This Brown Gravy Recipe is made from flavorful beef broth and seasonings – no drippings needed! A thick, creamy gravy that’s ready in just minutes.
Perfect for smothering steak and potatoes, spooning over chicken and biscuits, or stirring into mashed potatoes, this brown gravy adds a rich flavor that can’t be beat.
No Drippings Needed Brown Gravy
We’re a big meat and potatoes household. While we do love our veggies, any dinner that has some sort of beef and some sort of potato dish is always going to be a hit.
That’s why we LOVE having this Brown Gravy Recipe in our back pocket because we’re using it on just about everything.
This gravy recipe doesn’t require any drippings, but if you do have them…you can definitely use them. Don’t let them go to waste!
All you need to do is substitute the amount of drippings you have for the beef broth. For instance, if you have a cup of drippings then just use 2 cups of beef broth, etc. Or you can use half drippings and half broth.
Ingredients
- Beef Broth/Stock/Bone Broth: Any of these will work, try and get whichever has the most flavor as some store bought broths can be watery.
- Beef Base/Boullion: We use Better Than Boullion® but any beef base or beef boullion will work.
- Cornstarch: Opt for cornstarch instead of flour for a smoother gravy with zero lumps. Cornstarch is also gluten free!
- Worcestershire Sauce: This will add a depth of flavor that you’re looking for in a gravy with drippings, the complexity of Worcestershire sauce does the trick!
- Garlic Powder: Because we seem to add it to everything, but it does add a nice background garlic flavor.
- Heavy Cream: Optional! If you want a creamier gravy, add about a tablespoon of cream.
How To Make Brown Gravy
- Start by adding all of the ingredients, except the cornstarch slurry, to a small pot over medium heat.
- Once the liquid comes to a boil, slowly drizzle in the cornstarch slurry while whisking to prevent any lumps.
- Bring the gravy back to a boil, turn down the heat and then let simmer for 3-4 minutes until thickened.
What Else Can I Add To This Gravy Recipe?
This simple beef gravy is perfect as is, but if you feel like using a little something extra, try these additions!
- Cooked onions and garlic in olive oil
- Fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, parsley or a bay leaf
- Beef drippings, skimmed of fat, if you have them
- A splash of heavy cream
Any of these ingredients will make this gravy even more flavorful, so use whatever you have on hand!
What Recipes Can You Use This Brown Gravy With?
We use this gravy on so many things it’s no wonder that we keep it in our refrigerator most of the time. Even as a dip for french fries….trust me, it’s going on everything.
- Brown Gravy Meatloaf
- Sheet Pan Chicken Murphy
- Shoestring French Fries
- Disco Fries Casserole
- Fried Poutine Wontons
- French Dip Sandwich (instead of aus jus)
How Long Does Homemade Gravy Last In The Refrigerator?
This gravy will keep for up to 5 days in the fridge, just make sure to keep it in an air tight container. The gravy will thicken as it cools, so whisk while reheating to smooth it out again.
You can also freeze gravy!!! Yes, make a few batches and freeze the gravy into 1 cup or 2 cup portions. Thaw and reheat, then use with your favorite recipes.
Can You Make Gravy Ahead Of Time?
Since this recipe doesn’t have drippings, it won’t separate like a traditional gravy recipe will. This makes it a perfect make ahead recipe, which is a huge time saver for parties and holidays.
Keep it warm on the stove top, or let it cool completely and reheat in the microwave or back on the stove top again.
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Brown Gravy Recipe
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 7 minutes
- Total Time: 9 minutes
- Yield: 3 cups 1x
Print Recipe
Pin RecipeThis versatile Brown Gravy Recipe can be used on so many things! Mashed potatoes, french fries, meatloaf, turkey or chicken!
Ingredients
- 3 cups beef stock or broth (can add in some meat drippings if you have them)
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 1/2 teaspoons beef base (We use Better Than Bouillon)
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste
- 1/4 cup of water mixed with 3 tablespoons of cornstarch
- Splash of heavy cream (optional)
Instructions
- Add all the ingredients except the cornstarch and water mixture to a pot. Whisk together and bring to a boil.
