Dinner isn’t complete without Homemade Brown Gravy on the table! This simple recipe is ready in 10 minutes with only 3 ingredients! No drippings are needed for this classic homestyle gravy recipe.
Easy No Drippings Brown Gravy
Thanksgiving dinner doesn’t start until there’s a gravy boat on the table. It’s just the way it is! Homemade Brown Gravy is the ultimate condiment for all of your Thanksgiving foods.
Please, please, please don’t buy it in a jar! We promise this recipe is simple and you’re going to love it so much more than something you can buy at the store. Plus, there’s only 3 simple ingredients. There are no additives, preservatives, or other questionable ingredients.
You’re definitely going to get bragging rights when you bring the from-scratch brown gravy to the table! It’s perfectly seasoned, rich, and tastes incredible on turkey, mashed potatoes, and so much more.
What You’ll Need
Here is the simple list of ingredients you need to make your own brown gravy. Remember that the exact amounts are in the recipe card below.
- Salted Butter: You need a form of fat to start gravy and butter is a great choice. Plus, creamy butter is ideal for rich and flavorful stock. You can use unsalted butter, but you may need to add a bit more salt at the end.
- All Purpose Flour: The butter and flour come together to create a “roux”. A roux is what helps thicken the beef broth to become a creamy gravy.
- Beef Broth: You can use chicken stock as a substitute if you need to (or even vegetable stock for vegetarian recipes). However, the stock will not be as brown and will have a slightly different flavor.
- Salt and Pepper
- Pan Drippings – Optional: If you have them, save those pan drippings! While they are optional, they will add extra flavor to your gravy. Directions to use your pan drippings are included in the recipe card notes at the bottom of this post.
How to Make Brown Gravy From Scratch
Here we go! This is the super simple way to make your own homemade brown gravy. We stand by our word! It’s really easy and you’re going to love the results.
First, melt the butter in a small sauce pot. Make sure that the butter doesn’t burn and that it’s completely melted.
Then add the flour to make the “roux”. This is a French cooking term which refers to fat + flour to make a thickening agent for cooking. The key here is to have the roux develop a caramel color and a bit of a nutty smell. This ensures that the flour is cooked and ready for thickening.
Next whisk in the beef broth. Make sure that you continue to whisk while you pour in the beef broth. Continue to cook and stir for about 3-5 minutes until the gravy thickens.
Lastly, season with salt and pepper and you’re done! That’s it! Season the gravy to your liking and serve it right away.
Tips for Success
Here are few helpful tips to make sure that your gravy turns out perfectly.
- Whisk, whisk, whisk! That’s the key to creamy and smooth gravy. Always make sure that you whisk continuously to avoid any lumps.
- Taste for salt level. If you are using regular broth (not low-sodium broth), make sure to taste the gravy before adding salt. There’s usually a fair amount of salt already in the broth.
- For a richer gravy, use beef bouillon. Instead of using beef broth, we often us Beef Better Than Bouillon to make my beef gravy. It has a lot more flavor!
- Adjust the consistency to your liking. If you like thin gravy, add more broth. Alternatively, if you like it thicker, use only 1 3/4 cups of broth.
Ways to Use Brown Gravy
Here are some of our favorite ways to use our favorite gravy.
- Poured over mashed potatoes. We’ve got the Best Mashed Potatoes recipe for you! Or try our Sour Cream Mashed Potatoes if you like them creamy!
- As a sauce for turkey, chicken, or pork. It’s perfect when it smothering some of our favorite dishes like Stuffed Stuffed Chicken Breasts, Slow Cooked Turkey Breasts, or Pan Fried Pork Chops.
- Make turkey sandwiches with leftovers. We love using this gravy on open-faced turkey or roast beef sandwiches.
- The best french fry gravy. Do you like gravy on your french fries? Don’t knock it till you try it! It’s so delicious!
Can I Use Pan Drippings In My Gravy?
Of course! Pan drippings will add more great flavor to your gravy. We always recommend using them if you have them already on hand.
After frying your meat, don’t clean the skillet, just pour off any excess grease. If you leave the grease, your gravy will become greasy too. Then make the gravy in the same skillet to get all that great flavor!
Make sure to scrape the pan to remove the pan drippings from the bottom of the skillet as you melt the butter. Then continue on with the recipe as directed below in the recipe card!
How to Store and Reheat
Brown gravy can be stored in fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days. To reheat, add a little extra beef broth and heat it in on the stove top or in the microwave, stirring often.
Can You Freeze Gravy?
Yes, you can freeze this gravy recipe! The important thing to remember is to plan ahead and thaw out the gravy before reheating. This is the best way to keep that smooth consistency and rich flavor.
So go ahead and pop some in the freezer! You can store frozen gravy for up to 3 months.
Homemade Brown Gravy
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons salted butter
- 3 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 2 cups beef broth
- Salt & freshly cracked pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a small sauce pan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Add flour and cook for 2 minutes, whisk constantly, until the flour mixture is the color of a light caramel.
- While whisking, slowly pour in the beef broth. Continue to cook, whisking constantly, until the gravy thickens, about 3 to 5 minutes. (The gravy will start out runny but quickly become thick as you keep whisking. It is very important to keep stirring so the gravy doesn’t get lumps or burn.)
- Add salt and pepper, to taste, and serve immediately!
Notes
- After frying your meat, don’t clean the skillet, just pour off any excess grease. If you leave the grease, your gravy will become greasy too. Then make the gravy in the same skillet to get all that great flavor!
- Make sure to scrape the pan to remove the pan drippings from the bottom of the skillet as you melt the butter.
- Continue on with the recipe as directed.
- Brown gravy can be stored in fridge in an airtight container for up to 5 days.
- To reheat, add a little extra beef broth and heat it in on the stove top or in the microwave, stirring often.
- Freeze gravy in an airtight container for up to 3 months. Let thaw overnight in fridge before reheating.
I am delighted that you shared the Easy Homemade Brown Gravy recipe. No longer will I use the packaged gravy with tons of salt! This recipe sounds much like my mother’s way of making gravy and hers was delish! I could never get it right but your recipe helps me to get it right.
So glad you enjoyed it Vicki! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment!