BEST Mushroom Gravy
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For the best mushroom gravy recipe, look no further! Made from scratch with an incredible depth of flavor, you can enjoy this versatile homemade mushroom gravy over roasts, steaks, meatloaf, roast chicken, potatoes, schnitzel, Yorkshire puddings, vegetables and more! It’s one of our family favorites!
I used to despise mushrooms as a kid. That lasted through my teenage years and it wasn’t until I was an adult that I came to appreciate the amazing thing that mushrooms are and how much flavor and umami they impart to anything you add them to. Though I missed out on them for many years I’ve since made up for lost time – even when mushrooms aren’t a featured ingredient, I find ways to add mushroom powder to many of my gravies, sauces and stews for that added depth of flavor.
Today’s dish features mushrooms front and center in all their glory is this phenomenal mushroom gravy. Absolutely nothing beats homemade when it comes to gravy and there is no reason whatsoever to resort to the packaged stuff because one, homemade is easy enough to make; two, the packaged stuff is full of junk ingredients; and three, packaged doesn’t come anywhere close to the flavor of made-from-scratch gravy!
Tips for Making the BEST Mushroom Gravy
For a mushroom gravy with great depth of flavor, here are a few tips:
- Butter is a great option for sauteing the onions and mushrooms, but for even more flavor use beef drippings, lard or bacon grease.
- Cook the onions until they’re nicely golden brown, which is key to the flavor of the gravy.
- Do the same with the mushrooms, caramelizing them for optimal flavor.
- While cornstarch can be used for thickening, flour is the best choice for flavor. Add some extra butter to the caramelized onions and mushrooms, then add the flour and cook it for a few minutes. This roux-like method of browning the flour is absolutely key to the flavor of the gravy.
- For the ultimate flavor I’m adding my “secret ingredient”: Ground dried porcini mushrooms. These are like mushrooms on steroids and are my most favorite mushroom. They contribute such an incredible depth of flavor and “umami” element that I STRONGLY recommend you making the effort to source this amazing ingredient. Most well-stocked grocery stores carry them or you can find them here on Amazon.
And if you’d like to make creamy mushroom gravy, simply stir in a few tablespoons of heavy cream at the end.
How to Grind Mushrooms
I like to use a spice/coffee grinder (I recommend this one from Krups) for grinding mushrooms. This way I can get it to a fine powder to add to sauces and soups when I want the texture of the mushrooms to be “hidden” but still have that amazing flavor. But in the case of this mushroom gravy, it doesn’t matter if some larger pieces remain. You can also use a small food processor or blender, but making small quantities like this in a larger appliance isn’t ideal. You can also use a mortar and pestle to grind the dried porcini mushrooms. Alternatively, you can place them in a ziplock bag and use a mallet to pound them.
If you are using fresh porcini mushrooms (instead of dried ones), you can dehydrate them in the oven or in a food dehydrator first. Finding fresh porcinis is a challenge depending on where you are, but if you find a good deal on fresh porcinis you can dry them in bulk to have on hand. Using porcini mushrooms in dried form gives them a heightened and more concentrated flavor.
Gluten Free Mushroom Gravy
To make gluten free mushroom gravy simply omit the step of adding the flour and then, at the very end after you’ve added the broth and seasonings, stir in a cornstarch slurry made with one tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water and simmer for a minute until thickened.
Vegan Mushroom Gravy
To make vegan mushroom gravy substitute oil for the butter and use vegetable broth instead of beef broth.
Mushroom Gravy Recipe
Let’s get started!
Melt the butter (or beef drippings, lard or bacon grease) in a pan over medium-high heat and fry the onions until beginning to brown, 5-7 minutes. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
Add the mushrooms and cook 7-8 minutes or until golden and the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated.
Add the ground porcini mushrooms and cook another minute.
Add the butter and melt. Add the flour, stir to combine and cook for 3 minutes, stirring frequently. This will cook off the flour flavor and brown the flour to create more depth of flavor in the gravy.
Add the beef broth, thyme, salt and pepper. Whisk continually until the gravy is thickened. Cover and simmer on low, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you prefer the gravy thinner add a little more water.
Note: For a gluten free version omit the flour earlier on and instead stir in a tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water at the very end and simmer for a minute until thickened.
Serving Suggestions
This mushroom gravy is deliciously versatile. Here are just a few way you can enjoy this homemade mushroom gravy:
- Beef, pork and lamb roasts
- Beef steaks, pork chops, and chicken or turkey cutlets
- Salisbury steak
- Meatloaf
- Roast chicken
- Potatoes
- Pasta and Rice
- Buttermilk Biscuits
- German Jägerschnitzel
- Yorkshire puddings
- Steamed or roasted vegetables
Enjoy!
