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!
Georgie says
Can you still add the drippings/oil
If you are also making fried chicken? Just curious if I have to alter measurements if I go that route.
Nagi says
Hi Georgie, where are the drippings from, what are you cooking?? N x
Georgie says
I cooked fried chicken so I had oil and drippings. To be honest I think I may have made it not as good due to the fact that I couldn’t get a good consistency on the gravy. Good flavor just way too thick.
lorna g says
pretty close to the real thing. i followed Kent A’s adjustments too, great recipe!
Kent A says
Wow, I think that’s the first. So glad my teeaks helped you out! But all the kudos go to Nagi for putting this yummy recipe out there. I’ve been trying to re-create this stuff for years, and this is by far the closest anyone’s ever come. The real KFC gravy always tasted a bit too salty for me, so that’s why I’d add a lot of black pepper to tone it down. The rotisserie spice I think helps compensate for the lack of fried chicken drippings. But this recipe is perfectly yummy as written. I just checked back because I wanted to make some again!
Kent A says
Most copycat recipes end up being wishful thinking from the creator, but this one comes closer than any I’ve ever tried. The beef boullion is really the key for the flavor, but to match what KFC actually uses: (deep fryer drippings, peanut oil, sugar, and a dozen other mystery ingredients), you do need to tweak it a bit. I added 1/4 tsp of cornstarch, 3x the black pepper, 1/2tsp of poultry/rotisserie seasoning, and 1Tbsp of smart balance or margarine to the butter. 1/2 tsp or more more salt would nail it, but this already has enough sodium and tastes awesome, so there’s no need to do that unless you really want it. Very nicely done!
SHARON says
This gravy is outstanding! We love it and my kids ask for it all the time!
Althea in the USA says
DELICIOUS!!!!!! Hubby was so surprised at how delicious this tasted that he had to add more on the meatloaf we had for dinner.
Mrs B says
I also used this on meatloaf one night.
Elise says
Hmmm…. not sure if it was the Massell stock cubes I used or that I didn’t have plain flour and used the cornflour slurry.. tasted a bit bland and chickeny. Mind you, your beef stroganoff recipe I used the oxo cubes and found them to be a stronger beef flavour. So I will give it another try using all the ingredients on the list and using oxo cubes rather than massell.
Nagi says
Hi Elise, sorry to hear that – I have found different brands of stock cubes differ in flavour so I imagine that to be the culprit! N x
Elise F says
All your other recipes I’ve tried I love and hubby loves them so much he moans (lol)! I’m sure it’s the stock cubes.. I have a Chinese chicken and sweetcorn recipe I have made for a few years and I made it with the massell stock cubes and I usually make it with campbells real stock and campbells powder stock, and although the flavour was nice it definitely didn’t have as much flavour. But Nagi! I looooovvveeee your recipes! As many other have said and I will also, you are my go to recipe queen! Xox
Ava Carolina says
Nagi -Do you know how many years I struggled w/making good gravy- standing at the stove stirring while the food was on the table ! Now you tell me !
Fatima says
Hi. can i use margarine if i dont have butter? and how about cornstarch as substitute for flour?
Cath Hall says
Great gravy
Karen says
The best gravy I have ever made from scratch !
Mark McEvoy says
Best Gravy EVER!Thanks Nagi.
This opens up a lot for experimenting!Fresh herbs added for different meats.Splash o cider vinegar and mint jelly for lamb.Garlic and onion powder a must!We dipped Coles Fried Chicken pieces in it and life was GOOD!
Pork Crackling next!Family loves this gravy!
Natalie says
I loved this recipe… I used to make a similar one but this one even better and so much closer to the real gravy. I added an extra beef coz I like mine dark and salty 😉
Shane Hill says
I made this tonight for chicken/rice/mashed potatoes – I didn’t have beef bouillon, so I subbed chicken broth for the water along with the chicken bouillon powder – and I opted for the cornstarch slurry method. It was delicious!!! Thank you very much for this simple and quick recipe!
Melinda Boone says
Can you use Better than Bouillon in place of the chicken and beef cubes?
Kent A says
You definitely can, I added a little bit of that to my cubes and it made it even better.
Ash says
Absolutely delicious! Had this with bangers and mash and it was such a hit!
Jenny Boon says
Wow just made the gravy it is gorgeous having it with pie mash and peas for dinner tonight… thank you so much
Lynn says
Oh my word!This gravy recipe is absolutely amazing! SOOO good on mashed potatoes, cooked veggies and meats. Thanks, Nagi for another winning recipe.
Samantha Edwards says
O M G. I am from NZ and have been living in the Uk for over 20 years. I have yearned for proper KFC Gravy (the Gravy they do in the UK is NOT the Gravy I grew up with). This has made my weekend. Why did I not know of this!!! Thank you x
Sherif Shehata says
Easy and quite tasty
Megan says
Hi there, is it just me? But I can’t seem to find the ingredient measurements for the kfc gravy 😫
Nagi says
Hi Megan – all the ingredients are there, scroll down the page or click the “recipe” button at the top of the page to go straight there – N x
Debbie Smith says
This is sooooo good!!! Really is just like KFC gravy. And you have more than enough for chips or mash. Thank you!!!