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Beef/ Roast Dinner/ Simple Sauces

Red Wine Onion Gravy

January 30, 2018 (Last Updated: October 3, 2023) by Chris Collins

This Red Wine Onion Gravy recipe is an absolute game changer. So gorgeously rich and packed full of flavour, prepare to never use a packet of store bought gravy again!

As one of my most loved and most popular recipes, I had to include this in my Debut Cookbook ‘Comfy’!

 gravy in white gravy boat on wooden board next to glass of wine and golden spoon

Red Wine Onion Gravy

I always knew deep down in my soul that red wine and beef gravy would marry together perfectly, and after a little experimenting all I can say is my soul was right. Red wine gravy is totally a thing and it’s about to change your life.

Red wine lends itself so neatly to beef in so many different contexts. It’s just a match made in heaven. When adding it to a homemade beef gravy, it adds an extra depth of flavour and provides a gorgeous richness. Sure, beef gravy is great, but red wine beef gravy is better. Let’s take a quick look at what you’ll need shall we?

Red Wine Onion Gravy Ingredients

  • Red Wine – You won’t need a huge amount of this. I tend to buy the mini bottles from the supermarket as I’m not a huge drinker.
  • Onion – I tend to use red onion but white will work just as well. I recommend slicing into thin strips to keep a bit of texture, as opposed to finely dicing.
  • Butter – To fry the onions and create a roux to thicken the gravy.
  • Flour – Helps thicken the gravy by creating a roux
  • Beef Stock – This makes up the bulk of the gravy so try and get a good quality stock.
  • Worcestershire Sauce – Deepens the flavour.
  • Red Currant Jelly – Adds a touch of sweetness to compliment the caramelized onions.

What kind of red wine to use?

I’m no wine connoisseur, so usually just go for something like a Merlot, nothing fancy. Don’t splash out on something expensive! Just make sure it’s DRY not sweet.

golden spoon dunking into white gravy boat of red wine onion gravy

Making Red Wine Onion Gravy

The great thing about this gravy is you don’t need meat drippings. Many traditional gravy recipes use meat drippings in gravy, but I wanted to create a ‘go-to’ gravy recipe which you can whip up whether you’ve got meat drippings or not.

Can I make this gravy WITH meat drippings?

You sure can! If it’s steak or sausages, just use the fat to start the gravy. If you’re roasting a larger piece of meat, just skim the fat and use some of the dripping to replace the stock.

Can I make this ahead of time?

Yep! Just tightly store in the fridge then reheat on the stove or in short blasts in the microwave. If you want to incorporate drippings on the day just stir some of the juices through the gravy just before serving.

Process shots: fry onions (photo 1), melt butter (photo 2), stir in flour (photo 3), add wine photo 4), stir into paste (photo 5), whisk in stock, Worcestershire sauce, jelly and seasoning (photo 6).

6 step by step photos showing how to make red wine onion gravy

Serving Red Wine Onion Gravy

The gravy will thicken, just keep gently simmering until you get your desired texture (it will thicken more as it rests).

What can I serve this with?

Looking for another homemade gravy without drippings? Check out my All Purpose Homemade Gravy!

Alrighty, let’s tuck into the full recipe for this red wine onion gravy shall we?

gravy being poured over mashed potato with sausages on small white plate

How to make Red Wine Onion Gravy (Full Recipe & Video)

gravy being poured over mashed potato with sausages on small white plate

Red Wine Onion Gravy

This Red Wine Onion Gravy recipe is an absolute game changer. So gorgeously rich and packed full of flavour, prepare to never use a packet of store bought gravy again!
4.70 from 10 votes
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Servings (click & slide): 4
Course: Dinner / Sauce
Cuisine: English
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 40 minutes
Total Time: 45 minutes
Calories per serving: 99kcal
Cost per serving: £1 / $1

Equipment:

  • Medium Sized Pot or Pan with Wooden Spoon
  • Whisk
  • Jug (for stock)
  • Sharp Knife & Chopping Board (for onions)

Ingredients (check list):

  • 1 large Red Onion, peeled & sliced (weight of whole onion approx 7oz/200g)
  • 2 cups / 500ml Good Quality Beef Stock
  • 1/3 cup / 80ml Dry Red Wine (see notes)
  • 2 tbsp Butter
  • 2 tbsp Flour
  • 1/2 tbsp Worcestershire Sauce
  • 1 tsp Red Currant Jelly (see notes)
  • Salt & Pepper, to taste

