How to Make Good Brown Gravey Out of Beef Stock
This is a really easy recipe for how to make gravy using just water. The secret is to use both chicken AND beef stock cubes for the best flavour and a nice deep brown colour. Takes 4 minutes flat, tastes like KFC gravy – but so much better! No pan drippings required. (Note: Recently I've also created a tasty variation, Mushroom Gravy!)
Pour over everything!
Gravy
This gravy recipe tastes like what you get in those tubs of KFC Potato and Gravy. Those of you who abstain from all forms of fast food may not know what it tastes like. But all you need to know is that it's everything that you'd expect from KFC – reliably tasty, well seasoned, can make anything delicious!
The secret ingredient that makes this gravy better is to use both chicken AND beef stock cubes (bouillon cubes).
What you need for gravy
Here's all you need to make a really great gravy from scratch: chicken and beef stock cubes, butter and flour.
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Chicken AND beef stock cubes (aka bouillon cubes) – for flavour and colour. Chicken is the base flavour, beef gives it oomph and gives it a nice deep brown colour rather than an unappetising pale brown. Using both also makes this gravy suitable to use for any protein – white meats (chicken, pork), red meats (beef, lamb, game), potato and vegetables. Can substitute with powder;
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Hot water – to dissolve the cubes;
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Flour – to thicken the gravy (gluten free cornflour/cornstarch sub in the recipe notes);
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Onion or garlic powder –optional, for hint of extra flavour.
Why stock cubes instead of liquid stock/broth?
Great question! 🙂 Stock cubes and powder have a more intense flavour than liquid stock (broth), so they make a tastier gravy when you make gravy from scratch like in this recipe.
Liquid broth is more appropriate to use when you're making gravy starting with pan drippings from roasts – because the pan drippings add extra flavour into the gravy.
How to make gravy in 4 minutes flat
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Dissolve stock cubes or powder in boiling water;
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Melt butter in saucepan and mix in flour;
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Pour in stock water while whisking and cook 1.5 minutes until thickened. DONE!
PS The reason this is faster than most gravy recipes is because the water is already HOT and the flavour is already concentrated so there's no need to cook down for flavour.
Now, douse everything and anything with it.
Oh, and here's the photo that started it all – Fried Chicken. Upon spying this, there were many (many) (MANY!) requests for the potato and gravy recipe.
All the possibilities….!!!
Here's some suggestions for dishes to serve with gravy. Some obvious ones, some not so obvious ones, all good!
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Potato and gravy – KFC style! Dunk in Fried Chicken, warm bread rolls or bread (try this No Yeast Irish Soda Bread!), hot chips, wedges, serve on the side of sausages, as part of a Southern Dinner with BBQ Pulled Pork, any roast;
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Roasts – any and all!
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Rotisserie chicken dinner – make a meal out of a store bought roast chicken. Steam some veg, make some mash, douse everything with this gravy!
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Steamed vegetables – guaranteed way to make bland, boring steamed veg completely scoff worthy;
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Pan seared chops, steaks or anything – chicken, lamb, pork, beef! Sprinkle with salt and pepper, pan fry in butter or oil, douse with gravy;
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Meatballs – Make these Beef meatballs or these Chicken Meatballs, skip the sauce and serve with this gravy instead;
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Poured over an omelette;
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Chicken Rolls – shred chicken, toss with gravy, pile generously onto hot rolls;
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As a Sauce for any of these:
Use gravy as a sauce for these dishes
I need to stop. There's too many possibilities!
But enough about my ideas. Tell me what YOU douse with gravy!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Servings 6
Tap or hover to scale
Recipe video above. This recipe is how I make a seriously tasty gravy using water in 4 minutes flat. The secret is to use both chicken AND beef stock cubes. Beef adds colour and flavour oomph, whereas chicken is the base flavour. Use crumbled cubes if you can as some brands of beef powder won't give the same nice brown colour (ends up pale). Also pictured - KFC copycat mashed potato (extra light and creamy, just like KFC!) (GLUTEN FREE in notes)
- 1 chicken stock cube / bouillon cube (sub 2 tsp powder) (Note 1)
- 1 beef stock cube / bouillon cube (sub 2 tsp powder) (Note 1)
- 2 1/4 cups (565ml) boiling water
- 60g/ 4 tbsp butter , unsalted
- 4 tbsp flour , plain / all purpose
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (ok to omit or sub garlic powder)
- 1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper
- Salt , if needed
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Crumble cubes into boiling water, mix to dissolve.
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Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
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Add flour, onion powder and pepper. Mix into butter with a wooden spoon or whisk.
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While stirring, slowly pour in half the liquid. Once incorporated into the flour butter roux (it will thicken quickly), add remaining liquid and mix.
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Stir for 1.5 - 2 minutes until it thickens to a gravy consistency (it's quick as water is already hot). Taste, add more salt and pepper if needed.
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Serve over chops, steak, sausages, veggies, roast chicken, pork, beef, lamb. Pictured - KFC Potato and Gravy copycat!
1. Stock cubes / bouillon cubes - as pictured in post. Chicken for base flavour, beef for flavour boost + makes gravy nice brown colour (if only chicken, gravy is pale).
Substitute with stock powder / granulated bouillon, but note that some brands of beef powder will not yield quite the same brown colour, will be slightly lighter.
If youonly use chicken cube or powder, the gravy flavour will lose a touch of seasoning and will be a pale brown colour. Can make up for this with 1 tsp Dark soy sauce - it will stain the gravy and add a touch of extra flavour (this is a secret cooking trick for gravy!)
2. Onion or garlic powder - not the end of the world if you don't have this, it's just a tiny hint of extra flavour.
3. Gravy consistency - don't let it get too thick, it thickens more when sitting around to be served. If it gets too thick, just add a touch of water. Too thin, keep it on the stove, it should thicken quickly.
4. Storage - gravy gets thicker and gets a skin on the surface as it cools. Just use water to thin out, whisk the skin in and heat it up, it will be as good as new.
If serving soon, just place a lid on the saucepan then reheat when required.
Make ahead and leftovers - transfer to container and place lid on, let cool then refrigerate for up to 5 days. Can also freeze - once thawed, reheat and give it a good mix. You'll need to loosen with water.
5. Gluten free -Skip flour, ensure stock cubes are gluten free. Mix 2.5 tbsp cornflour/cornstarch with 3 tbsp water, then add that into the hot stock liquid. Mix, then pour that into the saucepan with melted butter. Will thicken in 2 minutes or so.
6. Nutrition per serving, just under 1/2 cup per serving (yes that's generous!). To reduce calories, can halve the butter to 30g/2tbsp - when flour is added, mixture will be crumbly rather than "wet" (as seen in video) but will dissolve in liquid (use whisk). 33 cal per serving reduction.
Calories: 90 cal (5%) Carbohydrates: 4 g (1%) Protein: 1 g (2%) Fat: 8 g (12%) Saturated Fat: 5 g (31%) Cholesterol: 20 mg (7%) Sodium: 392 mg (17%) Fiber: 1 g (4%) Sugar: 1 g (1%) Vitamin A: 237 IU (5%) Calcium: 5 mg (1%) Iron: 1 mg (6%)
Life of Dozer
Even at the vet, all he can think about is FOOD. Just like his owner 😂
PS Nothing major, just getting an old-man wart removed that had grown quite large and was bothering him. He was, of course, a total sook once he realised he was there for more than just pats and treats. Quivering and pressing up against me for protection!
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