How to Make Gravy from Scratch

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Includes easy to follow step by step instructions for making gravy. Start with pan drippings from any meat and make deliciously simple homemade gravy.

The foundation of gravy: pan drippings

Do you know what pan drippings are? The little bits of seasoned goodness left behind when roasting or pan frying meat is what we call pan drippings. In these photos we had cooked country fried steak and what you see is what remains after almost all of the oil has been drained off.

You could also make your gravy from a beef roast that has been cooked on the stovetop (pot roast) or in a roasting pan in the oven. Baked or fried chicken leaves behind the flavorful beginnings of gravy too.

Maybe it’s not the most beautiful sight to you, but we see lots of flavor in this brown “mess”.

How to make gravy: Step 2

Next you will want to mix liquid and thickener. We used plain water in this illustration, but you could certainly use broth or stock. Do you know the difference? We have a post that explains what that difference is as well as how to make stock.

If you use broth or stock just be sure to check before adding any more salt. We don’t want you to end up with gravy that’s too salty.

If you like a creamy gravy you could use milk instead of water or stock. Or, use a combination. Try it different ways and see what your family likes best.

The thickener we always recommend is all purpose flour. We know that many people make gravy with cornstarch, but here in the south flour is king!

Mix the liquid and flour together and stir until no lumps remain. A good rule of thumb on proportions is about 2 Tablespoons of flour for every cup of liquid. Two cups of liquid and 4 Tablespoons of flour should be about right for a 10-12 inch skillet or a roasting pan, but you can adjust to your needs.

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We recommend a small whisk for this task and this little tool will come in handy so many other times. If you don’t have one in your kitchen, you may want to order one.

The next step

Add the combined liquid and thickener to your pan with the pan drippings. Letting the pan cool a bit prevents the gravy from thickening up too fast.

For the purposes of making sure you could see each step we made this gravy in a light colored non-stick pan. Typically, though, we would cook country fried steak or fried chicken in an iron skillet.

Not using a non-stick surface ensures even more flavorful pan drippings are left behind.

How to make gravy: step 4

Turn the heat under your pan to about medium and stir constantly. Be sure to get every little bit of pan drippings off the bottom and sides of the pan. A full sized whisk is a great tool to use here.

Keep stirring until the gravy has thickened. Depending on how fast your stove heats up this can take anywhere from 2 minutes to 7 or 8 minutes.

That’s it! You’ve not got basic, flavorful gravy to serve with your meat, over mashed potatoes or rice, or over biscuits. Our signature 3 Ingredient Buttermilk Biscuits would make the perfect place to spoon some of this gravy.

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Gravy is not exclusively a southern treat, but it is well loved here in the south. For an in depth look at our favorite cuisine be sure to check out Southern Food: Then & Now.

If you make this or any of our recipes we’d love for you to leave us a comment and star rating. If you’re into sharing your creations, snap a photo and tag us when you post it to Facebook or Instagram.

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