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Homemade Onion Gravy with Red Wine

*Updated* / By: 128 Comments

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Once you make this Homemade Onion Gravy with Red Wine, it will soon become your magic gravy!

A rich gravy combined with caramelized onions and red wine. This is the perfect gravy for steak.

Homemade Onion Gravy with Red Wine on top of steak.

Hubby wanted steak for dinner. Let me rephrase that, hubby wanted barbecued steak for dinner. Pepper steak is his FAVOURITE. He also loves using a great meat marinade too.

I was thrilled. He gets to stand out in the cold and grill the meat. I get to stand in the kitchen (with a glass of wine) and watch him LOL. I was nice, I opened the door and offered him a glass of wine too. This turned out to be THE MOST DELICIOUS steak dinner we have ever made.

Since he was so nice to cook my dinner, I wanted to make it a little extra special with a great red wine gravy. You know the Julia Child’s saying, “I love to cook with wine, sometimes I even put it in the food”.

Are you a gravy lover? I AM! Turkey gravy, beef gravy, mushroom gravy, they are ALL delicious. I also love cranberry sauce (my version contains bourbon).

So does my Bourbon Caramelized Onion Jam! The BEST onion jam for burgers, sausages, pulled pork, brisket and more!!

Now, if you are a pierogi lover, I have you covered too. This Pierogi Sauce is the BEST pierogi topping EVER!

Thinly sliced onions ready to cook for the homemade gravy.

Since red wine and steak go hand in hand, I wanted to make the perfect red wine gravy. We also love steak and onions. This is hands down the BEST ONION GRAVY recipe you will ever make. Hubby has been telling everyone about it. Maybe I should sell it?

Homemade Onion Gravy Ingredients

Homemade gravy is so much better than pre-made versions from cans, pouches, packages or however else you can buy it. Some people are so intimidated when it comes to making homemade gravy. After all, you can’t serve gravy with lumps at holiday dinners.

With this rich, brown onion gravy, you are in luck! This gravy is meant to be lumpy.

You will need a few really easy to find ingredients like:

  • onions
  • beef broth
  • red wine
  • flour
  • mustard
  • olive oil
  • butter
  • pepper jelly
  • salt & pepper

I will say, the MOST IMPORTANT part of this onion sauce (besides a good quality wine) is caramelizing the onions. You cannot rush this part if you want the most awesome onion gravy ever.

Caramelized Onions for Gravy

I know you are probably thinking, is this REALLY necessary? YES!

Caramelized onions ready to make onion gravy.

Have you ever tried a French pissaladiere pizza? A wonderful pizza topped with caramelized onions and olives. Just might be my favourite pizza of all. Even french onion soup needs some great caramelized onions.

Caramelizing onions is time-consuming, but NOT difficult. I get this process started WELL before I need to use the onions in the recipe. Once they are cooked, you can just reheat them when you are ready.

You start by thinly slicing the onions (while trying not to cry). Using a heavy-bottomed skillet, heat some olive oil over medium-high heat. Cook for about 10 minutes or so to get them soft and translucent (mixing often).

At this point, you can turn the heat down to low. Add the butter, mix and place a lid on the skillet. Continue to cook (mixing a few times) until the onions are golden and soft. This can take anywhere from 40-60 minutes depending on the amount of onions.

Overhead shot of homemade onion gravy in a pot.

Believe me when I say caramelized onions are WORTH the effort, I promise. If you really don’t want to spend the time you can always check out Jamie Oliver’s recipe for Onion Gravy or Gordon Ramsay’s recipe for Shallot and Red Wine Sauce, or Nigella Lawson’s recipe for Onion Cider Gravy, but my hubby thinks you will like my onion gravy recipe better.

How to Make Homemade Onion Gravy

It really is super easy and comes together quickly once the onions are cooked.

There is a SECRET ingredient that I added to this recipe, and that is HOT GRAPE JELLY that I purchased at a local market. I wish they had a link I could share.

A gravy boat full of onion gravy ready to serve.

I got this idea from a recipe for Cumberland Sauce. Since we love our food on the spicy side, this worked fantastically. Any wine jelly (or hot jelly if you like the heat) will work in this homemade onion gravy.

To the cooked onions add the jelly, mustard, salt and pepper. Stir until the jelly melts.

Add the flour and mix. Next is the wine, then broth. In a few minutes, you will be pouring rich, brown, delicious gravy over your meat. This would be perfect for bangers and mash as well.

Onion Gravy with Red Wine getting poured onto a steak.

Pepper steak and gravy has been kicked up at least 2 notches in our house with this Homemade Onion Gravy with Red Wine. Hubby has now claimed this is the BEST gravy he has EVER had!

