Gravy
Gravy is a sauce made from the juices and browned drippings of roasted meat, thickened with flour or starch. Here is how to make it smooth every time.
Also called Pan gravy, Brown gravy.
Gravy is a sauce made from the fat, juices and browned bits left after roasting or frying meat, mixed with stock and thickened, usually with flour. It is served with roast turkey, chicken, beef, mashed potatoes and biscuits. A thin, unthickened version is called a jus.
How to do it
For about 500 ml (2 cups):
- Lift the roast out of the roasting pan. Pour the drippings into a measuring cup and let the fat rise to the top.
- Put 2 tablespoons of the fat back in the pan over medium heat. Whisk in 2 tablespoons of flour to make a roux. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes.
- Slowly whisk in 500 ml (2 cups) of warm stock plus the meat juices from under the fat.
- Scrape the bottom of the pan to dissolve the fond.
- Simmer for 5 minutes, whisking, until it thickens.
- Season with salt and pepper. Strain if you want it very smooth.
How to tell it is done
The gravy coats the back of a spoon and pours in a thick stream. It tastes of roast meat, not flour.
Substitutes
- For gluten-free gravy, skip the roux. Whisk 1 tablespoon of cornstarch into 2 tablespoons of cold water to make a slurry, stir it into the simmering liquid and cook for 1 minute.
- With no drippings, make a roux with butter and use a rich stock.
How to store it
Keep gravy covered in the fridge for up to 3 to 4 days, or freeze it for up to 4 months. It sets when cold. Reheat until it boils, whisking in a splash of stock.
Common mistakes
- Adding flour straight to hot liquid, which makes lumps. Fix lumpy gravy by straining or blending it.
- Using all the fat, which makes it greasy.
- Salting before tasting. Drippings and stock may already be salty.
- Letting it get too thick. Thin it with stock.
In recipes
In the US South, "gravy" can mean a white sauce made with milk, such as sausage gravy. In parts of the US, "gravy" or "Sunday gravy" also means a tomato sauce for pasta.
Gravy recipes
14 recipes from the sites we collect.
Related terms
- FondFond is the layer of browned, stuck-on bits left in a pan after searing or roasting. Dissolved with liquid, it gives pan sauces and gravy their flavor.
- RouxA roux is equal weights of flour and fat cooked together to thicken sauces, soups and gravies. Cook it white, blond or brown depending on the dish.
- DeglazeTo deglaze is to pour liquid into a hot pan and scrape up the browned bits stuck to the bottom. Those bits become the flavor base of a quick pan sauce.
- SlurryA slurry is starch, such as cornstarch, mixed with cold water and stirred into a hot liquid to thicken it fast. It gives a glossy sauce in about a minute.
- JusJus is the thin, unthickened sauce made from a roast's own juices and stock. It is lighter than gravy and is served with roast beef and French dip.
- Roasting panA roasting pan is a large, heavy pan with low sides and often a rack, for roasting meat and vegetables. Here is how to use it and make gravy in it.