Once you make this easy Homemade Onion Gravy with Red Wine, it will soon become your favourite.
Caramelized onions and red wine combine to make a rich sauce. This gravy is made from scratch without meat drippings. Skip the store-bought canned and dry mixes. You don’t need Bisto either. Pair them with Gramma’s Drop Biscuits.
Elevate meals with this flavourful gravy with onions. This is the perfect onion and red wine sauce for everyday or holidays. Think steak with onion gravy. Perfect gravy for bangers and mash. This recipe is a must-try. I promise you will love it!
Here is my fool-proof recipe for perfect gravy every time! I use it for all the holiday dinners. Super easy, even beginner cooks will master it the first time!
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.
Pepper steak has been kicked up at least 2 notches in our house with this caramelized onion gravy. Rich and savory, a true touch of class to any meal.
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 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, beef, and mushroom. 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!
Since red wine and steak go hand in hand, I wanted to make the perfect steak topping. 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?
Best Onion Gravy Recipe Ingredients
- onions
- beef broth
- red wine
- flour
- mustard
- olive oil
- butter
- pepper jelly
- salt & pepper
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 gravy from scratch. After all, you can’t serve gravy with lumps at holiday dinners.
You are in luck! This is meant to be lumpy!!
I will say, that the MOST IMPORTANT part of this onion sauce (besides a good quality wine) is caramelizing the onions. You cannot rush this part.
How To Caramelize Onions
I know you are probably thinking, is this REALLY necessary? YES!
Have you ever tried a French pissaladiere pizza? A wonderful pizza topped with caramelized onions and olives. It just might be my favourite pizza of all. Even French onion soup needs some great slow-cooked 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 reheat them when you are ready.
Step One: 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).
Step Two: 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.
Believe me when I say caramelized onions are WORTH the effort, I promise. If you don’t want to spend the time you can always check out Gordon Ramsay’s recipe for Shallot and Red Wine Sauce, or Nigella Lawson’s recipe, but my hubby thinks you will like my recipe better.
Homemade Onion Gravy From Scratch
It is super easy and comes together quickly once the onions are cooked.
I got this idea from a recipe for classic British 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. Alternatively, if jelly is not your thing, add tomato paste instead.
- To the cooked onions add the jelly, mustard, salt, and pepper. Stir until the jelly melts.
- Add the flour and mix well.
- Add the wine, then the broth. Stir well.
- Bring the mixture to a boil, reduce, and cook until it thickens.
In a few minutes, you will have the best brown onion gravy ever!
What Do I Put Onion Gravy On?
Well, let me tell you there are many ways to use this thick and rich homemade onion sauce. The ultimate for comfort foods. Let’s start with biscuits and gravy. Don’t stop there, here are a few suggestions:
- Mashed potatoes
- Roast (beef, pork, or lamb)
- Chicken
- Steak
- Pork Chops
- Meatballs
- Poutine
- Bangers and Mash
FAQ’s
This is a personal preference for sure. I always say if you won’t drink it, don’t cook with it. Great choices would be Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and Zinfandel.
You have lots of choices here. All will work well. Experiment and see which you like best. Yellow, sweet, red, and even leeks work great.
Caramelizing is a much slower process. It takes roughly an hour over medium-low heat. Sautéing is done in a matter of minutes over medium-high heat.
Yes, it can. Warm it up in a saucepan when you are ready to eat. Store the cooled gravy in the refrigerator, in a covered, non-metallic container, for up to 3 days.
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Red Wine Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- 11 ounces white onions (thinly sliced)
- 2 cups beef broth (sodium reduced)
- โ cup dry red wine
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 2 tablespoons hot pepper jelly (or to your taste)
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon butter
- 1 teaspoon prepared yellow mustard
- salt & pepper (to taste)
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.
Heather
Oh genius to add the hot pepper jelly! Adds so much flavor! Delicious…definitely a keeper.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
The hot jelly adds a nice kick for sure. Hope you enjoy this gravy as much as we do.
Jacqueline Debono
I love everything about this homemade onion gravy. Caramelized onions are so good and that hot pepper jelly is a genius addition!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
It really adds a nice kick of heat to the recipe.
Paige
I can think of lots of things to have with this delicious looking gravy! It would be good on vegetables, even!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Yup…this will top anything!!
Debbie
Seriously, Onions make the best gravy ever. The thing I find interesting about your gravy is the addition of pepper jelly. I have never used it in a gravy but I bet it gives a nice little zing to the gravy. I will be trying this very soon.
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
The pepper jelly really does add a nice kick of heat to the delicious gravy.
Kushigalu
Homemade is always the best plus love any recipe with lots of onions. So comforting. I will soon try this recipe. Thanks for sharing
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
Thanks so much. Hope you totally enjoy this onion gravy.
Amy Liu Dong
This is an awesome sauce recipe and I am so excited to make this for my husband. Thank you!
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
You are welcome. Hope he enjoys the recipe. My husband sure does.
Andrea Howe
I love gravy any time of year, but especially for thanksgiving dinner! Pinning this to make on the big day! thanks for the great recipe
Gloria Duggan | Homemade & Yummy
This is the perfect holiday gravy. ENJOY!
Jessica Formicola
This gravy has my mouth watering just looking at the pictures! I can’t wait to make it with dinner sometime soon!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
This gravy ROCKS….I promise you will love it.
Jess
Homemade gravy is so much better than store-bought!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
It sure is….and this is proof of it.
Beth
This looks so delicious and yummy! I can’t wait to give this recipe a try! My husband is going to love this recipe!
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
I know that my husband LOVES this recipe….we never go out for steak.
Dannii
Oh this would be perfect for steak night. I can’t wait to try it.
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
ENJOY….it now it will be a hit in our house too.
Matt Freund
This gravy sounds delicious. I am going to give it a try. Sounds really flavorful
Gloria | Homemade & Yummy
This is the perfect gravy for steak…enjoy!
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.
Homemade & Yummy
So glad you loved the recipe. This is a keeper in our house….and worthy of the wine!!
Nicole
Oh yes please! This meal looks so comforting! Love anything with lots of onions.
Homemade & Yummy
Caramelized onions are so worth the effort. Hope you give this delicious gravy recipe a try soon.
Alexis
This onion gravy looks absolutely mouth watering! I’ll be making this next time we have stew for dinner. Looks delicous!
Homemade & Yummy
This gravy is THE BEST according to my husband. Our favourite for sure, hope you give it a try.