The Best Homemade Beef Gravy Recipe (How to Make Brown Gravy) (2024)

FAQs

How do I make my gravy more brown? ›

To make dark brown beef gravy, cook the roux even longer (but at a lower temperature) until it's a dark color with a nutty aroma. Then use beef broth or beef juices to make your gravy.

What is the difference between brown gravy and beef gravy? 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.

Brown gravy is a sauce traditionally made from drippings from roasted meat. It's served alongside meat as well as roasted vegetables. It can also be made from beef stock and thickened with a roux made of flour and butter.

Simply adding a teaspoon or two of chopped rosemary or sage can elevate gravy while adding an extra layer of depth. But if you're going to add herbs, it's best to do so in the last few minutes of cooking, since they tend to be so delicate. That way you'll get the most flavor out of them.

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

What is the gravy at KFC made of? The restaurant uses a simple combination of gravy powder, water, and – their secret ingredient – chicken crackling. This is a collection of the browned bits and pieces leftover from frying their world famous chicken.

It turns out, the biggest difference between the two is brown gravy is broth-based, while white gravy typically has a milk or cream base. Garcia said both types usually have flour or cornstarch for thickening and they both contain some sort of “fat or meat drippings.”

DIY Brown Gravy Packet Mix 2 Tablespoons equals one packet Ingredients 3 tablespoons beef (or chicken bouillon) granules 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon all-purpose flour 1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon pepper ADDITIONAL INGREDIENTS to make Gravy (for each batch): 4-1/2 teaspoons butter 3/4 cup cold water Directions In a small bowl, ...

Basic gravy starts with a roux, which is a mixture of cooked butter and flour that will naturally thicken liquid. There's a reason we're not just tossing cornstarch in here- a butter and flour based roux provides one of the main flavor components.

Your gravy might taste doughy or chalky if you didn't cook the flour enough when making your roux. You'll want to cook the flour for at least five minutes, until it smells nutty and begins to turn light brown. But if you don't notice until it's too late and you've already added your broth, bring the gravy to a simmer.

Is gravy better with flour or cornstarch? ›

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

Add a dash of white wine (nothing too fruity; we recommend a dry Chardonnay) to boost the richness of the turkey gravy. All you need to do is put a couple of tablespoons of your chosen white wine while you're heating up your gravy and voilà! The wine should evaporate in just a couple of minutes.

the traditional method for darkening broth, stock, gravy, and bouillon was to use burnt sugar. Just a little bit will do, depending on how large of a batch you are making. Heat sugar and 1 Tablespoon water over medium heat, stirring constantly until the sugar is dissolved.

Two popular brands are Kitchen Bouquet and Gravy Master. If you can't locate browning sauce, you can make your own at home (more on how to do that in a minute!). You can also substitute store-bought gravy powder, make a dark roux or substitute other dark-colored liquids like Worcestershire, molasses or soy sauce.

Add a Splash of Wine

A couple of tablespoons of dry white wine brightens up lighter poultry gravy, while red wine adds complexity to beef and pork gravy.