This is a really easy recipe for how to make gravy using just water. The secret is to use both chicken AND beef stock cubes for the best flavour and a nice deep brown colour. Takes 4 minutes flat, tastes like KFC gravy – but so much better. No pan drippings required.
Made a turkey and want a gravy? Use my Gravy for Turkey recipe!
Gravy
This gravy recipe tastes like what you get in those tubs of KFC Potato and Gravy. Those of you who abstain from all forms of fast food may not know what it tastes like. But all you need to know is that it’s everything that you’d expect from KFC – reliably tasty, well seasoned, can make anything delicious!
The secret ingredient that makes this gravy better is to use both chicken AND beef stock cubes (bouillon cubes).
What you need for gravy
Here’s all you need to make a really great gravy from scratch: chicken and beef stock cubes, butter and flour.
Chicken AND beef stock cubes (aka bouillon cubes) – for flavour and colour. Chicken is the base flavour, beef gives it oomph and gives it a nice deep brown colour rather than an unappetising pale brown. Using both also makes this gravy suitable to use for any protein – white meats (chicken, pork), red meats (beef, lamb, game), potato and vegetables. Can substitute with powder;
Hot water – to dissolve the cubes;
Flour – to thicken the gravy (gluten free cornflour/cornstarch sub in the recipe notes);
Onion or garlic powder – optional, for hint of extra flavour.
Why stock cubes instead of liquid stock/broth?
Great question! 🙂 Stock cubes and powder have a more intense flavour than liquid stock (broth), so they make a tastier gravy when you make gravy from scratch like in this recipe.
Liquid broth is more appropriate to use when you’re making gravy starting with pan drippings from roasts – because the pan drippings add extra flavour into the gravy.
How to make gravy in 4 minutes flat
Dissolve stock cubes or powder in boiling water;
Melt butter in saucepan and mix in flour;
Pour in stock water while whisking and cook 1.5 minutes until thickened. DONE!
PS The reason this is faster than most gravy recipes is because the water is already HOT and the flavour is already concentrated so there’s no need to cook down for flavour.
Now, douse everything and anything with it.
Oh, and here’s the photo that started it all – Fried Chicken. Upon spying this, there were many (many) (MANY!) requests for the potato and gravy recipe.
All the possibilities….!!!
Here’s some suggestions for dishes to serve with gravy. Some obvious ones, some not so obvious ones, all good!
Potato and gravy – KFC style! Dunk in Fried Chicken, warm bread rolls or bread (try this No Yeast Irish Soda Bread!), hot chips, wedges, serve on the side of sausages, as part of a Southern Dinner with BBQ Pulled Pork, any roast;
Roasts – any and all!
Rotisserie chicken dinner – make a meal out of a store bought roast chicken. Steam some veg, make some mash, douse everything with this gravy!
Steamed vegetables – guaranteed way to make bland, boring steamed veg completely scoff worthy;
Pan seared chops, steaks or anything – chicken, lamb, pork, beef! Sprinkle with salt and pepper, pan fry in butter or oil, douse with gravy;
Meatballs – Make these Beef meatballs or these Chicken Meatballs, skip the sauce and serve with this gravy instead;
Poured over an omelette;
Chicken Rolls – shred chicken, toss with gravy, pile generously onto hot rolls;
As a Sauce for any of these:
Use gravy as a sauce for these dishes
I need to stop. There’s too many possibilities!
But enough about my ideas. Tell me what YOU douse with gravy!! – Nagi x
Watch how to make it
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Gravy recipe (tastes like KFC – but a million times better!)
Ingredients
- 1 chicken stock cube / bouillon cube (sub 2 tsp powder) (Note 1)
- 1 beef stock cube / bouillon cube (sub 2 tsp powder) (Note 1)
- 2 1/4 cups (565ml) boiling water
- 60g/ 4 tbsp butter , unsalted
- 4 tbsp flour , plain / all purpose
- 1/2 tsp onion powder (ok to omit or sub garlic powder)
- 1/4 tsp finely ground black pepper
- Salt , if needed
Instructions
- Crumble cubes into boiling water, mix to dissolve.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium heat.
- Add flour, onion powder and pepper. Mix into butter with a wooden spoon or whisk.
- While stirring, slowly pour in half the liquid. Once incorporated into the flour butter roux (it will thicken quickly), add remaining liquid and mix.
- Stir for 1.5 – 2 minutes until it thickens to a gravy consistency (it's quick as water is already hot). Taste, add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve over chops, steak, sausages, veggies, roast chicken, pork, beef, lamb. Pictured – KFC Potato and Gravy copycat!
Recipe Notes:
Nutrition Information:
Life of Dozer
Even at the vet, all he can think about is FOOD. Just like his owner 😂
PS Nothing major, just getting an old-man wart removed that had grown quite large and was bothering him. He was, of course, a total sook once he realised he was there for more than just pats and treats. Quivering and pressing up against me for protection!
This is delicious! I just made it for the second time and I’m completely sold. I added a heap of cracked pepper to this one to have with our steak tonight and it’s so good. I found that adding 3/4 tsp salt was perfect for the right flavour. Thanks Nagi!!!
Where am I going wrong 😩 2 attempts and it’s no where near as dark and lumpy both times!
Would using UK stick cubes make a difference?
Just wondering what would happen if you did not add in the butter please?
Made this with the Better than Bullion concentrates and it came out amazing!
