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!
So we are vegetarians at my house and just used no meat “chicken and beef “ bouillon and it came out amazing. My spouse worked in KFC for almost 2 decades and swears it tastes like it and even better! Thanks!
Really delicious. The butter really comes through. I must say I added a dollop of ketchup because that’s what Paul Kelly’s song “who is going to make us the gravy” tells us to do.
That might be the worst attempt I’ve ever heard at trying to write “How to make Gravy”. What a silly person!!!
The best (and easiest) gravy out. I was eating the leftovers like soup! Haha!!!
This is delicious gravy and so simple. Baked chicken and mashed potato topped with this is way better than KFC Thanks
Perfect gravy….. every single time!! 👏 I’m bit of a gravy snob, so never use anything other than pan juices when cooking roasts etc – but I regularly use this recipe for gravy when cooking other dishes where no pan juices are available (such as hot chips, crumbed steak/chicken etc). Winner winner gravy dinner 😋
Nice comment. good points!!! I must agree with you and add… as a gravy snob myself… sometimes a cube imitation gravy is just what’s needed.
Hi Nagi, is it possible to substitute or skip the butter in this? Cooking for someone with dairy allergies and wondering if it’s possible to adjust?
Nice flavour but next time I’ll use way less flour – 1tbs rather than 4 as it was very pastey and I had to double the water to make it looser and less floury in texture.
I wish I had this recipe 30 years ago. Brilliant, simple easy. Oxo is the way to go for this one. Thanks for the post, I am having this tonight for my family on Sous Vede Steak :0).
Delicious & fast gravy, thank you!
So easy, the best. Don’t even try to alter it.
This is the best copy cat receipt ever , delicious.
Hi Nagi – made your gravy fom scratch and it was the bom! So much easier than using pan juices but just as flavouricious! I used boiling potato & vege water for the hot liquid (instead of plain boiling water) and it worked really well. Just thought I’d share that.
I just made this recipe to go with mashed potatoes and pork cutlets. It was absolutely AMAZING!! My mom got to try it and she was so impressed, she said she’s definitely going to make this as well. 10/10 I can’t wait to make this again!
I halved it for my husband and I and followed it exactly as you suggested, except I added parsley flakes. Came out PERFECT!! saved to my files! 🙂
I make this all the time with Nuttlex and GF flour for non-dairy and GF! It’s fabulous! I sometimes add 1/4 tsp dried sage and 1/4 tsp Italian herb mix ground up finely for added flavour.
Thanks Nagi!
I’ve usually struggled to make my own gravy but this was a hit in my home!
Great Gravy. Easy to make. Made it about 4 times now. It definitely has the taste of KFC, and like you say; it’s better!
Tried this tonight 3/4/25 and it was so easy. I didn’t have beef bouillon but it was still great and fiancé loved it! I also saw the soy sauce idea to give it some more color since I didn’t have the beef and so I did that and it worked perfectly. Lastly the only other twist I did was I also had made some bacon and put a bit of the bacon grease in there and it gave it a little extra flavor. Thanks for this recipe, i will deff continue to make this gravy. I will use the beef bouillon next time to see the difference.
My family is addicted to this. Been making for years. Make it 2 to 3 times a month. We absolutely love it. So easy to make.
This is the best gravy I ever had!