Easy Five Minute Perfect Gravy Recipe (2024)

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By: Leigh Anne Wilkes

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Make the perfect easy gravy every time in just 5 minutes with or without pan drippings using these step by step directions. Pour it over potatoes or meat for your holiday meal or anytime! Makes 2 cups.

Easy Five Minute Perfect Gravy Recipe (1)

Does making gravy scare you? I have to admit it scared me for years and true confession, my husband always made the gravy until recently when I finally decided I could do it! How hard could it be. I quickly discovered that making easy perfect gravy was totally doable.

How to Make Gravy without Meat Juices.

Making this easy gravy without drippings from the roast or turkey is totally doable. Instead of pan drippings you can use butter or a butter substitute.

Ingredients Needed

  • Fat. You can use either butter or pan drippings for your fat.
  • Flour. For gluten free gravy you an use cornstarch instead.
  • Stock. You can use beef, chicken or turkey.
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How to Make Easy Gravy From Scratch

  • Place either butter or pan drippings in a pan and get them hot. If you are using butter, allow it to melt slowly, you don’t want to burn your butter.
  • Sprinkle flour over melted butter or pan drippings and whisk until smooth.
  • Slowly pour the stock into the fat and flour mixture. Don’t pour it all in at once or you will end up with lumps. Stir as you pour.
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  • Stir constantly until the desired consistency is reached. If it gets too thick, add in some more broth.
  • Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper as desired. If I am serving the easy gravy with turkey and didn’t have pan drippings I like to add in a little poultry seasoning for more flavor. You could also add in somerosemaryorthyme.
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Leigh Anne’s Tips to Perfect Turkey Gravy

The secret to perfect gravy is a 2:2:1 ratio. You want 2 Tbsp of fat which can be butter or pan drippings, 2 Tbsp of flour and 1 cup of stock. You can increase the ratio depending on how much gravy you want or need.

How do I save the turkey drippings?

Fat is the essential ingredient of perfect gravy. If you are roasting a turkey or roast you will end up with quite a bit of fat in the roasting pan. This is your key to amazing gravy. DON’T POUR IT DOWN THE DRAIN!

Allow the drippings to cool in the roasting pan after you have removed the meat to allow it to sit for several minutes. Strain the drippings in a strainer over a bowl or saucepan. Discard what is left in the strainer. Now use what is in the bowl as the fat in your gravy. Depending on how much seasoning you used on your meat, you may or may not need to season the gravy.

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I Make Gravy Gluten Free?

Instead of using flour in your gravy use cornstarch. In place of the 1/4 cup of flour, use 3 Tbsp of cornstarch. You could also use a gluten free flour as your thickener.

Can I Make Easy Gravy Ahead of Time?

If you are using butter instead of pan drippings you can definitely make it ahead of time. It will keep in the refrigerator for 2 -4 days. It only takes about 15 minutes to make so if you are using pan drippings it is easy to make as the turkey or roast is sitting for a few minutes before carving. You can also freeze the easy gravy for up to 3 months in an airtight container. Thaw in the refrigerator for a day before use.

Can you freeze gravy?

Gravy freezes great in an airtight container. Will last up to 3 months in the freezer. After it thaws stir well as it may have separated a bit.

Do you make mashed potatoes just so you can have gravy or the other way around?? Use this easy gravy recipe whether you have drippings or not!

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Serve this Easy Gravy Recipe over:

  • Instant Pot Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
  • Lemon Snow Pudding
  • Italian Turkey Soup
  • Beef Barbacoa
  • How to Cook a Turkey
  • Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
  • Creamy Mashed Potatoes

For more delicious recipes try these:

  • Instant Pot Balsamic Pork Tenderloin
  • Lemon Snow Pudding
  • Italian Turkey Soup
  • How to Cook a Turkey
  • Beef Barbacoa

Be sure and follow me over onYou Tubefor weekly cooking demos.

4.94 from 89 votes

Easy Five Minute Perfect Gravy Recipe (7)

Easy Gravy Recipe

Recipe From: Leigh Anne Wilkes

Make the perfect easy gravy every time in just 5 minutes with or without pan drippings using these step by step directions. Pour it over potatoes or meat for your holiday meal or anytime!

serves: 8 servings

Prep:5 minutes minutes

Cook:10 minutes minutes

Total:15 minutes minutes

Rate Recipe

Ingredients

  • 4 Tbps fat butter or pan drippings
  • 4 Tbsp flour
  • 3 cups broth beef, turkey or chicken
  • salt and pepper to taste
  • 1/2 tsp poultry seasoning if desired

Instructions

  • Add butter or pan drippings to a large pan. Melt butter over medium heat.

  • While stirring, add flour a tablespoon at a time.Whisk as you add.

  • Slowly pour in the stock, a cup at a time to prevent lumps. Whisk or stir well.

