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This easy Beef Gravy Recipe makes smooth, rich homemade gravy in about 15 minutes, and you can make it with or without beef drippings. It’s my go-to gravy for mashed potatoes, roast beef, pot roast, rice, and just about any comfort food dinner that could use a spoonful of good homemade gravy.
5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
“I have made this recipe 3 or 4 times now without drippings and it comes out great every time. Quick, easy and delicious!” – Sue
“Just delicious! I made this with mashed potatoes and it was a huge hit. Thank you!” – Vivian
“This was so easy. It turned out absolutely perfect. Thank you. My gravy is normally a flop and I feel like this was foolproof.” – Crystal
Why I Love This Gravy
Growing up, Sunday dinner was one of my favorite meals of the week. My mom usually rotated between Oven Roast Beef with Mashed Potatoes and Beef Gravy and Roast Turkey with Potatoes and Turkey Gravy. Her mashed potatoes and gravy were legendary in our family.
Even our extended family knew about Sunday dinner and would conveniently stop by when they knew Mom was cooking. I still remember one of our uncles piling his plate with mashed potatoes, making a huge well in the middle, and filling it with so much gravy that he practically ate it like soup.
That’s why I love this recipe so much. You don’t have to have a big pan full of roast drippings to make really good beef gravy. If I have drippings, I absolutely use them because they add great flavor. If I don’t have enough, I add beef broth. If I don’t have drippings at all, beef broth and butter make a great gravy from scratch.
The other thing I love about this method is the cornstarch slurry. It thickens quickly, keeps the gravy smooth, and makes it easy to control the consistency.
🩷 Erica
Table of Contents
- 5 Star Reviews ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
- Why I Love This Gravy
- Ingredients You’ll Need
- Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
- How to Make Beef Gravy
- Recipe Tips
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Troubleshooting Common Mistakes
- Make Ahead and Storage
- Pairing Ideas
- The Best Roast Beef Recipes
- More Delicious Gravy Recipes
- Beef Gravy Recipe
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Butter: Adds richness and provides the fat you need when making gravy without pan drippings.
- Beef broth or beef drippings: Drippings give you the most roasted beef flavor, but beef broth works very well when you don’t have them.
- Seasonings: Onion powder, garlic powder, beef bouillon, and black pepper give the gravy a deeper savory flavor.
- Cornstarch: This is my favorite thickener because it makes a smooth gravy without needing to make a flour roux.
- Cold water: Mixing the cornstarch with cold water before adding it to the hot broth prevents clumps.
Ingredient Additions and Substitutions
This gravy is easy to adjust depending on what you have in your kitchen and what you’re serving it with.
- Beef stock or bone broth: Either can replace beef broth. Just keep an eye on the salt level because brands vary quite a bit.
- Worcestershire sauce: Add a small splash if you want more savory beef flavor. Several readers have tried this with great results.
- Fresh herbs: Rosemary or thyme pair especially well with roast beef. Add a sprig while the gravy simmers and remove it before serving.
- Onion: Sauté finely chopped onion in the butter before adding the broth for a little more texture and flavor.
- Mushrooms: Sauté sliced mushrooms in butter, then continue with the recipe for an easy mushroom beef gravy.
- Red wine: If you have flavorful browned bits in your roasting pan, a small splash of dry red wine can be used to loosen them before adding the broth. Let the wine reduce before continuing.
- Flour: If you prefer flour instead of cornstarch, I recommend making a traditional roux rather than simply replacing the cornstarch in the slurry. See my guide on How to Make a Roux.
- Dairy-free butter: A dairy-free butter substitute can be used if needed. Be sure the broth and bouillon work for your dietary needs as well.
- Kosher salt: If you don’t want to use beef bouillon, season with kosher salt instead. You may lose a little of the concentrated beef flavor, but the gravy will still work.
How to Make Beef Gravy
This method works whether you have plenty of pan drippings, a small amount, or none at all.
- Choose your gravy base. If you have beef drippings from a roast, use as much as you can and add beef broth as needed to reach the full amount of liquid. If you have no drippings, use beef broth and butter.
- Heat the broth. Add the broth or drippings to a medium saucepan with the butter, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring it to a gentle boil, stirring occasionally, then reduce to a simmer. If your drippings contain plenty of fat, you can leave out the butter.
- Make the cornstarch slurry. In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk the cornstarch with cold water until completely smooth. Don’t add dry cornstarch directly to hot gravy.
- Thicken the gravy. While whisking the hot broth constantly, slowly pour in the cornstarch slurry a little at a time. I don’t pour it all in at once because you may not need every drop. Give the gravy a moment to thicken before adding more.
- Simmer. Once the gravy reaches the consistency you want, keep it at a gentle simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes. This gives the gravy time to thicken completely and lets the seasonings come together.
