Homemade Gravy Without Meat Drippings is an easy from scratch gravy recipe made without meat drippings so you don’t have to wait for the meat to be done. You can even make gravy ahead of time, reducing stress for holiday dinners such as Thanksgiving and Christmas.
Now that I have you all hyped up on sugar, how about I share something savory? Once a year, I make Homemade Gravy Without Meat Drippings for Thanksgiving.
Wait, what? You mean you don’t have to wait for the Thanksgiving turkey to be done in order to make gravy?
That’s right – you can now make gravy ahead of time with my Homemade Gravy Without Meat Drippings recipe!
How do you make the best gravy from scratch without drippings?
Instead of making pan gravy with meat drippings, you make a roux using flour and broth.
In this case I use chicken broth to go with my Cornish Hen with Homemade Classic Stuffing, but you can easily adapt it to match your dinner, such as beef broth for beef pot roast or vegetable broth for mashed potatoes.
Why make homemade gravy without drippings?
When it comes to learning how to properly make gravy, you use meat drippings for the flavor, but what happens if you don’t have any?
For example, if you wanted to make a quick gravy for mashed potatoes, you may not be making any meat for the main course. Especially if you’re vegetarian. Vegetarians should not be denied gravy.
Or you cook for 1-2 people and simply not going to make a giant pot roast or a whole turkey. And if you do make a small meat for your main course, you may not have enough drippings.
Or you have a giant meal like Thanksgiving where you can take all the help you can get for making recipes ahead of time. Traditional homemade gravy from scratch is a last minute recipe since you can’t do anything until the meat is done.
By using flour and broth, you can prepare it ahead of time then reheat it for serving.
If you’re worried about lack of drippings means lack of flavor, don’t be! Frying the onions adds a huge boost of flavor in addition to the broth of your choice.
The more flavorful your broth is, the more flavorful your gravy will be. That’s why I use broth instead of water.
You can use any type of broth to complement your dish. I typically use chicken, but feel free to use turkey, beef, vegetable, mushroom, pretty much whatever you want.
I put actual garlic cloves in with the potatoes while they are boiling, which gives the dish a very strong garlic flavor.
You can also make Cheddar Pumpkin Mashed Potatoes to use up any canned pumpkin you may have leftover from making pumpkin pie.
The best part about making gravy without meat drippings is you do not have to wait until your dinner is done cooking to make the gravy.
Maybe for a normal dinner that wouldn’t be a big deal, but this is Thanksgiving we are talking about!
You already have a million things going on – prep this, cook that, carve this, serve that.
When everything in the oven has about 15 minutes left, I start the gravy. That way, when everything is ready, the gravy is ready too.
However, if you don’t want to deal with making gravy during cooking, you can make this the day before and refrigerate
It will thicken greatly when it is cold, so right before serving, put it in a small saucepan and heat until smooth and pourable again. You may need to stir in a little more broth to thin it out.
Now that you have the best gravy recipe, check out my Thanksgiving Dinner For Two post to plan the rest of your Thanksgiving menu!
Homemade Gravy (Without Meat Drippings)
Homemade Gravy Without Meat Drippings is an easy from scratch gravy recipe made without meat drippings so you don’t have to wait for the meat to be done.
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup (2 ounces or 4 tablespoons) unsalted butter, cut into 4 pieces
- 1/2 cup diced onion
- 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup broth or stock, any flavor
- 1 tablespoon whole milk
Instructions
- In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter. Once hot, add the onion and a big pinch of salt and cook until softened, about 5 minutes. If you want chicken gravy as dark as the photos, continue cooking the onion until caramelized.
- Stir in the flour and and salt and cook for 1 minute.
- Slowly whisk in the broth/stock and cook until thickened, about 3-5 minutes.
- Remove from the heat and whisk in the milk. Serve while hot.*
Notes
You can make this ahead of time since no meat drippings are needed. It will gel up in the fridge, so when you are ready to serve, heat it back up in a sauce pan and whisk until smooth and hot. You may need to add more broth/stock to thin it out.
