7 Ways to Make Bottled Gravy Taste Better (2025)

FAQs

7 Ways to Make Bottled Gravy Taste Better? ›

Enliven store-bought gravy with a splash of your favorite cooking wine or spirits like cognac, brandy, or sherry. As you reheat the gravy, add a few tablespoons of wine or liquor and simmer until the alcohol has fully evaporated.

Enliven store-bought gravy with a splash of your favorite cooking wine or spirits like cognac, brandy, or sherry. As you reheat the gravy, add a few tablespoons of wine or liquor and simmer until the alcohol has fully evaporated.

But if you have time to spare, add pan drippings from turkey, bacon or bacon drippings, caramelized vegetables (like onions, leeks, carrots and celery), herbs or garlic. You'll want to simmer the gravy with these additions for a good 20 minutes to pick up the additional flavors (longer, if possible).

Bouillon Paste: adding a spoonful of bouillon paste boosts the flavor of homemade gravy. I prefer the Better Than Bouillon brand. If I'm making gravy for chicken or turkey, I use chicken-flavor bouillon (and obviously beef-flavored bouillon for gravy to be served with beef).

Add a scoop of store-bought demi-glace (we like D'Artagnan's duck-and-veal demi-glace) for meaty richness, or a splash of soy sauce for an umami infusion. If the gravy lacks oomph, adjust seasoning as necessary with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper.

Maybe it needs a touch of salt, red pepper flakes, or some fresh garlic to liven it up. You could add dried or fresh herbs too: oregano, basil, thyme, tarragon, parsley—they're all great! Want to go next level? Toss in some chopped anchovies (or anchovy salt), olives, or some lemon zest and/or juice.

Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with one cup of cold water, whisking the mixture together until the cornstarch granules dissolve. Stir this mixture into your gravy on low heat. You can use arrowroot powder, tapioca flour, or potato starch as a thickener if you don't have cornstarch.

There is no difference. In the South, country gravy and white gravy are used interchangeably and both for the same type of thick, creamy gravy made with butter, flour, and milk. You may also hear these gravies called sawmill gravy, and some people use this recipe but add sausage for a sausage gravy.

Our secret gravy ingredient is: Honey!

Honey – AKA the pantry staple that keeps on giving – isn't just incredible on toast, in desserts or in glazes. We use it in our gravy, and it gives the perfect hint of sweetness to break up the rich umami flavours.

How do chefs thicken gravy? ›

Another way to thicken gravy with flour is by making a roux. A roux is a mixture of fat and flour, and it's an easy way to thicken a sauce. If you make a roux, it should also be added incrementally. A final option is making a beurre manié, which is made by rubbing flour into butter to create a dough or paste.

Add Sweetness

Incorporating a touch of sweetness into your gravy can help balance out the salty flavors. You'll need to add a small amount and taste as you stir so that the gravy doesn't become too sweet. Try adding a spoonful of either sugar or honey to salty gravy. Stir, taste, and add more if necessary.

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

Dried bay leaf, marjoram, sage and thyme add a rich depth to beef gravy. Grated nutmeg adds an unexpected grace note, and coarse pepper of any kind — black, green, pink or white — adds a tangy bite. Onion and garlic powder also work but these can easily overwhelm the other spices.

Whisk together sugar and flour in a saucepan. Stir in egg, then gradually mix in milk until well blended. Bring to a boil, constantly stirring. As soon as it boils and becomes thick, remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and butter.

Add Sugar

Sugar is one of the most effective ingredients when it comes to adjusting flavours in a dish. This is also true for reducing sourness from curries. Add half teaspoon of sugar to your curry and give it a nice mix. You can add more sugar if you feel the curry is still sour.