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White bowl with mashed potatoes and brown gravy.

The Best Homemade Gravy

Yield: 12 servings
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes

Ingredients

  • 4 cups broth or stock, preferably low-sodium (see note for how to use drippings)
  • 10 tablespoons (142 g) butter
  • ⅔ cup (95 g) all-purpose flour (don't pack the flour into the cup - should be right around 10 tablespoons)
  • 1 tablespoon bouillon paste (optional - see note)
  • Salt and pepper to taste

Instructions 

  • Warm the broth or stock in a saucepan or in the microwave until steaming. Keep warm.
  • Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add the flour and cook, whisking constantly, until the roux is golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Whisk in the bouillon paste, if using.
  • Whisking constantly and quickly, slowly ladle in warm broth about 1/2 cup at a time. Combine fully before adding more. The mixture will look crumbly and may even look curdled. It's ok! Trust the process.
  • Once all the broth has been added, simmer the gravy for 3 to 4 minutes, whisking constantly, until thick and silky smooth. Season to taste with salt and pepper (important! The exact amount will depend on unsalted/salted butter and/or regular or low-sodium broth/stock). Thin with additional broth, if desired.
  • Serve immediately or keep warm to serve later. The gravy will thicken as it cools.

Notes

Broth/Stock: using a flavorful broth or stock for this gravy is key for good flavor. I prefer stock over broth for deeper flavor. Homemade or storebought works great. I like Pacific Foods, Swansons and Trader Joe's brands of chicken or beef stock. It's beneficial to use a low-sodium stock so the salt level can be controlled at the end by taste.
Drippings: this recipe works very well using drippings from cooked or roasted meat. To use drippings, skim or strain the fat from the drippings (use a fat separator or refrigerate all the drippings until the fat solidifies and can easily be skimmed off the top). Pour the drippings into a liquid measuring cup and add broth or stock to equal 4 cups. Proceed with the recipe. You can use the fat from the drippings in place of some or all of the butter, if desired.
Bouillon Paste: adding a spoonful of bouillon paste boosts the flavor of homemade gravy. I prefer the Better Than Bouillon brand. If I'm making gravy for chicken or turkey, I use chicken-flavor bouillon (and obviously beef-flavored bouillon for gravy to be served with beef).