This easy au jus sauce is perfect for prime rib, roast beef, and French dip. It's a simple, flavorful sauce that can be made with or without drippings! All you need are basic ingredients like beef broth, butter, and Worcestershire sauce for a light sauce or gravy that pairs perfectly with any beef, lamb, or chicken recipe.

Prime rib au jus sauce poured over slice of prime rib.

This au jus recipe is easy to make and ready in just five minutes with simple ingredients that don't require any drippings! It's our go-to sauce for prime rib, French dip, and roast beef or chicken, and steak!

What is au jus?

Au jus is a thin sauce or gravy that typically accompanies beef, lamb, or chicken dishes. It's typically made from the natural drippings or juices that come from cooking meat, hence its origin from the French term "with juice".

This homemade au jus produces a light, thin, and clear sauce that is made primarily from beef broth, butter and/or drippings, and Worcestershire sauce.

If you'd prefer a slightly thicker sauce, we added an option to the recipe to add flour for a consistency similar to thin gravy. For a thicker, traditional gravy, try our Brown Gravy recipe!

Ingredients

Beef broth - Use a good quality beef broth. I find beef bone broth to have the best flavor.
Butter - This gives the au jus a rich, fatty flavor that replaces the drippings. If you happen to have drippings, you can use that as well and supplement it with butter if needed.
Worcestershire sauce - This adds a salty, slightly tangy, umami flavor to the au jus, adding the perfect balance of flavors.
Flour - Flour is optional if you'd prefer a thicker consistency, similar to that of a thin gravy. Use all-purpose flour and add it along with the butter or drippings.
Garlic powder - A pinch of garlic or onion powder adds the flavor you'd get from pan drippings.

How to Make Prime Rib Au Jus

Steps to make homemade au jus using beef broth.

Add the butter and/or drippings to a pan. If using flour and garlic powder, add that now and let it cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
Next, add the beef broth and whisk everything together.

Steps to make au jus with beef broth flavored with Worcestershire sauce and black pepper.

Add the Worcestershire sauce, salt, and pepper to taste until well seasoned.
Bring it to a boil and serve immediately. It should thicken slightly if you added flour.

Au Jus Serving Suggestions

Our favorite way to serve au jus is with prime rib. You can serve it piping hot on a side to dip or pour it over a slice or prime rib to let the meat soak up that delicious sauce.

Au jus sauce placed on the side for dipping prime rib.

Other ways to serve this light gravy include ladling over roast beef or chicken, with any cut of steak, or in a small bowl for dipping French dip sandwiches.

Tips

Use high-quality beef broth or beef bone broth for the best flavor.
Use drippings if available; otherwise use butter with a pinch of garlic and onion powder to add more flavor.
Add a tablespoon of flour for a slightly thicker version.

More recipes:

Recipe

Easy Au Jus (No Drippings Needed)

5 from 192 votes

Pin Print

Cook Time 5

Total Time 5

Course Sauces

Cuisine American, French

Servings 8

☑ Ingredients

▢ 2 cups beef broth
▢ 2 tablespoons butter - and/or beef drippings
▢ ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce - or soy sauce
▢ salt & pepper - to taste
▢ ⅛ teaspoon garlic & onion powder - (optional)
▢ 1 tablespoon flour - (optional) for a thicker au jus

Instructions

Add butter or drippings: Over medium heat, melt the butter and/or drippings in a saucepan. If using, add the flour and garlic & onion powder and stir together for 1 to 2 minutes.
2 tablespoons butter, 1 tablespoon flour, ⅛ teaspoon garlic & onion powder
Add beef broth: Add the beef broth and Worcestershire sauce, and whisk to combine. Bring it to a boil over high heat. Note: It should thicken slightly if using flour.
2 cups beef broth, ½ tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
Season and serve: Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve with prime rib, roast beef, or French dip.
salt & pepper

✎ Recipe Notes

Makes 2 cups of au jus. Note: Recipe photos did not use flour.

Serve with our Prime Rib Roast recipe.

Leftovers: Store leftover au jus in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month.

Nutrition

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was and give it a 5 star rating! Tag @drivemehungry to show off your creations! I love seeing your photos!

*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.

Comments

Alex

November 16, 2022 at 11:25 pm

This sauce was the perfect accompaniment to our steak. So full of flavor and easy to prepare. On this occasion, I did add the flour, but I am not sure it needed it, so will try without next time. We are making roast beef next weekend, and I will be making this again to serve alongside. Thanks for the great, simple and tasty recipe!

- Jamie
  
  November 16, 2022 at 5:42 pm
  
  Thank you Alex! It's great with roast beef and prime rib. Let me know how you like it without the flour next time. 🙂
  
Stephanie

November 16, 2022 at 5:06 pm

This recipe is a keeper! I've actually tried to make this before using another recipe and it didn't come out well. Turns out that butter is the secret ingredient. I can't wait to make this again!

- Jamie
  
  November 16, 2022 at 5:37 pm
  
  Thank you Stephanie! The butter helps give the au jus richness that you'd normally get from drippings. Glad you enjoyed it!
  
Kim

November 15, 2022 at 5:05 pm

I love this gravy. It's perfect for making french dip sandwiches with leftover meat!

Sharon

November 12, 2022 at 1:55 pm

I love this recipe for making au just without the drippings. Perfect for using for sandwiches for dipping.

- Jamie
  
  November 16, 2022 at 5:32 pm
  
  Thanks Sharon! So glad you enjoyed it!
  
Veronika

November 09, 2022 at 7:38 pm

This sauce was so delicious and flavorful! We ended up adding the flour to make it slightly thicker and loved it.

- Jamie
  
  November 16, 2022 at 5:44 pm
  
  I'm glad to hear that. Thanks for trying the recipe!
  
Sisley White

November 08, 2022 at 3:07 pm

This was so simple to make and tasted incredibly good.

tiannaskitchen

November 06, 2022 at 5:11 pm

I love making home made au jus. It's so easy and flavorful. Thanks for posting the recipe.

Gina Abernathy

November 05, 2022 at 6:31 pm

Easy and so tasty. Just what my steak needed.

Kathleen

November 04, 2022 at 12:43 pm

This is a perfect au jus! I will definitely be making this recipe often.