Homemade Brown Gravy Recipe (No Drippings) + Video
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Best Brown Gravy Recipe that you can make with just a few ingredients in just 5 minutes? Sign me up!! Not only that, but it’s just as smooth and scrumptious as any pan gravy or sauce that’s been cooking for ages. Check out this walkthrough and video to see how to make this easy recipe for brown gravy without drippings that’ll totally blow your mind!!
When there just never seems to be enough time to make dinner, you need recipes that are simple, fast and flavorful.
That is the exact time to make my 5-5-5 brown beef gravy!!
Making homemade gravy with flour and broth is so much easier than working with pan drippings.
You don’t need to wait for anything to cool, strain out any unwanted fat, or go through the whole process of cooking the meat beforehand.
Plus, you can make it well ahead of time, saving you even more time on the day of. It’s so convenient!
You’ll love the rich flavor that pairs perfectly with any simple recipe! This is the best gravy, ever!
Just follow the recipe card below for all the details! Your gravy boat will be holding this perfect brown gravy in no time at all! It really is a great addition and such an easy gravy recipe to make.
Best Ever Brown Gravy
Why do I call this a 5-5-5 brown gravy recipe? Well, in 5 minutes and using only 5 ingredients, you can make 5-star gravy!!
This sauce is perfect over egg noodles, meatballs, roasts, meatloaf, mashed potatoes, you name it! It is delicious and silky smooth!
Don’t like beef gravy? Try this turkey gravy! Or if you need gravy to pair with pork, I’ve got you covered with my crockpot pork chops recipe.
Ingredient Notes & Substitutions
- Butter – You really need this to make the roux! I like to use unsalted butter and then season with salt at the end.
- Flour – You can almost never go wrong with all-purpose flour.
It’ll yield a thick, luscious gravy that literally cascades over meat, potatoes, or whatever you want to add it to – my mouth is watering just thinking about it! - Onion Powder – This is a good, basic flavor to enhance your gravy. You could use garlic powder but I think onion powder is perfect for our palates.
If you want to get more advanced with your spices and seasonings, check out the FAQ below, where I detail ways to really dress up your homemade brown gravy!
- Beef Bouillon & Water – I lump these two together because they go hand in hand – you need the water to dissolve the bouillon!
Tips For Making This Easy Brown Gravy Recipe
- Before making this think of all your favorite ways to enjoy this delicious gravy.
It’s perfet with your favorite meat, great for a roast dinner, and even perfect with french fries, too! - Don’t overboil the hot liquid. Just 2-3 minutes of simmering once this great gravy is boiling and it’s good to go.
How to Make Gravy With Beef Broth
To make this homemade brown gravy recipe with beef broth, you’ll need to start by making a roux. It sounds fancy, but it’s super simple!
Melt butter over medium heat in a saucepan. Once it’s melted, add the flour and onion powder. Start whisking!
Let the mixture cook for a minute or so while that floury taste cooks away.
Follow up with the beef broth! Add just ¼ cup at a time, whisking thoroughly with each pour. Once it’s all been added, bring it to a boil.
When a rolling boil is achieved, reduce the heat to a simmer for a couple of minutes… And you’re done!
Storing and Reheating Homemade Brown Gravy
This beef gravy recipe can be made up to 5 days ahead of time. Keep it covered and refrigerated until you’re ready to serve.
Don’t be alarmed when it comes out thicker – that’s supposed to happen! It’ll thin out when it’s reheated. Do so in a saucepan over medium heat.
If it still isn’t as thin as you’d like, whisk in a tablespoon of beef broth.
Homemade Brown Gravy Recipe FAQ
A brown gravy comes from any brown stock, whereas beef gravy always comes from beef stock specifically.
In other words, all beef gravy is a brown gravy but not all brown gravy is beef gravy. It’s like the “all subs are sandwiches but not all sandwiches are subs” conundrum.
My beef gravy recipe is delicious for sure – but it’s also bare bones. There’s so much you can do to spice things up!
One easy way to improve your gravy is to add a good balance of flavors — mustard, wine, or vinegar for acidity and some herbs for freshness, for example.
Adding extras to your roux will also work wonders and cook those flavors deep into the gravy itself. Sauteeing onions, garlic, mushrooms, or bacon (or all of them if you’re daring!!) in the butter before adding the flour will have a tremendous effect on the overall flavor profile of your gravy. In a good way!
