How do you add richness to gravy?

Milk and cream add richness and flavor; they can round out or mellow any sharper flavors that develop along the way. Finishing a sauce or gravy with butter will thicken the gravy and add a velvety texture—a surefire way to up your gravy game.

What is creamy gravy made of?

It's a simple concoction, made with pan drippings, flour, milk and cracked black pepper . But while it may appear plain, it's infinitely delicious. Sometimes it goes by the name country gravy or white gravy, but in Texas we always call it cream gravy.

How do you enhance package gravy?

Supplement with Sautéed Vegetables . Soft, fragrant, sautéed vegetables lend a sweet, earthy, warm flavor to your store-bought gravy. Use any combination of onions, leeks, shallots, celery, carrots, and mushrooms cooked in butter, olive oil, or pan drippings.

What is the best ingredient to thicken gravy?

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch . But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

Is gravy better with flour or cornstarch?

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free .

How do you intensify gravy?

Boost the flavor of gravy by simmering it over low heat with fresh herbs, like thyme, sage, parsley, or bay leaf . Strain the gravy before serving.

How do you add depth of flavor to gravy?

But if you have time to spare, add pan drippings from turkey, bacon or bacon drippings, caramelized vegetables (like onions, leeks, carrots and celery), herbs or garlic . You'll want to simmer the gravy with these additions for a good 20 minutes to pick up the additional flavors (longer, if possible).

How do chefs thicken gravy?

Another way to thicken gravy with flour is by making a roux . A roux is a mixture of fat and flour, and it's an easy way to thicken a sauce. If you make a roux, it should also be added incrementally. A final option is making a beurre manié, which is made by rubbing flour into butter to create a dough or paste.

What is the emulsifier in gravy?

An emulsifier is a chemical which can grab the water with one end and the fat with the other and make them get along. With gravy the emulsifier is protein, mostly from the stock .

What is the formula for gravy?

(The classic ratio for gravy is three: two:one , so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.) You can add other flavors to the mixture, swap out the stock for another liquid, or use cornstarch rather than flour to thicken your gravy.

What's the difference between country gravy and regular gravy?

There is no difference . In the South, country gravy and white gravy are used interchangeably and both for the same type of thick, creamy gravy made with butter, flour, and milk. You may also hear these gravies called sawmill gravy, and some people use this recipe but add sausage for a sausage gravy.

How do you increase gravy volume?

You can always add more broth to increase your gravy volume.

What can you add to brown gravy to make it taste better?

What can you add to Brown Gravy to Make it Taste Better? We add a combination of garlic powder, onion powder, and Worcestershire sauce to give this gravy great flavor. Another addition we love is Bouillon paste, powder works too!

The One Ingredient That Will Guarantee Impossibly Creamy Gravy on Thanksgiving (2024)

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Christine Gallary

Christine GallaryFood Editor-at-Large

Christine graduated from Le Cordon Bleu in Paris, France, and she has worked at Cook's Illustrated and CHOW.com. She lives in San Francisco and loves teaching cooking classes. Follow her latest culinary escapades on Instagram.

published Nov 17, 2023

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The One Ingredient That Will Guarantee Impossibly Creamy Gravy on Thanksgiving (1)

In This Article

How to Thicken Gravy
What to Try First
Slurry
Roux
Wondra Flour
Alternative Thickening Agents
FAQ

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How to Thicken Gravy

If your gravy is looking watery, you can add a slurry (a mixture of cornstarch/flour and water) or a roux (a mixture of flour and butter) to thicken it up. Other pantry ingredients like Wondra (an instant flour), arrowroot, tapioca, and potato starch can also be used to thicken gravy to a deliciously silky consistency.

Here are eight easy ways to thicken your gravy — including one vintage pantry staple — so you can pour it over the turkey, drench your mashed potatoes, or even just sneak a taste right from the gravy boat.

1. Cook the gravy longer.

Sometimes, we all just need an extra minute or two to be our best selves — and gravy is no different. If the consistency of your gravy isn’t what you want, try simmering the gravy a bit longer to help evaporate some of the liquids. If the gravy still hasn’t thickened to your liking after about 10 minutes or so, it’s now time to try a thickening agent.

2. Thicken with a slurry.

A slurry is a concentrated mixture of starch and liquid that will thicken soups, stews, and, of course, gravy. (If you added flour or cornstarch directly into your gravy, it would be lumpy, bumpy, and completely unappetizing.)

To thicken gravy with a slurry, do the following steps:

Measure out 1 teaspoon all-purpose flour or cornstarch into a small bowl.
Add 1 tablespoon water or broth and whisk with a fork until combined.
Whisk the gravy constantly over medium heat, slowly pour the slurry into the gravy, and cook until the gravy thickens.

