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I'm excited to show you how to make au jus using beef drippings! My recipe for au jus sauce makes the perfect pairing for prime rib, roast beef, French dip sandwiches, and more. You are going to love how easy and delicious prime rib au jus is! It's ready in five minutes using three simple ingredients.
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Prime Rib Au Jus
Every year, I look forward to making my favorite roast beef recipes for my family for Fall and Winter. Instant pot roasts, slow cooker roasts, Dutch oven roasts, or an entire standing rib roast... you name it!
No matter what roast beef I prepare, I always save the pan drippings to make au jus gravy—nothing like this light and flavorful sauce for dipping beef, reheating leftovers, or pairing with sandwiches.
This is my favorite au jus recipe. It's simple to make in five minutes and adds flavor to every dish. Next time you have pan drippings from a roast or cooking roast chicken or turkey, make this recipe for au jus! It works perfectly for any meat.
What is Au jus?
Au jus is French, meaning "with juice". It refers to a light sauce made using fat drippings from meat such as beef. It's thin and flavorful, and in American cooking is a famous dipping sauce for recipes like french dip sandwiches. Au jus is sold as a gravy mix in a packet, but nothing beats making it from scratch with drippings, especially from prime rib!
Is au jus the same as brown gravy?
Au jus and beef brown gravy are similar because they both use drippings, but not the same. Au jus is a thin and light sauce that isn't thickened, while gravy is thickened using a roux to form a silky and thick sauce that clings to meat. For more info on making roux for gravy, or even turning this au jus sauce into gravy, check out my guide on making the different types of roux!
Au Jus Recipe Ingredients
- Beef Drippings: This is the most important ingredient. You really can't make au jus without drippings; broth and stock just aren't the same.
- Worcestershire Sauce: Worcestershire sauce adds a little bit of zest that really livens up the sauce! If you don't have any, soy sauce works in a pinch.
- Red Wine: Red wine is tangy and juicy, with a powerful and rich flavor. Don't sweat what kind you use; any sort of red wine will taste great.
- Beef Broth: Extra broth or beef stock will help thin out the au jus so it's not overpoweringly flavorful. Plus, you'll want to make as much as possible!
- Salt and Black Pepper (optional): You can taste the au jus and add extra salt and pepper to taste. I tend to not add much, as the drippings are already loaded with seasonings from the roast.
- Fresh Herbs (optional): Depending on how you seasoned your roast beef, you can add fresh herbs such as rosemary, sage, and thyme!
Great for More than Just Beef!
Next time you have pan drippings from chicken, pork, or turkey, make this au jus! It works perfectly for any type of meat. No matter what, those drippings will be loaded with flavor!
How to Make Au Jus
- Place the roasting pan from cooking roast beef (ex. boneless prime rib) on the stovetop over medium heat after removing the roast, or use a skillet.
- Whisk Worcestershire Sauce and Red Wine into the dish, along with the beef drippings. If using the roasting pan, scrape up any brown bits from the bottom of the pan.
- Add Beef Broth or Juices from the roast beef. Bring to a simmer.
- Serve hot with sliced roast beef or as a dipping sauce for a French Dip sandwich, and enjoy!
This sauce is fantastic when served over creamy mashed potatoes or noodles. If you prefer a thicker consistency, you can make beef gravy, which is also delicious.
This sauce is fantastic when served over holiday mashed potatoes or noodles.
Au Jus Gravy Recipe Tips
- For a thicker, silkier sauce, add in 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter while the au jus is simmering.
- You can make au jus with beef broth, but it will taste less intense. Adding sauteed shallot, garlic, and herbs will bring some of that flavor back, just make sure to strain the sauce once it's done cooking. You will also need to add butter to make up for the lack of fat from the drippings.
- For a huge flavor boost, add dried porcini mushrooms! They're packed with rich, earthy umami flavor! You can add dried pieces or powder. If using pieces, strain them out before serving.
- Don't separate out the fat from the drippings! You'll want to keep it in; it adds silkiness and richness to the sauce.
Beef Recipes to Make Au Jus
My prime rib recipes make beautiful holiday meals and special occasion dinners. Save the drippings from any of these recipes to make a perfect sauce to serve on the side or with leftovers. I promise you will never want to use a packet of au jus gravy mix again!
- Instant Pot Prime Rib
- Boneless Prime Rib Roast
- Standing Rib Roast
- Slow Roasted Prime Rib
- Sous Vide Prime Rib
How to Store Roast Beef Au Jus
- Refrigerator: Au Jus will last up to 5 days in the fridge. Make sure to let it cool before storing it in an airtight container in the fridge.