Good questions!
Broth is made from either meat or vegetables (or a combination of the two), simmered in water and releasing all of its flavor into the liquid over an extended period of time. Stock, on the other hand, is made by cooking bones in water.
With that cleared up – you can absolutely use stock and broth interchangeably. A few differences you’ll want to keep in mind: stock is usually thicker than broth, while broth is more full-bodied and flavorful.
In my opinion, this is one of my go-to recipes for Thanksgiving dinner. It’s such a delicious sauce made with simple ingredients and tastes so much better than any store-bought gravy.
I love making it for the holidays because it’s a great option loaded with a great depth of flavor. While it’s the perfect gravy for the holidays, you can make this easy homemade brown gravy recipe for extra flavor during the week, too. It’s literally the perfect topping for pot roast, roast beef, and beef tips.
Enjoy!
With love, from our simple kitchen to yours.
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Homemade Brown Gravy Recipe (No Drippings) + Video
Ingredients
- 2 cups water
- 4 teaspoons beef bouillon powder, or 4 beef bouillon cubes
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
Instructions
- Combine water and bouillon in a heat proof container (I use a 2-cup glass measuring cup). Heat the beef broth in microwave 1 minute at a time, until it is steaming hot.
- Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add flour and onion powder and whisk to combine. Continue whisking until mixture bubbles up and becomes a thick consistency, about one minute. This helps cook out the ‘floury’ taste.
- While whisking, pour in hot beef broth to the flour mixture. Whisk to combine and bring to boil, reduce to simmer for 1 minute.
- Serve and enjoy!
Video
Donna’s Notes
You can use chicken or beef stock or broth in place of the bouillon and water. Be sure to heat well.
This recipe stores in the refrigerator, covered for a week.
Be sure to whisk as you add the broth to get a smooth lump-free gravy.
The recipe doubles perfectly!!!
Nutrition
All nutritional information is based on third party calculations and is only an estimate. Each recipe’s nutritional value will vary depending on the ingredients used, measuring methods, and portion sizes.
Originally published July 2012, updated and republished October 2024
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I am TERRIBLE at making gravy. I was searching for something to save me after just ruining the gravy for our chicken fried steaks. THIS WAS PERFECT! Just added a little pepper and my husband loved it. Even I couldn’t screw this up. Thank you!
So quick and easy. An immediate hit in my house. Thank you!
Made this tonight for the meatloaf. It was easy & delicious!! It's a keeper!
First time making this gravy and it was delicious! I used 4 packets of Knorr chicken bouillon mixed in with 2 cups of water. I didn't have onion powder but it still turned out amazing! Added salt and pepper at the end to taste and it came out thick and super tasty! Poured it over grilled chicken and stove top stuffing. Will definitely try this again with beef as well.
I was trying to find a gravy recipe for Thanksgiving, and the first one I tried was gross. This one, however, has been declared my Go-To for gravy. It has the desired amount of flavour and thickness and Oh Hell Yeah. I look forward to trying it with beef and vegetables cubes.
Hi Vanessa,
We are so happy you love it as much as we do! Have a great day!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
Easy and so good!
Hi Rachel,
We are happy you enjoyed it! Have a great day!
TSRI Team Member,
Holli
If anyone can mess up gravy it’s me. Too lumpy, too thin. And yet this one turned out perfect. It was so easy! And tasty! Thank you! I will be using this recipe for years to come!
Let your roux brown a little and use better than bouillon beef of roasted chicken which ever you want at the time. Thank you. It does make perfect gravy. Tami
I tried recipe with roasted beef boulion an it turned so good I didn’t use the celery seeds cause I didn’t have any but I did add basil thyme, white pepper, oregano, an salt an used as a sauce in hamburger like a beef pasta dinner. still turned out great an gravy with butter an flour was the best way no milk or cream so I improvised perfect ty for this recipe.
This amazed me!!! I can’t believe how great this is! I used Better than Bouillon, IMHO this is by far the best. DO NOT leave out the onion powder! Thank you for this 5 star recipe!
Hi Sandy!
We’re so glad you enjoyed!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn
I could never make gravy. This recipe is so easy and taste good, I’ll make it all the time now.
Hi Rosalie!
We’re so glad you enjoyed!!
TSRI Team Member,
Devlyn