How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (2024)

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Rich, smooth, and so savory, this homemade gravy from drippings is so dang good that you’ll be licking your plate clean! Learn how to make gravy from drippings in just 10 minutes and take your dinner to a whole new level.

How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (2)

Table of Contents

  • Why This Is the Best Gravy From Drippings
  • Ingredients Needed
  • How to Make Gravy From Drippings
  • Tips for the Best Homemade Gravy
  • What to Serve With Homemade Brown Gravy
  • How to Store and Reheat Leftovers
  • More Easy Gravy Recipes
  • Get the Recipe

    Why This Is the Best Gravy From Drippings

    Thick and velvety, this decadent pan gravy will make any piece of meat instantly better. Making gravy from drippings is so easy, and it’s a great way to maximize all the flavor from whatever meat you cooked for dinner. Here’s why this is our go-to homemade gravy recipe:

    • Fast & Easy: This luscious gravy is super easy to make in just 10 minutes. Once your meat is cooked, we whisk in a little flour, seasonings, and broth into the pan drippings. We simmer our gravy until it has thickened and that’s it, it’s ready to serve!
    • Mess-Free: This pan gravy from drippings is such a great way to add flavor to your meal without making your kitchen any messier. If you make the recipe right after cooking a piece of meat, you can just make the gravy directly in the same pan.
    • Maximize Flavor: Anytime you cook a piece of meat, you leave so much flavor in the pan. When you make gravy from drippings, you get to use that flavor instead of wasting it!
    • Use Any Meat: This is a versatile gravy recipe, so you can use the drippings from any meat. You can make beef, pork, chicken, bacon, or turkey gravy from drippings.
    • Better Than Store-Bought: There’s simply no comparison between homemade gravy from drippings and store-bought gravy. This gravy will have a meatier and deeper flavor, with an irresistible smooth and velvety texture, than any store-bought gravy you’d find at the store.
    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (3)

    Ingredients Needed

    You only need a few basic pantry staples that you probably already have on hand to make gravy from drippings. For full ingredient amounts and directions, scroll to the printable recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    • Pan Drippings: You can use drippings from any kind of meat.
    • All-Purpose Flour
    • Broth: Chicken or beef broth are best for this recipe.
    • Salt
    • Black Pepper: Always use freshly cracked pepper for the most flavor.
    • Garlic or Onion Powder: This is an optional ingredient, but can add a lot of flavor to your gravy.
    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (4)

    How to Make Gravy From Drippings

    Whether you’re making homemade turkey gravy, pork gravy, or pan gravy with any other kind of meat, this sauce is rich, smooth, and packed with a deep, meaty flavor. And it only takes 10 minutes to cook! Scroll to the recipe card at the end of the page for detailed instructions on how to make gravy from drippings.

    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (5)
    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (6)
    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (7)
    • Add Flour: Heat the pan drippings in a heavy skillet, then add the flour. Whisk until the roux turns a medium brown.
    • Pour In The Broth: Slowly pour in the broth while whisking.
    • Finish: Cook the gravy, while whisking, until it thickens. Season to taste and serve immediately.
    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (8)

    Tips for the Best Homemade Gravy

    Making rich and savory homemade gravy from pan drippings is so easy, but here are a few things you can do to ensure that it comes out perfectly every time.

    • Whisk Thoroughly: Once you start making the gravy, it’s important to whisk continuously. If you’re not constantly whisking, the roux might burn, or the gravy might break. When you add the broth, the gravy might separate a little bit, but keep whisking until it comes back together.
    • Season At The End: It’s really important to wait until you’re done cooking the gravy before you season it. Since your pan drippings will likely have salt from the meat you cooked and most broth has added salt, the gravy might be plenty salty without adding any extra salt. Once the gravy is done cooking, taste it, and adjust the seasonings as needed!
    • Adjust The Thickness. You can easily adjust how thick this homemade pan gravy is, depending on your taste. If the gravy is too thick, add a splash of water, broth, milk, or cream. Adding milk or cream will make the gravy extra creamy and smooth. If your gravy is too thin, just cook it for a little bit longer.
    • Add Flavors: Garlic and onion powder are included as optional seasonings for this savory gravy. Just a pinch will really add a lot of extra flavor! You can also add fresh or dried herbs like rosemary, sage, or thyme.
    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (9)

    What to Serve With Homemade Brown Gravy

    This hearty homemade gravy is so easy to serve. Our favorite way to eat it is with whatever piece of meat you’re using the drippings from and a side of mashed potatoes!

