Make this EASY Beef Gravy recipe in just 10 minutes with NO drippings needed! Learn 3 secret ingredients to add depth of flavor, plus a chef-inspired finishing technique to add a silky, velvety finish.
Serve this gravy with mashed potatoes, buttermilk biscuits, country fried chicken, roasted pork tenderloin, and more!
Brown Gravy Recipe
Believe me when I say, I don’t kid around when it comes to gravy. After all, I plan on pairing this recipe with everything. Poutine, Fried Chicken, Mashed Potato Casserole, Roast Chicken, Pot Roast, Steak, the works. So when I decided to post this recipe, I knew that it had to be perfect.
And let me tell you, it is perfect. NO DRIPPINGS necessary! (But of course it’s an option.)
PS-This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 238!
Using a Roux vs. a Slurry for Gravy
There are 2 basic methods to make a nice thick gravy. Let’s take a look at each method, and why I chose to use a slurry for this recipe.
What is a Roux:
A Roux is a combination of fat (drippings), whisked with flour. Butter can also be used in leau of drippings.
What is a Slurry:
A Slurry is a combination of corn starch or flour + cold water. It’s added to a warm liquid to thicken it. The reason cold water is used is to prevent lumps from forming when added to the warm base.
Why I chose a Slurry for This Recipe:
When I make gravy, I love incorporating a chef technique called “monter au beurre”, which is to add a swirl of cold butter at the end to create a smooth, velvety finish. Therefore, I chose to avoid starting with butter/flour base and decided to thicken the gravy with a slurry, as I didn’t want the butter to overpower the flavor of the gravy.
(Bonus: Corn Starch is gluten free if you are serving this anyone who may have an allergy or sensitivity to it.)
How to Make It
Add the chicken broth, beef broth, beef bouillon, onion and garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce to a medium saucepan. Stir to combine.
Bring to a boil and whisk in cornstarch + cold water mixture. Decrease heat. Continue to whisk to ensure the cornstarch blends in smoothly.
Let it simmer until it’s of desired thickness. Remove from heat and swirl in cold unsalted butter for a smooth, velvety finish. This is a technique that chefs use called “Monter Au Beurre”.
How to Make Brown Gravy More Flavorful
Not only do these secret weapons add a nice depth of flavor to brown gravy, but they also help achieve a rich dark brown color.
- Worcestershire Sauce: This is my top choice. You can’t taste it at all but it enhances the other flavors of the gravy and a rich element to it.
- Soy Sauce: Soy Sauce is plentiful with ‘umami’, which is basically a savory characteristic that makes gravy so irresistible. Like the above choice, you can’t taste it when added in the right quantity. I recommend using low sodium.
- Kitchen Bouquet Browning and Seasoning Sauce: I like to add a few drops of this in combination with either of the 2 options noted above to add just a hint of a darker brown color. You can find it in the aisle where they sell gravy packets. (Which we no longer need to purchase ever again. 😉)
Other Optional Ingredients
- Sauteed Onions, Shallots, and/or Mushrooms. Saute at the beginning, then add broth, etc.
- Fresh Rosemary, Sage, and/or Thyme. Add at the end of cooking.
- A splash of Dry Red Wine. Add with the broth.
- A pinch of Dijon Mustard.
- Ground Pepper.
How to Make it With Drippings
If you make anything that results in having meat drippings at the end, whether it’s pork, chicken, or beef, be sure to save them for this gravy. You can always freeze them until you’re ready to use them.
If you have drippings, simply add them in along with the beef and chicken broth, which will give you even more gravy. You can also measure out your drippings and top it off with enough broth to make 2 cups total. Bouillon may not be needed if drippings are being used—taste first and add if necessary.
Storage
- Refrigerate for up to 5 days or freeze for up to 5 months.
More Gravy Favorites
Get My Free Meal Plan
I’ve got a Free Meal Plan with 7 of my super popular recipes (complete with grocery list)! Sign up for my email list and I’ll send it over now along with weekly dinner recipes!
And follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and Pinterest!
Tried This Recipe?
