How to Make Perfect Gravy from Scratch + Trouble Shooting Tips
on Nov 20, 2020, Updated Oct 28, 2023
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Are you wondering how to make gravy from scratch? Homemade gravy can be intimidating. The last thing you want to end up with is a lumpy, gelatinous mess. Luckily, these quick and easy steps will help you get it right every time!
How to Make Gravy from Scratch
What are mashed potatoes without gravy? As much as my kids love mashed potatoes, if I don’t serve them with a delicious gravy, noses turn up every single time. Fortunately, it’s not that difficult to whip up a quick gravy to win your family over.
We love making gravy with drippings from roast meat. You can use turkey drippings, roast beef drippings, even chicken drippings. The key is to save those juicy and crusty bits you’ll find on the bottom of the pan and turn them into the perfect gravy. While we love making gravy with the drippings, sometimes that isn’t possible. In those desperate times when you need gravy and you don’t have drippings, it’s butter to the rescue!
Before we get to the gravy recipe, I’m sharing a few common problems people often have when making gravy. Make sure you read through this important information so you avoid these problems when making your own gravy!
What is a roux?
Making a roux, or paste, is the first step in making the perfect gravy. You make the roux by whisking flour with fat. The fat be drippings left behind from cooking a roast, or it can be butter, or even oil. I recommend using drippings first. If you don’t have drippings, try butter. Oil would be my last resort.
Pro Tip!
You’ll need 4 tablespoons of drippings for the perfect gravy. If your meat yields more than that, freeze the extras. A standard sized ice cube tray holds 1 ounce which is 2 tablespoons. Freeze as much as you can and when you need to make gravy, pull out two ice cubes of drippings and get to cooking!
Does your gravy look a little greasy?
My mother-in-law once told me to put in a piece of bread if the gravy looks a little greasy. The bread soaks up any extra grease and is so easy to get out of the gravy. Feel free to give that tip a try if your gravy looks greasy.
How do I fix lumpy gravy?
If your gravy ends up lumpy, you probably didn’t use a whisk. Make sure to have a quality whisk for making gravy. You’ll want to SLOWLY whisk broth into the roux and that will help prevent lumps. If all else fails, you can try to use an immersion blender to blend any any lumps if you do happen to end up with them.
Why won’t my gravy thicken?
If your gravy won’t thicken, you probably added too much liquid. You’ll want to make what’s called a slurry by whisking 2 tablespoons flour into a half cup of stock. Once that’s well mixed, whisk as you slowly reheat. As it warms up, it should thicken nicely.
Ingredients for perfect gravy
- 4 tablespoons meat drippings or unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups stock, use a high quality stock – homemade is best
- Salt and pepper to taste
How to make the perfect homemade gravy
- Make a roux by heating drippings or melting butter over medium heat. You can do this directly in the roasting pan or any skillet. Add flour and whisk until bubbly and thick.
- Once the roux is nice and bubbly, add the stock and whisk until the gravy thickens and bubbles too.
- Pour through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps, or at the last resort, use an immersion blender.
- Add salt and pepper to taste at the very end.
- Pour into a serving dish and serve piping hot.
Serve with the most amazing Instant Pot mashed potatoes!
How to Make Perfect Gravy from Scratch
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons meat drippings or unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make a roux by heating drippings or melting butter over medium heat. You can do this directly in the roasting pan or any skillet. Add flour and whisk until bubbly and thick.
- Once the roux is nice and bubbly, add the stock and whisk until the gravy thickens and bubbles too.
- Pour through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps, or at the last resort, use an immersion blender.
- Add salt and pepper to taste at the very end.
- Pour into a gravy boat and serve piping hot.
Notes
If you need to reheat the gravy, heat on low heat until it's piping hot.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 servingsServing Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 58Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 126mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
Nutritional data is not always correct.
How to Make Perfect Gravy from Scratch
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons meat drippings or unsalted butter
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 2 cups stock
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Make a roux by heating drippings or melting butter over medium heat. You can do this directly in the roasting pan or any skillet. Add flour and whisk until bubbly and thick.
- Once the roux is nice and bubbly, add the stock and whisk until the gravy thickens and bubbles too.
- Pour through a fine mesh sieve to remove any lumps, or at the last resort, use an immersion blender.
- Add salt and pepper to taste at the very end.
- Pour into a gravy boat and serve piping hot.
Notes
If you need to reheat the gravy, heat on low heat until it's piping hot.
Nutrition Information:
Yield:
8 servingsServing Size:
1Amount Per Serving: Calories: 58Total Fat: 3gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 1gCholesterol: 9mgSodium: 126mgCarbohydrates: 5gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g
Nutritional data is not always correct.
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