7 Ways to Make Bottled Gravy Taste Better (2024)

FAQs

7 Ways to Make Bottled Gravy Taste Better? ›

Enliven store-bought gravy with a splash of your favorite cooking wine or spirits like cognac, brandy, or sherry. As you reheat the gravy, add a few tablespoons of wine or liquor and simmer until the alcohol has fully evaporated.

Enliven store-bought gravy with a splash of your favorite cooking wine or spirits like cognac, brandy, or sherry. As you reheat the gravy, add a few tablespoons of wine or liquor and simmer until the alcohol has fully evaporated.

For the beef gravy, I like to add a little red wine, cracked pepper, rosemary and thyme. For the chicken, try adding tarragon and white pepper. I usually make my gravy from scratch, but have had to use the packaged mix when in a hurry. Hope this helps.

Think about aromatics

Now is the time to add an extra flavor element to your gravy if you so choose, like sweet onions and garlic or mushrooms and herbs. Cook the vegetables in the hot fat until they've softened and the onions have just started to brown around the edges.

Bouillon Paste: adding a spoonful of bouillon paste boosts the flavor of homemade gravy. I prefer the Better Than Bouillon brand. If I'm making gravy for chicken or turkey, I use chicken-flavor bouillon (and obviously beef-flavored bouillon for gravy to be served with beef).

If your spices are ground, you can just add them to the gravy and stir them in. Salt, you can add any time. If your spices are whole, you can simmer them for a while in the gravy and them remove them. You can also toast them in a separate dry pan, grind them (see here), and then add them to your gravy.

If you want creamier gravy, feel free to use milk rather than water.

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

Fortunately, Shannon has several suggestions for fixing bland gravy, starting by adding a bouillon cube, herbs or a splash of wine or cognac. But if you have time to spare, add pan drippings from turkey, bacon or bacon drippings, caramelized vegetables (like onions, leeks, carrots and celery), herbs or garlic.

Why is my gravy not tasty? ›

If the gravy lacks oomph, adjust seasoning as necessary with kosher salt and freshly ground pepper. If you used canned stock instead of homemade, the gravy might not be as flavorful. Homemade stock, even made with chicken stock rather than turkey, will produce a superior gravy—so it's worth the effort.

Add an umami-rich condiment.

Just as you might add condiments like soy sauce, miso paste, Worcestershire sauce, or even a splash of sherry or cider vinegar to your favorite gravy recipe, incorporate them into store-bought gravy for a more complex flavor.

I only season my homemade gravy with salt and pepper, and it's delicious! If you want to add more spices, avoid anything with large pieces (such as dried rosemary) to keep gravy smooth. Thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, paprika, and oregano all taste great.

Their experiments have proved the best gravy should be made from meat juices, vegetable water – and a dash of soy sauce to bring out the umami, or meaty taste.

Add Spices To Boost The Flavor

Onion powder and other seasoned salts (like celery salt or even truffle salt if you want to get fancy) will also give your canned gravy the flavor boost it needs. Another great way to elevate your canned sausage gravy is to pump up the spiciness.

Whisk together sugar and flour in a saucepan. Stir in egg, then gradually mix in milk until well blended. Bring to a boil, constantly stirring. As soon as it boils and becomes thick, remove from the heat and stir in vanilla and butter.