No recipe collection is complete with out a truly phenomenal onion gravy. This homemade onion gravy recipe features caramelized onions in a luxuriously rich, brown gravy that is sure to “wow” your dinner guests!
If there’s a better smell from the kitchen than the aroma of onions caramelizing in butter I don’t know what it is. (Well, okay, that would be caramelized onions AND bacon sauteing together.) And when you turn those caramelized onions into a rich brown onion gravy the show can just stop there as far as I’m concerned. Because this homemade onion gravy recipe is a showstopper.
I never need an excuse to heap on the gravy in generous quantities. There’s been a running joke in my family since I was a child: “Kimberly would like some mashed potatoes with her gravy.” It’s true. I’m a gravy fanatic. But when you have a truly amazing homemade gravy sitting in front of you, well it’s just pretty darn hard to resist. Plus I grew up in Germany with a German mother and Oma who both excelled at gravy-making. So I can’t help it. Gravy’s in my blood. Perhaps quite literally!
Today I’m sharing a recipe with you for homemade onion gravy made from scratch. Because that’s the only way really good gravy is made. You may already have a recipe for mushroom gravy, brown gravy, turkey gravy, chicken gravy and white gravy, but no gravy repertoire is complete without a great onion gravy.
What Do I Put Onion Gravy On?
Here are just a few ways you can use this delicious onion gravy:
- Mashed potatoes
- Cube steak
- Hamburger steak
- Roast chicken
- Chicken fried steak
- Pot roast
- Salisbury steak
- Pork chops
- Pan-fried chicken
- Schnitzel
- Poutine
- Meatballs
- Beef, pork and lamb roast
And of course one of the most famous applications of onion gravy is Bangers and Mash!
What is Bangers and Mash?
This quintessential British dish features British bangers (sausages) nestled on top of creamy mashed potatoes and drenched in onion gravy. It’s the ultimate comfort food.
If you love quality sausages and enjoy taking on new challenges such as dabbling in homemade sausage-making, be sure to check out our recipe for authentic Bangers and Mash!
Let’s get started!
How To Make Onion Gravy
Note: This onion gravy is excellent as is but if you’re already making a roast, frying up pork chops or chicken, if you make this gravy in same pan as those meat drippings, it will boost the flavor up to an excellent+.
Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the sliced onions and sugar and cook for about 30 minutes until caramelized (deep golden).
Add the red wine and herbs, bring to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the mustard, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce.
Add the stock, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes.
Remove sprigs of herbs. Add the vinegar, whisk in the cornstarch and simmer another minute or two until thickened, whisking continuously. Add the cold butter and whisk until dissolved.
Add salt and pepper to taste and more mustard if desired.
Serve the gravy as desired (see our list of recommendations above).
Enjoy!
And if you’re a fan of Bangers and Mash, be sure to check out our
BEST Bangers and Mash Recipe!
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BEST Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- 1/2 stick (56 grams) unsalted butter
- 2 large yellow onions , peeled, cut in half and thinly sliced (or diced if you prefer smaller pieces)
- 2 teaspoons sugar
- 1/2 cup red wine
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 large sprig fresh sage
- 2 cups strong beef broth
- 1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1 tablespoon dark balsamic vinegar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch dissolved in 1 tablespoon water
- 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a saucepan over medium high heat. Add the sliced onions and sugar and cook for about 30 minutes until caramelized (deep golden). Add the red wine and herbs, bring to a rapid boil for 2 minutes, reduce the heat and simmer for 10 minutes. Add the stock, mustard, salt, pepper and Worcestershire sauce, bring to a boil, reduce the heat to a low simmer and simmer, covered, for 20 minutes. Remove sprigs of herbs. Add the vinegar, whisk in the cornstarch and simmer another minute or two until thickened, whisking continuously. Add the cold butter and whisk until dissolved. Add salt and pepper to taste and more mustard if desired.
Mike Versak says
YO! This turned out AMAZING. I didn’t have the fresh herbs so I used 1/2 tsp ground sage and 2 tsp thyme, but it worked. I might use a little less ground sage but it still tastes fantastic. It’s like a gravy meets french onion soup.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Fantastic, Mike, thanks so much!
Angela says
This gravy is amazing! We put it over canned venison, carrots and mashed potatoes, and it was soooo good. Thank you!
