Homemade Gravy without Drippings

Here I’ll show you the easiest and most delicious way to make gravy form scratch. No leftover meat drippings needed!

Gravy without Drippings

There’s far too many instances when I want gravy all up in my face as quickly as possible. You know, sometimes there’s no time roast an entire chicken or beef joint just for the drippings. We want gravy and we want it now. That’s why making gravy from scratch without meat juices is so awesome – you cut out the middle man.

Make Ahead Gravy

Another great use of a no drippings gravy is that you can prepare it ahead of time, meaning that’s one extra thing you’re not needing to prep with your meal. Same awesome rich flavours as a regular gravy – no false promises! Follow me…

How to make Gravy from scratch without drippings

At its absolute bare bones, you can create a gravy by simply making a roux using stock instead of milk. If you’re using good quality stock you can sometimes get away with it, but in my experience you need a few extra goodies in order to bring the gravy up to the standard of a meat drippings gravy.

Base Flavour

The base of this gravy is the holy trinity of onion, carrot and celery. This gives a gorgeous background flavour and mimics the way roasted veggies infuse into meat drippings.

Gravy Seasoning

When it comes to seasoning the gravy I keep it fairly simple. Here’s the usual suspects for me:

• Worcestershire Sauce – You won’t need much, but a dash of Worcestershire sauce really brings this gravy to life!
• Bouillon – Either powdered or crumbled. This enhances the meaty flavours in the gravy.
• Herbs – Only a pinch, but adding both dried thyme and rosemary gives a very gentle background flavour. This mimics any herbs you may have roasted your meat with.

Process shots: melt butter (photo 1), add holy trinity and garlic (photo 2), fry until soft (photo 3), add flour (photo 4), stir into paste (photo 5), gradually add in stock (photo 6), add seasoning (photo 7), blitz until smooth (photo 8).

Homemade Gravy FAQ

What stock to use for gravy?

Typically you’d use chicken stock if serving with chicken and beef for beef. But as this is more of an ‘all purpose’ gravy which isn’t necessarily served with either, I use a 50/50 mix of beef and chicken stock. As the stock makes up the bulk of the gravy try and use good quality stock. I also recommend using low-sodium stock, just so you’ve got more control over the seasoning.

How do you store gravy?

Allow to completely cool then tightly seal in the fridge or freezer.

How long does gravy last in the fridge?

It’ll keep comfortably for 3-4 days (longer at your discretion). Just ensure you reheat until piping hot again.

How do you reheat gravy?

Your best bet is to reheat on a low heat in a pan, stirring as you go to ensure it doesn’t split (thaw in fridge if frozen). You can also reheat in short stints in the microwave, stirring in between.

Serving Gravy

What to serve with gravy?

• Roast Chicken (or any other roasted meat)
• Goes perfectly as a dip for Pigs in Blankets
• Poured over Homemade Sausages and Mashed Potato
• Great with Toad in the Hole
• A British delicacy is of course Chips and gravy
• You can even serve it with Fried Chicken (or Chicken Fried Potatoes!)
• Meatballs!

If you’re looking for another delicious and easy homemade gravy check out my Red Wine Onion Gravy!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this gravy without drippings shall we?!

How to make Gravy without Drippings (Full Recipe & Video)

5 from 5 votes

Homemade Gravy without Drippings

By: Chris Collins

Here I'll show you the easiest and most delicious way to make gravy form scratch. No leftover meat drippings needed!

Prep: 10 minutes mins

Cook: 20 minutes mins

Total: 30 minutes mins

Servings: 8

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Equipment

• Large Pot & Wooden Spoon
• Whisk
• Large Jug (for stock)
• Hand Blender (or regular blender - see notes)
• Sharp Knife & Chopping Board

Ingredients 

1x2x3x

• ▢ 2 cups / 480ml Good Quality Chicken Stock, preferably low-salt
• ▢ 2 cups / 480ml Good Quality Beef Stock, preferably low-salt
• ▢ 3 tbsp Unsalted Butter
• ▢ 4 tbsp Flour
• ▢ 1 medium Carrot, finely diced
• ▢ 1 medium rib of Celery, finely diced
• ▢ 1 small-medium White Onion, finely diced
• ▢ 1 clove of Garlic, finely diced
• ▢ 1/2 - 1 tsp Worcestershire Sauce
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Chicken Bouillon (or half crumbled OXO cube)
• ▢ 1/2 tsp Beef Bouillon (or half crumbled OXO cube)
• ▢ 1/4 tsp EACH: Dried Thyme, Dried Rosemary
• ▢ Salt & Finely Ground Black Pepper, to taste

Cook ModePrevent your screen from going dark

Instructions 

• Veg: Melt 3 tbsp butter into a large pot over medium-high heat and add in celery, carrot, onion and garlic. Fry until the veg starts to soften/brown then turn heat down to low-medium.
• Roux: Stir in 3 tbsp flour until a paste forms then slowly start pouring in your stock, whisking as you go to ensure no lumps form.
• Season: Add in chicken/beef powder, Worcestershire sauce, rosemary/thyme and salt & pepper to taste. Depending on the saltiness of your stock & chicken/beef powder you may not need salt.
• Thicken: Simmer for 5-10mins until the gravy thickens, then use a hand blender to blitz until smooth. If you over thicken the gravy just add in a splash more stock. If you want it thicker (it will thicken as it rests/cools), just keep the gravy on a simmer, stirring somewhat frequently until your desired consistency.

Video

Notes

a) Using Meat Drippings - If you're using this gravy for things such as meatballs or sausages, you can make the gravy with the leftover fat. Just adjust the amount of butter you use. If you're left with 1 tbsp fat for example, just add 2 tbsp butter (instead of 3). If you're using drippings from beef or chicken, you might be left with considerably more fat, so just adjust the amount of flour & stock needed as necessary.

b) Blender - If you're using a regular blender I recommend allowing the gravy to cool. I also recommend leaving the funnel hole open and placing a clean cloth over the top. Both of these will reduce the chance of excess steam potentially cracking the blender.

c) Storage - Allow to completely cool then tightly cover and store in the fridge for 3-4days, or you can store in the freezer.

d) Reheating - If freezing thaw in the fridge first. Either reheat on low heat in a pan, stirring as you go to ensure the gravy doesn't split. Or in short bursts in the microwave, stirring in between.

e) Calories - based on sharing between 8 people.

Your Private Notes:

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Nutrition

Calories: 78kcal | Carbohydrates: 7.55g | Protein: 3.51g | Fat: 3.78g | Saturated Fat: 2.046g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.273g | Monounsaturated Fat: 1.233g | Cholesterol: 7mg | Sodium: 332mg | Potassium: 246mg | Fiber: 0.6g | Sugar: 2.41g | Vitamin A: 1389IU | Vitamin C: 1.9mg | Calcium: 20mg | Iron: 0.63mg

Looking for more?

You’ll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’

If you loved this Homemade Gravy recipe then be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a question? Give me a shout in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!