How to Make Perfect Gravy {with or without pan drippings}
It’s game time people—also known as gravy time in these days leading up to Thanksgiving. Have you been wondering how to make perfect gravy with or without pan drippings? You’ve come to the right place. So much thought goes into sides and desserts (my pie crusts are ready, rolled out, and wrapped up in the fridge). But for me, gravy makes or breaks the Thanksgiving meal.
What goes into making perfect? Is it even worth making gravy from scratch (spoiler: YES!)? Do you need pan drippings to make gravy? What about vegetarians and vegans? Today, I’m answering all these questions.
When making gravy, perfect gravy every single time, just remember 2-2-1.
That’s two tablespoons of fat, two tablespoons of flour, and one cup of stock or broth. So, yes, in case you didn’t realize, this also means you can easily adapt this to be a vegetarian or vegan gravy recipe.
Do you need pan drippings to make gravy? How can I make vegan gravy?
No! In this case we’re using butter, but of course, if you have pan drippings, then use that as the fat for your gravy base. You can even use a neutral oil (such as sunflower, grapeseed or canola) or even vegan butter. Obviously, if you’re making vegetarian or vegan gravy, you’ll want to use vegetable broth. Here’s a quick recipe you can make from vegetable peelings and scraps (there’s also this veggie broth and this recipe, too).
Can you make gravy without Wondra?
Absolutely! Regarding flour, I don’t buy into the “instant” flour, most commonly referred to by the brand name, Wondra. I’ve never had an issue with all-purpose flour, so why fix what isn’t broken?
Respect the process, devote your attention to it, or assign a gravy maker, and you’ll be rewarded with truly perfect gravy every time. Not too thick, not too thin, just right, although if you prefer an intensely thickened gravy, then go with 3-2-1 (three tablespoons of fat, 2 tablespoons flour, and 1 cup stock).
Now that you know you can make it without pan drippings, gravy can be a part of your everyday meals.
The recipe below is a doubled up version, so you’ll see it calls for 4 tablespoons of butter, 4 tablespoons of flour, and 2 cups of stock. Feel free to scale down or up as your gravy needs dictate. Most importantly, have a Happy Thanksgiving!
This recipe is now part of my new site, Simmering. It can be found here.