Homemade onion gravy recipe is the perfect way to elevate your favorite comfort food dishes. It’s made with simple ingredients, like onions, butter, flour, and chicken broth, but is flavorful and delicious. The onions are cooked until they’re sweet and tender, and the gravy is thickened with a roux to give it a rich and creamy texture.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
- Simple to Make: This homemade onion gravy is simple, even for novice cooks.
- Versatile: Onion gravy be used to top off various dishes, such as mashed potatoes, meatloaf, Salisbury steak, hamburger steak, and more.
- Flavorful: It is flavorful and delicious, with a rich, savory taste.
- Excellent Leftovers: This recipe makes a lot and produces awesome leftovers.
Ingredients – Here’s What You’ll Need
- The Onions: I like to use sweet onions like vidalia onions in this recipe, slowly cooked in unsalted butter. The onions could also be cooked in olive oil.
- The Thickening: Initially, I used all-purpose flour, a traditional thickening agent, to thicken the gravy. Then, I changed and used half of the all-purpose flour and some Bisto Original gravy powder
- The Liquids: The main liquid in this recipe is chicken broth, enhanced with Cognac, Worcestershire sauce, and heavy cream.
- The Seasonings: To season the gravy, I use Kosher salt, black pepper, and dried thyme.
Step-By-Step Directions
- I started by melting the butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Then, I added the onions, salt, pepper, and thyme and stirred everything together.
- Next, I covered the skillet with a paper towel and the lid. I use a paper towel because it collects the condensate given as the onions cook, resulting in a more concentrated onion flavor.
I cooked the onions for 10 minutes. Then, I removed the lid and the paper towel and gave the onions a stir. I placed a fresh paper towel on the skillet and the lid and cooked the onions for an additional 10 minutes.
- I removed the lid and the paper towel and stirred flour into the slightly caramelized onions. I let the mixture cook for several minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Next, I added the chicken broth, mixed with Bisto, i, Cognac, and Worcestershire sauce to the onions. I stirred everything together and cooked the gravy over medium heat, stirring constantly until thickened and bubbly.
- Finally, I stirred in the heavy cream and heated the onion gravy for several minutes until it was bubbly.
Tonight’s dinner was the Master Taste Tester’s Lazy Man Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, and steamed Brussels sprouts.
Overall, this homemade onion gravy is a delicious and versatile condiment that is easy to make and will elevate your comfort food meal to a new level of deliciousness. Yum!
Frequently Asked Questions
Beef broth or beef stock works as an excellent substitute for chicken broth in this recipe.
You can substitute vegetable broth for the chicken broth. However, Worcestershire sauce is not vegetarian, but you can substitute soy sauce for the Worcestershire sauce.
Onion gravy can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to four days. To reheat, warm the gravy in a saucepan over medium heat until heated through. You can also reheat the gravy in the microwave.
I like the subtle flavor that Cognac adds to this gravy. You can, however, substitute brandy, dry Madeira, dry Marsala, or even red wine for the Cognac. You can also omit the alcohol, with a slight change in the overall taste of the gravy.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Years ago, I learned that covering the pan with a paper towel when cooking rice kept the rice from becoming mushy. The reason was that the paper towel trapped the condensate and kept it from falling back into the pan with the rice. This paper towel trick works equally well when cooking the onions by removing excess moisture and enhancing the overall taste of the cooked onions.
- I’ve been using this recipe for gravy for years, and it never disappoints. It may seem like it uses a lot of onions, which it does. However, as the onions cook and give off their moisture, they reduce beautifully.
- I typically use low-sodium chicken broth in this recipe and other recipes that use chicken broth. The reason is that the low-sodium content gives me greater control over the overall saltiness of the gravy.
- If desired, you can further enhance the richness of the gravy by using a tablespoon of Better Than Bouillon Roasted Chicken Base. However, the Better Than Bouillon is quite salty, so you should hold off on adding any additional salt to the gravy until you’ve tasted it. I discovered this the hard way!
- Surprise your dinner guests with this homemade onion gravy for an awesome non-traditional gravy for your Thanksgiving roast turkey!
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Homemade Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 ½ pounds onions (about 4 cups), coarsely chopped
- 2 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ¾ teaspoon Kosher salt
- ½ teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon dried thyme
- 2 Tablespoons (0.625 ounces) all-purpose flour (See Tip 1)
- 2 cups (16 ounces) low-sodium chicken broth (See Tips 2 and 3)
- 4 teaspoons Bisto Original gravy powder (See Tip 1)
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) Cognac (See Note 4)
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 2 Tablespoons (1 ounce) heavy cream
Instructions
- Melt butter in a large skillet over medium-low heat. Add onions, salt, pepper, and thyme. Stir to combine. Cover the skillet with a paper towel and then with the lid. Cook for 10 minutes. Remove the lid and the paper towel and stir the onions. Place a fresh paper towel on the skillet and the lid and cook for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove the paper towel and the lid. Increase the heat to medium. Add the flour; stir to combine. Cook for two minutes. Add the chicken broth mixed with Bisto, Cognac, and Worcestershire sauce. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened and bubbly.
- Stir in the cream; heat for several minutes to ensure that the gravy is hot.
- Serve over your favorite comfort food dishes.
- Yield: About 4 cups.
Video
Tips/Notes
- If you cannot find Bisto Original gravy powder, add a total of ¼ cup of flour to the cooked onions. Increase the amount of salt to 1 ¼ teaspoons
- Can use regular chicken broth, but you may have to reduce the amount of salt to 1 teaspoon. If using Bisto, reduce the amount of salt to ½ teaspoon.
- May substitute beef broth or vegetable broth for the chicken broth.
- May substitute brandy, dry Madeira, or dry Marsala for the Cognac. If desired, you can also omit the alcohol, but the taste will be slightly impacted.
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