- Pour in the cornstarch mixture while whisking to prevent any lumps.
- Bring the gravy back to a boil, then turn down to a simmer and cook for 3-4 minutes.
- Add the cream if using, whisk and then serve.
Recipe Notes
This gravy can be made ahead and kept in your refrigerator for up to 5 days.
The beef base is salty, so add salt at the end of the recipe to taste.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Well, Dan, I made your gravy recipe and, while it was nice and dark brown, all I could taste was Worcestershire sauce. I added another 1/2 Tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon but it still didn’t taste much like beef. Your recipe is quite easy to make though and I’ll use it again. Thanks for posting it,
Made this this morning to go with leftover cheesy hashbrown casserole. Started with a brown butter and flour roux. I cut the Worcestershire in half, added a dash of white pepper, a dash of onion powder and a tablespoon of black coffee (my mom taught me this trick). The Better Than Bouillon is the best. Added beef stock until it got to the consistency I wanted. Took about 10 minutes to make, and was delicious over the hashbrown casserole. Would make great disco fries!
This is a great, easy gravy recipe when you don’t have pan drippings. Substitute chicken BTB and chicken stock and you got a great chicken gravy. Use the roasted veggie BTB and veggie broth, and make the roux with oil instead of butter, and you got something for your vegetarian friends. I’m sure it would be amazing over mashed cauliflower
Sounds great Bill, thanks for the comment!
Cooked the onions and garlic first and very slowly to caramelize, then set aside. Threw a strip of bacon in the same pan and fried it quickly; crumbled the bacon over onion-garlic mixture, still set aside. Still in the same pan now including bacon drippings, then used all your ingredients but added a little more (yes, more!) Worschestshire sauce and the juice of a lime and some pepperonccini. Suggestion: add only half the corn starch mixture to begin with, then go from there. Almost got mine too thick. I spooned this magic over chicken fried steak and piled the onion-garlic-bacon on top with springs of fresh parsley and a salad on the side and thought I’d died and gone to heaven. I made your beautifully simple recipe much more complicated than it needed to be but it was utterly delicious, and I’d have had no idea where to begin without it, so thanks a bunch!
I love when readers improvise, great job Beverly! We’re coming over!
Had to double the cornstarch and water. After that it was delicious!.
Can this be frozen?
Yep!
everyone loved it and it was so easy!
Kid tested. Mommy approved lol <3 Absolutely delicious! I made this with meatloaf and cheesy garlic potatoes. My 17-year-old daughter could not get enough and I started looking at the gravy packets strange…
That’s wonderful, so glad everyone liked it!
Would be a nice website, if you got to the point with the recipe instead of all the unnecessary lengthy verbiage
Hey Sunny, thanks for the thoughtful comment, but at the top of each post there’s a “jump to recipe” button that takes you past all that lengthy verbiage and right to the recipe!
Hey Sunny I mean the wonderful verbiage is a part of the recipe superb. I know I’m appreciative of it. Atleast u got a great recipe right? It takes more energy to express opinions then it is to appreciate. Have a Blessed Day.. 😊
Thank you!
Yes this is saltier than I am accustomed to, however the proportions work. When I went to find beef bouillon in my pantry, I found, instead, onion soup mix. This seemed like a viable alternative. (I left out the Worcestershire sauce and other salt.) It was! I sautéed some fresh mushrooms and tossed them in at the end. A nice onion mushroom gravy for the leftover meat loaf we had. I will look for ways to reduce the sodium, but the proportions were just right to give me a starting point. Thanks
PS Will be looking for Better Than Bouillon at my grocery store.
This is a terrific recipe! I had no idea making a great gravy could be so easy! Thank you
This is the BEST savory meatloaf recipe I’ve ever tried … just finished making tonight and it was a total hit! I followed your directions except I put the breadcrumbs in the saute mixture to avoid over mixing. And your gravy was incredible! Was the perfect texture! Thanks so much!
We’re so glad you like it, thanks for letting us know!
This is the way meatloaf should be made. My whole life I made the worst ever. Thank you.