Old fashioned hamburger gravy is a classic comfort food recipe that’s so easy to make, affordable, and incredibly satisfying. Serve it over toast or biscuits for breakfast, or over mashed potatoes or egg noodles for dinner. This dish is ready in less than 30 minutes, so it’s perfect to make on busy weeknights.
Hamburger Gravy
This meaty and super flavorful hamburger gravy is an affordable and incredibly easy dish to make whenever you don’t have a ton of time to be in the kitchen.
The ground beef is seasoned with diced onions, fresh garlic, and steak seasoning for maximum flavor with minimal effort. Then it’s mixed with flour to create a roux, which thickens the gravy to the perfect consistency. Finally, you add beef broth, half and half, and Worcestershire sauce to this old fashioned gravy to make a creamy gravy with tons of depth of flavor.
This creamy, meaty gravy soaks into all grooves of a pile of mashed potatoes, making it a great simple meal that the whole family will love. It really is the ultimate comfort food meal that comes together in under 30 minutes.
If you love creamy white gravies, be sure to check out our white country gravy from scratch and our sausage gravy. They’re both reader favorites with tons of 5-star reviews.
Ingredients
Ground Beef: The addition of ground beef is what takes this white gravy from a sauce to essentially the centerpiece of the meal. It’s hearty and adds lots of protein. Opt for lean ground beef so that you don’t end up with greasy gravy or a pool of grease at the bottom of the pan that you have to drain. You could swap this for ground turkey or ground chicken for a lighter version of this dish. You’ll likely need to add a bit of butter if you use one of those though.
Onion and Garlic: These two aromatics work together to add a lot of depth of flavor. Garlic adds the savory, strong, aromatic flavor, while garlic adds a lightly sweet aromatic flavor. Feel free to swap the onion for shallot if you prefer.
Steak Seasoning: Steak seasoning is such an easy way to add maximum amounts of flavour with minimal effort whenever you’re cooking with beef. You can also use a homemade blend of garlic powder, onion powder, smoked paprika, and freshly cracked black pepper.
Flour: All-purpose flour is what we’re using as the thickener to make this a gravy, instead of a soup. It’s what gives the gravy its body and texture. You can swap this for 3 scant Tablespoons of corn starch if you want to make a gluten free version.
Beef Broth: This is one of the liquids we’re using as the base of this gravy. Using beef broth adds incredible amounts of flavor with no extra effort. Feel free to swap this for chicken broth or vegetable broth if that’s what you have on hand. Just keep in mind that the overall flavor will be lighter and less deeply savory.
Half And Half: This is the other liquid we’re using in this gravy. Half and half is creamy and turns this into a white gravy that’s hearty and luscious.
Worcestershire Sauce: A little Worcestershire sauce adds a deeper layer of flavor with savory and umami elements. If you don’t have Worcestershire sauce on hand, try swapping this for soy sauce.
How To Make Hamburger Gravy
Brown the Beef: Heat a large saucepan, add the ground beef, and cook halfway through. Add the diced onions and continue cooking until the beef is fully cooked and the onions are soft. (See the recipe card below for the full printable instructions.)
Add Seasoning and Flour: Reduce the heat, then stir in the garlic and steak seasoning. Cook until aromatic, then sprinkle in the flour. Stir until the beef is evenly coated and cook briefly to remove the raw flour taste.
Add Liquid and Simmer: Slowly pour in the beef broth while stirring constantly until smooth. Stir in the half and half and Worcestershire sauce. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a gentle boil, then reduce the heat and simmer until the gravy has thickened.
Serve: Ladle the hamburger gravy over mashed potatoes, noodles, biscuits, toast, or rice. Enjoy! See the recipe card below for the full written instructions, including ingredient amounts, cooking times, and helpful tips, etc.
Pro Tips
- Cook the Flour: After you mix in the flour, it’s important to let the flour cook for a couple of minutes before adding the liquid. This cooks off the raw flour taste and develops a deeper, richer flavor.