Oh is it turkey time?
Feedmefeedmefeedme
CJ at Food Stories says
Great recipe and tips … Happy Thanksgiving :-)
Erin @ The Spiffy Cookie says
Yay kitty!!!
Sprout says
Good recipe. Personally, I was raised with gravy and think potatoes are naked without it. I make gravy about twice a week and often make the roux in advance.
Today I way frying sausages (homemade, naturally) for breakfast, leaving some grease in the frypan – maybe two tablespoons worth. While the pan was still hot and after removing the sausages, I added about the same amount of flour, just eyeballing it. You want a kind of paste that isn’t too greasy. I spread it all over the bottom of the frypan, turned the heat up to near max and just stirred it constantly for about three minutes, at which point it was a rich dark brown.
I spooned the brown roux into a bowl to use for tonight’s supper. That’s when you can add all the other ingredients and resume the recipe. I like it more or less plain – just salt and pepper, sometimes fried onions. Can’t afford cream and never use it.
But you can do the browning in advance, cover the mix and refrigerate for a few days in advance of need.
Carla says
Oh sausage gravy! I love it. I’ll have to remember that next time and save it like you did.
Chelsea says
What a great idea!
Doreen Langlois says
RIGHT !! I Laughed Hard When I Seen The Kitty Pictures Especially The First One With Kitty’s Little Tongue Sticking Out ! Love It !
Doreen Langlois says
By The Way Thanks For The Fast And Easy Gravy Recipe !!
Carla says
Glad you enjoyed it!
Kayle (The Cooking Actress) says
Hahhaa the kitty is hilarious! I’m not super into gravy myself, but boyfriend is, and I hate dealing with drippings! This is awesome!
Anita at Hungry Couple says
I’ve made gravy this way before and especially like it for poultry. I do love the traditional version for beef dishes, though. I hope you had a wonderful holiday with your family, Carla!
Liz says
I am not much of a gravy eater, but my other half loves the stuff. He would be delighted if I had something for his mashed potatoes other than butter :)
ALLY says
HOLLA!!! I WAS JUST IN A PICKLE FOR DINNER TONIGHT AND WAS IN NEED OF GRAVY FOR SOME TURKEY!!! HOLY CHEESE BALLS IS YOUR SUPER DUPER RECIPE NOT ONLY EASY BUT DELICIOUS…..THANK YOU!
Carla says
Glad I could save dinner! :)
Diane Sanborn says
This is my go to gravy recipe. This first time I ever made gravy and it came out great. Thanks.
Carla says
Thank you for the feedback, Diane!
Dee says
As an Australian girl, I love your recipe xoxox thanks heaps
Carla says
Thanks Dee!
Cierra says
Could you double, triple, etc. this recipe and jar it to just heat up on the spot? (I’m allergic to corn so I can’t buy premade gravy from the store because most have corn starch in it.)
Carla says
I haven’t tried doubling it, but I don’t see why not! If you do store it in the refrigerator, it’ll become almost like jelly. Just dump it into a saucepan and reheat. Once it gets hot, it’ll turn back into liquid.
Grant says
I doubled it and it worked great.
lisa spores says
Carla, Have you ever tried using bacon grease? I keep a jar in my fridge for seasoning. I also will put in about a tbsp of coffee if I have some brewed. It adds some depth. I don’t always use milk or cream. Water will do if you don’t have any other on hand. Gravy has always been easy for me for some reason. I really never measure. Same way with my cornbread dressing recipe. I just eyeball it. I really should learn to measure so I can share recipes. Sounds like you like to experiment like I do. I am going to try your easy cheesy stovetop potato recipe for Thanksgiving. Was looking for a stovetop one and yours came up and it was just what I was looking for. Thanks! Happy Thanksgiving!
Carla says
No I haven’t, but bacon grease sounds like a brilliant idea! And sometimes the best recipes are the ones we don’t measure. I have to force myself to “measure” my pasta recipes when I want to share them as I don’t normally measure them when I cook for fun. Happy Thanksgiving!
