Homemade Beef Gravy Mix

Gravy is one of those things I use regularly, so it makes sense to have a homemade version sitting in the pantry ready to go.

For this week’s Make, Store & Save, I’m making my Beef Gravy Mix. It only takes a few minutes to put together, uses four basic ingredients and means I don’t need to reach for an individual packet every time we’re having sausages, roast meat, mashed potatoes or one of our slow cooker dinners.

There’s a decent saving to be made too. This batch costs approximately $4.57 to make and contains 196g of dry gravy mix. Using 20g, or around 2 tablespoons, for each cup of gravy gives you approximately 9.8 cups of gravy from the batch.

Buying the equivalent amount in the $1.29 gravy packets I compared it with would cost approximately $12.64. That’s a saving of just over $8 per batch, or around 64%.

And because it’s a dry mix, there’s no real extra work when you actually need gravy. Scoop some from the container, add water and cook until thickened.

Watch the Video

In this week’s Make, Store & Save, I’m focusing on one of the pantry mixes I reach for regularly — homemade Beef Gravy Mix.

In the video, I show you how I make up a full batch of the dry mix and then turn a couple of tablespoons into a simple everyday beef gravy.

The basic gravy is deliberately kept simple because that’s what makes this mix so useful. You can use it exactly as it is, or add other flavours depending on what you’re serving it with. I talk about a few of those ideas in the video as well.

I also briefly touch on making Chicken Gravy Mix. If you’d like that version, I already have a full recipe on the website which you can find here: Homemade Chicken Gravy Mix | Pantry Staple Gravy Powder

Watch this week’s Make, Store & Save here: Stop Buying Gravy Packets – Make Your Own for Less

Why Make Your Own Beef Gravy Mix?

For me, the biggest advantage isn’t just the saving. It’s having one container in the pantry that I can use however I need it.

A packet gives you a set amount. With a homemade mix, I can make one cup of gravy for dinner, make a bigger batch for a roast or add a few spoonfuls directly to a slow cooker meal to help create a rich gravy as it cooks.

It also means I can control the consistency. Two tablespoons makes a good everyday gravy, while three tablespoons gives you something thicker.

And because the base recipe is kept simple, I can change the flavour to suit whatever I’m cooking rather than having several different packets sitting in the pantry.

Homemade Beef Gravy Mix Ingredients

For one batch you will need:

• 90g beef stock powder (1/2 cup)
• 90g plain flour (1/2 cup)
• 8g onion powder (4 tsp)
• 8g garlic powder (4 tsp)

Total dry mix: approximately 196g

These quantities are particularly handy if you like making pantry staples in bulk. Measure everything once, give it a really good mix and you’ve got enough on hand for multiple meals.

How to Make Beef Gravy Mix

Add the beef stock powder, plain flour, onion powder and garlic powder to a large bowl.

Whisk everything together thoroughly. Spend a little time on this step because you want the flour and seasonings evenly distributed throughout the stock powder.

Transfer the mixture to a clean, completely dry airtight container or jar.

Label it Beef Gravy Mix, add the date and write the basic instructions directly onto the container: 2 Tbsp Beef Gravy Mix + 1 cup COLD water

Store the mix in a cool, dry pantry until needed.

How to Turn the Mix into Beef Gravy

For approximately 1 cup of gravy, you’ll need:

• 2 Tbsp (approximately 20g) Beef Gravy Mix
• 1 cup cold water

Add the gravy mix and cold water to a small saucepan and whisk together before turning on the heat. Starting with cold water makes it much easier to incorporate the flour without ending up with lumps.

Place over medium heat and cook, whisking or stirring regularly, until the gravy comes to a gentle simmer and thickens.

Once it has reached the consistency you like, it’s ready to serve.

For a thicker gravy, use approximately 3 tablespoons (30g) of dry mix per cup of water instead.

How Much Does Homemade Beef Gravy Mix Save?

This is where making a bigger batch starts to make quite a bit of sense.

Based on the prices used when I worked out the cost for this video, the full 196g batch costs approximately $4.57 to make.

Using 2 tablespoons, or approximately 20g, of mix per cup of water:

	Homemade Beef Gravy	Packet Gravy
Mix needed	20g	27g (1 packet)
Cost per cup	Approx. $0.47	$1.29
Equivalent amount	9.8 cups	9.8 packets
Total cost	$4.57	Approx. $12.64

That works out to a saving of approximately $8.07, or around 64%, compared with buying enough individual packets to make the equivalent amount.

Another way of looking at it is that your homemade gravy costs around 47 cents per cup, compared with $1.29 per cup using the packet I priced.

