Hamburger Gravy

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This old fashioned Hamburger Gravy recipe is a classic. We like to serve it over mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or bread, and the best part is it's on the table in just 20 minutes.

Want more 30 minute meals? Try Breakfast Fried Rice, Patty Melt, Honey Mustard Chicken, or Pastalaya!

Hamburger Gravy Ingredients:

How to make Hamburger Gravy:

Brown Meat: Cook and crumble ground beef with a meat chopper or wooden spoon in a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Add onion and sauté until soft.

Finish Gravy: Stir in flour and butter, then add milk and seasonings. Stir gravy as it cooks until thickened. Taste and adjust seasonings to taste. Serve homemade hamburger gravy with green beans or roasted vegetables.

Serve Hamburger Gravy Over:

• Mashed Potatoes
• Pasta
• Rice
• Biscuits
• Bread or Toast
• Breakfast Potatoes

Recipe Variations:

• Dairy-Free: Omit butter and substitute beef broth instead of milk. Add 1 Tablespoon additional flour to thicken the sauce, if needed.
• Veggies: Add sautéed mushrooms, frozen peas, or corn to the gravy.
• Sour Cream: Add a scoop of sour cream at the end to make the gravy creamier.

Storage and Freezing Instructions:

Store in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Rewarm in the microwave or stovetop, adding a little milk or broth if you need to thin it.

To Freeze: Follow the recipe to cook the meat and add spices. Let it cool completely then transfer to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then heat in a skillet with butter, flour, and half and half. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste.

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5 from 137 votes

Hamburger Gravy

Author: Lauren Allen

This old fashioned Hamburger Gravy recipe is simple, inexpensive, and ready to please the pickiest eaters. It's on the table in 20 minutes, and delicious served over mashed potatoes, rice, pasta, or bread.

Prep: 5 minutes mins

Cook: 15 minutes mins

Total: 20 minutes mins

Servings: 4

Equipment

• Meat Chopper

Ingredients 

US CustomaryMetric

 

0.5x1x2x3x?

• ▢ 1 pound lean ground beef*
• ▢ 1/3 cup chopped onion
• ▢ 2 cloves garlic, , minced, or ½ teaspoon garlic powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon butter
• ▢ 3 Tablespoons all-purpose flour
• ▢ 2 teaspoons beef bouillon paste , , or 2 beef bullion cubes
• ▢ 2 ½ cups milk
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon ground sage
• ▢ 1/8 teaspoon dried thyme
• ▢ salt and pepper, , to taste
• ▢ crushed red pepper flakes, , to taste, optional

Serving ideas:

• ▢ Over Mashed potatoes, Pasta, Rice, Biscuits. Bread or toast, Breakfast potatoes
• ▢ Green beans or roasted vegetables.

Instructions 

• Cook meat: Add ground beef to a deep skillet over medium-high heat. Cook, crumbling into small pieces, until browned. Remove most (but not all) of the grease. Add onions to the pan and cook for 2-3 minutes.
• Gravy: Add flour and butter and stir to coat the meat. Add milk and seasonings. Cook, stirring frequently, until gravy is thickened, 5-10 minutes. Taste and add additional seasonings, as needed.
• Serve warm over mashed potatoes, biscuits, bread, noodles, rice, or breakfast potatoes.

Notes

Ground Beef: I like to use half ground beef, half ground pork sausage. Add chopped bacon for even more flavor. Could also use ground turkey or ground chicken. 

Flour: Add 1 ½ Tablespoons cornstarch instead of flour.

Dairy-Free: Omit butter and substitute beef broth instead of milk. Add 1 Tablespoon additional flour to thicken the sauce, if needed.

Veggies: Add sautéed mushrooms, frozen peas, or corn to the gravy.

Sour Cream: Add a scoop of sour cream at the end to make the gravy creamier.

Storage Instructions: Keep leftover hamburger gravy in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 5 days. Heat in the microwave or stovetop, adding a little milk or broth if you need to thin it.

Freezing Instructions: Follow the recipe to cook the meat and add spices. Let it cool completely then transfer to a freezer safe bag or container for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge, then heat in a skillet with butter, flour, and half and half. Cook, stirring, until thickened. Adjust seasonings to taste.

Nutrition

Calories: 346kcal, Carbohydrates: 13g, Protein: 29g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 9g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 7g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 100mg, Sodium: 396mg, Potassium: 629mg, Fiber: 0.4g, Sugar: 8g, Vitamin A: 336IU, Vitamin C: 1mg, Calcium: 210mg, Iron: 3mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

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I originally shared this recipe December 2020. Updated September 2024.