Instructions:

  • Melt 1 tbsp butter into a pan and begin frying the onions over medium heat. Once they start to take on colour, turn the heat down to low-medium and fry until soft and caramelized. The lower and slower you fry the onions, the more they'll caramelize and the sweeter they'll be. Around 30mins will get you soft and sticky onions though.
  • Melt in 1 tbsp butter then stir in 2 tbsp flour until a paste forms. Stir in the wine, then slowly stir in the beef stock, whisking as you go to ensure no lumps form. Add in Worcestershire sauce and redcurrant jelly, then season to taste with salt and pepper (you may not need salt as the butter and stock will already add saltiness).
  • Allow to simmer, stirring occasionally, until your desired thickness. It will thicken, just keep simmering away. Take into consideration that the gravy will thicken as it cools. Serve up and enjoy! (see notes for make ahead)

Quick 1 min demo!

Notes:

a) Drippings - If you cooked meat in the pan, something like steak or sausages, I recommend just starting straight from there and frying the onions in the fat (around 1 tbsp fat should suffice). If you've cooked a larger piece of beef in the oven and have a considerable amount of drippings, then simply skim the fat and replace the butter with that. You can then replace some of the stock with the meat drippings.
b) Red Wine - I usually go for something like a Merlot, nothing fancy. General rule if you wouldn't drink it don't cook with it. In all cases just make sure it's dry wine, NOT sweet!
c) Sweetness - The caramelization of the onion will provide a good amount of sweetness to balance out the sharp tones of the wine and the saltiness of the butter and stock. The redcurrant jelly helps with this and pairs gorgeously with the beef stock/wine.
d) Make Ahead - Allow the gravy to cool then tightly cover in the fridge (2-3 days). Reheat on the stove on a low heat, gently stirring as you go to ensure the gravy doesn't split. You can also reheat in short blasts in the microwave, stirring in between. If you didn't have drippings when making this ahead of time, but do now, just stir through the drippings after you've cooked the meat (fat skimmed) for an extra depth of flavour.
e) Updated recipe - halved the Worcestershire to 1/2 tbsp and double the redcurrant jelly to 1 tsp. Also added another tbsp butter and flour, to help thicken the gravy quicker.
f) Calories - Based on a division of 4:

Your Private Notes:

Nutrition:

Nutrition Facts
Red Wine Onion Gravy
Amount Per Serving
Calories 99 Calories from Fat 53
% Daily Value*
Fat 5.84g9%
Saturated Fat 3.669g18%
Trans Fat 0.233g
Polyunsaturated Fat 0.239g
Monounsaturated Fat 1.501g
Cholesterol 15mg5%
Sodium 69mg3%
Potassium 104mg3%
Carbohydrates 7.49g2%
Fiber 0.8g3%
Sugar 1.98g2%
Protein 0.9g2%
Vitamin A 180IU4%
Vitamin C 3.3mg4%
Calcium 15mg2%
Iron 0.47mg3%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Nutrition is based on the absence of salt unless stated as a measurement in the ingredients. Cost is worked out based on ingredients bought from UK supermarkets, then divided by the number of servings. In both instances these values are just for guidance. Please check out my FAQ Page for more info.
Tried this recipe?Show me how you got on by tagging @dontgobaconmyheart_ on IG and #dontgobaconmyheart
Looking for more?You'll find plenty more delicious comfort food like this in my Debut Cookbook 'Comfy'

If you loved this Red Wine Onion Gravy recipe be sure to Pin it for later! Already made it or got a burning question? Let me know in the comments and pick up your free ecookbook along the way!

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Recipe Rating




23 Comments

  • Reply
    James Elswood
    September 1, 2023 at 7:01 pm

    5 stars
    Amazing recipe, went perfectly with some chipolatas with creamy mash. Only thing I added was a sprinkle of dried rosemary

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      September 1, 2023 at 8:31 pm

      Thanks for the review, James! I bet the rosemary worked really nicely 🙂 C.

  • Reply
    Lizzie Donovan
    May 28, 2023 at 6:13 pm

    Delicious. So pleased. Perfect Gaby for sherperds pie!

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      May 29, 2023 at 12:40 pm

      So great to hear, Lizzie! 🙂 C.

