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Easy homemade gravy recipe made without pan drippings. It is rich, flavorful, and incredibly delicious. Made in 15 minutes and can be served over creamy garlic mashed potatoes, biscuits, or chicken fried steak.
One of my proudest kitchen moments was when I learned to make gravy from scratch. One that was absolutely delicious and everyone in my family loved.
Packet gravy is great, but who knows what’s in it. Whatever it is, it can’t be good for you. I love a challenge and trying to make things from scratch.
After many tries, I came up with an easy recipe for homemade gravy that didn’t taste watery or that a gravy packet would have been better. LOL.
This recipe only uses 6 pantry ingredients (salt and pepper count as one 🙂 ) and comes together in no time. Your family will love it and you can feel great that you know every ingredient in it.
This post may contain affiliate links, which means I’ll receive a commission if you purchase through my links, at no extra cost to you. Please read the full disclosure here.
Key Ingredients In Homemade Gravy:
All-purpose flour- is used to thicken the gravy.
Butter - for flavor and to cook the flour.
Cold Chicken broth - used instead of pan drippings. This is the key to a flavorful homemade gravy. I always keep my homemade chicken broth in the freezer for recipes like these. If you don’t have homemade chicken broth, use a good-quality organic chicken broth from the store.
Cold Milk - to make the gravy creamy. You can leave it out if you want and just use more chicken broth.
All-purpose seasoning - a delicious blend of spices that adds so much flavor to the gravy. Can be substituted with dried thyme, oregano, and parsley.
Salt and black pepper - More seasoning and adds flavor.
How to Make Homemade Gravy From Scratch:
Step 1. Melt the butter in a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Add the flour and whisk until combined. The mixture should be loose, if it's not, add a little bit more butter. Cook until it starts to smell like pie crust, 2- 3 minutes.
Step 2. Slowly whisk the cold chicken broth into the flour/butter mixture so there aren’t any clumps. At first, it might start to clump together but just keep stirring and adding more chicken broth. Then add in the milk, all-purpose seasoning, salt, and freshly ground black pepper. Whisk until combined.
Step 3. Allow the gravy to come to a boil, then cook for an additional 2- 3 minutes. Taste and adjust for seasoning, if necessary.
Step 4. Serve over creamy garlic mashed potatoes, biscuits, or chicken fried steak. Enjoy!
Kitchen Items You Might Need For This Recipe
Whisk
Pepper grinder, freshly ground black pepper is amazing.
Frequently Asked Questions
What can I use instead of pan drippings?
Pan drippings are an easy way to make homemade gravy, but if you don’t have any, homemade broth will work perfectly. It’s super flavorful so you will end up with a rich and delicious gravy.
How do you make gravy using flour and water without clumps?
The key to a homemade gravy without clumps is to use cold liquids. Warm broth or water when it’s added to the hot flour/butter mixture will create undesirable clumps.
How do you add flavor to homemade gravy?
Aside from using homemade broth, all-purpose seasoning is my favorite go-to way to add more flavor to any dish.
All-purpose seasoning is a blend of onion, parsley, basil, lemon peel, thyme, garlic, celery seed, red bell pepper, and lemon powder. If you don’t have it, you could also use dried oregano, thyme, and parsley or rosemary.
Looking For More Recipes?
Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes with Heavy Cream
Pan-seared Chicken Thighs with Homemade Gravy with Broccoli
Chicken Sausage Gravy with Biscuits
If you love this homemade gravy recipe, share it on Instagram by tagging me (@themidwestkitchenblog) or giving this recipe a star rating.
Have a blessed day!
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Homemade Gravy Recipe Without Pan Drippings
- Prep Time: 2 minutes
- Cook Time: 12 minutes
- Total Time: 14 minutes
- Yield: 6 servings 1x
- Category: side dish
- Method: stove top
- Cuisine: American/ Southern
Description
Easy homemade gravy recipe made without pan drippings. It is rich, flavorful, and incredibly delicious. Made in 15 minutes and can be served over creamy garlic mashed potatoes, biscuits, or chicken fried steak.
Ingredients
- 5 tablespoon organic unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup organic all-purpose flour
- 2 cups homemade chicken broth, cold
- ½ cup whole organic milk, cold
- 1 teaspoon all purpose seasoning
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ½ teaspoon salt
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large cast-iron skillet on medium-high heat. Whisk in flour until combined. If the flour clumps add more butter. It should be like a thin paste. Whisk frequently, and cook until the flour starts to smell like pie crust, 2 - 3 minutes.
- Whisk the cold chicken broth into the flour/butter mixture slowly so there aren’t any clumps. Then whisk in the milk, all-purpose seasoning, ground black pepper, and salt.
- Cook until the gravy comes to a gentle boil, then cook for an additional 2 - 3 minutes or until it has thickened to your liking.
- Taste and adjust seasoning, if necessary, then serve over biscuits, garlic mashed potatoes, or chicken fried steak. Enjoy!
Notes
Use a rich homemade broth for a flavorful gravy.
Use cold chicken broth and milk to avoid clumps.
Can omit the milk if you want, just replace it with equal amounts of chicken broth.
Homemade gravy can last for up to a week in the fridge in an air-tight container.
The gravy will thicken as it cools, it can be reheated with a splash of chicken broth or water.
Keywords: homemade gravy, gravy from scratch, gravy without pan drippings
David says
Had to add more milk because my chicken broth was salty. A little butter too for more butter taste.
★★★★
Tonya | The Midwest Kitchen Blog says
Oh, ok! Thanks for the feedback, David!