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British

Onion gravy

Non-vegetarian

Deeply browned, slow-cooked onions simmered in beef stock and thickened lightly with flour — the classic gravy for sausages and mash and toad in the hole.

Onion gravy is a British sauce from United Kingdom, ready in about 55 minutes and made with onion and beef stock. It serves 6 and is rated easy to cook.

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Prep
10 min
Cook
45 min
Total
55 min
Serves
6
Level
Easy
Calories
88

Ingredients

6 servings (about 90 ml each)

Equipment

Method

  1. Step 1

    Melt the butter (opens in a new tab) with the oil in a heavy saucepan (opens in a new tab), add the onions (opens in a new tab) and a pinch of the salt and cook slowly, stirring every few minutes, until soft, sticky and a deep golden brown.

    Add a splash of water if the onions catch before they are soft.

    Onions frying golden in a pan
    How it looks · Photo: Magda Ehlers on Pexels

  2. Step 2

    Sprinkle over the flour and stir for 2 minutes until it browns lightly.

    • 2 min
    • medium heat
    Fresh herbs scattered over a finished dish
    How it looks · Photo: Klaus Nielsen on Pexels

  3. Step 3

    Gradually stir in the hot stock and the Worcestershire sauce (opens in a new tab), scraping the bottom of the pan, then simmer until the gravy coats a spoon.

    • 10 min
    • medium-low heat

  4. Step 4

    Stir in the mustard, season with pepper (opens in a new tab) and more salt if needed, and remove the thyme (opens in a new tab) stalks.

    • 1 min

About this dish

Origin
United Kingdom · Well documentedAlso popular in IrelandMore food from United Kingdom
Dish
Dinner · Sauces
Cooking method
Sautéed, Simmered
Taste
savoury, sweet & savoury, umami, rich
Diet
No nut ingredients · Low-carb
All labelsNon-vegetarian · Flexitarian-friendly · Egg-free · No nut ingredients · Alcohol-free · Pork-free · Low-carb
With the listed swaps: Vegan, Plant-based, Vegetarian (lacto-ovo), Eggetarian, Lacto-vegetarian, Ovo-vegetarian, Pescatarian, Dairy-free, No added sugar, Beef-freeWorked out from the ingredients. How labels work
Good for
Budget-friendly · Freezer-friendly · Make-ahead
Cook more with
Onion · Beef stock · Butter · All-purpose flour · Worcestershire sauce
Techniques
Sautéing · Simmering

Allergens

  • Contains, can be adapted: Milkfrom butter
  • Contains, can be adapted: Fishfrom worcestershire sauce
  • Contains, can be adapted: Wheatfrom all-purpose flour
  • Contains, can be adapted: Glutenfrom all-purpose flour, worcestershire sauce
  • Contains, can be adapted: Mustardfrom prepared mustard
  • May contain: Celeryfrom beef stock, worcestershire sauce
  • May contain: Sulphitesfrom worcestershire sauce, prepared mustard

Based on typical versions of these ingredients and not verified allergen-free. Brands differ and cross-contact happens, so always check labels. For severe allergies, follow your clinician’s advice.

Nutrition

88 kcal per serving

Calculated

1 serving ≈ 100 g · recipe makes 6

Where the energy comes from

  • Protein 11%
  • Carbohydrate 32%
  • Fat 57%
Nutrition per serving and per 100 g
NutrientPer servingPer 100 g
Energy88 kcal88 kcal
Protein2.4 g2.4 g
Carbohydrate7.4 g7.4 g
Net carbohydrate6.4 g6.4 g
Sugars2.9 g2.9 g
Added sugars——
Fibre1 g1 g
Fat5.8 g5.8 g
Saturated fat2.4 g2.4 g
Trans fat——
Cholesterol9 mg9 mg
Sodium303 mg303 mg
Salt equivalent0.8 g0.8 g
Vitamins & minerals per serving
Potassium
245 mg
Calcium
22 mg
Iron
0.5 mg
Magnesium
12 mg
Vitamin A (RAE)
29 µg
Vitamin C
4 mg
Vitamin D
0 µg
Vitamin B12
0 µg
Folate (DFE)
16 µg

How these numbers were made

  • Calculated from USDA FoodData Central (SR Legacy) per-100 g values and the listed quantities.
  • Optional ingredients are not included: sugar, thyme (fresh), prepared mustard.
  • “—” means the value isn’t known for enough of the ingredients; it is never zero by default.
  • Values are estimates for guidance, not for medical dosing. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. FoodData Central, 2019. fdc.nal.usda.gov.

Good to know

Tips

  • A splash of balsamic or a teaspoon of redcurrant jelly at the end rounds out a gravy made with a thin stock.

Common mistakes

  • Rushing the onions over high heat burns them before they sweeten.

Serve with

  • Sausages and mash
  • Toad in the hole
  • Liver and bacon

Storage

  • Refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze for 3 months.

Reheating

  • Reheat until piping hot, adding a splash of water if thick.

Variations

  • With red wine or ale: Replace 150 ml of the stock with red wine or brown ale and reduce before adding the rest.

Original editorial recipe · FriendsPantry editorial · Not yet independently reviewed · Added · Updated

Goes with

Recipe DNA

How this dish is built

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

Grouped by each ingredient’s role in the dish. Each band’s width is its share of the dish by weight. Choose a component to see what it does.

What the dish is built around

Main ingredient

Used in steps 1, 2

Make it milder, swap ingredients for your diet, change the batch size or thickness — the original stays as it is.

Customise in Sauce & Drizzle

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