  • Reply
    Caroline Duckworth
    April 20, 2023 at 5:04 pm

    5 stars
    I made this gravy for a roast beef dinner for my family a few weeks ago and it was delicious. The addition of the jam really made the gravy pop. I used red raspberry as that is what i had on hand. I want to make it again tonight. I am currently making some puff pastry and I’m thinking of making steak bites mixed in this gravy wrapped in the puff pastry like some kind of steak pockets or possibly just one large pie (yet to be decided). Maybe served with some fresh asparagus and creamy mashed potatoes or go a little lighter with swapping the potato for carrot and turnip mash or maybe carrot and parsnip fries. Bare with me as my dinner recipes is generally made up and decided as I go along. Ok so back on track to the reason I am commenting. I would have to cool the gravy before adding it to pastry so that the pastry doesn’t become soggy at the bottom. Would the gravy separate inside the pastry when reheating in the oven?

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      April 21, 2023 at 5:34 pm

      Hi Caroline! Thanks so much for the review. Great to hear the gravy went down well. I imagine the gravy should hold up pretty well in the pastry 🙂 C.

  • Reply
    Antonela Schiano
    February 5, 2023 at 5:19 pm

    5 stars
    I’ve made this gravy now many times. It’s my new go-to. So easy and so delicious. I’ve veganized your recipe. Using vegan butter, vegan Worcestershire sauce and I add a tsp of brown sugar as I don’t usually have red currant jelly. Thank you for this very tasty gravy recipe.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      February 5, 2023 at 8:09 pm

      Great to hear this can be veganized! Thanks so much for the review, Antonela 🙂 C.

  • Reply
    Sandra Pask
    January 28, 2023 at 5:35 pm

    Delicious with bangers and mash!
    I made the recipe and as it was only for two I have frozen the rest. Hoping it wl be as good?

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      January 29, 2023 at 10:49 am

      Great to hear this went down well, Sandra! I’ve never frozen this before but my instinct is you’ll be fine. C.

  • Reply
    Kelly
    November 30, 2021 at 11:25 am

    5 stars
    Can I use a different stock to beef?

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      December 3, 2021 at 5:14 pm

      I’d stick with beef for this, it pairs best with the red wine.

  • Reply
    Megan
    October 10, 2021 at 7:36 pm

    3 stars
    1 tbsp isn’t nearly enough flour to offset all the liquid in this recipe and thicken to a gravy consistency. Beware that all the 5 star reviews appear to be from people who haven’t actually tried the recipe, they just say it “looks good”. Taste is nice but I added a significant amount of cornstarch to thicken afterwards.

    • Reply
      Chris Collins
      October 14, 2021 at 2:21 pm

      Glad to hear you worked it out with the extra cornstarch. The longer you simmer the thicker the gravy will get 🙂

  • Reply
    Dawn
    April 8, 2021 at 1:29 am

    4 stars
    Delicious and easy! I have done this one a few times, straight in the frying pan after browning my beef meatballs. That way, the burnt bits from the meat also go into the gravy for extra flavour, and the gravy helps pull the burnt bits off the pan to make washing up a lot easier 🙂

  • Reply
    Alida | Simply Delicious
    March 31, 2018 at 8:04 am

    5 stars
    Is there anything more delicious than onion gravy on mash?!

    • Reply
      Chris
      March 31, 2018 at 10:08 am

      I genuinely don’t think there is!!

  • Reply
    Veena Azmanov
    March 31, 2018 at 8:00 am

    5 stars
    mmm this recipe looks very tasty! I like that it can be cook quickly and easy. This is perfect for me. I definitely want to try this! Thank you for sharing this great recipe!

    • Reply
      Chris
      March 31, 2018 at 10:09 am

      Thanks so much, Veena! Enjoy! 🙂

  • Reply
    Emily
    March 31, 2018 at 4:55 am

    5 stars
    Holy moly. This sounds absolutely divine! I’ve never had a gravy flavored with red wine and onion. Yum!

    • Reply
      Chris
      March 31, 2018 at 10:10 am

      It’s so good! You gotta try 🙂

  • Reply
    Sonal
    March 31, 2018 at 2:56 am

    5 stars
    Brilliant! What a girgeius color do the sauce. I normally add leftover red wine to My pasta sauces. This gravy looks rich and elegant and simple recipe too!

    • Reply
      Chris
      March 31, 2018 at 10:11 am

      Thanks, Sonal! Adding leftover wine to things just makes the world a better place 😉

    5 KNOCKOUT

    DINNERS

    YOU'LL NEVER STOP MAKING!

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