Easy Homemade Gravy Recipe
Published November 22, 2021. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
This extremely flavorful homemade gravy recipe is very easy to make and is the perfect complement to all your holiday roasts.
Using a tasty sauce is such a fantastic way accompaniment to so many different foods. I highly recommend checking out my reduced balsamic recipe or chimichurri sauce to help take the flavor of your food over the top.
Gravy
Gravy is a sauce made from meat juices, often combined with a liquid such as chicken stock or beef stock, wine or milk thickened with flour, cornstarch, or arrowroot. A gravy may also be the simple juices left in the pan after meat, poultry, or fish has been cooked.
There is no doubt, gravy has the ability to enhance the flavor of whatever it is being poured on as well as helping to tenderize and make juicier. In addition to serving, it with protein, it is commonly poured over mashed potatoes.
How to Make Gravy
Follow along with these step-by-step instructions for making a delicious homemade gravy recipe:
Lightly brown the vegetables and herbs in fat, drippings, butter, or lard in a large roasting pan or pot.
Once they’re brown, stir in the flour until it is completely combined.
Pour in the stock or rendered protein juices and turn the heat to high while constantly stirring.
The mixture will become very thick and once it does, simmer on low heat for 5 minutes.
Season with salt and pepper, strain, and serve.
Gluten-Free Gravy
If you need to make this recipe gluten-free, you have two options. Here are the ingredients and how to make it:
- Cornstarch: Use half the amount of fat when cooking the vegetables and forgo sprinkling in flour, but still bring the mixture to a boil. In a separate small bowl whisk together 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 6 tablespoons of water and mix it with a whisk or spoon until it is combined to make a slurry. Once the stock is boiling, whisk the slurry into the mixture and it will immediately thicken. Season, strain, and serve the gluten-free gravy.
- Arrowroot: Use the same instructions as above, however, use 4 teaspoons of arrowroot to 4 teaspoons of water.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 3 days ahead of time. Keep cool until ready to use.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can freeze this, but the sauce may break, and you will need to rethicken it.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of velouté to a small size saucepot and heat over low heat until hot. You may need to rethicken it using a small amount of roux.
chef notes + tips
- If rendered meat drippings are not an option, substitute for butter or lard.
- When making gravy specifically for your holiday turkey, add 3-4 leaves of fresh sage when adding in the other herbs.
- You can substitute the shallot for a yellow, white, sweet, or red onion.
- If you are making this for a holiday meal, I highly recommend prepping the mirepoix 1 to 2 days ahead of time to alleviate any cooking pressures.
- While your protein is resting once it finishes roasting in the oven or smoker, this is the perfect time to make this.
More Sauce Recipes
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Video
Easy Homemade Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup rendered fat, butter, oil, or lard
- 1 peeled and small diced shallot
- 1 small diced celery stalk
- 1 peeled and small diced carrot
- 2 finely minced garlic
- 3-4 parsley stems with leaves
- 3-4 fresh thyme sprigs
- 1 rosemary sprig
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups stock or rendered meat juices
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Add the fat to a roasting pan or pot over medium heat.
- Place in the shallots, celery, carrots, garlic, parsley, thyme, and rosemary and lightly brown while stirring every 20 to 30 seconds, which takes about 5 minutes.
- Next, stir in the flour until it is completely combined to make a roux.
- Pour in the stock or meat juices and turn the heat to high while stirring to mix in the roux while occasionally stirring.
- Once the mixture is to a boil and is thick, turn the heat to low and simmer for 5 minutes.
- Season with salt and pepper, and then strain the mixture through a chinois or fine mesh strainer and serve it.
- Optionally sprinkle on some fresh chopped parsley, thyme, and rosemary.
This is how I make gravy from now on. It was a huge hit for thanksgiving when I made it the first time and I’ve been making it ever since. It’s quick, easy and taste soooooo much better. Thanks Billy!
perfect!
Made this for Thanksgiving (sorry, late review). It was so flavorful, didn’t miss the “drippings” from meat at all. I was able to make the gravy the day before which, of course, helps on Thanksgiving day. Thanks for the great recipe and the tutorial!!!
OMG using your so juicy turkey recipe – delicious! When compared to my own way of cooking – I upped the herbs a lot using your recipe – sooo dang good. Will never go back to bland turkey and gravy again. Thanks chef!!!