Everyone should know how to make homemade gravy and this easy onion gravy is going to totally transform your meals. A rich and thick caramelised onion gravy goes perfectly with a roast dinner or sausage and mash. You can always freeze it, making it a great way to get ahead with Christmas dinner.
Once you have perfected your own onion gravy recipe, you are going to be using it over and over again. A versatile recipe that will really take all your family favourite meals to the next level.
This onion gravy has such an incredible richness to it, and it is SO simple to make, with no fancy ingredients needed. Forget tubs of gravy granules, once you learn how to make onion gravy you will never look back.
If you are looking for some other sauce recipes, why not try our Easy Bread Sauce, Kebab Shop Chilli Sauce, Garlic Sauce or Healthy BBQ Sauce?
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Why You Will Love It
- Easy - Onion gravy is really easy to make. It isn't the quickest, because you really do need to cook the onions low and slow to get the best flavour. But that can be done whilst the rest of the meal is cooking.
- Adaptable - We have used beef stock in this onion gravy to make it really rich, but you could swap that for vegetable stock to keep this vegan.
- Versatile - Is there anything you can't put gravy on? Not in this house! Pie, roast dinner, sausage and mash. We have lots of serving suggestions below.
- Make ahead - If you are making a big roast dinner, like a Christmas dinner, then you can make a big batch of this in advance and either keep it in the fridge or freeze it until needed.
Ingredients and Substitutions
A full ingredients list, along with US Customary and Metric measurements, can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Butter - You could use vegetable oil, but we like to use butter because it really caramelises the onions giving them a much better flavour.
- Onions - We have used brown onions, but there is no reason you couldn't make a red onion gravy. You could also use frozen onions to save time. You could also add shallots which have a real sweet flavour.
- Sugar - This adds a touch of sweetness to the gravy and also helps to caramelise the onions.
- Flour - Just regular plain flour (all purpose). This is what thickens the gravy.
- Thyme - We like to have a bit of herby flavour to our onion gravy and dried thyme works really well. You could use fresh, but you would need to increase the amount used. Rosemary or sage would work well too.
- Worcestershire sauce - This is what really takes this recipe for onion gravy to the next level. If you wanted to make a vegetarian version, than as well as vegetable stock you would need to use an alternative to this.
- Red wine - To make the best onion gravy that has a real richness to it, add a glug of red wine to it. It has the most intense flavour. If you don't want to use red wine, then you can just add more stock. If you are using wine, we recommend Cabernet sauvignon, Pinot noir or Merlot.
- Stock - We used a beef stock pot, as it makes a really rich gravy. But any stock will work.
More ingredient substitutions and variations can be found in the recipe card.
How to Make Onion Gravy - Step by Step
- Step 1: Melt the butter in a pan (a) and add the sliced onions (b). Mix well to coat the onions.
- Step 2: Add the sugar. Cook over a low heat for 12-15 minutes.
- Step 3: Add the flour and stir it in.
- Step 4: Add the thyme, Worcestershire sauce (a), wine and stock (b).
- Step 5: Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Heat until thickened, about 3 minutes.
What to Serve with Onion Gravy
Once you have mastered how to make onion gravy, you are going to want to put it on everything - no exaggeration. We think it goes perfectly with sausage and mash, so get some really good quality sausages and our Best Creamy Mashed Potatoes or Microwave Mashed Potatoes and some Minted Peas.
It's not a roast dinner without some gravy, right? This goes perfectly with Slow Cooker Roast Beef or Air Fryer Whole Chicken, some Crispy Roast Potatoes or Carrot and Swede Mash and a big pile or Honey Roasted Parsnips.
For something a little special, and perfect for date night, smother this onion gravy over Air Fryer Steak. We quite like dipping our Air Fryer Meatballs into it too.
Storage
Store: Leftovers of onion gravy will keep in an air tight container in the fridge for up to 3 days. Make sure it is fully cooled before putting it in the fridge.
Freeze: This freezes really well, and it's a great way to get ahead with some of your roast dinner preparation. When it is fully cooled, transfer to to ziplock freezer bags and then you can lay them flat in the freezer to save space. It will also defrost quicker if frozen flat like this.
Defrost: You can leave this in the fridge to defrost overnight.
Reheat: You can reheat onion gravy in the microwave or in a saucepan on the hob. Make sure it is pipping hot before serving.
Extra Tips
- If you wanted to make a really simple onion gravy, then you could caramelise your own onions and then add gravy granules and water. It's an easy way to jazz up gravy granules and make it feel a bit more homemade.
- For some extra flavour, you could add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the gravy.
- We love how chunky this onion gravy is. If you prefer a smoother texture, you could either dice the onions, instead of slicing, or you could blend the gravy once it is cooked.
