Better Than Bouillon Gravy Recipe (5 Minutes)
Add an extra touch of deliciousness to chicken, turkey, roasts and mashed potatoes with a beyond-easy, smooth and flavorful Better Than Bouillon gravy. Just 5 minutes with 3 simple ingredients (plus water).
We have no affiliation with this company. We just love the huge convenience and quality of this base. It’s a great flavor-enhancing secret ingredient for making a basic, easy gravy recipe – any kind – in a matter of minutes.
Gravy with drippings from a roast such as boneless pork roast with gravy (reverse sear) or roast chicken breast with gravy uses the natural oils released from the cooked meat – and adds rich flavor to the gravy.
I prefer using fresh ingredients whenever possible, but I also love conveniences and shortcuts as long as the quality and taste is good.
I’ve made hundreds of gravies in my long years of cooking. I’m a big fan. Better Than Bouillon base or a concentrated undiluted broth are my two favorite options for a delicious gravy when from-scratch homemade gravy is not in the cards.
Why Better Than Bouillon base is good
As I said, we have no affiliation with the company. We are just very impressed with the quality and flavor of their bouillon base products.
The base has a paste-like consistency. To make a broth, just add water. For better than bouillon gravy, see the recipe below. Here’s what I like about the base:
- It has a lower percentage of sodium per serving compared to bouillon cubes and powder.
- It’s made with real ingredients, such as chicken, beef, and vegetables, which add flavor and reduce the need for added salt.
- You can control the depth and richness of the gravy by using more or less of the base.
- Comes in a many different flavors (roasted vegetable, chicken, beef, low salt and more – see ingredient list below)
- It also makes a great-flavored broth (chicken broth, beef broth, etc.) – so you can ditch the heavy cans or boxes.
3 reasons to make gravy without drippings
- Whatever you’re cooking produces no drippings (or not enough).
- You are a vegetarian and love gravy on mashed potatoes or fries.
- With so many other tasks to take care of, you want to avoid last-minute prep and make your gravy ahead of time.
Of course, you absolutely CAN use chicken drippings (or any fat drippings) with this gravy recipe instead of the oil or butter if you prefer.
Ingredients – tailored to your taste
Better Than Bouillon base – choose the kind you like or need. The more common ones are roasted chicken, roasted beef, seasoned vegetable, mushroom, turkey, sauteed onion and roasted garlic. The company also has a culinary collection (more sophisticated flavors), and even organic, reduced sodium and vegetarian/vegan collections. List of better than bouillon bases.
Variations
- Sauté chopped green onions or shallots with the oil before adding flour and the base.
- Boost the flavor further with additional seasonings like garlic powder, thyme, poultry seasonings, Italian seasoning, fresh herbs or a few drops of soy sauce, sherry, light or heavy cream, or Worcestershire sauce.
Step by step
Tip
A great way to keep gravy hot for hours is to put it in an insulated gravy boat or thermos.
Recipe FAQs
According to the company, Better Than Bouillon is a concentrated food base made of cooked meat and/or vegetables with natural flavors that can be used in a variety of ways – from making a simple soup to adding flavor to your favorite meal. Each jar has 38 one-teaspoon serving (except at Costco which sells larger jars).
Use 1 teaspoon per 8 ounces/1 cup/237ml of liquid. For a deeper more intense flavor, you can use a little more. I do.
No, better than bouillon base is not gluten free as wheat flour is used in the facility where it’s housed.
I prefer the flour (roux) method as per the recipe, but you can definitely use a corn starch slurry instead to thicken the gravy. Here’s a recipe for gravy using the corn starch method. Keep in mind, this will not make the gravy gluten-free if you are using the Better Than Bouillon base.
What to serve with gravy
Just about anything! Ok, that’s a stretch. I love gravy. Here are a few of my favorite dishes with gravy. Use the better-than-bouillon base that goes best. For example, use bouillon beef base with chuck roast, prime rib of beef, sous vide boneless leg of lamb and poutine, and chicken base for roast chicken, turkey, and pork roast.
If you have Thanksgiving leftovers including this gravy, try our delicious shepherd’s pie with turkey.
Make ahead
- See instructions in the recipe card for making this easy gravy ahead of time as well as freezing and reheating it.
- The gravy can be stored in the fridge for 2-3 days and frozen for up to 4 months.
Other gravy recipes
- Best beef gravy without drippings (5 minutes)
- Turkey gravy without drippings (make ahead from scratch)
- Chicken gravy without drippings (8 minutes)
Please leave a 5 star rating ***** with a comment in the recipe card below if you like the recipe, Thanks so much!
