How to Make Homemade Gravy

This simple recipe for homemade gravy gives you perfect creamy gravy every single time. It’s so easy to make and with just four simple ingredients you’ll have a delicious addition to your favorite chicken or roast.

I am so excited to bring you another post in our All the Healthy Things “Just the Basics” series. These posts are focused on helping you master basics in the kitchen and, hopefully, inspiring you with a few new ideas along the way.

If you are new to cooking, or just need a refresher on the basics, these posts are designed to help you feel more confident in the kitchen. Once you have a handle on a few basic concepts and techniques, you can easily build upon them to create new and exciting recipes dishes without a second thought.

If you have ever wondered how some people just seem to know how to cook without a recipe or can quickly throw together a meal in a moment’s notice, it’s likely because they have a good grasp of the basics. I want that for you! It’s my hope that every just the basics post helps you feel more comfortable so that you can enjoy your time spent in the kitchen even more!

If you haven’t already be sure to check out the other how-to guides in the series.

Here are a few of our most popular posts: 

How to Make the Best Whole Roasted Chicken

How to Bake Sweet Sweet Potatoes

How to Make Oat Flour

How to Brown Butter

The Best Homemade Gravy Recipe

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.

Watch How to Make This Recipe

Thankfully, homemade gravy 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.

Ingredients You’ll Need

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.

How to Make Homemade Gravy With Flour

Step One: Heat a large skillet over medium-high heat.

Step Two: 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.

Step Three: Next, slowly whisk in the pan drippings until they are all well incorporated.

Step Four: Next, slowly pour in the chicken broth, whisking continuously as you pour it in.

Step Five: 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.

Step Six: Once the gravy has thickened to your desired consistency, remove it from the heat. Transfer to a serving dish and serve immediately.

Can I Make This Recipe Gluten Free?

Yes! 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.

Tips for the Best 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 Thanksgiving Recipes to Serve

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

I hope you give this Homemade Gravy a try! It’s easy to make and so delicious.

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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Recipe by: Ashlea Carver / All the Healthy Things | Photography by: Eat Love Eats