- Make sure you cook the onions low and slow. This does add to the cooking time, but it caramelises the onions and really does give an intense flavour.
- Turn the heat right down before adding the flour, this is so that it doesn't burn.
- We haven't added any salt, because it is already in the stock and Worcestershire sauce. However, once it is cooked, taste it and add salt if you think it needs more. Remember, you can always add it but you can't take it out.
- For some extra richness, you can add a splash of single cream before serving.
- For some added flavour, a spoonful of cranberry sauce works really well.
Frequently Asked Questions
We love adding the juices from the meat if we have made a roast. It really does take the gravy to the next level. You could also use fresh herbs, and add some garlic to the onions.
If you end up with lumpy gravy, then this could be because you haven't stirred the liquid into the floured onions slowly enough. Make sure you pour the stock in a little at a time. If you do end up with lumpy gravy, you can always blend it.
You would need to make a few changes to make this gluten free. You need to swap the flour, stock and Worcestershire sauce for gluten free versions and make sure there is no cross contamination.
More Onion Recipes
If you’ve tried this onion gravy recipe, let us know how you got on in the comments below.
Tag us in your creations on Instagram @hungryhealthyhappy - Use the hashtag #hungryhealthyhappy too.
Recipe
Easy Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoon Butter
- 2 Onions - large; thinly sliced
- 0.5 teaspoon Sugar
- 2 tablespoon Plain flour
- 0.5 teaspoon Dried thyme
- 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- 100 ml (0.5 cups) Red wine
- 300 ml (1.25 cups) Beef stock
Instructions
- Melt 2 tablespoon Butter in a pan and add 2 Onions. Mix well to coat the onions.
- Add 0.5 teaspoon Sugar. Cook over a low heat for 12-15 minutes.
- Add 2 tablespoon Plain flour and stir it in.
- Add 0.5 teaspoon Dried thyme, 2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce, 100 ml Red wine and 300 ml Beef stock.
- Bring to the boil then reduce the heat to a simmer. Heat until thickened, about 3 minutes.
Recipe Tips
- If you wanted to make a really simple onion gravy, then you could caramelise your own onions and then add gravy granules and water. It's an easy way to jazz up gravy granules and make it feel a bit more homemade.
- For some extra flavour, you could add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard to the gravy.
- We love how chunky this onion gravy is. If you prefer a smoother texture, you could either dice the onions, instead of slicing, or you could blend the gravy once it is cooked.
- Make sure you cook the onions low and slow. This does add to the cooking time, but it caramelises the onions and really does give an intense flavour.
- Turn the heat right down before adding the flour, this is so that it doesn't burn.
- We haven't added any salt, because it is already in the stock and Worcestershire sauce. However, once it is cooked, taste it and add salt if you think it needs more. Remember, you can always add it but you can't take it out.
- For some extra richness, you can add a splash of single cream before serving.
- For some added flavour, a spoonful of cranberry sauce works really well.
Nutritional Information
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
As all appliances vary, cooking times are a guide. Please note that by changing the serving size, the cooking time may also need to be altered.
Gordon says
Could this be used with slow cooker braising steak. Thanks
Dannii Martin says
Yes, I don't see why not.
Katy says
Needed an emergency simple gravy as I'd ran out of granules, this was great and miles better than granules! Thank you. I added hendersons relish rather than Worcester sauce to keep it veggie in case helpful to anyone else.
Kate says
Loved this recipe. My first time making onion gravy and what a success thanks to this recipe. Great addition to our sausage and mash tea tonight. Thank you.
Dannii Martin says
So glad you enjoyed it. The perfect addition to sausage and mash.
Jen Vinuya says
This is so perfect!! So easy and tastes amazing!!
Charles says
Hi Danni! Your easy onion gravy is gonna be a hit in my house this holiday season! Thanks for sharing!
Luci Petlack says
I made this onion gravy this week and it was so good!
Tayler says
I made this gravy with dinner last night and it was fantastic! So full of flavor!
Mairead says
I love onion gravy and often serve it over bangers and mash. This recipe is perfection with the addition of thyme and Worcestershire sauce.
Jacqueline Debono says
Best gravy ever! I served it with a roast chicken but now want to have it with sausages and mash because am sure that's a match made in foodie heaven!
Alex says
Great onion gravy! I used this recipe for bangers and mash, hamburger steak, and mashed potatoes. This would be great for cubed steak or venison.
Katherine says
Got to love a fresh onion gravy! So good that it can be made so quickly.
Amanda Wren-Grimwood says
Can't beat onion gravy with toad in the hole and I love the addition of red wine to make this gravy special.