Better Than Bouillon Gravy (5 Minutes)
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons oil or unsalted butter Note 1 (or half butter, half oil)
- Optional: 3 tbsp chopped green onions or shallots
- 3 1/2 tablespoons all purpose flour (or 4 tbsp for thicker gravy)
- 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon base, any kind, Note 2 (or more to taste)
- 2 cups water
Optional flavor enhancers
- dried seasoning – salt, black pepper, thyme, poultry seasoning, Italian seasoning, garlic powder
- fresh herbs e.g. thyme, chives, rosemary
- 1 teaspoon soy sauce, sherry or Worcestershire sauce; or a splash of cream.
Instructions
- MAKE ROUX AND GRAVY BASE: Melt butter or heat 3 tablespoons oil (or use half of each) in small saucepan on medium heat. For extra flavor, add optional chopped green onions and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in 3 1/2 tablespoons of flour and 1 tablespoon Better Than Bouillon base. Cook, stirring constantly for 2 minutes until the roux starts to turn a very light brown. This will get rid of the raw flour taste. Don't let it get too dark or burn. (It should be a loose paste. If too dry, add a bit more oil).
- FINISH GRAVY: Whisk in 1 cup water until smooth. Whisk in remaining 1 cup water. I use lukewarm water to speed up the cooking process, but cold water is fine too. Cook about 3 minutes until gravy has thickened. Taste and add any optional seasonings you like if needed. Pour into a gravy boat or thermos and serve. Gravy will thicken a bit more on standing. Note 3 – troubleshooting. Makes about 2 cups of gravy.
Recipe Notes
- If you have pan drippings from a roast (the juice and fat in the pan after roasting), feel free to use them instead of the oil or butter. They will add great flavor. If there is a lot of meat juice mixed with the fat, it’s best to pour the mixture into a fat separator and use just the grease. Otherwise you may get lumps.
- Better than Bouillon Base – choose the kind you like or need. The more common ones are roasted chicken, roasted beef, seasoned vegetable, mushroom, turkey, sauteed onion and roasted garlic. The company also has a culinary collection (more sophisticated flavors), and even organic, reduced sodium and vegetarian/vegan collections. List of better than bouillon bases.
- Troubleshooting gravy problems:
- Lumpy gravy: whisk rapidly or use an immersion blender to smooth out lumps. Alternatively, strain the gravy through a fine mesh sieve. This is only likely to happen if you are using drippings from a roast that have meat juices in them.
- Too thin: If you find your gravy is not thick enough, mix a slurry of 1 tablespoon cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water in a small cup and add it slowly to the simmering gravy until you achieve the desired thickness. Repeat if necessary.
- Too thick: Add more water. You may need to thin out the gravy as it thickens when sitting around or stored in the fridge.
- Too pale: If you like your gravy a little browner, add a little bit of soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce e.g. 1/2 teaspoon.
- Not flavorful enough: Whisk in more better-than-bouillon base or optional seasonings listed in the ingredients. Some cooks whisk in a tablespoon of cold butter at the end as well.
- Make ahead, freeze, reheat
- The gravy can be made a few hours or days ahead. Store leftovers or make-ahead gravy in an airtight container.
- To freeze, place the cooled gravy in a sealed zipper lock bag or airtight container and freeze up to 4 months. Defrost before using.
- Rewarm the gravy on the stove on medium-low heat or in the microwave. If too thick, add a bit of water or broth. Frozen gravy may separate – just whisk it well and it will smooth out perfectly when reheated.
Absolutely loved the recipe! Very easy directions. My gravy turned out great!! Have been using Better Than Bouillon for years. First time I’ve look up info on line! An easy Five Star! Ty
Thank you! It’s a great go-to for me 🙂
This has to be the single best homemade gravy recipe I’ve ever tried and it was SO easy. 10/10 will definitely make again ?
We needed gravy for supper. I looked online how to make gravy from Better than Bouillon. Your recipe was easy and made the best tasting gravy! Loved knowing to brown the roux. Keeping this recipe! Thanks!
Thanks Beth – glad you liked it! Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment – always appreciated 🙂
Hi sometimes I like a milky, creamy type gravy…esp. w/ lots of mushrooms!! Last I used oat milk and yes some better than bouillon for flavor…..it was so good! Sauted mushroom, then added butter and flour..made a roux. then added oat milk and cooked a bit..used costco’s oat milk in box..then mixed better than bouillon a bit of warm water and added….sprinkled a bit of thyme and black pepper…delicious and freezes well.. r
Thanks for sharing Ruth. Sounds delish.
This worked very well for me and made delicious gravy. My wife and I follow a vegan lifestyle, so it’s hard to find instant gravy that we can eat. I used Better than Bouillon no-Beef paste and followed your directions: so simple, so quick, so tasty. This one is a keeper!