If you prefer a thicker gravy and use 3 tablespoons (approximately 30g) per cup, the batch will make around 6½ cups of gravy, costing approximately 70 cents per cup. That’s still around 59 cents less per cup than the $1.29 packet.

These are approximate costs based on the ingredient and supermarket prices used when this video was made. Your actual saving will vary depending on the brands you buy, specials and what you already have in your pantry.

Make It Your Own

The basic Beef Gravy Mix is intentionally simple. Think of it as your starting point rather than the only way you can serve it.

For sausages and mash, I love adding cooked onions to make an easy onion gravy. If I’m serving beef, I might add some of the meat juices for extra flavour. Worcestershire sauce can add a little more depth, while herbs such as thyme or rosemary work nicely alongside a roast.

You could also add mushrooms, cracked black pepper or a small spoonful of mustard depending on the meal.

That’s one of the reasons I prefer keeping the dry mix itself fairly basic. Instead of committing the entire jar to one particular flavour, I can change each batch of gravy as I make it.

Ways to Use Homemade Beef Gravy Mix

This is much more than a mix for pouring over a roast. I use homemade gravy mix anywhere I want an easy savoury sauce or a little extra thickening and flavour.

It’s particularly useful with bangers and mash with onion gravy, beef rissoles, beef olives, savoury mince, meatballs and slow cooker beef dishes. It’s also lovely over mashed potatoes, roast beef, meatloaf or alongside a simple meat-and-three-veg dinner.

Stacey’s Kitchen Tips

• Use cold water to start. Whisking the dry mix into cold water before heating helps prevent lumps.
• Mix the dry ingredients really well. You want the flour and seasonings evenly distributed before transferring the mix to your jar.
• Label the instructions on the container. Write “2 Tbsp + 1 cup COLD water” on the jar and you won’t need to look up the recipe every time.
• Adjust the thickness. Start with 2 tablespoons per cup for everyday gravy or use around 3 tablespoons if you like it thicker.
• Make only what you need. One of the advantages of a bulk mix is being able to make a small or large amount without opening several packets.

Variations & Substitutions

• Chicken gravy: Swap the beef stock for chicken stock to make a chicken version. Link for my full Chicken Gravy Mix recipe and instructions here.
• Onion gravy: Cook sliced onions until soft and golden, then add them to your prepared beef gravy.
• Mushroom gravy: Cook sliced mushrooms before stirring through the finished gravy.
• Herb gravy: Add thyme, rosemary or your favourite dried herbs to suit the meal.
• Pepper gravy: Add plenty of freshly cracked black pepper for a simple peppery version.
• Richer beef gravy: Use pan juices from your cooked beef as part of the liquid, adjusting the water accordingly.

Storage & Make-Ahead Notes

Pantry Storage: Keep the dry Beef Gravy Mix in a clean, dry airtight container in a cool pantry. As with other homemade dry mixes, moisture is the main thing you want to keep out.

Shelf Life: Your mix will generally be limited by whichever ingredient has the shortest best-before date, so check the packaging of the ingredients you use and label your container accordingly. But I find I use it all up before it is past it’s best.

Prepared Gravy: Leftover cooked gravy should be cooled and refrigerated in a covered container. Reheat thoroughly before serving. It may thicken further once chilled, so add a splash of water while reheating if needed.

Make Ahead: The whole purpose of this recipe is to have the dry mix made ahead and waiting in the pantry. I like putting the ratio directly on the container so making gravy at dinnertime becomes as simple as measuring, whisking and heating.

Other Recipes You May Like

If you’re building a practical homemade pantry, you might also like:

• The DIY Pantry: Everyday Staples Made Simple
• Affordable Homemade Gravy & Sauces from Scratch
• How to Dehydrate Parsley | Preserve Fresh Herbs for Months
• Homemade Instant Potato Soup Mix
• Italian Herb Breadcrumbs

Final Thoughts

This is exactly what I want Make, Store & Save to be about. It’s not necessarily about making something elaborate from scratch. It’s looking at the everyday things we regularly buy and asking whether there’s a simple version we can make ourselves, keep on hand and save some money along the way.

In this case, four ingredients and about five minutes of preparation gives me almost ten cups’ worth of gravy for approximately $4.57. Compared with the packets I priced for the video; that’s just over $8 staying in the grocery budget.

And perhaps more importantly, I’ve got one jar in the pantry that I can use in all sorts of ways. I can make a basic gravy in minutes, turn it into onion gravy for sausages and mash, or use the mix as part of another dinner.

Make it once, store it in the pantry and use what you need.

Stacey