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
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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.
Hey Stephanie. Thanks for this awesome and so simple brown gravy recipe. We started using it around the holidays as an easy gravy for Yorkshire pudding and roast. When you said to put a pat of butter in at the end…it was a wrap! We knew that you knew what you were talking about! We liked it so much, I just called up the recipe from my bookmarks to shop for the ingredients tonight. We are having a snowstorm tomorrow in Southeastern New England. Our plan is to get cozy, cook and eat during the storm…Yorkshire pudding and mashed with your gravy will be the highlight…comfort food and snow all day! Thanks again!!
You’re very welcome Tim!😃 I’m so happy you liked the butter tip at the end! I love you’re plan to get cozied up during the storm, sounds like a great day, enjoy!
O. M. G. I loooove you for this! I am definitely not a spring chicken but I have absolutely failed so many times at homemade I pretty much gave up. I’ve Googled hundreds of times trying to get this. Where has your post been hiding?! I am CONFIDENT I’ll be making homemade gravy from now on. Thank you!!!
Thanks so much for the awesome review Susan!😃 I’m so happy you found this one! I love how simple this one is. Having a no drippings gravy recipe on hand is so valuable!
Used this recipe and out turned out fantastic! I didn’t have cornstarch so I used gravy flour. Thank you
You’re very welcome, I’m so glad you liked it!😀 Having a good no drippings gravy recipe on hand definitely makes things easier!
Thanks for this surprisingly easy and absolutely yummy recipe! I do have a question: what’s the best way to reheat this?
The best way to reheat it would be to spoon the gravy into an unheated skillet and let it slowly come up to temperature over low heat. The increased surface area in the skillet (vs. a small pot), will help it reheat and thicken up best. Keep that temperature low the whole time. Enjoy!
Thanks so much! This gravy may just be the star of our Christmas dinner!
Oh my goodness this gravy is sooo good. I didn’t have any chicken broth so used all beef broth & followed the recipe for everything else. I love gravy & this gets an A+ from me.
I’m so glad to get the A+, Thanks so much for the awesome review!😍 It’s definitely nice to have a NO DRIPPINGS gravy recipe on hand!
This has changed my life! I never knew making gravy was that simple, and this recipe is awesome! I will be making this weekly for our meals…I mean gravy pairs nicely with nearly everything! 😉
Hey Kristin!! I am soooo happy to hear that! I honestly feel the same way, I love knowing that I can whip this up at any point and have delicious gravy- in fact I’m making some tonight with Pot Roast! 🙂 Thank you so much for the review, I really appreciate it!
Super easy! Super flavorful! Terrified to be in charge of gravy this year, but this was a home run! Saving this recipe!
Soooo happy to hear that MG!! Nicely done! Thank you so much for the review!
I tried it with my own little twist in it turned out amazing
That’s AWESOME John! I’m so happy to hear that! Happy Thanksgiving!! 🙂
Hello, I don’t have beef bouillion, can I substitute it with chicken boullion? If so, what other ingredients would I have to readjust?
Hi Jessica! Chicken bouillon would be fine with no additional re-adjustments! It’s just for a bit of extra flavor and would even be okay if omitted completely. ❤️
Too salty
Pasting the notes in the post for controlling the salt content:
1 teaspoon of low sodium soy sauce can be substituted for Worcestershire sauce.
Low Sodium Chicken or Beef Broth may also be used, you can always season with more salt if desired.