This easy recipe for gravy without drippings is perfect for when you want delicious gravy but don’t have the drippings to get it done. It’s made from scratch, no packets, and has a delicious gravy flavor.
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The full recipe with ingredients/instructions is available on the recipe card at the bottom of the post. Important tips/tricks are also included in the blog post.
I want gravy and I don’t have the drippings. This happens to me often and I’m sure it’s happened to you too. Luckily, you don’t need drippings to make a delicious brown gravy on the stovetop that is full of amazing flavor.
The key to the perfect gravy without the drippings is all about technique. You’ve got to sauté the right vegetables in the right fat, add the right amount of flour and brown it to the perfect caramel color, add some low-sodium broth and reduce. I promise you, it’s quite easy and perfect.
Ingredients Needed
- Unsalted butter - Typical gravy recipes use drippings from the meat to create the base of the gravy. Since this recipe uses no drippings, we will use butter instead.
- Vegetables - Onions, Carrots, and Celery, the mirepoix, are used as the base flavor of this gravy.
- Broth - I use both chicken and beef broth in this recipe, resulting in a brown gravy. But these can be subbed with vegetable broth, all chicken broth, or all beef broth. You can even sub with turkey broth.
- Herbs & Seasoning - Dried bay leaf, dried thyme, salt, and black pepper are added to round out the flavor in this gravy.
How to make brown gravy without meat drippings
I use prep containers to place all my ingredients before I get to the stove. Chop your onion, carrot, and celery stalk. Measure out your butter, flour, and seasonings. Open your broth.
Melt butter in sauce pan over medium-high heat in a skillet. Add onions, carrots, and celery stalk and stir consistently until vegetables have softened, about 8-9 minutes. Do not stop stirring at this point or your butter may get too hot and burn. Burnt butter = bitter gravy.
Sprinkle flour over vegetables and continue to stir for about 3-4 more minutes to allow the flour to cook. You’ll notice that your flour is getting darker, which is perfectly fine. Your flour should turn a tan/light caramel color. Any darker than that can leave you with bitter gravy.
Once your flour has reached the desired color, stir in beef and chicken broth. Add bay leaf and thyme.
Allow your gravy to simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Use a metal spoon to remove any foam that appears around the edges.
After 20-25 minutes, your gravy should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.
Use a colander and drain the gravy. Discard the vegetables.
Serve and enjoy 🙂
How long does this gravy last?
This homemade gravy will last for 4 days in the refrigerator. You can reheat it gently on the stovetop to serve, adding in a little water if needed. You can also freeze it for 2-3 months and defrost it in the fridge before reheating.
Can I make this gravy without flour?
Yes! Keep this gravy gluten-free by thickening it with cornstarch instead of flour. To thicken the gravy with cornstarch, omit the flour and stir the broth into the melted butter and vegetables over medium heat. Allow the broth to simmer for about 10 minutes. In a separate bowl, create a slurry by whisking together 2 Tablespoons cornstarch and ¼ cup water. Pour the slurry into the simmering liquid while whisking to combine. Allow it to simmer for an additional 1-2 minutes before removing from heat.
Can I make this gravy ahead of time?
Yes, you can make gravy 3-5 days ahead of time. Store the gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator. When you're ready to use it, simply reheat the gravy over low heat until it's warmed through.
NOTES
- It’s so important to make sure you don’t let the gravy get too brown during the sautéing phase. A gravy that is too brown can taste extremely bitter and is quite hard to fix.
- If you find that the butter is browning too quickly or burning, lower the heat to medium. Consistent stirring before you add the liquid is the key to stopping it from burning.
- You can try and fix a bitter gravy by adding a pinch of sugar. For best results, have everything prepared and ready before you start cooking the gravy to avoid a bitter gravy.
- You can always choose to make gravy with pan drippings if you prefer. You would need the drippings from roasted meat.
- Swap the vegetables for onions, and make a delicious onion gravy.
I hope you enjoy this gravy recipe as much as we do!
If you’re looking for recipes to serve this gravy with, I strongly suggest these Creamy Mashed Potatoes.
You could also serve it along with these yummy favorites:
For a Full Southern Meal, throw in these recipes:
- Creamy Baked Macaroni and Cheese
- Instant Pot Collard Greens
- Corn Casserole
- Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes
- Perfect Air Fryer Pork Chops
- Buttered Cabbage
Yes, but you will need to add extra seasoning to ensure the gravy isn't bland.
Your best bet to avoid a lumpy gravy is to create a roux by adding the flour to the fat. Allow the flour to cook into the fat while whisking. Cook for a few minutes. Then slowly add in the liquid while whisking.
To fix a thin gravy, simply let it cook a little longer. Gravy will reduce over time. The longer it simmers, it will thicken and concentrate the flavor.
To fix a thick gravy, whisk in more liquid. Taste the gravy and adjust to taste.
If you have tried this gravy without drippings recipe, or any other recipe on my blog, then please rate it and let me know how it turned out in the comments below!
Easy Recipe for Gravy without Drippings
Ingredients
- 4 Tablespoon unsalted butter
- 1 onion chopped
- 1 carrot peeled and chopped
- 1 rib celery chopped
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 14 oz chicken broth low sodium
- 14 oz beef broth low sodium
- 1 bay leaf
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- Salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- In a 10-inch skillet, melt butter over medium-high heat. Add carrot, celery, and onion and stir for about 8-9 minutes to allow the vegetables to soften.
