am going to try this once our weather cools down!

Brian Jones

Wednesday 1st of March 2017

I saw that, thanks :) I hope you both enjoy it.

Helen @ Fuss Free Flavours

Friday 24th of February 2017

Toad in the hole is such a great and underestimated meal. Try explaining what it is to anyone that isn't British is perhaps a little tricky. Making it with roasted vegetables is a fab idea, and a suitable alternative for the non-meat eaters. Have to say it looks really delicious.

Brian Jones

Monday 27th of February 2017

Thanks Helen, it really is so uniquely British, I posted up the straight up and down sausage version last winter and a great deal of confusion was caused by the glorious name ;)

Helene D'Souza

Friday 24th of February 2017

Never heard of toad in the whole before but this looks very exciting. Looks like I will need to check out your blog more in detail. I have heard of Yorkshire pudding but that's it. ^.^ Thanks for sharing your vegetarian version.

Brian Jones

Monday 27th of February 2017

It is a very British thing, here is the traditional version :)

https://www.krumpli.co.uk/skillet-toad-hole/

Nicola @ Happy Healthy Motivated

Friday 24th of February 2017

I've never even thought about doing toad in the hole with anything other than sausages before. Great idea for when I'm craving a crispy filled Yorkshire pudding but don't have any sausages on hand!

Brian Jones

Monday 27th of February 2017

I've been cooking it for years and often serve it as a side to a roasted piece of meat, just chuck it in the oven whilst the joint is resting :)

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