Making gravy from stock is a great way to make a quick sauce for your meal. It is easier than you think and only takes a few minutes! All you need is stock (or bouillon), butter, flour, water, and some seasoning.
Why you’ll love making gravy from stock
- Comes together quickly in just 5 minutes for last-minute gravy needs.
- Provides luscious gravy even if your meal has no drippings.
- Versatile, so you can craft beef, chicken, or even vegetarian versions.
- Easily reheats, so you can make ahead, or store leftovers for another day.
Making gravy from stock or bouillon is very quick and easy to make from pantry ingredients. Even better, no drippings are needed, so you can have it with everything!
>> Related recipe: Creamy mushroom soup gravy
Scroll down for the printable card for this recipe for making gravy from stock, or read on for all the details.
What do you need?
Quantities for all ingredients are given in the recipe card below.
Chicken stock and beef stock
Use stock cubes or powder. You can also use bouillon. This recipe uses stock cubes, but you can substitute another form of stock if you like. If using liquid stock then you can skip adding the water.
The key to getting a really tasty gravy is to use a combination of beef and chicken stock. A benefit of this is that the gravy you make will go well with any meat you choose to serve it with.
Alternatively, you can switch the stock you use up to make a specific type of gravy:
- To make a rich brown beef gravy, you can just use beef stock
- To make a lighter chicken gravy to serve with poultry, you can just use chicken stock
- For a vegetarian gravy, you can substitute vegetable stock, however, the flavor won’t be as rich, so you may want to increase some of the other seasonings to compensate
Boiling water
Starting with boiling water makes this recipe faster to prepare. You can heat it in the microwave or kettle while you prepare the other ingredients.
Unsalted butter
If you have been roasting meat in a pan or in the air fryer, you can substitute the fat from the pan. You will need around four tablespoons.
Flour
Use all-purpose flour/ plain flour. This is needed to make a roux, which thickens the gravy.
Onion powder
Adds richness to the flavor. If you don’t have onion powder, you can substitute garlic powder or leave it out. Alternatively, you can fry some onions in the pan in a little oil before adding the butter and flour.
Salt and pepper
You can adjust the amount of these ingredients to your taste preferences. They are added towards the end of the cooking time. You should taste the gravy and add salt and pepper a little at a time until you have the balance just right.
Making gravy from stock cubes
Step 1: Crumble stock cubes into a heat-proof jug and add boiling water. Stir until stock cubes have dissolved.
Step 2: Heat the butter in a pan over a medium-high heat until melted. Add the flour and onion powder, and stir to combine with the butter to form a paste.
Allow it to cook for a few minutes (you can actually allow it to brown a little at this stage if you like brown gravy).
Step 3: Slowly start to add the stock around ¼ cup at a time. Mix it in well each time you add some, and allow the gravy to thicken before adding more. You can whisk the gravy to make it really smooth.
Step 4: Once all the liquid has been added, continue heating and stirring for around 2 minutes while the gravy thickens. Taste and add salt and pepper if needed during this stage.
How to make really brown gravy
This method of making gravy from scratch with flour and stock results in a light brown gravy (think KFC gravy). If you want a darker brown color for your gravy, then you can add a drop or two of Kitchen Bouquet (aka gravy browning 🇬🇧).
It is literally just for adding color to foods, and you can use it to make your gravy as dark and appetizing as you like! It’s also very powerful, so use it sparingly!
Serving ideas
Serve in a pre-warmed gravy boat or jug to keep the gravy warm for as long as possible.
Here are some great recipes to make with this gravy:
- Air fryer roast beef
- Instant Pot mashed potatoes (no-drain)
- Air fryer roast pork
- Air fryer beef tenderloin
- Air fryer sausages
- Air fryer steak
How to store and reheat gravy
Store any leftover gravy in an air tight container in the refrigerator.
You can reheat it in a microwave (heat on high for around 1 minute, stir, then heat for another minute), or transfer it to a small pan and heat on the stove until hot. Add a little more water to thin it if required once it is heated through, and whisk to remove any lumps.
Homemade Gravy (from stock)
Ingredients
- 2 cups boiling water
- 1 beef stock cube [Note 1]
- 1 chicken stock cube [Note 1]
- ¼ cup butter
- ¼ cup of flour
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Directions
- Crumble stock cubes into a heat-proof jug and add the boiling water. Stir until stock cubes have dissolved.
- Heat the butter in a pan over a medium-high heat until melted. Add the flour and onion powder, and stir to combine with the butter to form a paste.
- Allow it to cook for a few minutes (you can actually allow it to brown a little at this stage if you like brown gravy). [Note 2]
- Slowly start to add the stock around ¼ cup at a time. Mix it in well each time you add some, and allow the gravy to thicken before adding more. You can whisk the gravy to make it really smooth.
- Once all the liquid has been added, continue heating and stirring for around 2 minutes while the gravy thickens.
- Season to taste with salt and pepper.
- Serve hot.
Notes
- Substitute 2 teaspoons of stock/ bouillon powder. If you want to use liquid stock use 1 cup of each type of stock, and skip the boiling water.
- If you like really brown gravy you can add a few drops of Kitchen Bouquet/ gravy browning.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is an estimate and provided for informational purposes only.