    • Pork: As shown in these photos, this gravy is delicious over some breaded fried pork chops! We also love to serve it with these juicy pan fried pork chops.
    • Chicken: A little chicken pan gravy would be amazing over these pan seared chicken breasts!
    • Beef: Chicken fried steak is a classic with white gravy, but it’s also delicious with a light brown gravy made with the pan drippings. This easy smothered cube steak is another great option!
    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (10)

    How to Store and Reheat Leftovers

    This homemade gravy will last for up to 5 days in the fridge if stored in an airtight container. We don’t recommend freezing homemade pan gravy from drippings. The texture will really suffer if you freeze and then thaw the gravy.

    You can reheat the gravy over medium heat on the stove, or in the microwave on 80% power in 20-second bursts. You’ll need to stir the gravy after reheating it. If your gravy has thickened too much, you can add a little broth to thin it out.

    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (11)

    More Easy Gravy Recipes

    If you’re a big gravy fan then we’ve got you covered. Here are some more of our favorite easy and comforting gravy recipes.

    • Homemade White Gravy
    • Chicken and Gravy
    • Homemade Brown Gravy
    • Beef Tips and Gravy
    • Crockpot Chicken and Gravy

    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (12)

    5 from 3 votes

    Print Pin Recipe

    Yield: 4 servings

    How to Make Gravy From Drippings

    This homemade gravy from drippings is rich, smooth, velvety, and meaty. It only takes 10 minutes to make, and is perfect on top of just about everything!

    Prep Time2 minutes minutes

    Cook Time8 minutes minutes

    Total Time10 minutes minutes

    Ingredients

    • 4 tablespoons pan drippings
    • 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups broth, chicken or beef
    • ½ teaspoon garlic or onion powder, optional
    • Salt and freshly black pepper, to taste

    Instructions

    • If using old pan drippings, heat the pan drippings in a heavy bottom skillet over medium-to-medium high heat.

    • Once pan drippings are hot, add in the flour and whisk continuously so the flour does not burn. Keep whisking, and cook until the flour change colors to a medium brown, about 2 minutes. You can also start to smell the flour cooking when it’s ready.

    • Slowly pour in the broth, while whisking continuously. At first everything will separate, but keep whisking making sure to stir the entire skillet.

    • Continue cooking and whisking, until gravy thickens, about 3 to 4 minutes.

    • Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and serve immediately.

    Notes

    Storage: This homemade gravy will last for up to 5 days in the fridge if stored in an airtight container.

    Reheat: You can reheat the gravy over medium heat on the stove, or in the microwave on 80% power in 20-second bursts. You’ll need to stir the gravy after reheating it. If your gravy has thickened too much, you can add a little broth to thin it out.

    Whisk Thoroughly: Once you start making the gravy, it’s important to whisk continuously. If you’re not constantly whisking, the roux might burn, or the gravy might break. When you add the broth, the gravy might separate a little bit, but keep whisking until it comes back together.

    Season At The End:It’s really important to wait until you’re done cooking the gravy before you season it. Since your pan drippings will likely have salt from the meat you cooked and most broth has added salt, the gravy might be plenty salty without adding any extra salt. Once the gravy is done cooking, taste it, and adjust the seasonings as needed!

    Adjust The Thickness.You can easily adjust how thick this homemade pan gravy is, depending on your taste. If the gravy is too thick, add a splash of water, broth, milk, or cream. Adding milk or cream will make the gravy extra creamy and smooth. If your gravy is too thin, just cook it for a little bit longer.

    Add Flavors:Garlic and onion powder are included as optional seasonings for this savory gravy. Just a pinch will really add a lot of extra flavor! You can also add fresh or dried herbs like rosemary, sage, or thyme.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 160kcal, Carbohydrates: 8g, Protein: 1g, Fat: 14g, Saturated Fat: 5g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g, Monounsaturated Fat: 6g, Cholesterol: 13mg, Sodium: 491mg, Potassium: 13mg, Fiber: 0.2g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 250IU, Vitamin C: 0.01mg, Calcium: 1mg, Iron: 0.4mg

    Cuisine: American

    Category: Sauce

    How to Make Gravy From Drippings | Homemade Gravy Recipe In 10 Mins! (2024)

    FAQs

    What is the formula for gravy? ›

    A traditional roux uses roughly an equal amount of flour and fat, but gravies often call for a bit more flour than that, to ensure the gravy is thick enough. (The classic ratio for gravy is three:two:one, so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.)

