You can even make this brown without drippings using chicken or beef broth, depending on what you plan to serve it with. Either way, this is the perfect fuss-free homemade brown gravy to serve on busy mid-week evenings and during the holidays! For this recipe, however, I’ve stuck to the basics with a careful selection of several aromatic spices and dried herbs. They pair well with homemade chicken gravy or a beef gravy recipe. Perfect for enjoying over mashed potatoes, roasted meat, and veggies. You can even freeze the leftovers for another time!
Broth: For this brown gravy recipe, you can use store-bought or homemade chicken stock or beef stock (or a combination of the two). Liquid is best, but you can use stock tablets/pots in a pinch. I use low-sodium broth to control the sodium levels. For the roux: You’ll need unsalted butter and all-purpose flour (or an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend) in equal parts. Worcestershire sauce: This adds a tangy, umami-rich depth to the gravy. Seasonings: There are several spices needed to prepare chicken or beef gravy from broth, most of which are likely in your pantry already. Garlic powder Onion powder Salt – add to taste as the stock may be salty enough already. Use low-sodium soy sauce for added umami flavor. Black pepper Herbs: This beef or chicken gravy recipe uses a fairly typical combination of dried herbs for an aromatic sauce. Rosemary Thyme Basil – dried sage would work well in its place. Drippings: (Optional) I’ve specifically written this recipe, so you have an option for delicious gravy when you don’t have pan drippings. However, if you’ve got a roast in the oven, feel free to use the drippings in place of some of the broth. The drippings are all the juices that accumulate in the pan when roasting meats like beef, chicken, turkey, pork, etc.
To do so, make a cornstarch slurry combining 1:1 starch and cold water (start with 1 Tbsp and add more if needed) into a smooth paste/liquid in a small bowl. Pour that into the pan at the end of the cooking process, increase to medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened. If using cornstarch, I highly recommend stirring a pat of cold butter into the sauce right at the end and stirring until it melts into the sauce. This will add extra richness you lose from omitting the butter in the roux. Then, add the flour, whisking well to ensure there are no lumps. Cook it for 2-3 minutes, until it browns, then reduce the heat to low. If you want to use the meat drippings, add them now in place of some of the broth, and stir well. Next, add the Worcestershire sauce, whisking well. Then stir in the dried herbs and any salt if needed. Finally, add the garlic powder, onion powder, and black pepper and whisk well (adjust the amounts to taste). Allow the sauce to simmer for a few more minutes to thicken and reduce. Then remove the pot from the heat and enjoy!
Roasted meat – Enjoy it with roast chicken, roasted turkey breast, roasted turkey legs, etc. You can also swap out the broth based on the dish (i.e., chicken broth for roast chicken, beef broth gravy for roast beef, etc.). Over mashed potatoes – this is the best gravy for mashed potatoes. It’s like they’re made for one another! Roasted potatoes or baked potatoes. Cooked veggies (roasted cauliflower and brocolli, honey-roasted carrots, oven-rosted asparagus, air-fried green beans, Brussels sprouts, etc.). Stuffed butternut squash. Over meatballs and meatloaf. With buttermilk biscuits and dinner rolls. Use it in casseroles. With pies – including pastry pies (beef or chicken gravy), Shepherd’s pie (using homemade beef gravy recipes), etc. For poutine and to dip french fries. Mix it into mayonnaise to make a holiday spread.
More Homemade Sauce Recipes
Buffalo Wing Sauce Recipe Alabama White BBQ Sauce Quick and Easy Pizza Sauce Homemade White Gravy Vegan bechamel sauce (white sauce) Quick and No-Fail Hollandaise Sauce
If you try this easy homemade brown gravy recipe, I’d love to hear your thoughts/questions below. Also, I’d appreciate a recipe card rating below, and feel free to tag me in your recipe recreations on Instagram @Alphafoodie!