Please clarify the amount of water added to the stock cubes
I made this and it was so good and hearty. I used it for a diy KFC famous bowl. The recipe makes a big quantity so I just froze the rest in ice block tray to have on hand. Can confirm they freeze and defrost very well.
Yep, KFC gravy! Thank you so much, this instantly turns a hot supermarket cooked chicken into a delicious meal!
I have no idea why someone would want to make “KFC” gravy, but yes – using flour will thicken your gravy, and using bullion cubes (not the ones recommended here) will add richness. Reduce your stock, blah blah blah….
i know this reciept work very ccan use the skin off of the chicken crispy vey good instead of usiing the cubs of chicken gives it very good favor
I made this for the first time yesterday. Reading the recipe, I felt that Sixty grams of butter seemed way too much., but I dutifully weighed it out and followed the rest of the recipe.
Unfortunately it was not a huge success – way (WAY) too much butter. I.ve now just weighed a tablespoon of butter and it weighs 10g, not 15g as the recipe suggests.
From all the good reviews, I can only assume that most people measure the 4 tbs of butter instead of weighing it.
I would ask the author to correct the ingredient list to show 40 grams of butter, and who knows – maybe I’ll try it again someday.
Hello, I was wondering how you came up with 392mg sodium per serving.
I looked up the OXO buillon cubes and according to the website, 12 cubes makes 3L of stock at 770mg per 100ml for the chicken and 950mg per 100ml for the beef, which works out to around 1925mg per chicken cube and 2375mg per beef cube. That’s a total of (1925mg + 2375mg) % 6 = 716mg per serving.
I also looked up the Continental buillon powders and the chicken has 1760mg per 2 tsp while the beef has 2640mg per 2 tsp for a total of (1760mg + 2640mg) % 6 = 733mg per serving.
The only reason I ask is because the Knorr buillon cubes that I have contain 2060mg for the chicken and 2220mg for the beef, respectively, which works out to (2060mg + 2220mg) % 6 = 713mg, which is perfectly in line with the above calculations but significantly more than the 392mg stated.
Wow! Really? You need a day job.
This gravy recipe was not only GOOD, it was fast! Thank you so much!😁
P.S. I’m not actually worried about the sodium. I just want to make sure that it doesn’t end up tasting too salty with the Knorr buillon cubes.
Mike how did it turn out with the Knorr cubes? I bought those and they looked bigger than other brands. I just used the powder I had at home. Thanks!
What did you endup doing? I only have knorr as well and was thinking of making this for Thanksgiving.
Mike, is that what they call you?!
This woman not only is more successful than you will probably ever be, but she knows her grams, ounces, weights, and measures.
Try the recipe, and if it ends up being too salty?! You added too much salt, Mike. She’s not a chemist; she’s a genius cook.
Less is more, but you should know that already.
Go Salt yourself.
Nicole, judging by your comment to Mike, you sound like a deranged feminist. Mike had a legitimate concern about the sodium content. I suppose for a man to have greater analytical and mathematical skills than you, a woman, must have intimated and inflamed you so much that you felt the need to personally attack him in the comments section of a food blog. I bet you are one of those nutjob feminists who refuse to be a housewife and have a husband bossing you around, but yet you will be an “office wife” with an actual boss telling you what to do, how to do it, when to do it, what it’s worth to do it, and deciding whether or not you get to keep doing it.. and that just proves that your feministic ideology is flawed, is nothing more than propaganda and quite frankly, a severe mental disorder. So get over yourself. Women are not superior to men in any way, shape, or form. So quit getting all butthurt when a man shows far greater intellect than you. The fact that you personally take offense to it just proves how immature you are.
Delicious, fast and easy homemade gravy recipe! I add garlic and onion powder; and always a touch of soy sauce. So good I “may” have eaten it by the spoonful – thank you for sharing such a great recipe.
This fabulous recipe just keeps evolving for me! Having discovered it a couple of months ago, it’s just getting better and better. Tonight I simmered it with fresh rosemary and thyme and added sliced mushrooms. Epic. I use Massell stock cubes, and 1 tsp of both garlic and onion powder. The dark soy is a must! And cook the flour out for at least two-three mins – it’s worth the extra time.
For anyone out there still using Gravox, I urge you to try this instead – you’ll never go back. Thanks Nagi!!
Thanks Naji, you’re always a lifesaver! Have been looking for a better alternative to Gravox and don’t always have pan sauces to make from scratch so this is now a gravy go-to. I used Massel stock cubes which are actually plant based and it turns out delicious, very more ish. I found it to be quite floury tasting the first time around but now cook the flour for longer which helps.
What a fantastic recipe, as always Nagi!!
Great flavours, and perfect timings. Will be a regular for me now. Thankyou x
Super tasty! Thanks Nagi.
I will never buy gravy packets again! Make this. I also add3dbgreen herb stock powder the Maggi one. Its excellent.
I went back for thirds. I’ve been craving mashed potatoes and gravy for some time now. Oral surgery last week kicked my craving up a notch. Last night I made your gravy recipe and was in comfort food heaven. I appreciate the ease of the recipe very much as well. Thank you!
I use this method a lot. The only difference is I brown my flour a bit with the butter to make sure there’s no raw flour taste and to give a bit more color.
This is now my go-to gravy recipe. We all love it and have been specifically planning meals that need gravy just so we can have more of it and it’s so easy! Thanks!
YUM! So easy and delish to make!!