    How to make gravy from juices of meat? ›

    Method
    1. Remove all but 1/4 cup of fat from pan: Remove the roast from the pan. ...
    2. Scrape up the drippings and place the pan on the stovetop on medium heat: ...
    3. Sprinkle 4 tablespoons of flour onto the drippings: ...
    4. Whisk the gravy while slowly adding liquid: ...
    5. Taste and season:

    What is the secret to good gravy? ›

    Here are my principles for making great gravy without fear:
    • Make it ahead. This is the most important one. ...
    • Make a really good homemade turkey stock first. Don't skimp on this crucial first step. ...
    • Reinforce the stock's flavor. ...
    • Simmer, simmer, simmer. ...
    • Strain and cool. ...
    • Reduce. ...
    • Hot liquids only.
    Nov 5, 2021

    What are the ingredients in gravy? ›

    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!

    How is gravy made from scratch? ›

    Pour ¼ cup of the fat into a saucepan, then whisk in the flour over heat. Add stock to the remaining drippings in the measuring cup to equal 2 cups. Whisk the stock until it's incorporated. Cook until thickened and bubbly.

    How to make a sauce out of drippings? ›

    In the time it takes your steak or pork chop to rest, you can turn those pan drippings into a fantastic sauce, no culinary school degree required. Liquid, in a combination of wine or stock, is used to deglaze the pan and a little butter is added to make things rich.

    What flour is best for gravy? ›

    Country Gravy Ingredients
    • Bacon Fat. Use leftover bacon grease (instead of butter) in the roux to add meaty flavor and create a rich texture.
    • Flour. All-purpose flour results in a thick, velvety gravy that holds up well during the cooking process.
    • Salt and Pepper. ...
    • Milk.
    Mar 7, 2023

    How long to cook steak? ›

    The timing.

    As a rule of thumb (for a steak 22mm thick) – cook 2 minutes each side for rare, 3-4 mins each side for medium-rare and 4-6 mins each side for medium. For well done, cook for 2-4 minutes each side, then turn the heat down and cook for another 4-6 minutes.

    Can you still buy beef dripping? ›

    Delicious Beef Dripping. Still popular for spreading on fresh bread or hot toast. Great for making chips, roast potatoes and Yorkshire puddings too. 250g pot.

    What thickener is best 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.

    How to make better instant gravy? ›

    Supplement with Sautéed Vegetables

    Soft, fragrant, sautéed vegetables lend a sweet, earthy, warm flavor to your store-bought gravy. Use any combination of onions, leeks, shallots, celery, carrots, and mushrooms cooked in butter, olive oil, or pan drippings.

    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.

    What ingredient in the gravy is the thickener? ›

    Flour or a starch ( corn/potato/arrowroot/tapioca ) is mixed with cold water in a 1 part starch, 2 parts water ratio. The mix needs to be stirred right before adding since the starch settles quickly. Drizzle in the slurry while whisking. Heat to bubbling, it will thicken quickly to a gravy.

    Is it better to make gravy with cornstarch or flour? ›

    It depends on the technique you are using. If you have a liquid that you would like to thicken into gravy (say from a pot roast), I would heat it, then add a water/cornstarch goop to it while stirring. If you have some fat like melted butter in a pan that you want to add starch to, then add broth, I would use flour.

    What is the ratio of cornstarch to gravy? ›

    How much cornstarch is needed to thicken gravy? The ratio is an easy one to remember: Use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per 1 cup of liquid for a perfect gluten-free gravy thickener every time.

    What is the ratio for a roux? ›

    A roux is a sauce built on a simple ratio of 1 part butter to 1 part flour. You start by melting butter, then add in flour, and cook the mixture over low heat until it's thick and lump-free. At this point, most recipes will instruct you to slowly add a liquid such as broth or milk, and this is where the magic happens.

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