This gravy recipe is the one I use for busy weeknights and holidays! It takes about 10 minutes and is super versatile. I especially love it with these mashed potatoes. Use my recipe with homemade broth, store-bought broth, or pan drippings. It works well for meats, and you can easily adapt it to be vegetarian with veggie broth. This absolutely works for the holidays, but if you are roasting a turkey for Thanksgiving, I highly recommend looking at my favorite turkey gravy recipe.
Key Ingredients
Butter and Flour: We’ll combine these to make a roux, which thickens the broth into a velvety gravy. For gravy without butter, you can substitute fats like chicken fat or lard or use the fat from pan drippings. For a vegan gravy, use vegan butter. For gluten-free gravy, use cornstarch (tips are included in the recipe below). Stock or Pan Drippings: This is the foundation of our gravy. You can use poultry, beef, vegetable broth, or even the drippings from roasting meats like in this roasted chicken recipe. For homemade stock, see our chicken stock, vegetable broth, and this beef stock. Herbs: For the best gravy, I use fresh herbs like sage, thyme, and rosemary, but dried herbs will work. My recipe below recommends amounts for both fresh and dried herbs. Mushroom Powder (Optional): I’m a big fan of mushroom gravy, so I always add a bit of powder. It adds a delicious savory, umami flavor, making the gravy taste more flavorful. You can make your own or buy it (here’s my homemade mushroom powder seasoning). A few dashes of Worcestershire sauce or fish sauce are also great for adding that umami flavor the gravy. Cream (Optional): A splash of cream or half and half makes the gravy extra creamy and silky, but it’s perfectly fine to leave it out.
How to Make Gravy from Scratch
If you’ve never made gravy before, don’t worry! It’s a simple process that takes less than 10 minutes. First, we’ll create a smooth paste, called a roux, by melting butter over medium heat in a skillet and whisking in flour. I like to cook this mixture for a minute or two until it turns a light blonde color. This roux is what thickens the gravy and gives it a silky texture. Now, we’ll whisk in warm stock, broth, or any liquid left in your roasting pan. I prefer using warm liquid as it incorporates more smoothly into the roux. As the mixture heats and simmers, the gravy will start to thicken. Within a minute of simmering, you’ll have a delicious homemade gravy! Before serving, taste the gravy and adjust the seasoning with salt, pepper, and any optional ingredients you like. You can add herbs or flavor enhancers like mushroom powder, fish sauce, or Worcestershire sauce. This is also the time to add your splash of cream if you’re adding it. Remember, you can use this recipe with or without pan drippings. If you’ve roasted meat, like this roasted chicken or my roasted turkey, you can use the leftover drippings to make an even more flavorful gravy from scratch. I like to separate the fat and broth in the drippings, using the fat in place of butter and the broth as the liquid in the recipe. You can use a spoon or a gravy fat separator (OXO has a good one). If your roasting pan is stovetop safe, you can make the gravy right in it to capture all the delicious flavors stuck to the bottom. Otherwise, a skillet works perfectly well.
What to Serve with Gravy
I love pouring this silky smooth gravy over our favorite roasted vegetables, these homemade mashed potatoes, these creamy mashed sweet potatoes, or over this low-carb mashed cauliflower. Serve alongside our pan roasted chicken breasts with thyme, juicy pork chops, and our pork tenderloin with apples. In our home, turkey is always served with gravy. I love making gravy using the pan drippings leftover from this whole roasted turkey or this roasted turkey breast.
1/4 cup (32g) all-purpose flour 3 cups warm stock (poultry, beef, or vegetable) or use pan drippings, see tips below 1/2 teaspoon mushroom powder, optional 1/2 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs or 1/2 teaspoon dried herbs (try sage, thyme or rosemary) 2 to 3 tablespoons cream, optional Sea salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste 2Pour in stock and whisk until smooth. Bring the gravy to a low simmer. As it simmers, it thickens and becomes glossy. 3Whisk in the herbs and mushroom powder then cook at a low simmer for a minute or two. Remove from the heat then stir in half and half or cream (optional). 4Taste for seasoning and adjust with salt and black pepper (we like a generous amount of pepper).
