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This au jus recipe is so rich and flavorful and can be made with or without drippings! Perfect alongside my easy prime rib recipe, for French dip sandwiches, or over beef and noodles. So much flavor, quick, and easy.
We recommend pairing this simple jus with our perfect (and easy) prime rib recipe!
🥩 What Makes This Recipe So Good
- Au jus recipes may seem intimidating, but I promise this one’s super easy. You’ll have no trouble at all making a delicious, savory dipping sauce that’ll impress even the pickiest eaters.
- We use the fewest ingredients we can to get the most flavor possible! Some recipes might call for just drippings + broth, which works for a very basic jus. This recipe also uses a little red wine and Worcestershire to really put it over the top!
- You can make it with or without beef drippings! Sure, a classic au jus starts from meat drippings, but you may not always have those handy, so it’s nice to have an alternative.
What is Au Jus and How Do I Use It?
Au jus (pronounced like “zhoo”) is a French culinary term meaning “with juice.” Not to be pedantic, but what we’re making here is the jus. Once it’s made, you’ll serve your entrée au jus – “with juice”.
Au jus is essentially like a thin gravy made from the meat’s own juices, and it’s a delicious and easy way to enhance the flavor of meaty dishes. Use it similarly to how you might use a gravy, with a meat dish like prime rib roast or roast chicken, over beef and noodles, or as a dip for beef sliders.
👩🏼🍳 Chef’s Tips
- You don’t need an expensive red wine for the perfect au jus. In fact, a red in the $5-$10 range is more than perfect for cooking. It should be something you enjoy the taste of, of course, but this isn’t the time to break out anything fancy. I recommend something with a bit of body, like a cabernet sauvignon, a pinot noir, or a merlot. Malbec or shiraz would also work, but be careful not to choose something with too much body.
- The beef drippings obviously come from cooking beef. If you end up with beef remnants in the drippings, don’t worry! Pour the jus through a fine mesh sieve and into your serving container, that way you get all the flavor in a sauce that’s nice and smooth.
- This au jus recipe is perfect for a make-ahead option. To store your jus, keep it in the fridge in an airtight container for 3-4 days. You can also freeze it in an ice cube tray, then transfer it to a sealable plastic bag or other airtight container and keep it in the freezer up to 6 months.
- If you are on a strict gluten-free diet, make sure your Worcestershire sauce is gluten free. Some brands of Worcestershire use malt vinegar, which is made from a grain barley that contains gluten.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions or variations listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
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Au Jus Recipe (Made With or Without Drippings)
This rich jus is so simple and so flavorful. Since it's made with or without beef drippings, you can have any entrée au jus without needing to cook a large meal.
servings
Equipment
- medium saucepan
- whisk
- serving container
Ingredients
For Jus From Drippings
- 4 tablespoons beef drippings
- 4 tablespoons red wine or low-sodium beef broth
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- salt to taste
- freshly cracked black pepper to taste
For Jus Without Drippings
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons red wine or low-sodium beef broth
- 2 cups low-sodium beef broth
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon salt more or less to taste
Instructions
For Jus from Drippings
- Place medium saucepan on stovetop over high heat. When saucepan is warm, add 4 tablespoons beef drippings, 4 tablespoons red wine, 2 cups low-sodium beef broth, and 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce.
- Whisk ingredients together until incorporated, then bring mixture to boil. Once mixture begins to boil, reduce heat under saucepan to medium-low. Simmer mixture 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, taste mixture and add salt and freshly cracked black pepper to taste. When satisfied with flavor, transfer jus into serving container. Note: if your drippings contained any remnants from the beef, strain the jus through a fine mesh sieve first, so you're left with a smooth liquid.
- Serve warm with prime rib, French dip sandwiches, roast beef, or other meal as desired.
For Jus without Drippings
- Place medium saucepan on stovetop over high heat. When saucepan is warm, add 4 tablespoons unsalted butter, 4 tablespoons red wine, 2 cups low-sodium beef broth, 1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, ½ teaspoon onion powder, and ½ teaspoon garlic powder.
- Whisk ingredients together until incorporated, then bring mixture to boil. Once mixture begins to boil, reduce heat under saucepan to medium-low. Simmer mixture 5 minutes.
