15-Minute Guinness Gravy

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Guinness gravy is a rich, flavorful, homemade brown gravy that comes together on the stovetop in 15 minutes. Featuring Guinness stout, worcestershire sauce, and English mustard, this easy gravy requires no pan juices to get excellent gravy flavor. A perfect addition to your St. Patrick’s Day celebration.

A plate of mashed potatoes smothered with Guinness Gravy on a white plate.

Easy Stovetop Brown Gravy

This easy homemade Guinness gravy recipe is the shining star in my bangers and mash recipe. It’s the best Guinness gravy (I know, bold claim) and tastes delicious over mashed potatoes, paired with a variety of roast meats and vegetables, or served with leftover shepherd’s pie.

While gravy can sometimes get a bad rap for being difficult, with complaints of lumpy or gelatinous results that leave people opting for a gravy-free meal, I’ve never had those issues with this easy-from-scratch recipe. The best part is that this recipe doesn’t require pan juices to get great flavor.

Below, I’ve shared all my tips for getting great results the first time and my tricks for fixing gravy that may have less-than-desirable results.

What You’ll Need

Like most basic gravy recipes, this one starts with the roux (butter and flour) and stock. We swap out part of the stock for Guinness and add a handful of seasonings and spices, including Worcestershire sauce and English mustard, to create its unique flavor. If you are a from-scratch cook, you’ll may find many of these ingredients in your pantry.

Labeled ingredients for Guinness Gravy.

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How to Make: Guinness Gravy

Making gravy is so easy, but it often gets complicated when people think it must have pan juices in order to taste good. It doesn’t. Sure you can add them for a flavor boost, but you can make a very good weeknight gravy without them.

Kitchen Skill: Making a Roux

The foundation of a delicious gravy in my “gluten welcome, butter encouraged, wheat allergy free, omnivore kitchen” is a butter and all-purpose flour-based roux. This roux is the thickening agent for our gravy but is also the foundation for Veloute, Espagnole, and Bechamel, three of the five French Mother sauces.

There are four different kinds of roux: white, blonde, brown, and dark brown. These designations are based on how long you cook the flour before moving on to the next step of adding the liquid. White is not cooked, blonde is cooked until it just starts to brown, while brown and dark brown are both cooked longer to darken the color. White and blonde are the most common types, with blonde being the one used in this gravy.

To make a roux add together equal parts fat and flour. My standard ratio for weeknight gravy is 2 tablespoons of butter to 2 tablespoons of flour to 1 cup (8 ounces) of liquid. This ratio makes a thick gravy that doesn’t need to be reduced.

How to fix an imperfect gravy

The most common gravy problems are lumps and gravy that is too thick or too thin. All of these can easily be solved with a little bit of kitchen know-how.

  • Preventing lumpy gravy – Use a whisk instead of a spoon to immediately incorporate the stock and Guinness into the roux. The wires do a better job of breaking up the roux than a spoon.
  • Fixing lumpy gravy – Grab a fine mesh sieve and strain the gravy. Use a spatula or a spoon to push the lumps through the sieve, then whisk to combine them back into the gravy.
  • Fixing thick gravy – Add more stock or other liquid of choice. (If your gravy is too salty and thick, add water to dilute the salt and thin the gravy simultaneously.)
  • Slowly fixing thin gravy – If you have the time, simply simmer it over a low flame stirring occasionally until it reduces and thickens.
  • Quickly fixing thin gravy – If everything except the gravy is ready to be served, grab a thickener and add it a little bit at a time. Using regular flour at this point will likely result in lumps try one of these instead.
    1. Wondra Flour – It’s a very finely milled flour that will melt into the gravy lump-free. Mix in a little at a time until your gravy is just right.
    2. Cornstarch slurry – Mix one tablespoon of cornstarch with three tablespoons of water to create a slurry. Add this one teaspoon at a time, boiling it between additions to activate the cornstarch and let it thicken.
Overhead image of brown gravy next to a plate of mashed potatoes.

Serving Suggestions

This Guinness gravy is a delicious addition to any roast dinner. It tastes great with beef, pork, chicken, and turkey, or you can serve it with mashed potatoes or roasted vegetables.

For your next big family meal, try it with roast turkey, honey-glazed carrots, creamy mashed potatoes, and brioche rolls to add a unique spin to a basic roast dinner. If you are serving it for a St. Patrick’s Day celebration, round out the meal with Irish cream coffee or Irish cream hot chocolate bombs.

A recommended serving of gravy is about 1/3 cup, but gravy lovers will tell you it’s closer to 1/2 cup or more. As written, this recipe makes about 1 cup of gravy, which is about 2 – 3 servings. If you are serving a larger crowd or simply want leftovers, you can double or triple this recipe.

A shot of brown gravy being poured over mashed potatoes.

How to Store and Reheat Brown Gravy

Guinness gravy, like most homemade brown gravy, can be refrigerated for 3 – 5 days in an airtight container. Preheat it in the microwave or stovetop, whisking occasionally to ensure it heats evenly and remove any lumps that may have formed.

If needed, you can freeze this gravy in a freezer-safe container for up to six months.

If you like this recipe, please give it a FIVE-STAR rating, leave a comment, and share it on your favorite social channel!

A plate of mashed potatoes smothered with Guinness Gravy on a white plate.

15-Minute Guinness Gravy – No Pan Juices

Guinness gravy is a rich, flavorful, homemade brown gravy that comes together on the stovetop in 15 minutes. Featuring Guinness stout, worcestershire sauce, and English mustard, this easy gravy requires no pan juices to get excellent gravy flavor. A perfect addition to your St. Patrick's Day celebration.
4.8 stars (11 ratings)
prep: 5 minutes
cook: 10 minutes
total: 15 minutes
servings: 3 – 4 servings (1 cup total)

Ingredients

  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 2 tablespoons all purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup low sodium beef stock
  • 1/2 cup Guinness draught
  • 1 tablespoon worcestershire sauce
  • 1/2 teaspoon English style yellow mustard
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
  • 1/4 teaspoon onion powder

Instructions

  • In a small saucepan melt butter over medium heat then whisk in flour. Allow it to cook for about 1 – 2 minutes, whisking constantly. Butter will foam up and subside, and the flour will start to brown.
  • Slowly whisk in Guinness and beef stock. Add mustard, worcestershire, salt, garlic powder, and onion powder.
  • Bring to a boil, whisking occasionally. Once the gravy thickens, drop the heat to low, cover and keep warm until ready to serve.

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Nutrition

Serving: 1Calories: 95kcalCarbohydrates: 6gProtein: 1gFat: 8gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 20mgSodium: 418mgSugar: 1g

Nutrition information is automatically calculated and is for general information purposes only. For the most accurate information, calculate using your select brands and exact measurements.

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9 Comments

  1. 5 stars
    Bravo, Renee! Had some leftover Shepherd’s Pie (from last night), and this gravy was JUST right to add a little moisture and a little kick of flavor!

    1. I can’t imagine why it wouldn’t work for poutine! It’s going to taste much better than anything canned from the store. If you do give it a try, let me know what you think!

  2. 5 stars
    I gave it a 5, but I kinda messed mine up when I was increasing the amounts. It was still good, as I was able to save it thankfully. Keep up the good work, I’ll be trying a few other recipes of yours later on. But I’m going to remake this gravy for my corned beef and potatoes with cabbage next weekend. Thanks a bunch.

  3. 5 stars
    I made this lovely gravy exactly as noted. It was reallllllly good. The guests loved it and asked for your recipe! I will definitely make again.

4.82 from 11 votes (7 ratings without comment)

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