Denise says
I was making meat loaf for dinner tonight with the usual corn on the cob and mashed taters. I was lazy and used the boxed mashed potatoes so I really needed gravy. I opened up my cupboard to find – no gravy powder mix. (OK, the stuff isn’t the best, but my meatloaf needs no gravy) just the potatoes do. So I scrambled to the internet and found your recipe. YUM, EASY and YUM!!!!! Admittedly, I hate onions, I hate cooking with onions and I hate touching onions so I left them out. I added a little onion powder and a little Kitchen bouquet for flavor. Worked perfect!!!!!
Emma says
I was brought up in the Netherlands after the war when meat was scarce but I remember my mother making gravy that tasted just like the real thing from virtually nothing. I was too young then to ask for the recipe and now that I want to know it, it’s too late, she passed away many years ago.
I do seem to remember she used onions (the smell remains in my memory)
I’ve tried to replicate her method in the past without much luck so far.
Right now, I have a small, chopped finely, onion and 2 cloves of garlic, simmering away in my frypan and will sprinkle some flour over it when they are sort-of brown, then let the flour brown a little before adding water with chicken stock cubes to thicken.
I’m sure mum never used heavy cream in her gravy though , but I happen to have some in the fridge, so will add some!
Sheila says
I made some dressing for Thanksgiving, and it came out a little dry. I found your gravy recipe, and it made my dressing taste a lot better. Thanks for sharing!
North says
I was making it for Italian-style turkey, so instead of heavy cream, I added sour cream. I also added oregano toenhance the Italian flavor. Turned out great! What an easy recipe!
Carla says
Ooo I like the sound of your version!
julianne says
Hey I’m out of butter can this be made with Parkay?
Carla says
As long as it’s in stick form and not the tub kind you spread. My parents only have margarine, so that’s what I ended up using this year for Thanksgiving.
Grant says
Ok so I was also put in charge of gravy this year. I always deep fry my turkey and the others deal with all the rest. This year my wife and I were hosting the whole shebang so my responsibilities grew. Normally the drippings make the gravy as you all know but when you deep fry no drippings so I researched and this recipe seemed easiest and sounded great. Let me tell you I just made the gravy and it’s 3:15am Christmas Eve. I can rest easy and focus on the deep fry, merriment and beer. Thank you for this. I would like to try the garlic next time as Emma suggested. Oh I added bacon fat while the onions were caramelizing. That may just be the ticket. Woop Bam!
Carla says
Glad you had success :) Merry Christmas!
laura says
Turned out really tasty, went perfectly with my roasted chicken. Liked how as soon as my chicken was cooked I could serve it up, didn’t have to wait to make the gravy until after.
Carla says
That’s what I love about this recipe (besides how good it tastes of course ;) )
Elizabeth says
I’ve now made this gravy twice and love it! So simple and tasty! I do find it gets a bit thick with 2 tbs of flour per cup of liquid, but it works out perfectly as I usually make my stock too strong and then need to thin it out! Thanks for the great recipe!
will dukeshire says
I made this gravy last night with home made fish and chips, my wife luved it so much she said it was the best gravy she ever tasted!! Her father and she didn’t even save me any! LOL so I’m making it for lunch …shes at work so all is for ME! THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Boe C. says
This is a great recipe! I was just wondering though: Does the recipe make a gravy as brown as the one in the picture? I’ve seen similar gravy recipes out there but they’ve always made a light brown almost-white type gravy but yours looks a wonderful shade of brown! Did you add any browning color to it? Thank you!
Carla Cardello says
No browning color added! For the gravy in the picture, I let my onions get very brown, which contributes to the darker color. If your onions are soft but not too brown, it’ll be lighter in color. Just don’t burn your onions like I did the first time I attempted this recipe :)
Adena says
That’s what I found when I made this gravy, it was delicious but a white gravy. Next time I’ll have to let the onions cook longer they were only lightly browned.
Carla says
Yes if you lightly brown the onions, the chicken broth will make it more of a white gravy.
