Made right in the slow cooker, this onion gravy recipe is rich, savory and the perfect accompaniment to your favorite dinners. Easy to make with simple ingredients, this homemade gravy is full of flavor.
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In my humble opinion, you can not beat an amazing homemade gravy, it really is the perfect condiment for almost anything!
This delicious onion gravy is made fully in the slow cooker so it's a great hands off method. It makes for a great option when you are cooking up a large feast at Christmas or Thanksgiving and want to free up your stovetop.
Simple to make with basic ingredients and a delicious rich savory taste from the slow cooked onions, herbs, stock and red wine.
Be sure to check out my stovetop red onion gravy too!
Why you will love this recipe
- No need for pan juices: The flavor of this gravy comes from the slow cooked onions.
- Make ahead: This can be made a couple of days ahead of time and is freezer friendly.
- Hands free cooking: Once the onions are all chopped, the rest of the cooking is pretty hands off, so it's a great option if you are hosting and have other dishes to prepare.
- Dietary info: This slow cooker onion gravy recipe is gluten-free.
What You Will Need
Ingredients
- Onions: Use yellow onions in this recipe.
- Oil: Basic oil like vegetable or canola.
- Butter: Unsalted butter is preferable, but salted works just fine.
- Seasonings: Salt, black pepper and ground thyme.
- Red wine: Just a splash adds depth and color. Optional, but good!
- Stock: Reduced sodium stock is best to use so that you can control the salt levels. Vegetable stock works well in this recipe and beef will give it a deeper and richer flavor. Chicken stock works great too.
- Worcestershire sauce: For a savory umami taste.
- Dijon mustard: For a little tang.
- Cornstarch (cornflour): To thicken the gravy. Mixed with water to form a slurry before adding to the gravy.
Equipment
- 6 Quart Crockpot Slow Cooker - this recipe will work in most sizes of slow cooker
How to make this easy onion gravy recipe
Be sure to scroll down for the full recipe!
- Add sliced onions, butter, oil and seasonings to your slow cooker. Cook on low for 6-8 hours.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and cook on high for 1-2 hours.
Recipe Variations
- Make a vegan and vegetarian gravy by using 1 tablespoon of soy sauce or ½ teaspoon Marmite.
- You can make this gravy without the red wine if you prefer it to be alcohol free.
- For a thicker gravy, stir in some more cornstarch slurry.
Serving Suggestions
This slow cooker onion gravy recipe is the perfect side dish for so many dinners, whether it's to liven up a weeknight meal, or serve at Christmas and Thanksgiving. It's really not out of place at any table!
It's perfect for sausages and mashed potatoes, beef and Yorkshire puddings, roasted chicken and lots of things in between! Trust me, you'll be pouring this over everything!
Make Ahead and Storage
This Crockpot gravy recipe can be made 1-2 days ahead of time and leftovers will keep well for up to 4 days in the fridge. Let the gravy cool completely, transfer to an airtight container and keep refrigerated.
The onion gravy is also freezer friendly. Freeze in a freezer safe container or bag for up to 3 months. Freeze in smaller portions so that it's convenient to grab and defrost.
Reheat the sauce in a pan on a medium-low heat, stirring occasionally.
Because cornstarch is used to thicken the gravy, it will thicken considerably in the fridge. When reheating stir in water or stock to loosen it up until you have your desired consistency.
Slow Cooker Onion Gravy
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 pounds yellow onions (1kg / 5 to 6 onions)
- 2 tablespoons oil
- 4 tablespoons butter (unsalted preferable)
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- ½ cup red wine
- 2 cups low-sodium stock (beef, chicken or vegetable)
- 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
- 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour)
Instructions
- Peel the onions and finely slice them. Place them in the slow cooker.2 pounds yellow onions
- Add the oil, butter, salt, pepper and thyme to the onions.2 tablespoons oil, 4 tablespoons butter, ½ teaspoon salt, 1 teaspoon black pepper, 1 teaspoon ground thyme
- Stir everything together and cook on low for 6 hours.
- Mix the cornstarch with 2 to 3 tablespoons of water to make a slurry.2 tablespoons cornstarch (cornflour)
- After 6 hours, add in the wine, stock, Worcestershire sauce, mustard and cornstarch slurry.½ cup red wine, 2 cups low-sodium stock, 2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce, 1 tablespoon Dijon mustard
- Cook on high for 1 hour.
- Keep warm, serve, or let cool to store in the fridge or freezer.
Notes
- Use a low sodium stock for this recipe so that you can control the amount of salt added. I only added a small amount at the start of cooking, taste at the end and add more if needed.
- Cook the onions for up to 8 hours on low heat to get them caramelized.
- Nutritional values are based on 1 of 6 servings and are an estimate.
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