Side dish

The Best Recipe For How To Make Gravy

Follow these easy steps on how to make gravy! This is an easy method which will save you a headache of trying to use stock from a turkey!

To recipe
turkey with gravy and potatoes on a plate

Love this recipe?

Make meal planning easier with our new meal planner.

Save hours on meal planning
Smart grocery lists
500+ curated recipes
Print to PDF
Recipe insights & TIPS

You'll never run out of gravy again with this easy to make homemade gravy with fresh thyme! Serve over chicken, pork or beef for a complete dinner.

turkey with gravy and potatoes on a plate

Whenever I'm making a comfort food style recipe, like meatloaf, chicken or steak with mashed potatoes I always seem to run out of gravy! Am I the only person who thinks that gravy is just as important as anything else that you put on the plate, even if it's juicy filet mignon?

If your'e cooking a turkey or a prime rib, using the drippings as the base for your sauce is the smartest thing to do.

The flavor is the best you'll get but it can be messy, making you bring out the strainer to catch all of those bits from the bones.

The fat has to be separated as well or it'll end up as boiling oil and your gravy will be greasy. This can take  extra time and that's the last thing you want to deal with if you're trying to cook a celebration dinner for the family.

Sure you can buy gravy from the grocery store, but I want to show you how easy it is to make fresh, smooth gravy in less than 10 minutes in your own kitchen! It's so good!!

WHAT YOU'LL NEED TO MAKE YOUR OWN GRAVY

  • Unsalted butter
  • All purpose flour
  • Stock
  • Fresh thyme or your favorite herb
  • Salt and black pepper
gravy in a serving dish with fresh thyme

THE BASICS OF MAKING MOST SAUCE RECIPES

I always start my sauces with a roux base. This means combining butter and flour together in a pan to make a paste.

It's this paste that will thicken the sauce. After the roux has cooked for a few minutes you begin to add your liquid of choice, in this recipe it would be stock.

You can find a roux being used in everyday recipes like mac and cheese, gumbo, and  my easy bechamel sauce.

Recipe FAQ's

What kind of stock should I use? I used chicken stock in my recipe but using beef or vegetable stock is also okay. The higher quality stock you can find, the better the results will be.
How do I reheat my gravy after storing it in the fridge? Add to a pan or small saucepan over a medium heat. Add a small splash of stock again and whisk over the heat until smooth, lump free and simmering with small bubbles around the edges.
I added too much stock and now my sauce is too thin! Don't worry you can easily fix it. Combine 1 tbsp of cornstarch with 1 tbsp of water and mix to dissolve. Add the mixture to the thin gravy and bring to a simmer, whisking constantly until it begins to thicken.

WAYS TO USE GRAVY

  • Poutine. Drench French fries in gravy and cheese
  • A rich brown beef gravy is the finish to the perfect meatloaf
  • On top of creamy mashed potatoes
  • As a side dip for a roast beef sandwich
  • With prime rib
  • Perfect over your Thanksgiving turkey
pouring homemade gravy over turkey
A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Recipe

You'll never run out of gravy again with this easy to make homemade gravy with fresh thyme! Serve over chicken, pork or beef for a complete dinner.

Course:
Side dish
COOKing TIME:
10 minutes
Total TIME:
20 minutes
CUISINE:
American
PREP TIME:
10 minutes
SERVINGS:
4

Ingredients

  • 2 tbsp. unsalted butter
  • 2 tbsp. all purpose flour
  • 1 1/4 cups stock
  • 1 tbsp. fresh chopped thyme
  • 1 pinch salt and black pepper

Ingredient Swaps

Instructions

  1. In a medium sized pan, melt the butter over a medium heat.
  2. Add the flour and whisk until the flour and butter come together like a paste.
  3. Gradually add the stock whisking until smooth after each addition, until all of the stock has been added.
  4. Add the fresh thyme and salt and pepper.
  5. Simmer on low heat for a few minutes or until the gravy has started to thicken slightly.
  6. Serve at once.

Try Foodness Gracious
Meal Planner

1 month free
Access to all features
500+ recipes
A white, fluffy chef's hat with an orange band, logo of Foodness Gracious.

Did you make this recipe?

Tag @foodnessgracious on Instagram and hashtag it #foodnessgracious so we can see all the deliciousness!