Simple and Delicious Homemade Brown Gravy

By
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich
John Mitzewich is a food writer, recipe video producer, and culinary school instructor with more than 20 years of experience in the food industry.
Learn about The Spruce Eats' Editorial Process
Updated on 11/17/22
Prep: 5 mins
Cook: 25 mins
Total: 30 mins
Servings: 8 servings

If you want brown gravy for meatloaf, the Canadian specialty poutine, or hot roast beef sandwiches using roast beef from the deli, you have to make some up fresh without the benefit of pan drippings from roast beef.

Many cooks use a store-bought mix to do this quickly, but making your own brown gravy from this recipe for Judy's cookhouse brown gravy takes about the same amount of work and time as using a mix. But you'll be wowed by the taste of this version; it knocks it right out of the park.

Homemade Brown Gravy
The Spruce

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 clove garlic (finely minced)
  • 4 cups beef broth (cold, high-quality)
  • 1/4 cup ketchup
  • 1 teaspoon ​Dijon mustard
  • 1 tablespoon ​Worcestershire sauce
  • Salt (to taste)
  • Black pepper (to taste)

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    Homemade Gravy ingredients
    The Spruce

  2. In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium-low heat.

    Butter melting in pot
    The Spruce

  3. Add the flour and cook, stirring, for 5 minutes, until the mixture is golden-brown and smells like cooked pie crust. Add the garlic and cook for 30 seconds.

    Flour and melted butter in pot
    The Spruce

  4. Whisk in 1 cup of the cold beef broth and then add the ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce. Whisk until smooth. Then whisk in the remaining 3 cups beef broth.

    Beef broth, ketchup, mustard, and Worcestershire sauce stirred in pot
    The Spruce

  5. Bring to a simmer, whisking constantly, and then reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Taste and season with salt and pepper.

  6. Keep warm until ready to serve.

    Homemade Gravy in gravy bowl next to whisk
    The Spruce

Tips

  • You've likely heard a lot about Canadian poutine. It's a specialty of Quebec and is super simple. It's hot french fries covered with your cheese of choice and then smothered in brown gravy. The gravy is supposed to melt the cheese, so it should be very hot. Canadians love the stuff, and now many Americans are hooked.
  • One of the all-time great uses for leftover roast beef and brown gravy can be made even if you didn't spend all day Sunday making that roast beef like your grandmother used to do. Place a couple of slices of deli roast beef on a slice of quality white bread (yes, only white bread will do) and cover with a hefty portion of gravy and salt and pepper, to taste. It's a great weeknight meal in the winter.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
196 Calories
13g Fat
16g Carbs
4g Protein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8
Amount per serving
Calories 196
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 13g 17%
Saturated Fat 8g 38%
Cholesterol 31mg 10%
Sodium 635mg 28%
Total Carbohydrate 16g 6%
Dietary Fiber 1g 5%
Protein 4g
Calcium 67mg 5%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)