This classic brown gravy is the perfect addition to beef or mashed potatoes. Creamy and rich with loads of savory flavor, this recipe makes every dish better, and you’ll return to it time after time. Quick and easy to make, it’s naturally gluten free.
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What Makes This Recipe So Good
- This recipe is perfect because it requires no drippings! Made it just a few minutes, it’s great for making for a weeknight on top of mashed potatoes, but delicious enough for Thanksgiving or other holiday dinners.
- This brown gravy recipe is naturally gluten free, and with a few really simple substitutions, it’s easy to make paleo or vegan as well.
How To Make Brown Gravy
The full recipe & ingredients list are below, but here you’ll find a quick overview for making this recipe perfectly, along with useful tips and info!
Whisk together everything but the heavy cream in a medium saucepan, bringing to a simmer. Cook until the gravy has slightly thickened.
Turn off the heat and whisk in the heavy cream. Serve over mashed potatoes, meat, or veggie-based “beef.”
Top Tips For Making Brown Gravy
- To make this brown gravy paleo, replace the cornstarch with arrowroot powder. While it won’t have exactly the same texture, it will still be deliciously savory and rich! Also, leave out the cream or use coconut cream instead, as well as making sure your bouillon is paleo-friendly.
- With a few swaps, you can make this recipe vegan as well! Use prepared no-beef stock instead of the beef stock and a cube of no-beef bouillon. Instead of heavy cream, use a plant-based one, like Ripple. Leave out the Worcestershire sauce completely since it contains anchovies!
- If you’re on a strict gluten free diet (or one of your guests is), make sure your Worcestershire sauce is gluten free. Lea and Perrins, one of the most popular brands is, but if you’re using a different one, make sure to double-check!
More Recipes Perfect For The Holidays
- Keto Cranberry Sauce
- Whole30 Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes with Garlic and Herbs (Paleo, Vegan Option)
- Creamed Onions
- Gluten Free Stuffing
- Ham Gravy
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Brown Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 cups beef stock
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 3 tablespoons cold water
- 1 ½ teaspoons onion powder
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 beef bouillon cube crushed
- 2 tablespoons heavy cream optional
Instructions
- Whisk together the beef stock, cornstarch, onion powder, and crushed bouillon cube in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Bring to a simmer, whisking occasionally. Cook until slightly thickened, about 1 minute.
- Turn off the heat and whisk in the heavy cream.
Notes
- Make it paleo: Replace the cornstarch with arrowroot powder. Either leave out the cream or replace it with coconut cream, 1:1. Make sure your bouillon cube is paleo-friendly.
- Make it vegan: Use prepared no-beef stock in place of the 2 cups of beef stock, and 1 cube no-beef bouillon in place of the beef bouillon cube. Replace the heavy cream 1:1 with plant-based heavy cream, like Ripple. Leave out the Worcestershire sauce.
- Make it gluten free: Make sure your Worcestershire sauce is gluten free!
Nutrition
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Cheryl Malik is the recipe developer, writer, and photographer behind the healthy, flavorful, family friendly recipes at 40 Aprons. She’s been a blogger for 10+ years and is known for her delicious recipes and detailed recipe instructions. Cheryl is a mom of three who lives in Memphis, TN.
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Lisa Mason says
I made this on Sunday night to go over hamburger steak and mashed potatoes. It turned out great. My husband had bought some jarred gravy just in case and once this was done he poured the jarred gravy down the drain.