Do you have a favourite homemade gravy recipe?

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Homemade Onion Gravy with Red Wine on top of steak.

Homemade Onion Gravy with Red Wine

Homemade Onion Gravy with Red Wine is going to be your MAGIC gravy from now on. Caramelized onions, beef broth and red wine combined with some hot pepper jelly. The PERFECT gravy for steak!
5 from 59 votes
Print Rate
Course: Gravy, side
Cuisine: Canadian
Keyword: caramelized onions, gravy for meat
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Servings: 8
Calories: 86kcal
Author: Gloria | Homemade & Yummy

Ingredients

  • 11 ounces white onions (thinly sliced)
  • 2 cups beef broth (sodium reduced)
  • 1/3 cup dry red wine
  • 1 tbsp flour
  • 2 tbsp hot pepper jelly (or to your taste)
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 1 tbsp butter
  • 1 tsp prepared yellow mustard
  • salt & pepper (to taste)
US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Thinly slice the onions.
  • Warm the oil in a heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat.
  • Adds the onions, stir and cook for about 8-10 minutes. Mix during the cooking process. Onions should be soft and translucent. Do not burn them.
  • Turn the heat to low. Add the butter, salt and pepper. Mix well, and place the lid on the pan.
  • Cook over low heat until the onions are nicely caramelized. Stir several times. It will take about 40-50 minutes for the onions to nicely brown and get very soft.
    **NOTE** You can cook the onions ahead of time, and just warm them when it is time to make the gravy.
  • When the onions are done, turn up the heat to medium.
  • Add the hot pepper jelly and mustard. Stir until everything has melted into the onions.
  • Add the flour and mix to combine well.
  • Add the wine and beef broth. Mix.
  • Turn the heat to high and bring mixture to a boil.
  • Reduce heat to low, and cook until the gravy thickens and reduces slightly. This should take about 15-20 minutes.
  • Pour gravy into a serving vessel.
  • ENJOY!

Nutrition Information

Calories: 86kcal | Carbohydrates: 4g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 3mg | Sodium: 244mg | Potassium: 89mg | Sugar: 4g | Vitamin A: 45IU | Vitamin C: 2.9mg | Calcium: 13mg | Iron: 0.2mg

Notes

This recipe makes 2 cups of gravy.
The onions can be cooked ahead of time, and heated before continuing to make the gravy.
Alternatively, this wonderful rich homemade onion gravy can be made a day or 2 in advance, and heat just before serving.
Tried this recipe?Take a picture and tag @homemadeandyummy
Nutritional information on this site is generated via a plugin. I am not responsible for the accuracy of the plugin information.

Homemade Onion Gravy with Red Wine Pin Image.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  2. Marisa Franca

    I just wanted to let you know that I made this fantastic recipe and poured it over Salisbury Steak. The only problem I had was grabbing the bottle of red wine from my hubby. He didn’t want to share it with the steak but I reassured him that it would be well worth it. It was.

    Reply

  5. Natalie

    Julia nailed with that quote heheh I love to cook with wine too 😉 The gravy looks absolutely amazing. Flavorful and so perfect. Never tried this version so I’ll be definitely trying this recipe out.

    Reply

  6. Heather

    Ooooo,… I love the hot pepper jelly in this! Super creative and what a brilliant idea…I love how easy this is to bring together and it looks so rich and inviting.. perfect !

    Reply

  8. Donna

    Ha I love it when my hubby wants to make steak on the bbq as well, it is the only time I get to take a step back from dinner prep and enjoy watching someone else cook for a change. There is nothing better than a homemade gravy to top the whole thing off, and this one is amazing!

    Reply

  9. Charity

    I’ve made many a sauce with red wine but not a gravy. I so need to try this! And you’re totally right about caramelized onions being worth the effort. Now I’m totally drooling!

    Reply

  13. Stephanie Simmons

    This sounds so creamy and delicious! Gravy is easier to make than I thought – and I bet this would be great for Thanksgiving as well!

    Reply

  20. Amanda

    I LOVE homemade gravy – whether it’s on a main dish, like meat, or ladled over my mashed potatoes. It’s the perfect finish to a cozy meal. I’ll have to try this caramelized onion gravy with red wine. What a fantastic pairing of flavors – this gravy must have such a perfectly rich flavor!

    Reply

  22. Jill

    So true about not rushing caramelizing onions. And I never cook with a red wine that is not also delicious to drink. I need to make a recipe of this gravy soon!

    Reply

  24. Dana

    This sounds oh-so-delish! I also think it’s great to stress the importance of caramelizing onions properly. It’s a bit of a process and adds some extra time, but it’s SO worth it. Browned onions are not the same at all! This gravy is A+.

    Reply

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