Leave a review, I love hearing your feedback! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
Brown Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup chicken broth
- 1 cup beef broth
- 1 cube beef bouillon, or 1 tsp better than bouillon
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 ½ teaspoons Worcestershire sauce, can sub soy sauce
- 2-3 drops Kitchen Bouquet browning and seasoning sauce, optional. Can also use Gravy Master.
- 1/4 cup cold water
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1 Tablespoon cold unsalted butter
Instructions
- Add the chicken broth, beef broth, beef bouillon, onion and garlic powder, and Worcestershire sauce to a medium saucepan. Stir to combine.
- Optional: If a darker color is desired, add 2-3 drops of Kitchen Bouquet browning and seasoning sauce. (Gravy Master works well too.)
- Combine the cold water and cornstarch in a small Tupperware with a lid. Shake to combine.
- Bring gravy to a boil. Whisk in cornstarch mixture. Allow gravy to thicken, then decrease to medium-low.
- Let it gently simmer for 2-3 minutes, or until your desired thickness and concentration is obtained.
- Remove from heat. Swirl in one tablespoon cold butter just before serving. This adds a silky, velvety finish.
Notes
- This recipe yields 1 + 1/4 cups
- If you have drippings: Add them in along with the beef and chicken broth, which will give you even more gravy. You can also measure out your drippings and top it off with enough broth to make 2 cups total. Bouillon may not be needed if drippings are being used—taste first and add if necessary.
- This recipe is in The Cozy Cookbook on page 238!
Optional Ingredient Additions
- Sautéed onions, Shallots, and/or mushrooms. Sauté at the beginning, then add broth, etc.
- Fresh Rosemary, Sage, and/or Thyme. Add at the end of cooking.
- A splash of Dry Red Wine. Add with the broth.
- A pinch of Dijon Mustard.
- Ground Pepper.
I can’t believe I’ve never attempted homemade gravy before. So easy and tastes SO much better than the gravy packets.
I’m so happy you liked it Megan! Thanks so much for the great review!❤️
The best I have had!
Yayyy! Thanks so much Jane!💗
Made this in a pinch and it was delicious! Had the ingredients handy and didn’t take a lot of additional effort. Will definitely make again.
Thanks for the great comments and review Tisha, I’m so happy you made this in a pinch and it turned out so well!🩷
This recipe was awesome! So simple & easy, using ingredients I usually always have on hand.
Perfect!! I’m so glad that you loved it Jessica!!
Just made this gravy to go with meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It was awesome!!! Never buying jarred gravy again. Thank you for this recipe.
I’m so happy that you loved it Christina!!! Thank you so much!!
Best gravy recipe I’ve ever come across. Simple and it turned out perfectly. Thank you.
I am sooo happy to hear that Judy! Thank you so much for the review!! -Stephanie
I made this recipe and it turned out very smooth and tasty. However, I don’t see where you added the low sodium soy sauce that you mentioned would make it have greater depth. Can you tell me how much to use?
Hi Mary! Soy sauce is the alternative to Worcestershire sauce, if you’re using the Worcestershire you don’t need the soy. Otherwise, you can use 1.5 teaspoons of soy sauce and leave out the Worcestershire 🙂
Absolutely the best gravy recipe. I used all chicken stock what I had on hand. Added a little parsley at the end it was so good. Thanks for a keeper of a recipe.
You’re very welcome Suzanne! Thanks so much for the great comments and review. I’m so happy you’re enjoying the gravy🩷
Good Morning Stephanie:
I would love to try this recipe to use in your Chicken Scallopini. Can all chicken broth and chicken bouillon be used or would that completely make the recipe just plain chicken?
Hi Carole! I have Chicken Gravy recipe that you can make instead! 🙂 It doesn’t require drippings either! Enjoy!
I love this recipe! We forgot the brown gravy mix when shopping for Thanksgiving. I used Promite instead of Worcestershire and it was great! Even the gravy haters in my family loved this gravy.
Nice work converting the haters Mark! Such a victory. Thanks so much for taking the time to leave a review!🩷