- After 5 minutes, taste mixture and add ½ teaspoon salt, onion powder, and/or garlic as desired. When satisfied with flavor, transfer au jus into serving container.
- Serve warm with prime rib, French dip sandwiches, roast beef, or other meal as desired.
- Red Wine: Use a medium-bodied red wine, like a cabernet sauvignon, a merlot, or a pinot noir. Malbec or shiraz would also work but be careful not to choose one with too much body.
- Make it Gluten Free: Use a gluten-free Worcestershire and make sure your broth is gluten free.
Approximate Information for One Serving
Serving Size: 1 serving au jus (without drippings)Calories: 63calProtein: 1gFat: 6gSaturated Fat: 4gTrans Fat: 0.2gCholesterol: 15mgSodium: 267mgPotassium: 44mgTotal Carbs: 1gFiber: 0.04gSugar: 0.3gNet Carbs: 1gVitamin A: 177IUVitamin C: 0.3mgCalcium: 5mgIron: 0.2mg
Nutrition Disclaimers
Number of total servings shown is approximate. Actual number of servings will depend on your preferred portion sizes.
Nutritional values shown are general guidelines and reflect information for 1 serving using the ingredients listed, not including any optional ingredients. Actual macros may vary slightly depending on specific brands and types of ingredients used.
To determine the weight of one serving, prepare the recipe as instructed. Weigh the finished recipe, then divide the weight of the finished recipe (not including the weight of the container the food is in) by the desired number of servings. Result will be the weight of one serving.
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Amazing!! We LOVED it with our French dip sandwiches! Any tips for storing? Would this freeze okay?
SO happy to hear you loved it!! Thanks for the review, Delsea. And yes, this is totally freezer friendly! We recommend freezing it in an ice cube tray, then transferring to a sealable plastic bag or other airtight container. It will keep in the freezer for up to 6 months.
What would be the right amount of this to pour over a 3lb rump roast in a slow cooker? I usually do 8-10 hours with Johnnys Au Jus sauce but wanted to try your gluten free au jus instead!
Ooh, that’s hard to say, Jess. I would probably double this au jus recipe at the very least. I wouldn’t want to chance the roast drying out in the slow cooker.
I doubled the recipe and it turned out wonderfully! It’s become a family favorite and has been on our regular rotation since I first made it! Yum!! BUT I recently found out one of my kids has a garlic allergy, and Worcestershire contains garlic. So bummed. Do you have any suggestions on what I can substitute?
Oh, yay! Bummer on the garlic!! I would suggest swapping out the Worcestershire for soy sauce! Just a 1:1 swap. It won’t be an exact match but it’s a great substitute!
This was delicious as written! I added some caramelized onions to it as well and it was sooooo yummy! Thank you for the recipe! Using it for tri tip sandwich dips!
Thank you so much, Ashley! Caramelized onions sound divine. I’ll have to give that a try!
I might have missed it but what is a serving size?
Hey, Dan! This recipe as-written is intended to yield 8 servings, so 1 serving would be ⅛ of the total yield. The exact amount of jus you end up with can vary slightly each time you make the recipe just depending on how things cook down, which is why we don’t quantify an amount.
I had leftovers so tried it again the next day….was even better!!
Yay! Thank you for sharing, Claire!
Not very good at all
We’re sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe, but we appreciate the honest feedback.
Made 3 gallons after a few adjustments and it turned out great for French dips. Will be adding this as a standard recipe for future use
So happy to hear it, Jacob! Thank you so much for your review!
Needed a quick au jus recipe and it was just what I was looking for!
So happy you enjoyed this au jus, Erin! Thanks so much for leaving a review!
This was a wonderful sauce with great flavor for my French Dip sandwich. It is perfect because I can make it without the drippings. My wife loved it. Next time, I will not simmer for so long at the end because it got a little thicker than I wanted. Thank you!
Thanks so much for your review, Joel! So happy you and your wife liked this recipe.
I had no drippings it was all grease, I used butter. It was okay, I’ll probably look for another recipe.
We’re so sorry you didn’t enjoy this recipe, but we appreciate the honest feedback.