A good Thanksgiving meal is never complete without a good homemade gravy. It’s just a fact! And this year I really wanted to put my own spin onto this traditional sauce. First off, I wanna say I have always loved gravy because mashed potatoes is one of my favorite dishes. And good mashed potatoes are not complete without a killer gravy. Last year, I made probably the best mashed potato recipe (in my opinion), so this year I wanted to make a good gravy to go with it. The secret sauce to this sauce is hoisin sauce. Adding just a tiny amount boosts the umami flavor in the gravy, creating a truly magical flavor.
Ingredients, Substitutions & Adjustments
- Unsalted butter – Adds richness and nuttiness to the gravy. I would recommend using unsalted butter to control the salt in your gravy.
- Garlic powder and pepper for seasoning
- Hoisin sauce – I used hoisin sauce to add more umami flavor to the gravy since I had no drippings to add. A good substitute for hoisin sauce is soy sauce. For a gluten free alternative, use tamari as a substitute.
- All purpose flour – The flour makes the gravy thicker. To make this recipe gluten free, use gluten free all purpose flour.
- Chicken broth – I used low sodium chicken broth for this recipe. Chicken broth can be substituted with vegetable broth.
- Thyme (fresh or dried) – Adds some earthy flavor to the gravy. Fresh is a lot better flavor-wise than dried, so I recommend using fresh if you can find it.
Making my homemade gravy recipe
This homemade gravy is so easy to make and only takes less than 15 minutes! Melt the butter over medium heat. Once melted, add the garlic powder, pepper, hoisin sauce, thyme, and all purpose flour. Mix until incorporated and cook for 30 seconds. Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and simmer until the sauce thickens (5-10 minutes). An easy way to test if the gravy is done is by coating the back of a spoon and pulling your finger through the gravy. If the trail created doesn’t break, the gravy is at the right consistency.
Tips on how to make the perfect homemade gravy
How do I make this gravy gluten free?
How do I make this gravy vegetarian?
How long can you store gravy?
Should I use the drippings if I have them?
If you do have drippings, add them to the gravy! It’s always better to have more flavor.
Did you make this dish?
If you made this dish, I would love to see!
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Homemade Gravy
Ingredients
- 3 tbsp unsalted butter
- ¼ tsp garlic powder
- ¼ tsp pepper
- 1 tsp hoisin sauce
- 1 tsp thyme fresh or dried
- 3 tbsp all purpose flour
- 2 cups chicken broth low sodium
Instructions
- Melt the butter over medium heat.
- Once melted, add the garlic powder, pepper, hoisin sauce, thyme and all purpose flour. Mix until incorporated and cook for 30 seconds.
- Add the chicken broth and bring to a boil. Once boiling, reduce to a simmer and simmer until the sauce thickens (5-10 minutes). An easy way to test if the gravy is done is by coating the back of a spoon and pulling your finger through the gravy. If the trail created doesn’t break, the gravy is at the right consistency.
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by Becca Du