How to Make Homemade Gravy Recipe (Brown Gravy) (2024)

Published: Nov 13, 2017 · Modified: Oct 18, 2023 by Abeer Rizvi · This post may contain affiliate links · 9 Comments

Learn how to make homemade gravy from scratch for Thanksgiving. This easy brown gravy recipe with meat drippings, flour, broth is ready in 15 minutes.

Making gravy at home can be INTIMIDATING but I will show you how to make homemade gravy (brown gravy recipe) that turns out perfect every single time, just like my Mom taught me.

This Thanksgiving gravy is required at your next feast in just a week!

I really think that a Thanksgiving meal is more than just the turkey… It’s the Thanksgiving sides that really take the feast over the top and this gravy is one of my FAVORITE parts of that meal.

There are VARIOUS recipes and methods for making gravy.

I have seen recipes that are made with milk, water, meat drippings, bouillon BUT my family makes brown gravy recipe with beef broth and drippings and I love it!

The OLD FASHIONED brown gravy recipe is:

• Easy to make
• Uses simple ingredients from your pantry (6 ingredients only!)
• Pairs very well with many other recipes too
• Works every times and never fails
• Tastes incredible
• Ready in just 15 minutes

You can serve this homemade brown gravy with:

• Meatloaf
• Pot roast
• Salisbury steak
• Biscuits
• Poutine
• Mashed potatoes

Here are some flavor VARIATIONS you can try with this easy gravy recipe:

• Add some sliced onions or sliced mushrooms to give it more flavor and this also compliments beef recipes really well.
• Instead of beef drippings, use different kinds of meat drippings from sausage, bacon, turkey or even chicken.
• Add some more spices like paprika, red chili flakes or herbs like dried oregano, thyme, dill or garlic to enhance the flavor and give this traditional gravy recipe a twist.

How do you make gravy from scratch from scratch with meat juices/ meat drippings?

Start off by heating butter and beef drippings in a non-stick saucepan. Add flour and mix until golden brown. Add broth gradually, while constantly mixing. Add salt and pepper and let it simmer and thicken to the desired consistency. Remove from heat and stir in some butter to make silky smooth glossy gravy.

How to make gravy with flour and water?

My recipe below uses flour and beef broth but some people use a combination of water and broth instead of all broth. It’s just a personal preference.

Is homemade beef gravy same as homemade white gravy?

Based on my research, they are not the same. White gravy is usually made with a combination of butter, milk and flour with some sausage drippings and no broth is used. It’s also much whiter in color compared to brown gravy.

How to thicken brown gravy? How to make gravy thicker?

Some people use cornstarch and some people use flour. I prefer using flour.

How to make brown gravy without meat drippings?

Some people rave about their gravy recipe without drippings (brown gravy recipe with beef bouilon cubes) but it was not as good as this homemade classic brown gravy.

Are brown gravy and beef gravy the same?

Yes, they are the same.

How do you make gravy from meat juices?

That is the classic way of making gravy. Save the pan drippings from your cooked beef like stew meat or roast or steak and cook it together with flour, butter and broth to make silky smooth gravy.

Can you freeze brown gravy?

Since this is NOT a milk-based gravy, it can be frozen in sealed freezer bags for up to 1 month. Milk-based gravy should not be frozen because they will separate when thawing.

Here are some TIPS on how to make homemade brown gravy:

• Use UNSALTED butter and LOW SODIUM broth to prevent the gravy from becoming too salty.
• If you have some extra time, TOAST the flour on the stovetop until it's golden brown and use that in the recipe. It gives a darker color and better overall flavor (a wonderful nutty flavor!).
• Beef broth tastes the BEST but chicken broth can be used too.
• Use NON-STICK saucepan because it prevents the gravy from sticking and burning.
• You must add the broth SLOWLY and continue whisking constantly to PREVENT lumps from forming.
• To fix LUMPY gravy, use a hand held blender and that gets rids of most lumps and make the gravy smooth.
• Gravy tends to THCKEN the longer it sits and that’s why you should consider serving immediately.
• To fix thick gravy, mix in some water or broth to thin it out to your desired consistency.
• You can use this recipe to prepare an easy MAKE AHEAD gravy before the big Thanksgiving dinner and save some time.
• Recipe can be doubled or tripled easily.
• If you are ever short on time, you can use store-bought brown gravy mix to make thick gravy too but I find this classic homemade brown gravy so much better.

Well, that's all for today.

I hope you found this post on how to make homemade gravy helpful.

If you liked this recipe for homemade brown gravy, you may like some of these other Thanksgiving sides too:

• Easy Honey Glazed Carrots Recipe
• Easy Homemade Buttermilk Biscuits
• Jalapeno Garlic Mashed Potatoes
• Crispy Fried Green Beans