A good gravy brings the roast dinner together. It should taste savoury, coat the back of a spoon lightly and pour without lumps. That sounds straightforward until you're faced with a roasting tray full of fat, a handful of flour and the sudden suspicion that everyone is waiting to eat.
The easiest way to stay in control is to separate the three jobs: build flavour, thicken with flour and add liquid gradually. You can make gravy from the juices left by roast meat, or start with butter and stock when you're cooking a vegetarian dinner or haven't roasted anything.
Ingredients for around 500ml of gravy
For a simple gravy serving approximately four people, use:
- 25g butter or about 2 tablespoons of suitable roast fat
- 25g plain flour
- 500ml hot stock, preferably a type that suits the meal
- Roasting juices, if available
- Black pepper, to taste
- Salt only after tasting
Optional extras include a splash of wine, cooked onion or a small spoonful of redcurrant jelly for suitable dishes. The quantities are a reliable home starting point; the exact amount of flour needed can vary with how thick you want the finished gravy.
Choose the stock before you begin
Good stock carries much of the flavour. For beef, choose a suitable beef stock; for chicken, use chicken stock. Vegetable stock makes a useful base for meat-free gravy.
Taste the stock first if practical. Some cubes and ready-made products contain a lot of salt, so adding more seasoning before reducing the gravy can make it overly salty.
Have the hot stock in a jug beside the hob. Adding liquid gradually is much easier than trying to measure it while the flour is already cooking in the pan.
Use roast juices when you have them
After lifting the cooked joint from the roasting tray, let it rest in a suitable warm place. Meanwhile, assess what remains in the tray.
There may be fat floating above darker meat juices and browned bits stuck to the base. Those browned residues can contain plenty of flavour, but black burnt patches are likely to taste bitter.
Spoon off excessive fat while keeping enough to cook the flour. You can strain the juices to remove unwanted solids if the tray contains bones or heavily burnt scraps.
Check whether the roasting tray can go on the hob
Some trays are suitable for direct heat, while others may warp or have non-stick coatings that shouldn't be treated like a saucepan. Check the manufacturer's guidance.
If yours is unsuitable, scrape the juices and browned residue into a saucepan instead, using a little hot stock to loosen the flavour from the tray.
Don't place cold liquid into an overheated glass or ceramic roasting dish that may suffer thermal shock. Use safe equipment rather than risking a broken dish for a few extra drops of gravy.
Cook the flour in fat
Put the saucepan or suitable tray over medium heat. Melt the butter or warm the reserved roast fat, then stir in the plain flour.
The mixture becomes a paste called a roux. Cook it for a minute or two while stirring, until it smells lightly nutty and loses its raw flour taste.
BBC Good Food's no-stress gravy uses the same broad principle, heating butter or roasting juices with flour before adding stock. Avoid burning the paste; very dark patches will give the gravy an unpleasant flavour.
Add the first stock slowly
Pour in a small splash of hot stock and stir or whisk firmly. The mixture may initially become very thick, almost like mashed potato.
That's normal. Keep stirring until the stock is incorporated and the paste becomes smooth, then add another splash.
Don't pour the whole jug into a lump of flour and expect it to disperse automatically. Gradual additions are an easy way to avoid lumps even if you don't cook often.
Whisk in the remaining stock
Once the mixture has loosened into a smooth sauce, add the rest of the stock in a steady stream while whisking.
Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer. The flour will thicken the liquid as it heats, so resist adding more flour before it has had a chance to cook.
If using roasting juices, stir them in at this point if they weren't already included in the fat-and-flour stage. Taste and adjust gradually.
Simmer until the texture is right
Allow the gravy to bubble gently for several minutes, stirring so nothing catches on the bottom of the pan.
If it seems too thin, give it a little time to reduce. If it's already thick enough, lower the heat and stop reducing it unnecessarily.
Gravy becomes thicker as it cools, so aim for a pourable consistency in the pan. You want it to flow over potatoes rather than sit in a stiff heap.
Add optional flavour carefully
A little cooked onion or shallot gives sweetness and depth. A splash of wine can contribute acidity, provided it is cooked appropriately before serving.
Redcurrant jelly works with some roast meats, while a little mustard may suit others. These are variations, not requirements for basic gravy.
Season last. Salt becomes concentrated as liquid reduces, and roasting juices can be surprisingly salty after a well-seasoned joint.
Strain for a smooth gravy
For a silky finish, pour the gravy through a fine sieve into a warmed jug. This removes onion pieces, tiny lumps and rough solids from the roasting tray.
If you prefer a rustic onion gravy, leave the softened onions in and skip straining. There is no reason to remove tasty bits if they suit the dish.
Do not force a thick gravy through a very fine strainer by pressing aggressively. If necessary, thin it with a little hot stock first.
Make vegetarian gravy without meat juices
Start by softening finely chopped onion in butter or oil until golden. Sprinkle over plain flour and cook briefly while stirring.
Add hot vegetable stock in stages as above, then simmer. Mushrooms, roasted vegetable trimmings or a modest amount of suitable savoury seasoning can deepen the flavour.
Check that any ingredients are genuinely vegetarian if you're preparing the meal for someone who doesn't eat meat. Some ready-made stocks and condiments contain animal products.
How to fix lumpy gravy
Small flour lumps may disperse with vigorous whisking while the gravy is still warm. A fine sieve is the simplest rescue when the lumps remain.
Avoid adding more dry flour directly to the hot pan. It is likely to create new lumps instead of thickening smoothly.
For next time, remember the gradual-stock technique. Let the first small addition combine completely with the roux before pouring more.
How to fix gravy that's too thin
Give it a few minutes of gentle simmering to see whether it thickens naturally. Reducing concentrates flavour as well as thickening, so taste before cooking it down too far.
If it still needs more body, a small additional thickener prepared correctly may help. Don't throw a handful of dry flour into the finished gravy.
Keep proportions in mind next time. Beginning with an appropriate amount of fat, flour and stock is easier than repairing a very watery pan at the last minute.
How to fix gravy that's too thick
Add more hot stock or a little hot water, a splash at a time, stirring until it pours nicely.
Taste again because thinning will also dilute the seasoning. Don't compensate automatically with salt; the stock may already provide enough.
Gravy sitting in a warm jug can thicken while the rest of dinner is being served, so it's useful to keep a little hot stock nearby.
Keeping gravy warm and handling leftovers
Make gravy near serving time if possible. It tastes best hot and freshly stirred, rather than left uncovered on the side for a long period.
If you have leftovers, cool and refrigerate them promptly following food-safety guidance. Reheat until properly hot throughout before serving, and avoid repeatedly warming the same batch.
Gravy made with meat juices is still a cooked perishable food. Treat it with the same care as the rest of the roast dinner.
Build confidence with a plain batch first
You don't need wine, truffles or special granules to produce good gravy. A little butter, plain flour and good stock will show you how the thickening process works.
Once that feels comfortable, use roast juices, sautéed onions or another flavouring that suits the meal.
The memorable method is fat and flour first, hot stock added gradually, then a short simmer and a final taste. It works with surprisingly few ingredients and takes the pressure out of Sunday lunch.