- Sprinkle flour over vegetables and continue to stir for about 3-4 more minutes until your vegetables are a tan/caramel color.
- Pour in beef broth and chicken broth and stir, removing any stuck bits from the bottom of the skillet. Add bay leaf and dried thyme.
- Allow your gravy to simmer for 20-25 minutes, stirring occasionally. Your gravy should be thick enough to coat the back of a spoon. Remove any foam that appears around the side of the skillet with a spoon.
- Use a strainer and drain the gravy. Discard the vegetables.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Suggested Tools
Video
Notes
- It’s so important to make sure you don’t let the gravy get too brown during the sauteing phase. A gravy that is too brown can taste extremely bitter and is quite hard to fix.
- If you find that your butter is browning too quickly or burning, lower the heat to medium. Consistent stirring before you add the liquid is key to stopping it from burning.
- You can try and fix a bitter gravy by adding a pinch of sugar. For best results, have everything prepared and ready before you start cooking the gravy to avoid a bitter gravy.
- You can always choose to make gravy with pan drippings if you prefer. You would need the drippings from roasted meat.
Nutrition
This post was updated on September 12th, 2022 with additional helpful recipe tips.
Yvonne Tricarico says
Tried it tonight. Used a shallot. Great recipe with wonderful flavor. Served with ham slices, Yukon gold small boiled potatoes, and sautéed spinach. A great meal!!
Tanya says
Thanks Yvonne! So happy you like the recipe.
Amy says
Made this to serve with our ham dinner on Christmas Day tomorrow. Excellent recipe! Thank you for sharing it with us. Happy Holidays to you and yours!
Tanya says
Thank you Amy! Merry Christmas and Happy Holidays.
Fran says
This recipe was something l had been looking for as I am making turkey breasts for Christmas and usually there is not much drippings. It is so delicious and tasty you’ll want to eat it with a spoon on its own.Thank you!
Tanya says
Thanks Fran! So happy you like the recipe.
Susan says
I believe I like this better than gravy from drippings. I used a hand blender when finished and blended the veggies in for flavor.
Tanya says
Thanks Susan! I love that idea!
Beth says
How many cups does 10 servings make?
Tanya says
A little more than 1 cup. You can always double if you feel each person will eat more gravy.
Sheila says
My hubby needed to bring mashed potatoes and gravy to his work luncheon tomorrow. Unfortunately, we don't have any turkey drippings. Found this recipe on Pinterest. Made it today and it was yummy. I did make it gluten free for my hubby as well as doubled the recipe. Easy to make and we already had the ingredients. Thanks for sharing.
Tanya says
Thanks so much, Sheila! I love that you made it gluten-free to suit your needs.
Jackie says
Thank you for sharing. Wonderful recipe. I was out of beef broth so I used all chicken. Next time I’ll use beef and chicken broth. I didn’t get it as dark as it should be so I added a few drops of kitchen bouquet. I don’t think I cooked the flour long enough I substituted poultry seasoning since I didn’t have thyme I added 1/4 tsp each of garlic powder and onion powder. There were no lumps. Very clever to have gravy without drippings. I’m going to freeze some of it. Next time I’m sure it will be even better. Thank you again
Bobbi Gilligan says
Outstanding! I needed gravy for some pork tenderloin, and this absolutely was perfect. Both teenage boys and husband loved it. Made them think of Thanksgiving. Now that I have found you I will try more of your recipes. You have a flavor that I’m always looking for in recipes that has been lacking recently. Thanks very much.
Tanya says
Yay! I love Thanksgiving in March 🙂 Thanks so much Bobbi, glad you all enjoyed the recipe 🙂
Barb. says
How much gravy does it make.I am having 6 people?.thanks
Tanya says
This yields a little more than 1 cup.
Lauren says
@Tanya, You start with 28 oz of broth. How in the world does that only yield 1 cup? Lol Maybe a typo and should read around 3 cups?
Brad says
Very Tasty. Tried it tonight with some leftover Thanksgiving Turkey and it was Wonderful.
Tanya says
Thanks Brad! So glad you liked the recipe 🙂
Susan says
Thank-you for this wonderful recipe! Just what I needed since I had purchased a roast chicken from the deli, and had leftovers to go with some homemade mashed potatoes. It is simply(and simple)delicious!!!
Ann says
Tanya, do you think I could freeze this in portions and get it out when I need? There's only two of us so it's a bit of a nuisance making a tiny batch of gravy 3ach time.
Tanya says
Hi Ann, yes you can. Here's some additional info on the best way to freeze it. https://www.thespruceeats.com/how-to-store-gravy-1807769
JimmyB says
Hi Tanya:
I just ran across this recipe and am eager to try it. There are times when I cook something that could use gravy (meat loaf with mashed potatoes for example) and yet not really a good way to make gravy. This sounds perfect.
I was intrigued by your offering giblet and dripping gravy as 2 separate and distinct gravies. In our family we boiled the giblets, chopped them and added them to the dripping gravy. One advantage to that is that you can ladle out some dripping gravy before adding the giblets in case you have a guest who does not like giblets.
Thanks for all of your offerings, I am looking forward to exploring them.
Leigh says
How far in advance can this gravy be prepared? Thank you!
Tanya says
3-4 days.
Beth says
I just found this - thank you. Was just thinking how was I going to make gravy for thanksgiving because I am serving smoked bone-in turkey breast. I already make a roux gravy but never thought about adding veggies and beef and chicken broth. I make gumbo all the time (I’m creole) and never thought to do the same for gravy - duh! You just saved me thank you again.