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Onion gravy in a white bowl on a wooden table.
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Onion Gravy

A proper onion gravy is a must-have sauce at any roast dinner alongside Yorkshire puddings and crispy roast potatoes. The key is to slowly caramelize the onions and use a quality homemade beef stock.
Author Charlé Visser
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 30 minutes
Servings 6 portions
Course Sauces
Cuisine American, British, South African

Ingredients

  • 1 large (1 large) onion - finely chopped or sliced
  • 20 grams (1 ½ tablespoon) olive oil - extra virgin
  • 350 grams (1 ½ cups) dry red wine
  • 8 grams (2 teaspoon) sugar
  • 1 liter (1 liter) beef stock
  • 65 grams (½ stick) butter
  • 3 grams (½ teaspoon) salt
  • 5 grams (2 ½ teaspoon) cornstarch - mixed with water into a slurry

Instructions

Caramelizing onions

  • Chop the onion and start frying it slowly in a touch of olive oil over medium heat. Do not salt them.
    1 large onion
  • Cook the onions until they start to caramelize and brown. Do not take them too far, but get some color on them.
    20 grams olive oil

Wine reduction

  • Add dry red wine to the onions and scrape off any fond.
    350 grams dry red wine
  • Reduce the wine until thick, syrupy, and almost completely gone.

Beef stock and butter

  • Add the beef stock to the wine reduction, and reduce it by half.
    1 liter beef stock
  • Add the butter and whisk it into the gravy as it slowly simmers.
    65 grams butter

Thickening and seasoning

  • Whisk the cornstarch slurry into the simmering gravy until it thickens.
    5 grams cornstarch
  • Turn off the heat, and season the gravy with salt and sugar to balance it.
    8 grams sugar, 3 grams salt

Video

Notes

  1. Caramelization — Do not rush the onions. Caramelize them slowly and steadily, moving around to avoid burnt spots.
  2. Seasoning — Never season the gravy before you reduce the stock. Doing so will result in oversalted, most likely inedible gravy.
  3. Onion —  You can substitute the brown onion for white, red, or shallots. If using leeks, use only the white parts.
  4. Stock — Chicken stock works well to make a lighter gravy, especially when serving onion gravy with roasted chicken or turkey.
  5. Without wine — If you don't consume alcohol products, replace the wine with more beef or chicken stock. For a touch of acidity, you can add a teaspoon of lemon juice or vinegar instead. 
    Storage and reheating
    Onion gravy will keep in the fridge stored airtight for up to 4 days. For longer storage, freeze it for up to 3 months.
    To reheat, gently bring to a simmer over the stove while whisking. If it thickens too much, add a splash of stock or water while heating.

Nutrition

Serving: 100grams Calories: 196kcal Carbohydrates: 8g Protein: 4g Fat: 12g Saturated Fat: 6g Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 5g Trans Fat: 0.4g Cholesterol: 23mg Sodium: 599mg Potassium: 352mg Fiber: 0.4g Sugar: 3g Vitamin A: 271IU Vitamin C: 2mg Calcium: 22mg Iron: 1mg
Keywords:how to make onion gravy, onion gravy recipe, red wine onion gravy
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