Discover Easy Homemade Gravy Mix Recipes for Delicious Meals Anytime

If you ask me, there's never a wrong time for gravy . In a perfect world, I'd be making the stuff from scratch every night using rich, savory pan drippings from meaty roasts. In reality, you'll more often find me reaching into my pantry for a store-bought jar—like the winner in Parade' s ultimate gravy taste test .

Then there are those nights when a gravy craving hits, and I don't even have a packet of powdered mix on hand. As I happily learned this week, delicious gravy is still possible (even then!) with an assist from my spice rack.

Lifestyle and food creator Dan Cunningham(@theorganizerman) recently took to Instagram to reveal how he makes homemade brown and white gravy mix using a handful of common dried seasonings and pantry staples. Both looked very promising and so easy, so you know I had to test them out at home. 

I was super impressed by how effortlessly these DIY blends came together and the depth of flavor they delivered. Read on for my full review, then file away these genius gravy mix recipes for holidays, Sunday dinners or any time your meal could use a cozy, comforting sauce.

Related: How To Make Store-Bought Gravy Taste 10x Better

The Genius of Homemade Gravy Mix

Cunningham's recipes are designed as substitutes for those packets of gravy mix you buy at the supermarket. The DIY blends use basic dried seasonings, such as garlic powder, black pepper and bouillon powder, plus a base of flour or cornstarch. A big selling point here is that, unlike premade gravy mixes, homemade blends are fully customizable.

If you're watching your salt intake, for instance, you could easily use lower-sodium bouillon. Because I eat gluten-free, I made the white gravy with both regular flour (for my family) and gluten-free flour (for me), and both worked beautifully.

While I made these gravy mixes to make immediately, the dry blends will keep in an airtight container for several months. That means you can totally prep them ahead of time so you can whisk up rich, velvety gravy whenever the mood strikes.

Related: We Tried 17 Different Kinds of Store-Bought Gravy, and You Can Buy the Winner at Walmart

How To Make Brown Gravy Mix

Brown gravy is a rich, savory sauce often made from beef or chicken drippings and thickened with flour or cornstarch. It's typically served over meats, potatoes and even open-faced sandwiches. Brown gravy is known for its deep, hearty flavor.

To make my brown gravy mix, I used Cunningham's recommended amounts of onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. I then went with beef bouillon powder and a cornstarch base, plus the optional paprika and parsley flakes. Making the mix took all of two minutes, so it was already scoring major points for convenience.

The process of turning these dry ingredients into gravy was extremely straightforward too. All I had to do was dump the powdered mix into a small saucepan with a cup of water, and simmer and stir until thickened. In just a few minutes, my brown gravy was ready to pour. Yum.

Related: How To Make Mashed Potatoes 10x Better, According to My Chef-Husband

How To Make White Gravy Mix

Creamy, peppery white gravy (AKA country gravy) is a staple in Southern comfort cuisine. You can't have biscuits and gravy without white gravy, of course, and it's also a common topper for dishes like chicken-fried steak . This style of gravy is lighter in color than brown gravy because it's made with milk instead of broth. It's usually on the thicker side too, thanks to a simple roux (a mixture of butter and flour).

Cunningham's white gravy mix includes flour , onion powder, garlic powder and equal parts salt and pepper. I included the optional paprika he recommends, but decided to leave out the dry milk powder because I would be making the gravy with milk.

When you're ready to prepare the gravy, all you have to do is melt 2 tablespoons of butter in a saucepan, stir in your dry mix, and cook for a minute or two (this is the roux I just mentioned). Next, whisk in the milk and simmer until the gravy thickens to perfection. I threw some leftover sausage (a classic addition to country gravy) into mine and couldn't wait to dig in.

Related: I Tried 12 Canned Biscuits and the Winner Won by a Landslide

My Honest Thoughts About Homemade Gravy Mix

I was blown away by how tasty these homemade gravy mixes are and how simple they were to prepare. The brown gravy was rich and smooth, perfect over leftover mashed potatoes. The white gravy was creamy, peppery and indulgent, just as classic Southern gravy should be—a great match for spicy sausage.

Unlike store-bought mix packets, homemade gravy mix allows you to tweak the seasonings and nutrition specs. (You can also avoid any unwanted additives.) And because the mixes will keep for months, you could prep a double or triple batch for the holiday rush and be ready for every breakfast, lunch or dinner that comes your way.

With homemade gravy mixes, I found that I could quickly achieve rich, delicious flavor without the hassle of running to the store for a mix or making gravy from scratch. This is one of those genius kitchen hacks I wish I'd come across sooner. Now that I know the shortcut, my mashed potatoes will never be boring again.

Related: The Genius Trick For Making Sky-High Canned Biscuits

This story was originally published by Parade on Nov 25, 2025, where it first appeared in the Food & Drink section. Add Parade as a Preferred Source by clicking here.