Homemade Brown Onion Gravy Recipe

This brown onion gravy recipe is easy to make. It’s delicious over mashed potatoes, biscuits, beef or anything else you might want to cover in YUM.

If you’re looking for an onion gravy recipe that knocks everyone’s socks off, this is it!! Whether you want to make this during Thanksgiving, Christmas, or just as a treat with your favorite roast recipe it’s great. Give it a whirl and let us know what you serve this with at your house. (affiliate links present, originally published 8/21)

Easy Gravy Recipe

To get going you’ll want to grab a cast iron skillet. You can use a “regular” pan but there’s just something about a dutch oven or pan like this one below. It will give you the browning and added flavors you’ll want.

Adjust the seasonings to you liking but we are all about a decent amount of garlic for sure. Tweak as you go along so it is perfect for your tastebuds and everyone in your home. Grab a bunch of onions, broth and a bunch of seasonings and let’s get going on this one.

Using a pan like this you’ll want to have a wooden spatula on hand. You don’t want to use metal on it because it will scratch. You want to keep it what they call seasoned at all times. If you are new to using something like this, take a peek at our cast iron skillet care post. It isn’t hard but definitely a different way to “clean” them.

Salisbury Steak Gravy Recipe

There are SO many things you can pour this over. It will make your meal go from good to OH MY Over the top. Our easy salisbury steak recipe is just one of them for sure. I mean we love it so much it is a must on our Thanksgiving table. We serve it over Instant Pot turkey and the best mashed potatoes.

The beauty of making this homemade onion gravy recipe is that you can adjust the amount of pepper and thickness.

Brown Onion Gravy

Back in the day my mom always made giblet gravy from the neck and things inside the turkey. When I got married that was a hard no from my husband so I came up with something new. Onions make everything better and are such a cheap addition to any meal that adds texture and flavor.

Does McCormick still make onion gravy?

Yes, but it isn’t nearly as good as making it yourself this way. If you are in a pinch and/or want to make our Instant Pot beef tips recipe, I have used their packaged version. For a quick meal like this one it is great for convenience. The flavors aren’t nearly as bold and there’s really no texture since pieces are dehydrated to start.

How to Make Gravy from Drippings

Heavy whipping cream is used to thin it out but still keep it thick at the same time. This ingredient will give it a richness you would expect. But it will give it some ooomph to make more out of the simmered down base.

You can use the drippings from pork, chicken or beef from your fall apart sirloin tip roast too. This is a quick step by step but there is an entire printable recipe at the bottom of this post as well.

1. Place the olive oil and cold butter in a skillet over medium heat and once hot. Add onions and cook for about 5-8 minutes until they are well golden and browned. Add a bit of broth as needed to prevent them from burning.
2. Add the seasoning and stir to coat the caramelized onions.
3. Allow to cook onions for another minute or so, then add the Worcestershire sauce and remaining broth or beef stock (some prefer red wine). Increase heat to medium – high heat and bring to a boil again.
4. Reduce heat and simmer until broth is reduce by half. Add the heavy whipping cream and allow to come to a boil (increasing heat if necessary).
5. Reduce and simmer for 3-4 minutes stirring frequently until your desired gravy texture is achieved. You add diced meat to make it into turkey neck gravy at this time too.
6. Taste and adjust seasoning, add more if desired for extra flavor.

Serve on top of air fryer biscuits in our Crockpot meatballs and gravy or all the things you love!

Caramelized Onion Gravy

If you want to make this faster, follow our Instant Pot sausage gravy recipe. That includes meat though so this would be a vegetarian alternative. Items you will need to get started are as follows. Note that of course you can substitute some of the liquid for cold water instead, use vegetable broth instead of beef, etc….

• Plenty of diced or sliced onions. I typically use yellow but you could use some red onion for a mix too.
• Butter
• Olive oil
• Salt and pepper, and other seasonings you love.
• Thyme and sage
• Beef broth
• Worcestershire sauce
• Heavy whipping cream will thicken it up and give it a creamy nature.

Another thing we love this over is bangers and mash!! If you have never had this before it is a fun dish that kids love too.

Can I freeze leftover gravy?

You can!! It will last up to 4 months if stored properly in ice cube trays, freezer bags, or sealed containers. Allow to come to room temperature when ready to use. Reheat in microwave or in a pot on the stove.

Nutritional information with calories, saturated fat are listed below. This accounts for exact ingredients in box, nothing extra if you do add something else.

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