Elizabeth says
Hi – I was hoping my homemade chicken stock would morph into the nice brown gravy pictured. I probably should have realized on my own that wasn’t going to happen. You might want to place a note in the body of the recipe about caramelizing the onions if that would help; I read the comments too late. Still, tastes pretty good. Thanks!
Carla says
Thank you for the feedback.
Elizabeth says
I am finding it is even more tasty the second day. I did add fresh sage, parsley, and thyme in no particular amounts. I plan to use this recipe often, because I love the flavors of Thanksgiving more than I love fixing or eating turkey.
Carla says
Oh I love your addition of fresh herbs! I’ll have to keep that in mind next time I have some dying in the fridge.
kendra says
I absolutley love this! It was perfect gravy! Thanks so much!!!
Carla Cardello says
Awesome! :)
jaclyn says
I’m wondering what type of broth tastes the best with this recipe, beef or chicken? I plan to serve this on mashed potatoes. Thanks!
Carla Cardello says
Honestly, it’s personal preference! For me, I prefer chicken over beef. It also depends on what you’re making for the meal. For example, if you’re making a steak or pot roast, I would go with beef. If you’re making a roasted chicken or even turkey (for Thanksgiving), I would go with chicken. Hope that helps!
Sandi says
I made this with a cup of water instead of broth and 1 T Braggs Liquid Aminos. It was delicious.
Shellice Maraccini says
This is the best way to make gravy without drippings. Although drippings make the best gravy, I rarely (by rarely I mean maybe twice a year) make a meal where I will have drippings to use. Tonight I am doing parmesan crusted chicken cutlets with mashed potatoes. So I am doing a no-drip gravy. While searching the Web for any new ideas for this, I came across your recipe. It is written perfectly. Very similar to what my mother taught me. I must admit, I do resort to packaged gravy from time to time, so I always have it on hand. And when I do make gravy from scratch, I will add a couple dashes of the packaged stuff to give it more color and flavor. It works great. The holidays are right around the corner so I hope everyone finds their way to your recipe. It is a time saver and a crowd pleaser.
Crystal says
This recipe was delicious and oh so easy to make! Thank you!
Patricia Pfrogner says
I love this recipe, was so easy and delicious. Thanks!!!
Leanna says
This gravy was amazing!!!! thank you for an awesome recipe
Jesse Saleh says
This gravey was amazeballs. Thank you for making my left over roast chicken pure delight.
Tracey byram says
I like milk chocolate
Cortney says
I make this recipe all the time. I always double the recipe and add one chicken bullion cube because i like my gravy to taste like soup :). But I am so happy to be able to make awesome gravy without actually using meat!
Bonnie says
Awesome! First time I ever made gravy without meat drippings. Thanks!!
Clay says
I needed some brown gravy for my oven baked pork chops and rice, but didn’t have any dripping around. This recipe made one of the best gravies I’ve ever eaten. I like my gravy a little on the thinner side, so I added a good bit more milk right before serving. The onion gives it a very unique flavor that complimented the pork chops very well. Thank you!
Kelly says
Followed this recipe to the tee and used beef broth, however, the color looked nothing like the picture. Instead of brown, it was a creamy color which was not appealing, although it tasted better than it looked. Not sure if I’ll used the recipe again.
Carla says
It sounds like you didn’t brown your onions long enough. I’m sorry to hear you had trouble with the recipe.
Celia Wickersham says
Had leftover turkey and dressing from a friend, but no gravy! I am not a great cook, but this was really easy and delicious! I can’t wait to make it again! Thank you!
Catherine says
How many servings is this recipe?
Carla says
It makes 1 cup of gravy, so I’d say around 4-6 servings, depending on how much each person uses.
Kaleigh says
Too many ads on your site! I can hardly even see this recipe they hijacked half my iPhone screen. I would look into this. Found this recipe from Google but all these ads turn me away. Kinda spammyish.
Carla says
I’m actually scheduled for a new mobile site this week, so I hope you’ll come back later and check it out! There will still be ads as those do pay for the free recipes, but they won’t be as intrusive.