- Freezer: Freezing au jus is a great way to store leftovers for later! I like to freeze any extras so I can heat it up for sandwiches, or if I've cooked a roast that won't allow me to collect drippings. Store in a freezer-safe container and freeze for up to 4 months. Or, freeze in an ice cube tray and pop the cubes into a bag.
- Thawing: You can thaw frozen au jus in the refrigerator overnight, but I recommend just placing the frozen block in a covered saucepan and heating over low heat until it's melted and warm!
How to Reheat Au Jus Recipes
- Reheating on the Stovetop: Pour the au jus into a saucepan and heat it over low to medium heat. Stir occasionally to prevent sticking or burning.
- Reheating in the Microwave: Use a microwave-safe container and heat in short 20-30 second bursts, stirring until it reaches the desired temperature.
Au Jus Recipe FAQ
Both gravy and au jus are truly delicious, so it really depends on what you're serving it with. I prefer au jus for prime rib, steak, and roast beef, as the thin consistency doesn't interfere or smother the meat! It's also naturally gluten-free and low carb. Gravy I prefer for mashed potatoes, beef tips, and pork chops, or when the beef is being served with pasta.
Au jus uses beef broth or stock, but it is not the same as broth. It uses more ingredients, including drippings from the roasting pan, to make it into a light sauce.
You will not get near the same taste of roast beef using beef broth rather than a complete au jus sauce like this one. However, when reheating it in the oven, you can use beef broth or au jus to moisten your roast.
Au Jus Recipe
Equipment
- Whisk or wooden spoon
- Roasting pan or sauce pan
Ingredients
- 1 cup Beef Broth - or juices from roast beef
- 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
- 1 cup Red Wine
- drippings from roast beef
Instructions
- Place the roasting pan from the roast beef on the stovetop over medium heat. You want to use the original pan at first; that's how you capture all those browned bits.
- Add in the Worcestershire sauce, red wine, and any reserved beef drippings. Whisk rapidly until the browned bits from the pan are scraped up. If desired, you can transfer the au jus to a skillet at this point.1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce,drippings from roast beef,1 cup Red Wine
- Add in the beef broth, then bring the au jus to a simmer. It's done!1 cup Beef Broth
- Serve hot with roast beef or as a dipping sauce for French Dip sandwiches, and enjoy!
Notes
- For a thicker, silkier sauce, add in 2 Tablespoons of unsalted butter while the au jus is simmering.
- You can make au jus with beef broth, but it will taste less intense. Adding sauteed shallot, garlic, and herbs will bring some of that flavor back, just make sure to strain the sauce once it's done cooking. You will also need to add butter to make up for the lack of fat from the drippings.
- For a huge flavor boost, add dried porcini mushrooms! They're packed with rich, earthy umami flavor! You can add dried pieces or powder. If using pieces, strain them out before serving.
- Don't separate out the fat from the drippings! You'll want to keep it in; it adds silkiness and richness to the sauce.
Jen Sabbato says
Can you make this WITHOUT the red wine???
Em Beitel says
Hi Jen! Absolutely. I would recommend using either red wine vinegar, beef broth, or beef stock.
Fritomann says
Fritomann made this recipe, leaving out some of the flour.
I always have beef tallow in the fridge, saved fat drippings.
The wine I have is a caberne savignon 2020 so I used that.
Adding some flavor, minced garlic, and dried chopped onion from the spice rack.
We looked at all the recipes for au jus, gesundheit, and yours is the closest to what we desire.
It takes probably 25 minutes to do it right. Thank you.
Em Beitel says
That's awesome, thank you so much! We're very glad you enjoyed it!
Mike says
What is the difference between "Drippings" and "Juices" from the roast since they are taking up two different ingredient lines
Isabel Laessig says
Hi Mike! The drippings specifically refer to the fat drippings, but they tend to go together. But if you don't have a cup of juices from the roast beef, then we recommend broth, which is why we have the line filled out twice to allow for substitution, if that makes sense. Thank you!
Josephine Navaroli says
This is my very favorite gravy but wasn't sure how to make it. This sounds somewhat easy and delicious. Thank You so much for sharing this fantastic recipe.
Isabel Laessig says
Thanks so much, Josephine!
Carlos J says
Following the directions as-is, the au jus was a little wine heavy. I added Better Than Bouillon beef base, a little beef tallow, and some beef broth, then simmered to concentrate the flavors, and it was stellar.
Isabel Laessig says
Thank you so much, Carlos!
Rita Neves says
Can I use Au Jus to substitute for beef broth to pour over the roast for cooking?
Isabel says
Absolutely. If you have enough, please do!