- Season and serve. Add beef bouillon and black pepper to taste. Since both broth and bouillon can be salty, taste before adding more. Serve hot over mashed potatoes, roast beef, rice, poutine, or your favorite beef dinner.
Recipe Tips
- Start with good broth. Since beef broth makes up most of the recipe, its flavor makes a big difference. If your broth tastes weak on its own, the finished gravy may also need more seasoning.
- Use all the drippings you can. If you’ve just cooked a roast, scrape up the browned bits along with the juices. There is a lot of flavor there.
- Taste drippings before seasoning. A well-seasoned roast can produce salty drippings, so wait until the end to add bouillon or additional salt.
- Always use cold water for the slurry. Cornstarch mixes much more smoothly with cold liquid.
- Add the slurry slowly. Cornstarch thickens quickly. You can always add more, but fixing gravy that is too thick takes more work.
- Keep whisking. Whisk while adding the slurry so the starch is evenly distributed throughout the gravy.
- Don’t aggressively boil the gravy after thickening. A gentle simmer is all it needs.
- For extra-smooth gravy, strain it. If you want a really smooth finish, pour it through a fine mesh strainer before serving.
- Make extra if your family loves gravy. At our house, gravy disappears quickly. I often make one and a half batches or double it when feeding a crowd.
Frequently Asked Questions
Absolutely. That’s one of the reasons I love this Beef Gravy Recipe. Use beef broth for the liquid and butter for the fat, then follow the recipe as written. You can still get a rich, savory gravy even when there isn’t a roast in the oven.
Yes. Beef stock, beef broth, and beef bone broth can all work. Stock can have a slightly richer flavor. Check the sodium level before adding bouillon or salt because it varies considerably between brands.
Yes. Instead of a cornstarch slurry, you can thicken beef gravy with a butter and flour roux. Follow my step-by-step instructions for How to Make a Roux rather than adding flour directly to the finished gravy.
Cornstarch itself is gluten-free, so this recipe can easily be gluten-free. The important part is checking your beef broth, bouillon, and any additional seasonings to make sure they are labeled gluten-free.
I add beef bouillon to taste because the amount you need depends heavily on your broth and drippings. Start with a small amount, whisk it in, taste, and add more if needed. If you’re using bouillon cubes, start with one rather than adding several at once.
Yes. Keep all the ingredients in the same proportions and use a saucepan large enough to give you plenty of room for whisking. Add the cornstarch mixture gradually just as you would for a single batch.
The terms are often used interchangeably, but beef gravy specifically gets its flavor from beef broth, beef stock, or beef drippings. Brown gravy is a broader term and can be made with different types of broth or stock.
Yes. If you are making it without drippings, replace the butter with your favorite dairy-free butter or another suitable cooking fat. Also check the broth and bouillon labels if dairy is a concern.
Troubleshooting Common Mistakes
- My gravy is too thin. Give it a minute or two at a gentle simmer before adding more thickener. Cornstarch doesn’t always thicken the second it hits the pan. If it is still too thin, mix a little additional cornstarch with an equal amount of cold water and slowly whisk it in.
- My gravy is too thick. Slowly whisk in warm beef broth a few tablespoons at a time until you reach the consistency you want.
- My gravy has lumps. This usually happens when dry cornstarch is added directly to the hot liquid or when the slurry is poured in too quickly. Whisk vigorously off the heat first. If that doesn’t solve it, pour the gravy through a fine mesh strainer.
- My gravy tastes bland. Add beef bouillon a little at a time. A small splash of Worcestershire sauce can also help. Taste after each addition so you don’t go from bland gravy to overly salty gravy.
- My gravy is too salty. Whisk in unsalted beef broth or a little water to dilute it. If you know your roast drippings are salty, use low-sodium or unsalted broth when topping off the liquid.
- My gravy looks greasy. This can happen when the pan drippings contain a large amount of rendered fat. Spoon off some of the excess fat before making the gravy, then continue with the recipe.
Make Ahead and Storage
If I know dinner is going to be busy, I’ll make this gravy ahead when I’m using beef broth rather than fresh drippings. Let it cool, transfer it to an airtight container, and refrigerate it promptly. For a conservative storage window, I use refrigerated beef gravy within 1 to 2 days. USDA’s beef-specific storage guidance lists cooked beef gravy or beef broth at 1 to 2 days refrigerated and 2 to 3 months frozen.
To reheat gravy, place it in a saucepan over medium-low heat and whisk frequently until hot. If it has thickened in the refrigerator, whisk in a splash of warm beef broth.
You can also freeze beef gravy for 2 to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator, then reheat slowly on the stovetop while whisking. Cornstarch-thickened gravy can change texture slightly after freezing, but whisking it well as it reheats usually helps bring it back together.
