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Thickened with sourdough discard and full of flavor, this sourdough gravy is the perfect accompaniment to any roast dinner. Not only does sourdough discard make it easy to thicken sauces, the sourdough adds a subtle tang that makes this gravy absolutely delicious. It’s so quick and easy, you’ll be making sourdough gravy all the time! And let’s face it, we love any excuse to add sourdough discard to a meal, right?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe!
So Simple – If you’ve ever had trouble starting off a gravy because it’s tough to make a traditional roux, you’ll love this hack of using sourdough discard! It’s so much easier to use than just flour and reduces food waste.
Amazing Flavor – I use both Worcestershire sauce and soy sauce in my gravy to boost the umami along with some onion powder. Add in the tanginess of the sourdough discard and the richness of butter and you’ve got a spectacular combination to accompany any dinner!
Works For All Sorts of Meals – This is a great all-purpose gravy because it uses both beef and chicken stock cubes. That way it works for any meat, from roast chicken to beef or pork. And I always need this gravy on hand with my mashed potatoes!
Ingredients
- Butter – I always use salted, but use whatever you have.
- Sourdough Discard – Either active starter or discard will work to thicken your gravy and add flavor. Active starter will have milder flavor, older discard will have a more pronounced sourdough tang.
- Stock/Bouillon Cubes – I use one beef and one chicken stock cube (or equivalent amount of stock powder/bouillon to make this an all-purpose gravy that goes with any meat. Of course, if you have homemade or store-bought stock already you can use that instead.
- Worcestershire Sauce and Soy Sauce – I like a splash of each, but if you don’t have one you could add a bit more of the other.
- Salt and Pepper – I like a lot of black pepper and a touch of salt if needed. Keep in mind though that lots of the other ingredients include salt so you may not need any!
- Onion Powder or Granules – To add a bit of sweetness and depth of flavor.
How To Make Sourdough Gravy
This is a bit like the process of making my sourdough bechamel sauce, but with stock or pan drippings instead of milk. It’s so easy to make a roux when you use sourdough starter!
Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, make the stock by adding hot water to the cubes according to package directions. You should have about 900 g / 4 cups of stock.
Once the butter is melted and starting to foam, add the sourdough discard and whisk to combine. It may look curdled at first, but keep whisking and it will turn into a thick roux. Cook, whisking steadily, until the mixture is smooth and a pale golden-brown.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Mixing Tip
Make sure your sourdough discard and butter are well whisked by the time you add the stock, otherwise the discard will cook up into doughy lumps! We’re not making sourdough dumplings here!
Slowly pour the stock into the saucepan, whisking as you go. It will get quite liquidy, but don’t worry, it will thicken back up!
Once all the stock is incorporated, add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and onion powder, and whisk to combine.
Kate’s Pro Tip
Seasoning Tip
I always taste as I go when making gravy, it sometimes takes a lot of tinkering to get the exact flavor you like. The salt content of different brands of soy sauce and stock cubes can vary quite a bit, so you should definitely taste the gravy before adding extra salt.
Raise the heat slightly to bring the gravy to a simmer, then continue to cook, whisking often, until the gravy thickens to a consistency you like. You may need to adjust the heat down to keep it at a slow simmer. Mine usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Add black pepper (and salt if needed), and adjust to taste before serving hot!
How To Serve Sourdough Gravy
This all-purpose sourdough gravy goes well with lots of different meals. I’ve shown it here with my family’s favorite roast chicken and mashed potatoes.
And of course during the holidays, you’ll want to drizzle this gravy over homemade sourdough stuffing and dip some sourdough dinner rolls right into it. I also highly recommend you try dipping these sourdough sausage balls into it.
Try gravy for breakfast! This sourdough gravy is fantastic with homemade sourdough biscuits (or some toasted simple sourdough bread) and sausage.
How To Store + Freeze
This gravy will keep for about 3 or 4 days in the refrigerator in an airtight container. Allow the gravy to cool before transferring it to an airtight container or jar. I usually store leftover gravy in a 16oz mason jar in the fridge. It’s easy scoop out and reheat as we need it. The gravy will thicken as it chills, so you may need to add a splash of water or stock when reheating.
It freezes pretty well too, as it doesn’t have milk or cream in it. To freeze, let it cool completely, then transfer to an airtight container with some room for expansion. Freeze for up to 3 months.
To thaw, transfer the frozen gravy to the refrigerator and let it thaw overnight, then re-heat slowly in a saucepan. You’ll want to whisk often when re-heating, and you may need to whisk in more hot stock to get the right texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes! Just substitute the chicken and beef stock cubes for a plant based stock. I like to use Massel stock powder in this instance.
Absolutely. After the gravy reaches a consistency you like, let it cool completely, then cover and store in the refrigerator for up to 3 days. When you’re ready to eat, reheat over low heat, whisking, regularly. You will likely want to loosen it up a bit more with additional stock (or pan drippings, if you’ve just roasted meat) and re-season to taste with more salt and pepper. It’s a game changer for dinner so you don’t have to make your gravy at the last minute.
Yes, you can definitely add pan juices to this sourdough gravy. If I want to add pan juices, I usually make the gravy as per the recipe below and then add the pan juices to thin it out at the end. Alternatively, you use half pan juices and half water to create extra flavor.
Sourdough Gravy
Equipment
- Small Saucepan
- Whisk
Ingredients
- 80 g Butter, salted
- 120 g Sourdough Discard, or starter
- 1 Beef Stock Cube
- 1 Chicken Stock Cube
- 900 g Hot Water, about 4 cups
- 10 g Soy Sauce
- 5 g Worcestershire Sauce
- 5 g Onion Powder, or granules
- Freshly ground black pepper and salt to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat. Meanwhile, make the stock by adding hot water to the cubes according to package directions. You should have about 900g/4 cups of stock.
- Once the butter is melted and starting to foam, add the sourdough discard and whisk to combine. It may look curdled at first, but keep whisking and it will turn into a thick roux. Cook, whisking steadily, until the mixture is smooth and a pale golden-brown.
- Slowly pour the stock into the saucepan, whisking as you go. It will get quite liquidy, but don’t worry, it will thicken back up! Once all the stock is incorporated, add the Worcestershire sauce, soy sauce, and onion powder, and whisk to combine.
- Raise the heat slightly to bring the gravy to a simmer, then continue to cook, whisking often, until the gravy thickens to a consistency you like. You may need to adjust the heat down to keep it at a slow simmer. Mine usually takes about 15 to 20 minutes. Add black pepper (and salt if needed), and adjust to taste before serving hot!
Notes
- You can sub stock for the stock cubes and water if you have it. Use 900 g of stock in place of the water and cubes.
- Make sure your sourdough discard and butter are well whisked by the time you add the stock, otherwise the discard will cook up into doughy lumps!
- I always taste as I go when making gravy, it sometimes takes a lot of tinkering to get the exact flavor you like.
- Active starter will have milder flavor, older discard will have a more pronounced sourdough tang. If you don’t want too sour a flavor, don’t use discard that has been sitting in the fridge for a long time.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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