Carla says
Hi Kaleigh – I’m following up to let you know my new mobile site launched today. I understand if my site turned you off, but I invite you to come back and give my site another look around. There are still ads to help keep the recipes free for you, but they aren’t as intrusive.
Lee Beck says
Thank you! I needed this recipe for a crowd… we’re doing meatballs for a homeless shelter! Using purchased frozen meatballs and it
will take probably a GALLON of gravy! Will let you know next week how it turns out. Using a gravy mix plus beef broth. Hope it works!
Carla says
That is very thoughtful of you to do! Let me know how it goes.
jane wilkins says
Madethis recipe last night – outstanding!!!! I never imagined it would tast sooo delicicious. Thanks so much.
Your website it a true FIND.
Carla says
Happy to help you make dinner even better with gravy ;) Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Delila McMillin says
This recipe was delicious my family loved it.
Carla says
Thanks for the positive feedback!
Harvey Brewer says
Carla,
I have been looking for just such a recipe for elk roast, however I must have done something wrong !! I followed your recipe except I minced the onion to make a smoother gravy. I had to add at least twice the amount of chicken broth as it was very thick ? Consequently it is a bit salty, but now the right consistency ! Your words of wisdom please.
Carla says
If the gravy was really thick to the point of adding more liquid, there are several scenarios that may have happen. 1 – You mismeasured the flour. What kind of measuring spoon did you use for 2 tablespoons? 2 – If it was a bit salty, you may have boiled it too hard and/or too long, resulting in an overreduced gravy. 3 – If you made it and let it cool down, it will naturally thicken up the cooler it gets.
Laura says
I make it like this with vegetable broth….works perfect for my 2 vegetarians I have in my house. It’s yummy.
Carla says
Oh perfect! Glad they’re still able to enjoy gravy by using veggie broth :)
Ruth says
May l say l had doubts about this gravy but l tried it today and just loved it. The only thing l changed was using solid margarine. Smooth and tasty. I’m sold. No more worries about gravy. Many thanks Ruth
Carla says
Thanks for letting me know margarine works well in this recipe. Glad you enjoyed it!
Aimee Shugarman says
LOVE this easy recipe. Comes out perfect EVERY time.
Carla says
Glad it worked out for you!
Dini says
This is a great idea, I never thought of making gravy without meat drippings, but we don’t make a whole turkey either, and I’ll be trying this recipe this time. It looks and sounds so flavorful, thank you for the recipe!
Carla says
Oh yes it’s ideal when you don’t have any (or enough) meat drippings. Hope you enjoy it!
Traci says
Yummm! Homemade gravy without meat drippings?…sign me up! This is perfect because we don’t always make meat but we want the gravy. Thanks for sharing this with us. Just pinned!
Carla says
Yes it’s perfect for meals like mashed potatoes when you don’t necessarily have a large meat dish for drippings.
Shanika says
This gravy looks so delicious! I love that there aren’t any meat drippings required!
Carla says
Nope! Which means you can make it at a moment’s notice!
Kelly Anthony says
Reading this has me all excited about the upcoming holidays! Can’t wait to make this homemade gravy!
Carla says
Makes holiday dinner that much easier!
Lisa | Garlic & Zest says
Whenever there’s gravy on the table, it naturally feels like a holiday. Don’t you think? Love that we can make this one ahead of time too!
Carla says
Yes you can have holiday dinner any day of the year!
Danielle Wolter says
Oh how i love gravy. And what a great easy recipe to get it made. Yum!
Carla says
Thanks!
Andrea says
This gravy is AMAZING! I have made for both chicken and beef. I am making tonight with the leftover prime rib for dinner. Thank you for the fantabulous recipe,
Carla says
Thanks, Andrea! Glad you enjoyed the gravy!
Veronica G. Eichorn says
Carla, i LOVE this easy gravy! First time I used beef broth and it was wonderful on the steak and mashed potatoes!
Last night I didtn’t have broth and not near any stores your receipe saved my meatloaf once again. I used boullion and it was just as tasty! I follow yor receipe but don’t add the milk!
