14 Homemade Gravy Recipes

Gravy is the difference between plain food and comfort food. A ladle of it turns mashed potatoes into dinner, biscuits into breakfast, and a roast into a proper occasion. And once you know the basic method — a roux, some liquid, a little patience — homemade gravy is faster and far better than anything from a packet.

The word covers a lot of ground, too. Some gravies are the silky sauce you pour over everything; some are a Southern breakfast in their own right; and a few are hearty enough to be dinner on their own. These gravy recipes span all of it.

1. Brown Gravy

The all-purpose classic. A golden butter-and-flour roux and rich beef broth come together into a silky, savoury gravy in about 20 minutes — no pan drippings needed. Made for mashed potatoes, roast meats, and biscuits alike.

2. Chicken Gravy

Silky homemade chicken gravy from a simple roux and savoury chicken broth, ready in under 20 minutes. The classic finishing pour for roast chicken, mashed potatoes, and biscuits.

3. Turkey Gravy

The essential centrepiece of any roast turkey dinner. Made the classic way from pan drippings, a golden roux, and turkey stock for a rich, silky gravy worthy of the holiday table.

4. Giblet Gravy

An old-fashioned Southern holiday gravy made from simmered turkey or chicken giblets, a buttery roux, and chopped hard-boiled egg. This is the one to spoon over turkey, dressing, and mashed potatoes at Thanksgiving.

5. Onion Gravy

A classic British onion gravy of slowly caramelised onions simmered in a glossy beef-stock sauce — deeply savoury with a touch of natural sweetness. The perfect pour for bangers and mash, toad in the hole, or a Sunday roast.

6. Mushroom Gravy

Pure umami, no drippings required. Caramelised onions, garlic, and mushrooms build a rich, silky gravy thickened with a classic roux — brilliant over mashed potatoes, meatloaf, roast turkey, or biscuits, and easy to keep meat-free.

7. Sausage Gravy

Southern sawmill gravy at its best: crumbled pork breakfast sausage, a flour roux, and whole milk simmered into a rich, creamy, pepper-forward gravy. There’s really only one right place for it — over warm, fluffy biscuits.

8. Biscuits and Gravy

The full Southern breakfast, from scratch. Flaky, buttery buttermilk biscuits smothered in creamy sausage gravy — hearty, comforting, and on the table in under an hour.

9. Southern Tomato Gravy

A Southern breakfast staple that’s been on tables for generations. A bacon-fat roux simmered with tangy canned tomatoes until thick and rich, then ladled hot over split buttermilk biscuits.

10. Red Eye Gravy

A uniquely Southern breakfast gravy made by deglazing salty country-ham drippings with strong black coffee. Thin, brothy, and packed with smoky flavour — traditionally spooned over ham, biscuits, or creamy grits.

11. Chocolate Gravy

A beloved Southern breakfast surprise: a silky, pourable chocolate sauce made from pantry staples and ladled over warm buttermilk biscuits. Rich, glossy, and deeply nostalgic for anyone who grew up on it.

12. Hamburger Gravy

Old-fashioned comfort food, and a genuine full meal. Browned ground beef simmered in a rich, savoury milk gravy, ready in about 30 minutes and made for spooning over mashed potatoes, biscuits, or egg noodles.

13. Beef Tips and Gravy

Fork-tender chunks of beef chuck braised low and slow in a deeply savoury brown gravy. A classic one-pot comfort dinner that’s perfect over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, or rice.

14. Sunday Gravy

The Italian-American “gravy” — a rich, slow-simmered tomato sauce loaded with meatballs, Italian sausage, and fall-apart pork, cooked low and slow until every bite tastes like a Sunday spent with family. Serve it over rigatoni with a generous shower of Parmesan.

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Tips for the Best Gravy

Most gravies come down to the same handful of fundamentals:

• Cook the roux. Equal parts fat and flour, cooked until golden, is the base of nearly every gravy here. Give it a minute or two so it loses that raw-flour taste before you add liquid.
• Add liquid gradually and whisk. Pour the broth or milk in slowly, whisking constantly, to keep the gravy silky and lump-free. Warm liquid blends in more smoothly than cold.
• Use drippings when you have them. Pan drippings give the deepest flavour — but a good broth-based gravy is excellent when you don’t have a roast on the go.
• Season last. Drippings and broth are already salty, so taste before you add more, then finish with plenty of black pepper.
• Fix it easily. Lumpy? Whisk hard or pass it through a sieve. Too thick? Loosen with a splash more broth. Too thin? Simmer a little longer or whisk in a cornstarch slurry.

Which One Should You Make?

• Everyday mashed potatoes and roasts — Brown Gravy or Chicken Gravy.
• The holiday table — Turkey Gravy or Giblet Gravy.
• A Southern breakfast — Sausage Gravy and Biscuits and Gravy.
• Gravy as the whole dinner — Hamburger Gravy, Beef Tips and Gravy, or Sunday Gravy.
• Meat-free — Mushroom Gravy or Onion Gravy.

Add the ones you want to make to the DishBoard Meal Planner, send the ingredients to your grocery list, and comfort food is only a roux away.