This simple recipe for homemade gravy gives you perfect silky, gravy every single time. It’s so easy to make and with just four simple ingredients you’ll have a delicious addition to your meal.
The Best Homemade Gravy You’ll Ever Eat
Homemade gravy is one of my favorite things. When it comes to holiday meals, like Thanksgiving, it’s often overlooked in favor of other sides but gravy is something special and deserves a little love.
Thankfully, this homemade gravy recipe is so easy to make. My personal favorite is homemade chicken gravy, which uses the delicious leftover pan drippings from a whole roasted chicken, but you can easily follow the same method to make turkey gravy or brown gravy from beef.
Here’s What You Need to Make Homemade Gravy
- Butter: this adds a little richness to the gravy and helps to make the roux that will thicken the gravy. If you need to keep the gravy dairy-free, you can use your favorite vegan butter, olive oil, or avocado oil in the same amount.
- Flour: this recipe calls for all-purpose flour but you can easily swap it for gluten free flour.
- Pan Drippings: pan drippings are what help to give your gravy its delicious flavor. You can use the pan drippings from a roasted chicken, turkey, or even beef to make the gravy. Let the pan drippings come to a cool and then remove the layer of fat before using.
- Chicken Broth: I like to use low-sodium chicken broth so that I can better control the salt level in the gravy.
Ok, Let’s Make It! How to Make Homemade Gravy in Five Simple Steps!
Step One: Add your butter to a hot skillet and once it’s melted whisk in the flour! You’ll want to whisk the flour until it’s well incorporated and then cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
Step Two: Next, it’s time to slowly whisk in the pan drippings! Do this slowly until they are all well incorporated into the roux.
Step Three: Next, slowly pour in the chicken broth. Whisk it continuously as you pour it in to prevent any lumps!
Step Four: Give the gravy a taste and season with salt and pepper and let cook for two to three more minutes until it has thickened to your desired consistency. If it becomes too thick you can slowly whisk in another fourth a cup of broth and that’s it!
Pro-Tip: I don’t transfer my gravy to the table until the last possible second. Hot gravy is the best gravy!!
My Tips for the Best Homemade Gravy
- Remove the fat. There is nothing worse than a greasy, oily gravy. It’s just not enjoyable. To prevent this, be sure to remove any fat from the pan drippings before using them in the gravy. Let the pan drippings cool and then remove as much of the top layer of solid fat as possible.
- Whisk in the liquid slowly. To avoid any lumps in your gravy, slowly whisk in the pan drippings and broth to ensure that everything is well incorporated.
- Switch up the broth. Depending on what kind of gravy you are making you may need to switch up what kind of broth you use. If you are making turkey gravy you can use homemade turkey stock and if you are using beef drippings, you can use beef broth.
- Add a splash of cream. If you like your gravy to be a bit on the creamier side, you can add a splash of half and half, whole milk, or full fat coconut milk.
- Finish with herbs. Once the gravy is finished cooking and removed from the heat you can finish it off with a few chopped herbs. Thyme is one of my favorites to add to poultry gravy.
More Really Delicious Thanksgiving Recipes
Making this recipe for the holidays? Here are few more of our reader favorite Thanksgiving recipes to add your menu this holiday season:
- Healthy Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Brown Butter Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Brussels Sprouts Au Gratin
- Creamy Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Roasted Sweet Potato Salad with Honey Dijon Dressing
- Honey Mustard Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Gluten Free Cornbread Stuffing
- Fall Harvest Salad with Maple Mustard Vinaigrette
- Healthier Homemade Green Bean Casserole
- Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
- Rosemary White Cheddar Mashed Potatoes
Get all of our best Thanksgiving recipes, here!
I hope you give this Homemade Gravy a try! If you do give this recipe a try, I want to know! Leave a comment with a star rating below. You can also snap a photo & tag @allthehealthythings on INSTAGRAM. Your reviews help support All the Healthy Things and make it possible for me to continue to create the recipes you know and love.
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Easy Homemade Gravy
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 15 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Sides
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Gluten Free
Description
This simple recipe for homemade gravy gives you perfect silky, gravy every single time. It’s so easy to make and with just four simple ingredients you’ll have a delicious addition to your meal.
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 1/4 cup flour
- 1/2 cup chicken pan drippings, fat removed
- 1 1/2 cups chicken broth, plus more if desired
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.
- Once the skillet is hot, add the butter and let melt. Once the butter is melted, whisk in the flour until well incorporated and cook for another 30 seconds to 1 minute.
- Next, slowly whisk in the pan drippings until they are all well incorporated.
- Next, slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking continuously as you pour it in.
- Give the gravy a taste and season with salt and pepper and let cook for for two to three more minutes until it has thickened to your desired consistency. If it becomes too thick you can slowly whisk in another fourth a cup of broth.
- Once the gravy has thickened to your desired consistency, remove it from the heat. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.
Notes
Gluten Free: If you need to make a gluten free version of this homemade gravy, simply swap the all purpose flour for your favorite gluten free flour. My favorite gluten free flour to use is this one.
Photography by: Sasha Hooper
Just made this for thanksgiving and it was so easy and turned out perfect.
Made this with drippings from your AMAZING roast chicken recipe. I used ghee and subbed arrowroot for flour. Tasted amazing and so easy for making gravy for my first time! Thank you!!!
What is the gluten-free flour that you use? This looks so good and easy!
Hi, Amy! I really like Cup 4 Cup Gluten Free all purpose flour!
Thank you, Ashlea for your response! Would the King Arthur Flour work? This is what I currently have on hand. I’ll have to look into the Cup4Cup. I’m new to gluten free baking but also have to be dairy free (goat’s or sheep’s milk is okay for me). Which Cup4Cup flour blend do you use?
Yes! I think King Arthur gluten free all purpose would work just fine, too! and I use the multi-purpose Cup4Cup blend!
Thank you, Ashlea! I’m so glad I discovered your blog!!! <3