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You are here: Home / Recipes / How to Make Gravy From Drippings

How to Make Gravy From Drippings

09/20/18 | Chicken, Recipes

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How to Make Gravy From Drippings: your guide to making the best, easy homemade gravy from pan drippings.

Picture of gravy made from pan drippings in a white gravy boat.

Over the last month, I’ve been posting a series of recipes related to one of my favorite fall things, roasted chicken. There’s been an Easy Roasted Chicken Guide, How to Make Chicken Carcass Soup, and How to Make Chicken Stock.

Today, I present you with the last of that series, How to Make Gravy From Drippings.

And I’m not going to say this is my favorite of the bunch, I love them all, but really this is kind of my favorite because it’s a perfect back-pocket recipe.

To me, a perfect back-pocket recipe is one of those recipes that gives you just a little more confidence in the kitchen because you always know you can whip it up in any situation, in any half-stocked kitchen, any time.

This gravy fits all of those bills. It’s quick, requires just four ingredients, and all you need to make it is a pot or skillet, a whisk, and (optionally) a fine-mesh strainer.

Did I mention it’s also really excellent gravy? Making gravy from a roux made with pan drippings means that not only are you getting a creamy, dreamy gravy, but it’s a gravy infused with all the flavor of whatever those drippings came from.

It’s so good, it’s dead easy to make, and I can’t wait for you to try it.

Photo of gravy made from pan drippings in a small ladle.

What You Need to Make Gravy From Pan Drippings

Pan drippings from roasted meat and the browned bits: If the drippings are in something that can go on the stove top, pour off everything but two tablespoons of fat and keep all the browned, stuck-on bits from the bottom of the pan in there.

If the drippings are on a baking sheet or something that can’t go on the stove top, measure out the correct amount of drippings, pour off the rest, and then use a spatula to scrape the solid bits out of the pan and add them in with the drippings.

The browned bits are optional, but they’ll add a lot of flavor, so why waste them?

Flour: To make your roux and thicken your gravy.

Water, broth, or milk: Any of the three will work here. I actually like gravy made with water best, but experiment and see what works for you. Broth will give you a really flavor-packed gravy and gravy made with milk will be richer (but a little sweet for my taste).

Butter: Adding a bit of butter after the gravy has thickened will make it silky-smooth and rich.

Freshly squeezed lemon juice: Lemon juice is totally optional, but if you taste the gravy and it tastes a little flat to you, just a tiny squeeze of lemon will brighten up the flavor without making it taste lemony.

A fine-mesh strainer: Finally, straining your gravy through a fine-mesh strainer will make sure your gravy is perfectly smooth and creamy with no lumps or solid bits.

How to Make Gravy From Drippings

Photo of How to Make Gravy From Drippings step 1: pan drippings getting ready to be browned.

Start by pouring off all but two tablespoons of fat from your pan (I like to reserve the rest of the drippings just in case something goes wrong or for later use), leaving any solid, stuck-on bits in the pan.

Photo of How to Make Gravy From Drippings step 2: pan drippings being browned on the stove.

Heat over medium-high heat until any remaining solids are golden brown. Watch out, the fat will splatter during this step. Just turn the heat down if it’s splattering too much.

Photo of How to Make Gravy From Drippings step 3: flour being whisked into browned pan drippings.

Whisk in flour and cook until lightly golden, about 30 seconds to a minute.

Photo of How to Make Gravy From Drippings step 4: water being whisked into roux.

Very slowly at first, pour in water, broth, or milk, whisking out any lumps as they form. Once the flour seems incorporated, you can speed up your pour.

Cook, whisking continuously for 5 to 8 minutes (possibly longer if making a larger batch), until gravy is thickened and bubbly.

Photo of How to Make Gravy From Drippings step 5: butter being added to thickened gravy.

Turn stove off and whisk in butter and salt and pepper to taste. If desired, add a small squeeze of lemon to taste.

Serve over Roast Chicken, Cooked Chicken Breasts, Mashed Potatoes, biscuits or anything else that sounds good topped with gravy.

Photo of gravy made from pan drippings being spooned over roasted chicken breast.

Gravy From Pan Drippings Recipe Notes

  • If your roux (fat and flour mixture) comes out lumpy and does not look like the roux in the photo, don’t worry. You probably had a lot of cooking liquid in with the fat and it evaporated during the browning step. Just make sure to whisk in the water/broth/milk slowly to get rid of the lumps and your gravy will be just fine.

