Easy Homemade Gravy Recipe

In Dairy-free, Gluten-free, Recipes | Delicious and Quick Recipes for Real Food by Lisa Soldo-JohnsonLeave a Comment

A bowl of freshly prepared homemade gravy

Growing up, meals at my mother’s table often included homemade gravy. She was one of those outstanding home cooks who had ten great recipes she perfected, and one of them was her rich and creamy lump-free gravy like the chicken gravy above and her beef gravy below. We could never get enough of her delicious gravy so we poured it over anything we could

including mashed potatoes, pork chops, hot beef sandwiches, turkey meat, stuffing, and even a slice of bread.

Learning how to make your own gravy from scratch

My mom never used packaged gravy mixes. Ever!  She always made hers from freshly cooked chicken, beef, pork, or turkey broth. She would say, “ The best gravy is made from a stock with a lot of animal fat in it. You just can’t get that from pre-made canned or boxed stocks.” As usual, Mom was always right. But what made her gravy extra special was the texture and taste that came pouring out of that ladle when spooned over meat or potatoes.

ingredients for homemade broth

Her technique of making no-fail gravy is not exactly a family secret. Generations of cooks around the world use this technique since most of what we have learned about cooking down from previous generations. However, I can’t tell you how many times I have heard people say, “I just can’t make a good gravy.”

using cornstarch to thicken gravy

The key is to dissolve the cornstarch into cold water or milk before adding it to your simmering stock. This will create a thick creamy, no-lump texture. The benefit to this approach is that you can control the thickness of your gravy by using less or adding more cornstarch liquid as you whisk it into the stock.

Finally, adjust the flavor with a pinch of salt and pepper until it reaches the flavor perfect for your taste. No magic tricks here. Just good old-fashioned techniques for the perfect gravy every time.

I hope you enjoy this recipe! If you’ve made it please share it with me by tagging @culinarybutterfly on Pinterest.

 
Print Recipe
 Easy Homemade Gravy: How to Make Gravy from Scratch Yum
Make your own lump-free gravy, packed full of flavor, and works perfectly each and every time.
Course Dinner, Entrees, Sides
Cuisine American
Prep Time 2 minute
Cook Time 5-7 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Course Dinner, Entrees, Sides
Cuisine American
Prep Time 2 minute
Cook Time 5-7 minutes
Servings
servings
Ingredients
Instructions
  1. When making gravy from a beef, chicken or turkey, ladle and strain 1 cup of stock from the pot and transfer to a small saute pan, bringing to a simmer over medium heat.
  2. Using a mason jar with a cover, add water and cornstarch, cover, and shake until the cornstarch is dissolved.
  3. Slowly pour the liquid from the jar into the simmering broth and whisk gravy together until it thickens. Use more or less cornstarch water to adjust the thickness to your liking.
  4. Here is the difference in color depending on use of milk or water. For a darker beef broth with less creamy flavor, use water.
  5. Add salt and pepper a pinch at a time until gravy is the flavor you like.
Recipe Notes

Recipe Notes:

  • Gravy always has the best flavor when you use a stock freshly made from meat and/or bone because of its animal fat content.
  • Because meat flavor varies widely, you may have to adjust the gravy flavoring at the end of the cooking process with salt and pepper.
  • If your gravy has a few lumps because of undissolved cornstarch, just pour gravy into a mesh strainer to remove the lumps.

Recipe by Lorraine Soldo for www.culinarybutterfly.com

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