Pairing Ideas
I love serving beef gravy as part of a classic comfort food dinner. Spoon it generously over creamy Homemade Mashed Potatoes, then add a pan of Oven Roasted Vegetables for an easy, colorful side. Our soft and buttery Homemade Dinner Rolls are perfect for soaking up any extra gravy left on the plate. For dessert, finish the meal with our easy Chocolate Pudding Cake for a cozy Sunday dinner from start to finish.
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
If you try this Beef Gravy Recipe, please leave a comment and star rating below. I’d love to hear whether you made yours with drippings or broth and what you served it with! 💛
Beef Gravy Recipe
Video
Ingredients
- 4 cups beef broth, (or beef drippings, or combination of both)
- 3 tablespoons butter, (if using beef drippings you can leave the butter out)
- 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 saucepan, combine the butter, beef broth or drippings, onion powder, and garlic powder. Bring to a gentle boil over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, then reduce the heat to a simmer.
- In a small bowl or liquid measuring cup, whisk together the cornstarch and cold water until completely smooth.
- While whisking the broth constantly, slowly pour in the cornstarch mixture a little at a time. I usually add a tablespoon or so at a time and give the gravy a chance to thicken before adding more. You may not need all of the slurry.
- Continue cooking at a gentle simmer until the gravy reaches your desired consistency. Add beef bouillon and black pepper to taste.
- Let the gravy simmer for another 2 to 3 minutes, whisking occasionally. Taste and adjust the seasoning, then serve hot over mashed potatoes, rice, poutine, roast beef, or your favorite beef dishes.
Equipment
- Sauce pan
Notes
- If you are using flavorful beef drippings with enough fat, you can leave out the butter.
- If you only have a small amount of drippings, add beef broth until you have 4 cups total liquid. Add about 1 tablespoon of butter for each cup of beef broth you use to supplement the drippings.
- Always mix the cornstarch with cold water before adding it to the hot gravy.
- Add the cornstarch slurry gradually. You may not need the entire amount.
- If the gravy is too thin, let it simmer briefly before adding more slurry.
- If the gravy is too thick, whisk in warm beef broth a little at a time.
- Beef broth and bouillon can both contain quite a bit of sodium, so taste before adding more bouillon.
- For gluten-free gravy, make sure your beef broth and bouillon are certified gluten-free.
- For extra-smooth gravy, strain it through a fine mesh strainer before serving.
- If your family loves gravy as much as ours does, consider making one and a half batches or doubling the recipe.
- Beef gravy can be made ahead. Refrigerate promptly and use within 1 to 2 days, or freeze for up to 2 to 3 months. Reheat gently on the stovetop, whisking in a little warm broth if needed.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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Made this today. Excellent recipe. I sautéed sweet onions and mushrooms in unsalted butter with a little Sherry . I put the onions & mushrooms over steak and then some of the gravy. Just perfect.
That sounds amazing! Great idea to add the sautéed onions and mushrooms!
I didn’t have bouillon or drippings but added Worcestershire sauce and more garlic/onion powder and it was tasty.
Those are great substitutions. So glad you liked it!
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!
Great gravy, a good kitchen must!
Agreed! It’s a recipe everyone should learn!
My first review ever! Excellent recipe and I did add worcestershire sauce and fresh time – a bit too much salt maybe from the beef broth I used so I added a wee bit of honey and it came out awesome! Thank you
Thank you so much for your review of our beef gravy! I’m glad you liked it – and I feel so honored we got your first review! 😉
Septuagenarian rookie had to take over the kitchen about twelve years ago. Not a cook but great at following instructions. Give me ingredients, instructions and an idea of what the results are supposed to be, and I can do anything.
Except make gravy out of nothing.
No longer true. No drippings and this worked great.
All I can say is “THANK YOU!” One more notch in my belt.
Wow, thank you so much for this nice review! Now that you can make gravy, the sky is the limit. Now you can truly make everything 😀 So glad you liked it!
Wonderful to put a company assist to a bag of Walmart Homestyle Meatballs. Serve with a pot of mixed white rice and wild rice. Made a very memorable dish at the family reunion ❣️
Great ideas
This is very close to the recipe I learned from my mama. I now often use beef bone broth with my drippings. Thanks for all your recipes!
Great recipe. I love being able to create gravy without drippings. I often use a recipe, like this one, as a guide and then tweak it. I used chicken stock and chicken bouillon as I was reheating turkey meatloaf. I tossed in a sprig of rosemary from my garden. Great flavoring!
This is the best gravy! Can it be made ahead and frozen?
Yes! You can freeze beef gravy for 2 to 3 months. Thaw it in the refrigerator, then reheat slowly on the stovetop while whisking.
