This easy brown gravy is made with beef stock and thickened with roux made of flour and butter! No drippings required and ready in under 10 minutes! The perfect gravy to serve during the holidays for Thanksgiving and Christmas!
Brown gravy is a delicious sauce made from beef stock and thickened with roux, a flour and butter mixture. It's easier than you think to make gravy from scratch and tastes so much better than the packaged gravy powder!
This easy homemade brown gravy requires no drippings but instead is flavored with garlic powder, onion powder, and bay leaf for a savory sauce that's great on anything.
It's great to make for the holidays and to have on the table for Thanksgiving and Christmas. It goes great on turkey, mashed potatoes, and roasted vegetables.
Ingredients
- Beef stock or beef broth - Use a good quality beef stock or beef broth. Check the ingredients and avoid ones with any artificial ingredients or flavorings.
- Flour - Use all purpose flour.
- Butter - You can use salted or unsalted butter.
- Seasonings: Garlic powder, onion powder, bay leaf.
How to Make Brown Gravy
- Melt the butter in a large pan and add the flour. Stir continuously for about 2 minutes until a thick paste forms, called a roux.
- Add a bit of beef stock at a time and stir vigorously with the roux until it's smooth and lump free. Add the rest of the beef stock, onion powder, garlic powder, and bay leaf.
- Boil until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!
Ways to Serve Brown Gravy
Serve this gravy with any of the following for a delicious meal!
- Pork chops
- Meatballs
- Meatloaf
- Poutine
- Loco Moco
- Mashed Potatoes
Brown gravy is a sauce traditionally made from drippings from roasted meat. It's served alongside meat as well as roasted vegetables. It can also be made from beef stock and thickened with a roux made of flour and butter.
Brown gravy will thicken as it sets and cools. You can reheat it on the stovetop or the microwave while stirring occasionally.
To prevent lumps, add a small amount of stock in slowly and stir vigorously with a whisk. Once smooth and lump free, add the remaining stock while continuously stirring.
I hope you enjoy this recipe! Please share, rate, or comment below. I'd love to hear from you!
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Thanks so much for stopping by! 🧡 -Jamie
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Recipe
Easy Brown Gravy (no drippings)
☑ Ingredients
- 3 cup beef broth - or beef stock
- 6 Tablespoons flour - see Note 1
- 3 ½ Tablespoons butter
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon beef bouillon base - (optional); See Note 2
- bay leaf - (optional)
Instructions
- Make roux: Add butter and flour to a large pot and stir continuously until a roux is formed, about 2 minutes.3 ½ Tablespoons butter, 6 Tablespoons flour
- Add beef broth and spices: Slowly pour in half the beef broth while stirring vigorously with a whisk. This will help prevent lumps. Once smooth and lump-free, add the rest of the beef broth, onion powder, garlic powder, beef bouillon base (if using), and bay leaf (if using).3 cup beef broth, ½ teaspoon garlic powder, ½ teaspoon onion powder, bay leaf, 1 teaspoon beef bouillon base
- Thicken: Let the gravy boil until thick and smooth, about 3 minutes. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Enjoy!salt & pepper to taste
✎ Recipe Notes
- Flour - Use all-purpose flour. For thinner gravy, reduce the amount of flour by about a tablespoon.
- Beef bouillon base - For a richer, deeper flavor without drippings, use this beef bouillon base, which contains roasted beef and other flavorings to give it a more robust flavor. It does contain salt, so use it sparingly and taste the gravy before adding additional salt.
- Storage & leftovers - Store in an airtight container and keep in the fridge for up to 3 days. The gravy will thicken as it cools. To reheat, use the stovetop or microwave, occasionally stirring for a smooth consistency.
Nutrition
*Nutritional information is an estimate, calculated using online tools.
Kelly
The color of this gravy is so rich, it almost looked like it took hours to make! I cook the roux until it's a deep dark brown color. Everyone raves about the recipe and my husband asked for it again tomorrow, so that’s a win 🙂
Tammy
An excellent base gravy to build from. I've made this many times as a starting point for all kinds of gravy. For onion gravy, brown onions before adding the butter and flour. Same for mushroom gravy. Saute mushrooms with a bit of garlic and then add flour and butter. Fantastic results and doesn't take all day to make.
Bryan
Very easy to make and flavorful. Perfect gravy for homemade salisbury steak.
Eileen
I made a meatloaf that didn’t turn out as good as I would have hoped so I was looking for an easy gravy recipe that I had hoped would make the meatloaf better. This was perfect. It was so good! I was wondering though, mine never got that brown color like yours, it basically stayed the same color as the roux. I cooked it as directed, and then cooked it a little more to see if it would turn that gorgeous brown, but it never did. I know it was done. I didn’t taste flour. Any suggestion on how to get that nice brown gravy color?
Geri
Always add kitchen bouquet for darker and richer gravies
Anne
This gravy recipe was delicious! I have never made homemade gravy without drippings, so I wasn't sure how flavorful this would turn out. Turned out delicious!
Cathleen
I love how easy this gravy is to make! I made this for my husband's birthday meal, thanks so much for the recipe 🙂
Amber
This gravy was delicious. My husband, from the Midwest, loved it. Will be making it every time I need some quick, delicious gravy without drippings. Thank you!
Collie
This was absolutely delicious! However, I tweaked it a little bit. I browned the flour first in a nonstick pan. And then once it was lightly browned, I added the butter until it melted, and it clumped together. Then I slowly added the beef broth and whisked it until it was Smooth. I added the powered garlic, the onion powder, and the bay leaf and it tastes amazing. Thank you for this recipe. I appreciate it.
Alyssa
This brown gravy is easy and flavorful and perfect for quick meal planning. I added some sauteed garlic and onion to the gravy. Very tasty.
Leena
I make this gravy every week to serve with our main dish and sides. I like how it uses simple pantry ingredients that I always have on hand. Tonight I served it with sheet pan roasted green beans and mushrooms. Tasty and flavorful.
Peggy B.
This is the first time posting a comment I believe. I am so ecstatic that this gravy is a home run. This is the first time I have made my own brown gravy in over 30 years. Years ago I would attempt to, but it would always turn out to be a dismal failure!!! So thank you again for sharing such an excellent recipe. Take care and stay safe!!
Erin
I served this with some meatloaf and it was fantastic! My new go-to gravy recipe. 🙂
Sam S
Delicious Very good with sausage and biscuit
Amy
This is such a great brown gravy! So easy and so flavorful! I love it!
Tara
This may be simple, but the flavour is spot on!
I followed the recipe exactly, except for adding some sliced mushrooms and parsley. It made the perfect gravy alongside steak. I'll be making again to serve with the turkey on Christmas Day! Great base - and ideal that no drippings are needed, especially when you want a rich and hearty gravy and are not cooking beef!
Amy
I was searching for a gravy to serve with mashed potatoes and this one was perfect. You couldn't tell that it didn't contain drippings. I'll be making this recipe often.
Isabelle
Wonderful flavor and incredibly easy. Will be making this again tomorrow and reheating for Thanksgiving. It's now my go-to gravy recipe.
Ann
I love this homemade brown gravy! So much more flavor than making it from a mix. This is great recipe to save for the upcoming holidays.
Giangi
I always loved gravy and never found the perfect recipe until I made yours. Rich in flavor and so easy to make. The perfect combination.
Make it over pork chops and mashed potatoes, so good!
Thank you!
Kathryn
This brown gravy sauce is so simple, easy, comforting and delicious on just about anything. We love it on mashed potatoes and can't get enough!