My grandson loves gravy on everything and now I don’ t need pan drippings so can make gravy anytimt!
I cook the onions longer, as you suggest and always get deep brown gravy!
At 83 years of age I have learned an easier way to cook! You are a true blessing!
Carla says
Happy to hear the results, Veronica! Boullion works just as well (as long as you pay attention to the salt content, which it sounds like you did). Thank you for sharing!
Star41 says
This recipe was so easy! I used some can beef broth. I also added a small jar of drained mushrooms while the onions were sauteing. This was delicious! Thank you!
Carla says
Love the idea of adding mushrooms! Thank you for sharing your feedback.
Fran Holmstrom says
I was so happy to find this recipe! Made it, loved it, posted it!! Thank you…
Carla says
Awesome! Thanks for sharing!
Theresa says
Would love to make this but my husband won’t touch anything with onions. I am afraid it won’t taste right without them.
Carla says
You can make gravy without them, but I agree it’ll taste better with onion! Is it the flavor or actually seeing the onion? If it’s the last one, you can fry the onion then strain them out so he’d never know.
Anna says
Carla, thanks! Made this last night so quick, easy and tasty!
Carla says
Happy to hear you enjoyed it!
Semaj says
I used this recipe tonight in a pasta dish cooked up 5 chicken breasts and then doubled the gravy recipe mixed up the diced up chicken breasts a pound and half of noodles some broccoli and mixed it all together with the gravy and it came out awesome we have 4 kids and my dad so there is7 of us so im always looking for cheap easy ways to make a big meal and this one did exactly that and everyone loved it and there’s also a ton left over for leftovers tomorrow night which is always a bonus when you can get 2 meals out of about $10 or less SCORE for dad thanks for the simple gravy recipe….(note for all that are having trouble with the gravy being white instead of brown cook the butter longer first before adding the flour and then let the roux cook longer the butter and flour before adding the liquid bc there’s nothing worse then the raw flour taste in a gravy that’s just my 2 cents )
Carla says
Glad the gravy recipe worked out for you and your family!
Lizzie says
Hey, Happy Thanksgiving 2019 from Boise Idaho!
I wanted a no-drippings gravy, and you came through! Since we’re having smoked turkey, I added TWO DROPS of liquid smoke, also some home-made poultry seasoning. This gravy is so delicate, not over-anything-ed. What a find! Thanks for making Thanksgiving (even if it’s just for two people) a lot easier!
Carla says
Love the idea of adding liquid smoke! Glad you enjoyed the recipe.
Salisha says
We make a deep fried turkey so I never have the drippings to make gravy with, but this was so simple & tasty. My family loved it. Will definitely make again. Thank you for the recipe.
Carla says
Deep fried turkey sounds amazing! Glad this gravy recipe worked for you.
Callie says
What a delicious no-drippings gravy dish! I made this savory recipe for our Friendsgiving gathering, and it was a big hit. Everyone loved it!!!
Carla says
Wonderful! Glad you enjoyed it for Friendsgiving.
Amy says
I was afraid to try gravy – but this worked great! I used the flour instructions, perfect, easy, not too thick or thin… I had a pork loin roast, next I’ll try a chicken or turkey! Thanks!
Carla says
Wonderful! Happy to hear you enjoyed the gravy.
Susan Dubose says
This was amazing!! I doubled the garlic and only used beef broth (30 ounces), it was a hit. I cooked for gravy fanatics and they were blown away the flavouring didn’t come from meat drippings. Thank you!
Carla says
Awesome! Glad it was a hit.
Callie says
ABSOLUTELY AWESOME!
I substituted a flour and olive oil rue for the water and corn starch and it came out wonderfully! My new go to gravy recipe.
Carla says
Oh good glad that worked out for you!
Lori says
Can this be made the night before and reheated the day of?
Carla says
Yes, there’s a note on the recipe card explaining how. Pretty much when you’re ready to eat, reheat and thin it out with a little bit of broth until smooth again.