Off the hook awesome!! Just made it with drippings from a round roast in a cast iron skillet!
Love this gravy
Simple, quick & delicious!
Thank you!
I’ve been making roasts in various ways for over 45 years. They have mostly all come out very tasty. But never have I made a roast that was as tender as the one I made tonight using your low and slow method, along with this yummy gravy. It was wonderful!
Easy recipe to follow and very tasty will be making this again for sure !
Hi Echo,
Thanks for sharing this. I made it as-is using bouillon (but reduced quantity) to put into the Pillsbury Beef Pot Pie recipe as a substitute for icky jarred beef gravy. It was great in the pot pie recipe!
Blessings,
Giselle
So glad you liked the gravy– we agree it’s way better than the jarred!
I have made this recipe 3 or 4 times now without drippings and it comes out great every time. Quick, easy and delicious!
This is so good!! I love how easy it is! Thanks for the recipe!
Thank you so much for sharing this amazing recipe! Will surely have this again! It’s really easy to make and it tasted so delicious! Highly recommended!
Just delicious! I made this with mashed potatoes and it was a huge hit. Thank you!
I made your instant pot pot roast recipe and it turned out beautiful and delicious. Thank you so much. I’ve also used your brown gravy recipe. I would love to have some more of your recipes if you have time to send them. I bought myslef my instant pot for my Christmas present. Have only used it a couple times but would love some different recipes that i can cook in it.
Sincerely,
Robyn Sloan
Here is a link to all of our Instant Pot Recipes: https://www.favfamilyrecipes.com/category/recipes/cooking-method/instant-pot/
Delicious!
Very easy and delicious
I have no idea how many bouillon cubes to use. Are two enough?
You can start with one and see how you like the taste, and then add more if you want!
You can’t have mashed potatoes without this gravy! It is so, so good!! I love it over meat, too!
Love this beef gravy as a side dish and so good with mashed potatoes!
Yum! My husband is going to love this recipe! Can’t wait to give this a try!
I love this gravy! Have you tried making this ahead? Freezing to use later?
Yes! You can make the gravy ahead and keep it in the refrigerator for 1 to 2 days. Reheat it gently on the stovetop, whisking in a little beef broth if it has thickened. You can also freeze it for up to 2 to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator, then reheat and whisk well before serving.
We loved this gravy recipe. I made it as stated except I didnt have any bouillon cubes so I used a little bit of soy sauce , maybe about 2 tsps. The best thing about this gravy is my grandson has a dairy allergy, so we have to make a separate gravy for him, but I can use this recipe and just sub his margarine for the butter. Thank you so much!
This was an ealy recipe to follow and it turned out great! Thank you!
Have been looking for this gravy solution for years…..it’s delicious AND easy to make with pantry ingredients!
THANKS
I made three other gravy recipes before this one that were not good. I am so happy I found this one, it is AMAZING, especially considering I didn’t use the pan drippings. It tastes better than I hoped, this will definitely be my go to. ❤️❤️
This was so easy. It turned out absolutely perfect. Thank you. My gravy is normally a flop and I feel like this was foolproof.
When making gravy – I use the broth from the roast I have cooked in a slow cooker in a pan. I thicken it with corn starch. I do not like using flour as it works so much better with corn starch. This gravy is really great!
a good simple recipe, Thank you.
My roast did not produce many drippings so I turned to this recipe and I’m glad I did! It’s a perfect brown gravy when you have little or no drippings. For those who said this gravy was thin and watery, I’m wondering if they didn’t whisk long enough. It produced a nice thick, hearty gravy that we all enjoyed.
How much flour would I use if I didn’t want to use cornstarch?
You should use twice as much flour as you would use cornstarch.
I am not a fan of gravy usually but needed some for a roast and my husband wanted some. This was delicious even for me! The thought of using a packet for cooking foods is mostly gross to me so I’m always looking for recipes that make food from scratch.
Really good. I drained the fat from the beef broth in which the brisket cooked (with carrots and onion). Followed the Recipe with the corn starch. Added a dab of red wine and a touch of gravy master. Did not use onion or garlic powder because husband put. dry rub on it. Did it in Traeger smoker on 225 degrees. Will make a Again. I think the butter added brings it to a real homemade level!
It is Patti again. I only had two cups of beef broth and used two tbs of cornstarch. Perfect!
Oh yay! Glad it worked out!
Oh yum! I bet it was SO GOOD smoked! That is such a good idea! Thank you for sharing!
Salted or unsalted butter?
Omg I am in love with this beef gravy recipe☺️. I used this gravy recipe for my Salisbury steak. It was so delicious. My boyfriend loved it. Thank you.
Hi Paulina- I am so glad you (and your boyfriend) liked this recipe! Great idea using it for Salisbury steak! YUM!