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BEST Mushroom Gravy
Equipment
- Coffee/spice grinder (to grind the mushrooms)
Ingredients
- 2 tablespoons butter, bacon grease, lard or beef drippings
- 1 yellow onion ,finely chopped
- 1 clove garlic ,minced
- 16 ounces fresh mushrooms of choice (I used button mushrooms in the photos) ,cleaned and sliced
- 1 tablespoon ground dried porcini mushrooms (if using dried porcini pieces grind them in a coffee/spice grinder or pound with a mallet in a ziplock bag)
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter (vegan: use oil)
- 4 tablespoons all-purpose flour (see Note for gluten free)
- 2 cups strong beef broth i.e. add an additional teaspoon or two of beef broth base/granules (vegan: use vegetable broth)
- 1 teaspoon dark balsamic vinegar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt , plus more to taste
- 1/2 teaspoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- Optional: For a creamy gravy, add a few tablespoons of heavy cream at the end
Instructions
- Melt the butter (or bacon grease, lard or beef drippings – any of these will yield the most flavor) in a pan over medium-high heat and fry the onions until beginning to brown. Add the garlic and cook another minute.
- Add the mushrooms and cook 7-8 minutes or until golden and the liquid from the mushrooms has evaporated. Add the ground porcini mushrooms and cook for another minute.
- Add the butter and melt. Add the flour, stir to combine and cook for about 3 minutes, stirring continually. This will cook off the flour flavor and brown the flour to create more depth of flavor in the gravy.
- Add the beef broth, vinegar, thyme, sugar, salt and pepper. Whisk continually until the gravy is thickened. Cover and simmer on low, stirring occasionally, for 5-10 minutes. Add salt and pepper to taste. If you prefer the gravy thinner add a little more water (or heavy cream if using).Note: To make this gluten free simply omit the step of adding the flour and then, at the very end after you've added the broth and seasonings, stir in a cornstarch slurry made with one tablespoon of cornstarch dissolved in 2 tablespoons of water and simmer for a minute until thickened.
Notes
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet on November 17, 2017
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
These German recipes take me back to my young bride days more than 50 years ago. A new world opened to me as my mother-in-law taught me “the German ways” Now as a widow of several years, I miss all of those wonderful times. We traveled to Germany several times. I learned to make saurkraut from scratch. And I learned to make more kinds of noodles than ever knew existed. I miss that really gorgeous German husband. Maybe I should make a kuchen just for old times sake.
Planning to make tonight for Octoberfest with family. Can I make the gravy earlier and reheat before dinner?
Absolutely, Nancy. Happy cooking! :)
Simple and easy. By and far a favorite. Thanks!
I’m so glad, JackD, thank you very much!
Very good recipe. I’m vegetarian so I used vegetable stock and a splash of wine. Excellent! Thank you for posting the recipe.
This was SOOOOOO good!! I added some sherry to mine (during the onion/garlic saute process), used beef better than bouillon with water instead of beef stock, and didn’t have dried porcini mushrooms. Still amazing!
I’m thrilled that you enjoyed it, Amy, thank you!
Wow! Definitely the BEST Brown Mushroom Gravy! I made chicken ‘jaegerschnitzel’ last night for company. Everyone commented on how delicious it was. And I’m grateful I had some leftovers because I had another wonderful meal with the mushroom gravy today. Thank you Kimberly!
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Diane, thank you very much for the feedback!
The best beef mushroom gravy recipe ever! My family loved it. I used Trader Joe’s frozen mushroom mixture and it turned out wonderful. It will be my go-to recipe from now on!
Fantastic, Ronda, thank you so much!!
Made exactly by the recipe with a little splash of Madeira at the end. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Mary, I’m so glad you enjoyed it!
I made this exactly as described and it came out perfectly. I was a soldier in Germany a long long time ago, and this brought back so many good memories. I now live in Thailand and made Jägerschnitzel your way for my Thai lady. She devoured it and has made me promise to cook it again for her family and grandchildren. That’s a promise I am happy to keep!!
Thank you so much, Phil, I’m thrilled that you both enjoyed it and this also brought back fond memories of your time in Germany!
DELICIOUS!! I left out the balsamic vinegar, sugar, and thyme as I didn’t want it to be too sweet or tangy. I did add about a tblsp of heavy cream at the end. I’ll be using this recipe from now on!
This was delicious I did use a stick of butter though, half at the start wit the onions and garlic and the other half when I added the flour. I poured it over lightly fried gnocchi and it tasted perfecto
It was a good brown gravy, but the balsamic was too overpowering for my taste (I don’tlike wine sauces either). The jägerschnitzel recipe I usually use has carrots and celery in it and is much lighter, but all my recipe books are in storage for the moment, so I searched the internet for an alternative.
I’ll probably try it again, but cut the balsamic in half or more.
Absolutely delicious – melts in your mouth. I made it with corn starch instead of flour, and chicken stock instead of beef as that is what we had on hand. Lovely recipe, thank you!
Thank you so much, Cristina!
Well now that’s an awesome gravy or brown sauce if you want. I will definitely be making this again and again.
Fabulous, Darrell, thanks so much!
This gravy is great. I love to make large batches and freeze it. Thank you
Thanks so much, Tiffany!
can this be frozen and then used a few days later?
Hi Beth, yes it can!
We have been needing a house gravy recipe and this is it! Used beef fat to start the mushrooms and as we were out of dried mushrooms, some Trader Joe’s umami powder and Worcestershire. 100% coming back to this for anytime we have random mushrooms to use up or want to shake up any protein.
Awesome, Ann, thanks so much for the feedback, I’m thrilled you enjoyed it!
Very good recipe. I’m vegetarian so I used vegetable stock and a splash of wine. Excellent! Thank you for posting the recipe.
Thank you so much, Kini, I’m happy you enjoyed it!