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thanks so much, Angela, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Julianne Barnes says
Which beef broth do you use? Thank you
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Julianne, I’ve used beef bone broth but more often anymore use Better Than Bouillon beef base and use a little extra to make it stronger.
Michael says
I am a budding gourmet @ 70 with a spine that TRIES to hold me back. NOT GONNA HAPPEN with a recipe like THIS ONE!!! I’d put up 10 stars if they’d LET me! NOW the problem: How can I still have enough to SERVE my “partner in crime” (with whom we always swap out “portions” when either of us comes up with a winner)???
Bangers ‘n’ Mash are a FAVORITE with most of my friends …. now, IT will NEVER be the same!!! THIS has become the big “IT” for ME (and if an outfit like “Harry and David” get a notion of marketing THIS ONE… )
My birthday dinner (tomorrow) will be much more than special, THANK YOU
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so thrilled to hear that, Michael, thank you for your generous feedback! And here’s wishing you a Happy Birthday and a very Merry Christmas! :)
Tanja B says
Looks delicious! I plan to make this for Christmas Eve. How far in advance can I make it without freezing it?
Andrea standivan says
Sounds amazing .. can I make this a day in advance? Would be as good? Thanks
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Andrea, yes you can make this a day in advance and reheat it.
Mary Cunningham says
This sounds fabulous. Can it be stored in the freezer and, if so, for how long?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Mary! Yes it can, but cornstarch breaks down when it’s frozen/thawed so you’ll likely just need to re-thicken it when you reheat it.
Renee says
Freezing hint: skip the starch and added salt. Carefully boil the sauce down more. Freeze in portions. Defrost and dilute with strong, plain tea—it’s an all-round corrector.
Jeremy says
This recipe is great. Be warned it is very time consuming, but it’s a great side dish that can be worked on while multi-tasking in the kitchen. It’s very forgiving and doesn’t ask a lot of the cook.
Flavor is rich and texture is thick, but you can thin it out a bit if needed. We made this for Yorkshire pudding, which I wasn’t able to make due to running out of time, so we just added it on top of potatoes and on a steak and ale pie. It was a huge hit. Several dinner guests said they could just take a spoon and eat it as soup. We have some leftover onion gravy that we’ll have on some pork chops tonight. It is the kind of gravy that is a good compliment to any dish. It doesn’t have a strong beef flavor so it’s versatile and usable in many different types of dishes.
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you so much for the feedback, Jeremy, I’m thrilled everyone enjoyed it!
Sam says
I followed the recipe step by step and came out perfect. Love it! Do you think I can freeze some of this gravy?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
I’m so glad, Sam, thank you! Yes, you can freeze it but cornstarch tends to break down so you may just need to re-thicken it when you re-heat it.
Anonymous says
Thank you very much for the advice :)
Nadia says
Recipe was tasty. I would put a slight amount less red wine next time, other then that great. Best served warm or hot
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Thank you, Nadia, I’m happy you enjoyed it!
Usha says
I made a vegan version of this recipe and my family loved it. Thank you!
Brian says
It says to cook the onions in the butter and then at the end it says to add the cold butter. However, the recipe only calls for 1/2 stick of butter. Is the butter at the beginning extra and this 1/2 stick added at the end? Is it split 1/4 at the beginning and 1/4 at the end?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Brian, butter is mentioned twice. The second time is the last ingredient in the list: 2 tablespoons cold unsalted butter.
Pamela Harriman says
I have all the ingredients ready to go to make this tomorrow, 11/21. I was planning to use a Guinness beer in place of the wine. Would I use the same amount of Guinness in place of the wine?
Thank you.
Pamela
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Pamela, you can use the same amount or less, whichever you prefer. You may already be aware of this but in case you’re not, Guinness will impart a bitter flavor to the gravy, just something to keep in mind.
Pamela Harriman says
Thank you. I was planning to use Draught over Stout (which I think is the more bitter beer). If it does impart a bitter flavor, I’ll use red wine next time. Cheers
Melissa Rothe says
Hello! Making for Thanksgiving and wondering if I can make ahead and freeze and reheat on the day? Has anyone frozen this recipe before? Thanks much!
MARY says
NEVER HAVE FRESH HERBS. HOW ABOUT DRY = FRESH?
Kimberly @ The Daring Gourmet says
Hi Mary, that’s no problem, you can add about 1/4 teaspoon dried of each.