So glad you were able to find the vegan ‘no beef’ base for your gravy Dr. J. My daughter/partner Jenna is a vegetarian and loves the seasoned vegetable base for gravy and soup.
This was perfect! Exactly what I needed in a pinch! All I added was some poultry seasoning but made everything else exactly as stated.
Great to hear! I also add poultry seasoning – it’s such a great blend for chicken, turkey and even pork. Thanks for taking the time to leave a comment.
Came out perfect! Added some of the drippings from the meat! Vey flavorful! Will definitely use this recipe again!
Yay! It’s a great base for gravy, and I agree that meat drippings add even more flavor (if you have any). Thanks for leaving a comment Dawn 🙂
Better than Bouillon is not gluten-free (FAQs) “as wheat flour is used in the facility where it is house.” Not sure if this means there is wheat in B&B itself or other products that use wheat with the possibility of wheat contamination. I would like to try using BtB if it is not used as an ingredient in it. Thank you for your reply.
Hi Catherine, The Better Than Bouillon site has an FAQ “is BTB gluten free?” with the answer: “No, Better Than Bouillon is made in a facility where wheat ingredients are housed. We do not test our Better Than Bouillon products or ingredients contained therein for gluten, so we cannot certify that any ingredient is gluten free”. While their products may not contain wheat, they don’t make any claims about being gluten free. I am sorry I can’t offer any advice on this. I did find an older article by a professional regarding gluten in Better Than Bouillon products if that helps.
Great recipe! I’ve made this twice now. Once for leftover chicken and the second time for prime rib. For the chicken gravy, I followed the recipe exactly as written and it was very tasty. For the beef gravy, I followed note #1 and substituted pan drippings for the butter. The gravy was smooth, very delicious and got rave reviews. This recipe is a keeper!
This recipe is very versatile as you can see. Thanks very much for taking the time to leave a comment and share your experiences Robin. Much appreciated!
Thanks for posting this. I made a pot roast and gravy using BTB but I ended up with a lot more pot roast than gravy leftovers (because we like our gravy). I made your recipe and then added in the remains of the original gravy to take advantage of the onions and seasoning from the first cook. It turned out perfectly and now we have the perfect amount of gravy for our leftover roast beef.
I have had to do that more than once. We like our gravy too! Thanks for sharing Lee.
Made a vegetable and roast hash for my inlaws. Saw this recipe on BTB and thought let’s give it a try. It was a hit!!
Yay!! 🙂
This is good..it calls for 1 tbsp of base into 2 cups water which seems to be the corrected version..The label on the jar of turkey base CLEARY SAYS 2 1/2 tbsp into two cups of water and it wound up saltier than the Red Sea .I had to throw away a whole pot.
Hi Linda, As you noted, our recipe calls for 1 tbsp for 2 cups of water. I am really surprised your jar says to use 2 1/2 tablespoons for two cups of water (2 1/2 TEASPOONS would be more in line with all Better Than Bouillon documentation). Typically, the measure is 1 teaspoon per 1 cup/8 ounces water. I add a bit more to give the broth or gravy more depth. But you’re right – 2 1/2 tablespoons would be too much. Sorry the gravy didn’t work out. I hope next time you will use our measurements and get a 5* gravy!
Linda why would you rate the correct recipe 3 stars when it was not her recipe that failed?
Just what I have been looking for as I have never made gravy but would love to have
some with chicken and also a turkey meatloaf I make. . .
Thank you!!!!
I think you’re going to like it – hope so!
I plan on making this for Thanksgiving to take to my daughters in-laws. I’ve used Better Than Bouillon for years (especially for soups) but am excited to be able to make gravy that will taste like REAL good gravy!!
Hope you like it 🙂 Let us know how it turns out. I use that one all the time.
I’m making it for Thanksgiving as well. My sister and I dont eat meat, so Im beyond thankful for the vegaterian bases that I can use. Sautéed onion and chicken-less chicken, here I come! Happy Thanksgiving to you sweets!
Have been making gravy for years with Better Than Boullion. I use frequently for pot pies. Especially with leftover pot roast, store bought roast chicken or leftover turkey. I also use to make scalloped potatoes instead of a white sauce. I normally use Sauce Flour instead of regular because it is finer and eliminates lumps. I often skip the roux (eliminates oil and/or butter) and just add the Sauce Flour to water with the Better Than Boullion.
Thanks for sharing your ideas on how to use the gravy and your option for using Sauce Flour – a UK product I believe. I think we call it something like Easy Blend Flour in North America.
I use a lot of the better than bouillon products, and it never occurred to me to do this. I love gravy! I’m excited to try this tomorrow!
I think you’re going to like it! Let us know if you have a chance 🙂