Better Than Bouillon Gravy

4.88 from 49 votes

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).

Prep Time1

Cook Time4

Total Time5

Course: Gravy and Sauces

Cuisine: American

Servings (change as needed): -6

Author: Cheryl Avrich

US Measures - Metric

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.

US Measures - Metric

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.

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, sautéed onion and roasted garlic. For turkey gravy, use Roasted Turkey Base. 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.

Nutrition values are estimates for just less than 1/2 cup/118 ml gravy - a generous portion. Additions like sherry or cream are not included.