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!
Karlie says
My go to if I’m feeling chips and gravy *chef’s kiss* 😙🤌🏼
Stephanie says
This was my first homemade gravy attempt. Absolutely loved it! It was very easy and fast. My 7-year-old loved it also. Easily customized to suit individual tastes. I added lots of black pepper, my daughter added some salt. We served with mashed potatoes 👍👍
diane says
Who knew gravy could be this easy and tasty. Just like KFC’s. I used OXO cubes.
denise says
Super easy & lovely recipe. Made it my own w/ a small shake of garlic powder, small bay leaf, 1/4 t. soy sauce, dash of kitchen bouquet & maggi seasoning & more salt and pepper. Bye bye gravy in a jar or packet. Thank you for sharing this recipe with us! xo
EVDOKIA FRYER says
Loved this gravy recipe. It was very quick to make and so tasty. You are my favourite chef.
CLIVE FLETCHER says
In beef stew I substitute beef base with Heinz oxtail soup.
Quick and easy plus lots of flavour.
Michaela Mccrackin says
How does KFC make there mashed potatoes? Thank you so much for this recipe. I don’t have any teeth so I’m always going too KFC to get there mash potatoes and gravy all the time. I’ve tried too make it at home, but it never turns out the same.
Ben says
I have made this a few times before, it’s great, I add a hint of spices found in KFC, namely smoked paprika, cumin and celery seed and it definitely becomes closer to the real thing
Kat Mary says
Perfect gravy!!! and yes better than KFC
Cindy says
I made this gravy and it was real quick and tasted great! Thank you
Mary Welch says
Was almost exactly as KFC gravy. I used Knorr powdered bouillon and made the recipe without any changes. A bit salty, but so is KFC. It was pretty good, though!
Davi says
Love this recipe! The easiest and quickest and tasty gravy recipe I’ve found by far. Thanks for sharing the recipe. It will be my go to gravy recipe.
Judy Berry says
This is a delicious, full flavored gravy that will stand up to any dish. I added a bit of soy sauce, but my gravy wasn’t as dark, but still very flavorful. It will be my go to gravy.
SB says
You need to use dark soy sauce, not regular soy sauce
Carol J Boehm says
First time I made this gravy. I used low sodium chicken stock instead of water. The gravy has the color of KFC and tastes good, but still prefer KFC Gravy. This seems to be missing something.
Clark in Ohio says
Nagi,
Being after Thanksgiving Day, I found myself left with a pile of garlic mashed potatoes ((I LOVE good mashed taters!) with no gravy. It was terrifying!
I had no packaged gravy, so I looked online and found your techie (thank God!). It sounded easy enough, though I didn’t have much hope it would be as good as I needed for my taters, so I decided to make it.
I decided to use 2 cubes each flavor, chicken and beef (4 total) and followed your instructions. I used garlic powder. At the end, I added a couple of shakes of Rosemary and let it sit after storing it in.
This turned out amazingly and absolutely great! Nice and thick and tasting every bit as good as you said it would!
Thanks a bunch!
Clark
PS :With 4 cubes rather than 2, it turned out a bit salty, so next time I’m gonna leave out the added salt.
Erlinda Kearns says
Nagi, you are an amazing cook….I’m sure you are too in person…I loved your Gravy recipe… so simple, easy, fast and the yummiest….I am keeping this recipe.
Thank you.
Claire says
So easy and delicious. However, I recommend getting chicken cubes worth lower sodium to cut down the salt.
JAMIE says
Have made many times. Excellent!
Ptp says
Great gravy. Added gochugaru for some back end heat. Outstanding.
Coffee2 says
Delicious gravy! I’m making a double batch now for meatloaf and mashed potatoes. It really does taste like KFC gravy but a million times better. Also I like that I can control how much salt to use. Thank you for sharing. Will be making this often. And for Thanksgiving Cornish hens.