How to Make Homemade Beef Gravy with No Drippings

Use beef broth as a base for homemade beef gravy when you don’t have meat drippings. Ready in 15 minutes, you can quickly enhance any meal with creamy gravy.

Beef gravy always makes me think of Thanksgiving dinner and Christmas dinner. I love mashed potatoes and having a delicious brown gravy over them is the perfect topping for me. Well, I’ll be honest, I tend to pour the gravy over almost everything on my plate. The first time I made homemade beef gravy to top my Pan-Fried Pork Chops recipe. 

Yes, it’s entirely made from scratch, as in no pouch of store-bought gravy packets. This means I also know exactly what ingredients are in the homemade beef gravy recipe, which is very important for me. 

And luckily, it doesn’t take a long time or a lot of ingredients. And these can all be easily found at any grocery store. This easy recipe also uses only one pot, so it’s easy to clean up, too. The delicious gravy uses beef broth or beef stock as the base, then is mixed with a few seasonings and corn starch to thicken. Alternatively, you could use all-purpose flour as a thickener. 

Many gravy recipes will call for using the pan drippings from cooking beef. Well, I don’t always cook beef when I want some beef gravy. So I set out to figure out a way to make it without beef drippings. Hence the beef broth adds that rich flavor. 

This version of brown gravy comes out thick and creamy. It has that darker beef flavor, but it isn’t too powerful. If you want something a bit lighter, try making it with chicken broth or chicken stock instead of beef broth, or add some unsalted butter in the last step. 

What to Make with Beef Gravy

You have a lot of options for meat and meals to make with this rich brown gravy. 

• Mashed potatoes
• Roast Beef
• Pot Roast
• Fried Pork Chops
• Steak
• Meatballs
• Stuffing
• Turkey
• Salisbury Steak
• Beef Roast
• Fried Potatoes
• Sausage
• French Fries

Homemade Beef Gravy Step by Step

Ingredients

• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 cup cold water
• 1 1/2 tbsp corn starch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Preparation

In a large saucepan, bring the beef broth to a boil over medium-high heat. 

Once the beef broth is boiling, whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce. 

In a small bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together, then pour the cornstarch slurry into the gravy and stir until it’s dissolved. 

Lower to medium-low heat and stir occasionally so nothing sticks to the bottom of the pan. Cook until it’s thickened, about 2-3 minutes. Serve the gravy warm from a gravy boat.

Homemade Brown Gravy Leftovers

Storage: Store the remaining brown gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 3-4 days. 

Reheating: The best way to reheat homemade gravy is in a medium saucepan on medium heat. Cook until it starts to warm through, about 5 minutes, stirring often. 

Freezing: To freeze leftover gravy, place it in a freezer-safe container, making sure to leave room at the top for expansion. I like to use old glass jars for freezing gravy and sauces but wait until it’s room temperature as you shouldn’t pour hot liquid into glass. Another option is to freeze it in an ice cube tray then move to a freezer bag to have single servings of leftover brown gravy whenever you want it. 

Recipe

Beef Gravy

Use beef broth as a base for homemade beef gravy when you don't have meat drippings. Ready in 15 minutes, you can quickly enhance any meal with creamy gravy.

Prep Time 0 minutes minutes

Cook Time 15 minutes minutes

Total Time 15 minutes minutes

Course:

Homemade Staple

Cuisine:

American

Diet

Vegetarian

Keyword:

beef

|

gravy

|

worcestershire sauce

Dietary Needs:

Dairy-Free

|

Egg-Free

|

Gluten-Free

|

Nut-Free

Cooking Method:

One-Pan Meals

Servings: 1 cup

5 from 9 votes

Ingredients

• 1 cup beef broth
• 1 tsp garlic powder
• 1/2 tsp onion powder
• 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire sauce
• 1/8 cup water
• 1 1/2 tbsp cornstarch
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1 tsp black pepper

Recommended Equipment

• Saucepan – Medium
• Whisk – Nylon
• Mixing Bowls – Stainless Steel

Instructions

• In a large saucepan, bring the beef broth to a boil over medium-high heat
• Once the beef broth is boiling, whisk in the garlic powder, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce
• In a small mixing bowl, whisk the cornstarch and water together, then pour that into the gravy and stir until it’s dissolved
• Lower the heat to medium-low and stir occasionally
• Cook until it's thickened, about 2-3 minutes
• Serve the gravy warm

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Nutrition Facts

Beef Gravy

Amount Per Serving (0.25 cups)

Calories 22 Calories from Fat 9

% Daily Value*

Fat 1g2%

Saturated Fat 1g5%

Sodium 536mg22%

Potassium 59mg2%

Carbohydrates 4g1%

Fiber 1g4%

Sugar 1g1%

Protein 1g2%

Vitamin C 1mg1%

Calcium 4mg0%

Iron 1mg6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.

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