We present a tissue-mimicking material for vascular optical elastography: polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) cryogel. Its optical and elastic properties are tunable and in the range that is relevant for biological tissue simulation. We report measurements of the elastic modulus, and of the optical properties, derived from quantitative analysis of optical coherence tomography data. PVA tissue phantoms are commonly used in ultrasonic and magnetic resonance imaging, but their use in optical experiments is limited until present. The material is moldable, easy to handle and it is possible to make inclusions with different optical or elastic characteristics.