For more How-to Tutorials, you might also enjoy:

How to Cook Chicken Breast for Salads and Sandwiches
How to Cook Shredded Chicken
How to Cook Chicken for Recipes

How to Make Gravy From Drippings

How to Make Gravy From Drippings

How to Make Gravy From Drippings: your guide to making the best, easy homemade gravy from pan drippings.
5 from 12 votes
Print Pin
Course: Dinner
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes
Cook Time: 10 minutes minutes
Total Time: 15 minutes minutes
Servings (Hover or Click to Change Yield): 6 servings
Calories: 115kcal
Author: Tracy

Ingredients

Special Equipment

  • Fine-mesh Strainer

Gravy From Drippings

  • 2 tablespoons fat from pan drippings
  • 2 tablespoons (15g) all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups water or chicken broth or milk
  • 4 tablespoons (2oz) salted butter
  • Salt and pepper to taste
  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste optional

Instructions

If Cooking in Original Roasting Pan/Skillet

  • Pour off all but 2 tablespoons of fat from skillet, retaining any browned solid bits in the pan.

If Transferring Drippings to Skillet

  • In a large skillet, add 2 tablespoons of fat from pan drippings. Scrape solid, browned bits from the original cooking pan and add them to the skillet (skip this step if you don't have a fine-mesh strainer). 

Gravy From Drippings

  • Heat fat over medium-high heat. Bring to a simmer and cook until any solid bits in the drippings are well-browned. Add flour and whisk until lightly golden, 30 seconds to 1 minute. Slowly pour in the water/broth/milk, whisking out any lumps as they form.
  • Whisk continuously until thickened, 5 to 8 minutes. Add butter and, if desired, lemon juice to taste—just enough to brighten up the flavor a little. Add salt and pepper to taste.
  • Strain gravy through fine-mesh strainer if desired. Serve and enjoy!

Notes

This recipe makes about 1 1/2 cups of gravy.
Approximate nutritional information is for 1/4 cup of gravy made with water.
 
Did you make this recipe?I'd love to see it! Tag @BakingMischief or hashtag it #BakingMischief.

This post may contain affiliate links, which means I receive a small commission if you make a purchase using them. There is absolutely no additional cost to you.

How to Make Gravy From Drippings: your guide to making the best, easy homemade gravy from pan drippings. | #gravy | #dinner | #homemade |

Comments | 15 comments

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Comments

  1. Ann Scott says

    April 6, 2025 at 3:52 pm

    5 stars
    Great gravy recipe!

    Reply
  2. Yvonne says

    November 3, 2024 at 8:52 pm

    5 stars
    Easy and delicious! First gravy that turned out perfect for me.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      November 5, 2024 at 9:30 am

      Thank you, Yvonne! I’m so happy to hear it!

      Reply
  3. Allison says

    November 25, 2022 at 6:42 pm

    5 stars
    Used this tonight to make gravy from some turducken drippings. I’ve never made gravy before but this turned out fantastic, everyone loved it!

    Reply
  4. Kim says

    January 25, 2022 at 4:25 pm

    5 stars
    This is how I was taught to make gravy, but I looked up a recipe because it’s been a while. I’ve never added butter! It definitely added a nice texture and flavor boost.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      January 25, 2022 at 6:37 pm

      Same here! When I learned to add butter, it was such a game changer. So glad you found the recipe useful!

      Reply
  5. Mccullar Kathy says

    December 30, 2020 at 2:38 pm

    5 stars
    This is the way I was taught to make gravy but I never added chicken stock nor butter! The butter, I think, gives it a wonderful texture and flavor!!!
    Will definitely add both from now on.
    Kathy

    Reply
  6. Eric says

    November 20, 2020 at 8:44 pm

    5 stars
    Jen;

    This was my first time making gravy with drippings and it was awesome! I now do not have to buy gravy. Thanks so much.

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      November 24, 2020 at 6:28 am

      So glad you enjoyed it, Eric!

      Reply
  7. Unknown says

    September 15, 2019 at 12:45 pm

    It was soooooo good! Honestly didn’t think it would be cuz I don’t really like gravy, but this was amazing!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      September 16, 2019 at 4:51 pm

      Thank you, that makes me so happy to hear!

      Reply
  8. Jen says

    February 28, 2019 at 4:38 pm

    It didn’t get as thick as I hoped it would, but i licked my plate clean!

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      March 1, 2019 at 2:45 pm

      Glad you enjoyed the flavor, Jen. Next time, if you want a thicker gravy, you can try cutting the liquid just a bit and extending the cooking time a little. Thanks for taking the time to comment!

      Reply
  9. Sarah says

    September 23, 2018 at 5:50 pm

    That’s the way my mom taught my sisters and I to make gravy from pan drippings. It’s my favorite.
    Tracy do you have a recipe for ground turkey meatloaf?

    Reply
    • Tracy says

      September 24, 2018 at 9:01 am

      Hi, Sarah, it’s my favorite too. 😉

      And I don’t have a turkey meatloaf recipe on the site yet (sorry!), but it’s on my list, because I have been seriously craving it lately.

      Reply
5 from 12 votes (6 ratings without comment)

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Welcome!


Hi, I'm Tracy! Welcome to Baking Mischief, where we realize that not everyone is cooking every night for a family of four. We have delicious sweet and savory recipes, mostly scaled for one or two, and we love our pop culture around here, so keep an eye out for film, book, and TV-inspired treats as well! Read more»
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