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Learn how to make the best Beef Gravy from scratch, with or without drippings. This easy recipe is perfect for mashed potatoes, roast beef, and Sunday dinners!
Mom’s Famous Beef Gravy
Growing up, Sunday dinners were our favorite meal of the week by far. Each week, our mom rotated between just two meals: Oven Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes and Beef Gravy and Roast Turkey with Potatoes and Turkey Gravy. Her mashed potatoes and gravy (both the beef and the turkey versions) are legendary. Even extended family members knew about these famous Sunday dinners and would purposely drop by on Sunday nights to get a taste. I’ll never forget the time one of our uncles filled his entire plate with mashed potatoes, carved out a massive well in the center, and poured in so much gravy it looked like Crater Lake. Then he just grabbed a spoon and ate it like soup. And honestly? No one blamed him. It really is that good.
🩷 Echo
Table of Contents
- Mom’s Famous Beef Gravy
- Key Ingredients for Beef Gravy
- How to Make Beef Gravy From Scratch (without Drippings)
- How to Make Beef Gravy Using Drippings
- Beef Gravy from a Roux
- Tips for the Best Gravy Every Time
- Kick It Up a Notch
- Frequently Asked Questions about Beef Gravy
- The Best Roast Beef Recipes
- More Delicious Gravy Recipes
- Beef Gravy from Scratch Recipe
Key Ingredients for Beef Gravy
- Butter – A good beef gravy needs a good amount of fat. You can either get this from the pan drippings or if you are working from scratch you can use butter.
- Beef broth -You can use pan drippings from your roast, store-bought beef broth, or a combination of both. We usually didn’t get enough drippings from the roast because we always loaded on the gravy, so she almost always had to supplement with more broth.
- Seasonings – We usually just use beef bouillon granules, onion powder, garlic powder, and a little salt and pepper.
- Cornstarch – This is my mom’s thickener of choice. It makes the gravy nice and smooth, plus it is gluten free so even our family members with gluten allergies can enjoy it!
How to Make Beef Gravy From Scratch (without Drippings)
- In a medium saucepan, combine butter, beef broth, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat to a simmer and keep the mixture warm.
- In a separate bowl, mix cornstarch and cold water until smooth.
- Slowly whisk the mixture into the simmering broth a little at a time, just until the gravy reaches your desired thickness (you may not need it all).
- Stir in beef bouillon or kosher salt and season with pepper to taste. Let it simmer for 2–3 minutes, then serve!
How to Make Beef Gravy Using Drippings
Drippings from your roast meat is ideal for the best gravy. Use that glorious broth left over from cooking your meat for your gravy. Use as much as you can and try to scrape up those little beef bits from the bottom of your roasting pan, slow cooker, or Instant Pot before turning it into gravy. Add butter as a supplement if needed if you feel like you aren’t getting enough fat from the drippings and continue with the recipe as directed below.
Beef Gravy from a Roux
Gravy made from a roux sounds fancy, but it’s actually really easy once you understand how it works. What I like about roux gravy is that it can vary in flavor and color depending on how long you cook the flour. If you like a deep, dark brown gravy, similar to gravies in Europe, you cook the flour for much longer than you would a light brown, country-style beef gravy (see image below). There is so much to know about roux, we actually dedicated an entire post to it. Read all about making the perfect roux right here.
Tips for the Best Gravy Every Time
Add some beef bouillon. I have found that using straight up beef broth sometimes doesn’t have quite enough flavor. I always have some bouillon on hand when I am making gravy so I can add adjust the flavor more to my liking. Add a little at a time and taste as you go.
Add a little cornstarch at a time and whisk constantly. This will help you avoid lumpy gravy. Trust me. No one likes lumpy gravy.
Kick It Up a Notch
Want to add some more flavor dimensions to your easy homemade brown gravy? Try adding some of these easy ingredients:
- Worcestershire sauce – adds a deep, tangy flavor to the gravy.
- Thyme or Rosemary – Bring a fresh, earthy flavor to your gravy with a teaspoon of thyme or rosemary. Let it simmer until all those fresh flavors are released. Add other fresh herbs too!
- Chopped onion – sauté some finely chopped onion in a little butter before adding any other ingredients for a brighter flavor.
- Mushrooms – Slice up some mushrooms and sauté in butter over medium heat before adding to the gravy.
Frequently Asked Questions about Beef Gravy
Most traditional beef gravies are not gluten-free, since they’re often thickened with a flour-based roux and made with broths that may contain hidden gluten. However, our recipe uses cornstarch as the thickener, making it naturally gluten-free—as long as you use a gluten-free broth or bouillon. Be sure to double-check the labels on any broth or seasoning you use to ensure it’s certified gluten-free.
Absolutely, you can make beef gravy with a roux using butter and flour or you can thicken the gravy by mixing flour and water together until it forms a paste, then whisk it into the gravy until thickened.
Beef gravy (or brown gravy) is beef broth based while country gravy (also known as white gravy) has a cream or milk base.
READ MORE: 35+ Quick and Easy to Follow Dinner Ideas
The Best Roast Beef Recipes
When making the best brown gravy recipe, it helps to start with a good recipe for roast beef. Lucky for you, we have lots of great roast beef recipes! All of these methods will give you a good amount of liquid to make a delicious roast beef gravy.
More Delicious Gravy Recipes
Once you have the method down, the possibilities of delicious gravies are endless. Give some of these a try:
- Mom’s Famous Turkey Gravy (a MUST for Thanksgiving!)
- Biscuits and Sausage Gravy
- Homemade Country Gravy
Have you tried this savory, homemade Beef Gravy? I’d love to hear what you think! Drop a comment below and let me know how you liked them. And don’t forget to take a pic and tag us on Instagram @favoritefamilyrecipes! 📸
Beef Gravy from Scratch
Video
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter, (if using beef drippings you can leave the butter out, see notes below)
- 4 cups beef broth, (or beef drippings, or combination of both)
- 3 teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 4 tablespoons cornstarch
- 1/3 cup water
- beef bouillon, to taste
- ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- In a medium-sized sauce pan, combine butter, beef broth, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring to a boil, stirring occasionally. Reduce heat and bring to a simmer.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, combine cornstarch and water, stirring until well combined.
- While whisking the broth CONSTANTLY, slowly add cornstarch mixture to the saucepan. I like to pour in about a tablespoon at a time to gauge consistency. You may not need all of the cornstarch mixture, add only until desired consistency is reached.
- Add beef bouillon (or Kosher salt– I just like the depth of flavor the beef bouillon adds as compared to straight up salt) and pepper to taste.
- Allow to simmer 2-3 minutes. Serve over potatoes, rice, poutine, or your favorite beef dishes.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Oh, I wish people would stop using cornstarch to make gravy. Never use cornstarch, it makes the gravy gluey sand congealed. Use fine flour instead and cook a little longer after bringing to a boil (just don’t boil it too long).
Followed exact recipe. Not flavorful at all.
The beef bouillon is to taste and gives the gravy flavor, the more beef bouillon you use, the more flavorful it will be. Did you use beef bouillon?
Thank you for the easy to follow instructions! I used what I had on hand and this turned out super for a hot smoked roast beef sammich 😊
Sounds delicious! I’m so glad the recipe worked out well for you. Thank you for your comment!