  • Stir constantly over medium heat until gravy thickens and reaches desired thickness. Add additional broth if it gets too thick.

  • Taste for seasoning and add salt and pepper and/or poultry seasoning if desired. I only use poultry seasoning if I used butter instead of pan drippings.

Tips & Notes:

  • As you pour liquid into roux, add in a slow steady stream. This help prevent lumps.
  • For a little additional flavor in your gravy use onion powder or garlic powder.
  • You can also use a combination of beef and chicken broth for more flavor.
  • If gravy gets too thick add a little more water or broth to desired consistency.
  • This recipe makes 2 cups of gravy

Nutrition Facts:

Calories: 20kcal (1%) Carbohydrates: 4g (1%) Sodium: 355mg (15%) Potassium: 11mg Sugar: 1g (1%) Vitamin A: 205IU (4%) Calcium: 9mg (1%) Iron: 0.2mg (1%)

* Disclaimer: All nutrition information are estimates only. Read full disclosure here.

Course:Sauce

Cuisine:American

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  1. Melissa says

    So easy and delicious.

    Reply

  2. Kathleen k Halsell says

    this was the best and easiest gravy recipe

    Reply

  3. Robin says

    Perfect gravy…I could just eat it with a spoon! I added a few splashes of soy sauce at the end…undetectable taste but gives a lot of depth to the flavor. Thank you for a great recipe!

    Reply

    • Spencer says

      Im 34 years old, never really cooked for myself until recently. I made this to throw over some mashed potatoes and I just want to tell you thank you. Honestly thank you. It’s the easiest thin nicer ever made and delicious. I will use this for everything.

      Reply

      • Leigh Anne Wilkes says

        I’m so glad you found the recipe and enjoy it!! If you are cooking just for yourself you may want to check out my small batch You Tube Channel! Lots of recipes that serve 1-2 people. https://www.youtube.com/leighannewilkes

        Reply

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Easy Five Minute Perfect Gravy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What is the formula for gravy? ›

(The classic ratio for gravy is three:two:one, so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.) You can add other flavors to the mixture, swap out the stock for another liquid, or use cornstarch rather than flour to thicken your gravy.

What is the best thickener for gravy? ›

Add cornstarch: To thicken your gravy with cornstarch, make a slurry, which is a liquid-based paste. Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with one cup of cold water, whisking the mixture together until the cornstarch granules dissolve. Stir this mixture into your gravy on low heat.

Is gravy better with flour or cornstarch? ›

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

How do you make gravy taste richer? ›

Add in some white wine.

Add a dash of white wine (nothing too fruity; we recommend a dry Chardonnay) to boost the richness of the turkey gravy. All you need to do is put a couple of tablespoons of your chosen white wine while you're heating up your gravy and voilà! The wine should evaporate in just a couple of minutes.

What is traditional gravy made of? ›

A basic gravy recipe can be made with: 1 tablespoon of fat or butter, 1 tablespoon of flour, and 1 cup of pan drippings or broth. You can easily double or even quadruple this recipe to serve a crowd. It's especially handy for making a large batch of turkey gravy at Thanksgiving!

What is the correct order of steps in making gravy? ›

The correct order of steps in making gravy for roast meats and poultry is to brown the mirepoix, deglaze the roasting pan with stock, strain the liquid, and thicken with roux.

What do restaurants use to thicken gravy? ›

Onion paste, cashew paste, cream, butter, melon seed paste, cornflour slurry and roux (equal parts of cooked flour and butter) are some of the commercially used thickening agents.

Why does my gravy go watery on my plate? ›

It is common for moisture and the natural fats/ oils of the ingredients to release during the cooking process causing the sauce to seem runny when you first remove the lid. Once fully cooked, you'll want to mix everything back together then move the temperature to 'Keep Warm' until you're ready to plate and serve.

How do you add depth of flavor to gravy? ›

Fortunately, Shannon has several suggestions for fixing bland gravy, starting by adding a bouillon cube, herbs or a splash of wine or cognac. But if you have time to spare, add pan drippings from turkey, bacon or bacon drippings, caramelized vegetables (like onions, leeks, carrots and celery), herbs or garlic.

Why is my gravy not tasty? ›

If the gravy lacks oomph, adjust seasoning as necessary with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. If you used canned stock instead of homemade, the gravy might not be as flavorful. Homemade stock, even made with chicken stock rather than turkey, will produce a superior gravy—so it's worth the effort.

How do you increase the consistency of gravy? ›

If your gravy is looking watery, you can add a slurry (a mixture of cornstarch/flour and water) or a roux (a mixture of flour and butter) to thicken it up. Other pantry ingredients like Wondra (an instant flour), arrowroot, tapioca, and potato starch can also be used to thicken gravy to a deliciously silky consistency.

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