3. Thicken with a roux.

A roux is a building block of thick sauces, gravies, and stews, and is made with 1 part butter to 1 part all-purpose flour. Although many gravy recipes call for a roux to be made at the beginning, if your gravy isn’t thickening up the way you’d planned on, adding a roux in at the end can get it to the consistency you’d like. Here’s how to add a roux to thicken your gravy.

Melt 2 tablespoons unsalted butter over medium-low heat.
Add 1/4 cup all-purpose flour and stir with a wooden spoon in a figure-eight motion until the flour has absorbed the butter.
Cook until small bubbles begin to form and the mixture starts to smooth out, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Remove from the heat.
While whisking the gravy constantly over medium heat, slowly add the roux 1 tablespoon at a time, letting each addition fully come to a simmer and see if it thickens before adding more.

4. Thicken with Wondra flour.

Wondra flour is a very fine, pre-cooked instant flour that was invented in the early 1960s (it’s still packaged in a wonderfully vintage technicolor blue canister), and it can brilliantly be added directly to gravies and sauces to thicken them. Because it has such a fine consistency, Wondra can be added right into a sauce or gravy — without needing to make a roux or a slurry first — and it won’t introduce any unwanted lumps.

5. Try some alternative thickening agents.

Although flour and cornstarch are the typical ingredients used to thicken sauces, stews, and gravies, there are others that can be used if you have guests avoiding gluten, or if you’re in a pinch — like when you use all of the remaining flour for your pie crust and the stores are now closed on Thanksgiving morning.

Here are some alternative thickening agents you can use in your gravy:

Arrowroot powder

Arrowroot powder (sometimes referred to as arrowroot flour or arrowroot starch) is a flavorless, white starchy ingredient that is often used in gluten-free baking. The powder is extracted from — you guessed it — an arrowroot, which is a tuber.

To thicken gravy with arrowroot powder, do the following steps:

Mix 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon arrowroot powder with 3 tablespoons water until dissolved for every 1 cup of gravy.
While whisking the gravy constantly over medium heat, add the arrowroot mixture a little bit at a time.
Cook, whisking often, until the gravy thickens.

Tip: If you’re using arrowroot powder to thicken gravy, plan on not doing so until shortly before you eat because arrowroot can lose its thickening power if it’s heated for too long.

Tapioca starch

Although you may know tapioca best from boba tea, tapioca starch is a flavorless, gluten-free flour that can be used to thicken gravies, sauces, and stews. Tapioca comes from the cassava plant, which has a brown cylindrical root.

To thicken gravy with tapioca starch, do the following steps:

Mix 1 tablespoon plus 1 teaspoon of tapioca starch with 3 tablespoons water until dissolved for every 1 cup of gravy.
While whisking the gravy constantly over medium-low heat, add the tapioca starch mixture a little bit at a time. Do not bring to a boil.
Cook, whisking often, until the gravy thickens.

Tip: Tapioca has a tendency to get stringy when overcooked, so be sure to remove the gravy from the heat when you start to see bubbles forming.

Potato starch

Potato starch is made from very finely ground potatoes and is used to thicken sauces as well as provide a crispy coating to meats.

To thicken gravy with potato starch, do the following steps:

Create a slurry by stirring 2 1/4 teaspoons potato starch and 3 tablespoons water together in a small bowl until the starch is dissolved.
While whisking the gravy constantly over medium heat, add the potato starch mixture a little bit at a time.
Cook, whisking often, until the gravy thickens.

Puréed vegetables

If you don’t happen to have any thickening agents on hand, turn to your veggie crisper to get your gravy to a thicker texture.

To thicken gravy with pureéed vegetables, do the following steps:

Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425°F.
Dice up any starchy root vegetables you have on hand, such as parsnips, beets, potatoes, and carrots, into 1/2-inch pieces. Drizzle with olive oil and a pinch of salt.
Roast in a single layer on a baking sheet until the veggies are browned on the bottom and are tender, 20 to 25 minutes.
Wait for the vegetables to cool down for a few minutes, then process in a blender or food processor until smooth.
Whisk the roasted vegetable purée into the gravy. Cook on medium heat until the gravy is thickened.
Strain the gravy before serving.

FAQ

Is it better to use flour or cornstarch to thicken gravy?

Both all-purpose flour and cornstarch will thicken gravy, but when choosing between one or the other, you should note that cornstarch can make gravy appear shiny. Cornstarch also loses its thickening power if cooked for a long period of time.

Does gravy have to boil to thicken?

Gravy doesn’t necessarily have to boil to thicken (and in fact if you are using thickeners like tapioca starch, you shouldn’t bring it to a boil), but it does need to heat long enough and at a high-enough temperature to make it a silky consistency. Not cooking it long enough is one of the biggest gravy mistakes you can make.

Why is my gravy not thickening with cornstarch?

Cornstarch should thicken gravy in less than a minute when at a simmer. If it doesn’t thicken enough, it’s a sign that you need more cornstarch. Whisk in more cornstarch slurry a little at a time, and let each addition come to a simmer before adding more.

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