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Make the perfect gravy by following my guide on How to Make a Roux for gravy and more! My easy roux can also be used for cheese sauces, thickening casseroles, and more. If you need the ideal roux recipe, you found it! Make a pale roux in 5 minutes, a blond roux in 10 minutes, or a brown roux in 30 minutes.
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What is a roux?
A roux is a mix of flour and butter or meat drippings that forms a base for everything from thick sauces to gravy and stew.
Many recipes call for making a roux, from mac and cheese to scalloped potatoes, sausage gravy, and shrimp bisque. Most commonly, you need to make a roux when making gravy.
I'll show you how to make a roux for pasta, gravy, cheeses sauces, soups, stews - anything you can dream up! My roux recipe is easy to follow.
Featured Comment
Honestly, I can not exaggerate how much this roux Enriched and elevated the soup I used it in. Thirty minutes at the stove were seldom more productively spent. Thank you!
Roux for Gravy Ingredients
- Fat: The most typical fat used in making a roux is butter, but you can also use meat drippings, bacon grease, or even vegetable oil.
- Flour: Typically, all-purpose flour is used to make a roux. However, you can also use gluten-free flour following the same ratio.
Roux Ratio
The ratio of flour to fat in a roux is 1:1. If you use four tablespoons of butter, you would use four tablespoons (or ¼ cup) of flour, for example.
How to Make Roux
- In a pan or cast iron skillet, melt butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour with a wooden spoon.
- Cook until combined and the mixture starts to thicken and bubble, about 3-5 minutes.
How to Make a Roux for Gravy
- Pour 2 cups of strained broth from roast beef or beef stock into a slow cooker and set to high heat. In a pan, melt butter over medium-low heat.
- Once melted, whisk in the flour. Cook briefly until combined and starting to bubble, about 3-5 minutes. Do not let the flour darken.
- Slowly pour about 1 cup of the hot broth into the flour mixture, whisking well. Once smooth.
- Whisk to combine until smooth, then cover and cook over low heat until thickened, for approximately 12 to 15 minutes.
- Uncover and allow to cool slightly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Serve warm with desired meal.
Types of Roux
You can make four types of roux: white roux, blond roux, brown roux, and dry roux. The only difference is how long each one is allowed to cook, except a dry roux. Here's how to make a roux four ways:
- White Roux: Ready in 5 minutes or less. Best for thickening and is perfect for making a white sauce like Béchamel or cheese sauce.
- Blond Roux: Ready in 10 minutes. It is slightly browned with a nutty flavor and is just what you need to make a sauce like velouté (a velvety white sauce). Try it in our Espagnole Sauce!
- Dark Brown Roux or Dark Roux: Ready in up to 30 minutes. Brown roux is full of flavor, which makes it ideal for dishes like gumbo. This makes a great gravy roux.
- Dry Roux: You can make a "dry roux" by leaving out the fatty element and instead browning the flour in a pan or oven. Typically, you would do this for gumbo if you aren't using a brown roux.
Making a Roux for Gravy Expert Tips
- If making a blond roux, cook it for about 10 minutes and stir as necessary to keep it from burning.
- If making a brown roux, cook for up to 30 minutes and stir frequently to keep the roux from burning.
Is this roux recipe for gravy only?
No, you can make so many dishes using a roux!
Once you know how to make a roux, depending on what type you're making (white, blond, or brown roux), you can make a roux for pasta, gravy, and sauces like cheese sauce or a simple bechamel white sauce.
In French cooking, a roux serves as the base for three of what are known as the "mother sauces":
- Béchamel sauce: A creamy white sauce made with a white roux and milk.
- Velouté sauce: A velvety, savory sauce made with a white or blond roux and stock, such as chicken stock.
- Espagnole sauce: An enormously flavorful brown sauce made using a brown roux, stock, meat, vegetables, sugar, and seasonings.
What can you do with a roux?
- Beef Gravy recipes use this roux as a base, perfect for topping mashed potatoes and roast beef.
- Rissóis de Camarão use a roux to make the creamy shrimp filling, and they are delicious. One of my favorites!
- Roasted Sliced Vegetables use a roux to make the cheese sauce. So cheesy and flavorful, it's a perfect way to get kids to eat veggies!
- My Shrimp Bisque uses a roux that cooks with shrimp, celery, and garlic for an incredible base for one of the best soups you'll ever try!
- Creamy Parmesan Sauce for Chicken Cordon Bleu uses a roux and tastes incredible on many dishes.
Gravy Roux Recipes
Roux Recipe for Gravy
My roux recipe is easy to follow and the results are always spot on! You'll love using this roux as a base for cheese sauces, your favorite gravy recipes, pasta dishes, and more. Let me know what you make using my roux recipe in the comments below, and be sure to leave a rating! I love to hear from you.
How to Make a Roux
Equipment
Ingredients
- ¼ cup butter - or fat drippings
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- In a pan, melt butter over medium-low heat. Once melted, whisk in the flour.
- Cook until combined and the mixture starts to thicken and bubble, about 3-5 minutes. If making a blond roux, cook for about 10 minutes and stir as necessary to keep from burning.If making a brown roux, cook for up to 30 minutes and stir frequently to keep the roux from burning.
Notes
- You may want to use vegetable oil instead of butter if making a brown roux.
Zendegy says
Thank you for this excellent post. I have an autistic, vegetarian daughter who is addicted to a soup I make her from a veggie broth that I make. I was really just looking for the correct ratios of fat:flour for a roux to the soup and, so, happened upon this post. I was immediately sucked in.
I had no clue that there are varieties of roux! 40 years of cooking and I'd no clue! Well, being a glutton for punishment, I decided I had to make the brown roux, no matter how challenging my severe ADHD would make that. Wow! Just the evolving aroma of the roux as it cooked held my interest! Buttery, caramel, toasted, nutty. And not a lump to be found.
Honestly, I can not exaggerate how much this roux Enriched and elevated the soup I used it in. Thirty minutes at the stove were seldom more productively spent. Thank you!
Isabel Laessig says
Thank you so much for leaving a comment and a review. This made my day to read. I am so happy you found my post informative and that it worked out so well for you and your daughter! I would love to know what kind of soup you made with it. Take care, and thank you again!