- Add the Broth Slowly: Pour the broth in slowly while whisking constantly to let the liquid fully incorporate into the roux before you add more liquid. When you add it too fast, it can cause the roux to clump together rather than incorporate smoothly into the gravy. Doing this step too fast is the most common cause of lumpy gravy.
- Scrape the Bottom of the Pan: When you’re cooking the beef and onions, browned bits will develop on the bottom of the pan. Be sure to scrape those browned bits up as you’re adding the broth because they are literally pure flavor and make the gravy taste so much better.
What Is Hamburger Gravy?
It’s a classic American comfort food dish made with cooked seasoned ground beef and a rich, creamy white gravy. It’s a simple one-pan recipe that really feels like the epitome of comforting home cooking to me. It reminds me of my Grandma’s cooking and always brings a smile to my face when I eat it.
Can I Use Ground Beef To Make Gravy?
Definitely! It’s a great addition to gravy to make it much heartier and is one of the best meats to add to gravy. As it cooks it releases drippings that season the gravy and combine with the fat to thicken it.
What Is Hamburger Gravy Used For?
You normally use it served on top of a starch that can soak up the flavors. Things like baked potatoes, mashed potatoes, egg noodles, rice, biscuits, or toast are great to pair with it. It’s a great way to stretch meat to make an affordable meal that still has protein in it.
How To Make Simple Hamburger Gravy?
This is such a simple and straight forward recipe. All you have to do is brown your ground beef with onion and garlic, stir in flour to create a roux, then gradually add beef broth and a little bit of half and half. Then you season it, mix it, and let it simmer until it thickens.
Storing And Reheating
This is a great recipe for leftovers because it tastes even better the next day after the flavors have had a chance to meld together. Let the leftovers cool, then transfer to an airtight container and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. Reheat on the stove over medium-low heat, stirring as needed. If it’s too thick, add a splash of brother or water to loosen it up.
Keep In Touch
I’d love to hear what you thought of this recipe in the comments or on Instagram! @KeyToMyLime #KeyToMyLime
Comfort Food Recipes
If you like this recipe, be sure to check out all of our other dinner recipes. Some reader favorites are:
- Sausage Gravy
- Au Jus
- Biscuits And Gravy Casserole
- Beef Tips and Noodles
- Pasta with Peas
- Mashed Potatoes without Milk
- Hamburger Potato Soup
- Microwave Baked Potato
- Crockpot Green Beans
BEST Hamburger Gravy (Old Fashioned S.O.S. Recipe)
Old fashioned hamburger gravy is a classic comfort food recipe that’s easy to make, affordable, and satisfying for breakfast or dinner.
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 pounds lean ground beef
- 1 medium yellow onion, diced (1 cup)
- 4 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 Tablespoon + 1 teaspoon steak seasoning
- 1/3 cup all purpose flour
- 2 1/4 cups beef broth
- 1/2 cup half and half
- 1 Tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
- Freshly chopped parsley, for garnish (optional)
Instructions
- Heat a large saucepan over medium-high heat, then add the ground beef and cook half way through (about 5 minutes). Add in the diced onions, and cook until the beef is cooked through and the onions are soft (about 5 minutes).
- Turn the heat down to medium, then mix in the garlic and steak seasoning. Cook until aromatic (about 60 seconds), then sprinkle in the flour.
- Mix the flour with the beef until it’s evenly coated, and cook for 2-3 minutes to remove the raw flour taste.
- Slowly pour in the beef broth while stirring constantly. Mix until smooth, then stir in the half and half and the Worcestershire sauce.
- Turn the heat up to medium-high and bring to a gentle boil for 2 minutes. Reduce the heat again to medium-low, and simmer for 5-7 minutes, or until thickened.
- Once the hamburger gravy has thickened, serve over mashed potatoes, noodles, or rice. Enjoy!
Nutrition Information:
Serving Size:
1/6Amount Per Serving: Calories: 323Total Fat: 15.4gCarbohydrates: 10.8gFiber: 1.1gSugar: 2.6gProtein: 33.5g
Nutrition information isn't always accurate.
This is the best easy hamburger gravy recipe! I’m sure your entire family will love this old fashioned recipe.
