Hamburger Gravy

This tasty Hamburger Gravy Recipe brings ground beef together with garlic and onions in a creamy brown gravy seasoned with thyme, parsley, and nutmeg. Serve over homemade mashed potatoes or egg noodles for the ultimate comfort food meal.

This hearty dish comes together in less than 30 minutes and can easily be doubled to feed large families and unexpected dinner guests. Enjoy this hamburger gravy served over homemade biscuits, pasta, rice, oven-baked potatoes, or fried potatoes.

Ingredient Notes and Substitutions

• Ground beef: with a little fat in it. Fat is what gives the beef flavor.
• Butter: salted or unsalted
• Flour: all-purpose
• Beef broth: preferably low-sodium
• Heavy cream: For a lighter gravy, use half and half.
• Seasonings: dried thyme, dried parsley, nutmeg, salt, and black pepper. You can use fresh thyme or fresh parsley for garnish.

How to Make Hamburger Gravy

This is just the nutshell version. See the recipe card below for the full list of ingredients and instructions.

Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium-high heat. When it is about halfway through the browning process, add the onions and continue cooking until the ground beef is cooked through and browned and the onions are soft. Reduce the heat to low and add the garlic. Cook the garlic for 1 minute while stirring.

Melt the butter in the skillet with the browned beef. Sprinkle flour over the cooked ground beef mixture. Stir and cook for 2 minutes. Stir in the beef broth and heavy cream until smooth. Add the Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, dried parsley, and nutmeg, stirring to combine.

Preparation Tips and Storage

• If the gravy becomes too thick, add more beef broth, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
• For those who like a lot of flavor, add 1-2 teaspoons of creole seasoning. It does not make the gravy overly spicy; it just gives it a lot of flavor. Trust me on this one.
• Experiment with different herbs, such as chopped rosemary, fresh or ground thyme, fresh or dried parsley, dried oregano, dried marjoram, or ground sage.
• Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 3 days.
• To freeze, first cool completely. Then add the gravy to a heavy-duty freezer bag or container and freeze for up to 2 months. Thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat on the stovetop on low or in the microwave at reduced power.

Serving Suggestions for Hamburger Gravy

There are so many great options to serve with this gravy. Serve it over garlic mashed potatoes, potatoes O’Brien, rice, or pasta. Or with butter swim biscuits or Dutch oven bread to sop up all that delicious gravy. Include a vegetable side dish to balance things out, like Southern green beans or roasted parsnips.

Frequently Asked Questions

More Ground Beef Recipes

Hamburger Gravy

A quick and easy creamy Hamburger Gravy that is delicious over mashed potatoes, egg noodles, pasta, rice, and buttermilk biscuits.  Double the recipe and freeze half for a meal next month.

5 from 33 votes

Print Pin Rate

Course: dinner

Cuisine: American

Prep Time: 5 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Servings: 6 servings

Calories: 294kcal

Author: Beth Pierce

Ingredients

• 1½ lbs. ground beef
• 1 small onion finely chopped
• 2 cloves garlic minced
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour
• 2 cups beef broth
• ½ cup heavy cream or half and half
• 1 tablespoon Worcestershire Sauce
• ½ teaspoon dried thyme
• ½ teaspoon dried parsley
• 2 pinches nutmeg
• Kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste
• Fresh thyme leaves or chopped fresh Italian parsley for garnish

Instructions

• Brown the ground beef in a large skillet over medium heat. When it is about halfway through the browning process add the onions and continue cooking until the ground beef is cooked through and browned and the onions are soft.
• Reduce the heat to medium low and add the garlic. Cook the garlic for 1 minute stirring continuously.  
• Melt the butter in the skillet with the browned beef. Sprinkle in the flour and continue cooking for 2 minutes while stirring constantly. Slowly stir in the beef broth and heavy cream until smooth.
• Add the Worcestershire sauce, dried thyme, dried parsley, and nutmeg, stirring to combine. Season with kosher salt and fresh ground black pepper to taste. Garnish with fresh thyme leaves or chopped fresh Italian parsley.

Notes

• If the gravy becomes too thick, add more beef broth, 1-2 tablespoons at a time, until it reaches the desired consistency.
• For those who like a lot of flavor, add 1-2 teaspoons of creole seasoning. It does not make the gravy overly spicy; it just gives it a lot of flavor. Trust me on this one.
• Experiment with different herbs, such as chopped rosemary, fresh or ground thyme, fresh or dried parsley, dried oregano, dried marjoram, or ground sage.

Nutrition

Calories: 294kcal | Carbohydrates: 7g | Protein: 27g | Fat: 17g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 103mg | Sodium: 446mg | Potassium: 517mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 2g | Vitamin A: 415IU | Vitamin C: 2mg | Calcium: 41mg | Iron: 3mg

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