This post contains affiliate links. When you purchase through our links, we may earn a commission.
Take your gravy to the next level by enriching its flavour with caramelised onion and apple cider.
Rich, delicious and an absolute must-have to serve with bangers and mash or roast pork.
Gravy always seems like an afterthought. Something we whip up quickly right before serving a giant roast dinner. That attitude might indicate that gravy is not very important while the truth is gravy MAKES a meal.
I am so excited to share another gravy recipe. And this time I am adding mounds of red onions and apple cider for the most epic gravy ever!
What does it taste like? Like French Onion Soup and Apple Cider had a love child. Utterly delicious!
Onion Gravy Ingredients
As the name suggests, the taste of this gravy recipe heavily relies on the onions. I like using red onions as I find they tend to be sweeter than white onions when caramelised.
Another huge flavour maker here is a hard apple cider such as Strongbow. I’ve used apple cider in gravy and sauce recipes in the past and absolutely fell in love with it. It adds a touch of acidity as well as sweetness to deeply savoury dishes, which is a great flavour balance!
This recipe for Pork Chops with Apples and Cider is one of my personal favourites and is well loved by my readers! Interestingly enough apple cider also goes well with chicken. The crazy popularity of this viral French Chicken Casserole is proof!
But if you prefer not to use alcohol, you can substitute hard apple cider with 1 part (1 tbsp) apple cider vinegar and 3 parts (3 tbsp) apple juice.
The remaining ingredients are pretty standard. Butter, chicken or beef stock and flour for thickening.
Recipe Tips and Notes
- Make sure to slice your onions into thin and uniform slices. I prefer using either a This is an affiliate link.mandoline or a This is an affiliate link.food processor.
- The most crucial tip would be to ensure your onion are fully cooked. No one want to bite into a crunchy onion in their silky smooth gravy.
- Cook onions over very low heat for the amount of time stated. It takes at least 15-20 minutes to caramelise onions.
- Use best quality chicken or beef stock.
- Don’t forget to add a tablespoon of butter at the end for a silky finish to the gravy.
Serving Suggestions
Gravy goes with so many types of meat and potatoes, and that is why it’s important to have a good recipe handy. It’s also helpful to have a variety of recipes to break up the routine once in while. I am attaching a list of recipes below.
This onion gravy recipe will taste amazing as part of classic sausages and mash, especially with these Herb and Garlic Mashed Potatoes.
Or poured over our Rosemary and Thyme Roast Chicken and Potatoes or Prime Rib Roast. Take your pick and enjoy!
Storage and leftovers
Leftover gravy can be kept for 3-4 days when storied in the fridge in an This is an affiliate link.airtight container. Or in a freezer for 4-6 months.
It can be reheated in a microwave or in a This is an affiliate link.saucepan over medium heat. Add a splash of water or broth if the gravy is looking a little too thick.
More gravy recipes
Red Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- 3 medium red onions, sliced thinly
- 2 tbsp butter
- 2 tbsp flour
- 4 tbsp(1/4 cup) dry hard apple cider such as Strong Bow, see notes
- 500ml/2 cups chicken or beef stock
- 1 tbsp butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Cook sliced onions in butter over low heat until tender for 15 minutes, then turn the heat up and brown them for 2-3 minutes. Add cider and cook onions until it evaporates.
- Sprinkle the flour all over the onions and mix to combine. Slowly pour in the stock while mixing to avoid lumps, bring to a boil and let it simmer until the gravy is thickened to a desired consistency. Once done stir in a tablespoon of butter and season with salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Mine did not come out dark like the picture at all. Did I do something wrong?
The colour comes from the caramelisation of the onions, the darker the onions, the darker the gravy will be. Also, if you used chicken stock instead of beef stock your gravy will also be lighter in colour.
I made this before. Loved it. I don’t have hard cider or apple juice/cider. What can I use that might be around the house? I have 3 cranberry juice versions.
Think they would work? Or maybe chicken broth with added balsamic and/or honey foe rweetness?
Hi Kathleen, I am so glad you enjoyed my recipe. I am afraid it’s impossible to tell what will work best if I had to substitute the apple cider or apple cider vinegar without testing it. I guess I’d try the chicken stock with the balsamic vinegar but it won’t taste the same.
Curious, what foods would you suggest to put this on? It sounds delicious.
Any food you’d normally put gravy on…roast beef, pork or chicken, sausages, Yorkshire pudding.
Ive never had red onion gravy ! But last week i visited my daughter in Newbury England for the first time !! At a cafe I ordered a dish called sausage mash with the red onion gravy served with mashed potatoes! I absolutely am a new fan of this gravy! So thank you for sharing the recipe! Do you happen to have the receipe for this mash dish??!
Hi Carol, there are a number of mashed potato recipes on my blog. You can start with this one if you like, but there are more available: https://vikalinka.com/brown-butter-mashed-potatoes/
You make no mention of the mushrooms?when do you incorporate the mushrooms into to the gravy. Do you precook the mushrooms or sauté
them with the onions?
There are no mushrooms in this gravy, only onions.
Looks so delicious. I’m sure my family would love this!
This is really good!! Love how quick and easy it is to make, too!
Thanks so much, Toni!
I can’t even describe how delicious this is! My husband went crazy for it!
Yes, so happy to hear that!!