Old-Fashioned Hamburger Gravy with Onions

A pound of ground beef can go a little further when you turn it into a pan of homemade brown gravy. This old-fashioned hamburger gravy with onions is one of those simple, budget-friendly dinners that doesn’t require many ingredients or a lot of preparation.

Made with ground beef, sliced onions, garlic powder, beef bouillon, and water, this easy hamburger gravy is thickened with cornstarch rather than flour. There’s no need to buy cream, canned soup, or a carton of beef broth to make a savoury gravy.

I like serving hamburger gravy over a generous helping of mashed potatoes, where the potatoes soak up the gravy and make a filling meal. You can also serve it over rice or egg noodles when you want something different.

Quick Answer

Hamburger gravy is a savoury ground beef gravy made with crumbled beef, onions, and a thickened sauce. This old-fashioned version uses water and beef bouillon powder instead of milk or cream and is particularly good served over mashed potatoes.

One way I keep my grocery budget under control is by buying ground beef when it’s on sale and freezing it in portions for future meals. I also make my hamburger gravy with water and beef bouillon powder rather than buying cream or prepared broth. One thing I’ve learned is to taste the gravy after adding the bouillon instead of automatically reaching for the salt. Bouillon powder already contains plenty of sodium, and I find there’s no need for additional salt in this recipe.

Why You Will Love This Old-Fashioned Hamburger Gravy

Savoury Beef and Onion Flavour: Browned ground beef, softened sliced onions, and garlic powder give this gravy its familiar homemade flavour. The onions add a little sweetness that balances the savoury beef bouillon.

A Filling Family Dinner: A pound of ground beef makes a generous skillet of gravy that can be spooned over mashed potatoes, rice, or egg noodles. It’s especially useful when you need to stretch a package of beef into several servings.

Easy to Adjust to Your Taste: You can add extra sliced onions if you prefer more onion flavour or make the finished gravy richer with milk or cream. Stirring in a little sour cream or Greek yogurt gives it a tangier, stroganoff-style finish.

How to Make Old-Fashioned Hamburger Gravy with Onions

Start by peeling and slicing two small onions. You want thin pieces that will soften as they cook alongside the ground beef. I use approximately half a cup of sliced onions, but you can increase the amount if you prefer more onion throughout your gravy.

Add two tablespoons of cooking oil to a large skillet over medium heat. Once the oil is hot, add the sliced onions and cook for approximately one minute to begin softening them. You aren’t trying to brown or caramelize the onions at this stage.

Add the ground beef directly to the skillet with the onions. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to break the meat into smaller crumbles as it cooks. Continue stirring occasionally until the ground beef is fully cooked and the onions have softened. If your beef releases a considerable amount of fat, carefully drain away the excess before making the gravy.

Sprinkle the garlic powder over the cooked ground beef and onions, stirring to distribute it evenly throughout the mixture.

Measure out one and a half cups of water, setting aside a quarter cup for the cornstarch. Pour the remaining water into the skillet, stirring to loosen the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.

Add one tablespoon of beef bouillon powder and stir until it dissolves into the water. Taste the liquid before adding any more bouillon. The powder is already quite salty, so I don’t add any additional salt to this recipe.

In a small cup, combine the two tablespoons of cornstarch with the reserved quarter cup of cold water. Stir until the mixture is completely smooth with no dry lumps remaining.

Bring the beef mixture to a gentle simmer, then slowly stir in the cornstarch mixture. Continue stirring as the gravy heats and thickens around the ground beef and onions.

Once the gravy has thickened, check its consistency. If you prefer a thinner gravy, stir in a small amount of additional water until it reaches the thickness you like.

Serve the hamburger gravy hot over mashed potatoes, allowing the brown gravy to settle into the potatoes. Alternatively, spoon it over rice or cooked egg noodles.

Ingredients:

This recipe uses ground beef, onions, and a handful of pantry ingredients to make a savoury brown gravy without milk or cream.

Cooking Oil: Two tablespoons of neutral cooking oil are used to soften the onions before adding the ground beef. Vegetable or canola oil works well because neither adds a strong flavour to the gravy.

Lean Ground Beef: Approximately one pound (450 g) of ground beef forms the base of this recipe. I recommend buying it on sale whenever possible and freezing extra packages for future meals. Lean beef also generally requires less fat to be drained after browning. When I have extra ground beef in the freezer, I also use it for recipes like my family-sized shepherd’s pie, which combines beef, vegetables, and mashed potatoes in a baked dinner.

Small Onions: Two small onions, thinly sliced, provide sweetness and texture as they soften in the skillet. You can increase or reduce the quantity depending on how much onion you like in your gravy.

Garlic Powder: One tablespoon adds garlic flavour without needing to peel or mince fresh garlic.

Beef Bouillon Powder: One tablespoon provides the savoury beef flavour in the gravy. Different brands vary in strength and sodium content, so taste the liquid after adding it before deciding whether more is needed.

Water: One and a half cups creates the liquid base of the gravy. Using water with bouillon powder keeps the cost down compared with using cream or packaged broth.

Cornstarch: Two tablespoons thicken the liquid into brown gravy. Mixing the cornstarch with cold water before adding it to the skillet helps prevent lumps.

Substitutions and Add-Ins for Hamburger Gravy

This is a flexible gravy recipe, particularly when it comes to the amount of onion and how rich you want the finished sauce.

Ground Beef: Lean ground beef is recommended, but medium ground beef can also be used. Drain excess fat after browning if needed. Using a different ground meat will change the flavour and will no longer produce quite the same beef gravy.

Cooking Oil: Vegetable or canola oil can be used to soften the onions. Another mild-flavoured cooking oil would also work, while butter would add a richer flavour.

Onions: Increase the quantity if you enjoy plenty of onions in your gravy. Chopped onions can also be used instead of sliced ones, although the pieces will be less noticeable in the finished sauce.

Garlic Powder: Fresh garlic can be used as an alternative, but the quantity and flavour will differ. Add it near the end of browning the beef so it doesn’t burn.

Beef Bouillon Powder: Beef broth can replace some or all of the water and bouillon, but check the salt content before adding more seasoning. The exact amount needed will depend on the strength of the broth.

Water: For a richer gravy, replace part of the water with milk or cream. This produces a creamier result and increases the cost of the recipe.

Cornstarch: Flour can also thicken gravy, but it requires a different method and usually a greater quantity than cornstarch. The original recipe uses cornstarch.

For a Stroganoff-Style Variation: Stir in a little sour cream or plain Greek yogurt after the gravy has finished thickening. Remove the skillet from the heat first and stir gently to reduce the chance of curdling. This adds a tangier, creamier flavour reminiscent of beef stroganoff without changing the basic ground beef and onion preparation.

Expert Tips, Serving and Storing Suggestions

Tip #1: Taste Before Adding More Bouillon: One tablespoon of beef bouillon powder is the starting amount. Stir until it dissolves, then taste the gravy before increasing it. Bouillon powders can contain a considerable amount of sodium, which is why additional salt isn’t needed in my original recipe.

Tip #2: Mix the Cornstarch With Cold Water: Don’t sprinkle dry cornstarch directly into the hot gravy. Mix it with a little cold water first to make a smooth slurry. This makes it easier to incorporate without forming lumps.

Tip #3: Drain Only the Excess Fat: Depending on the ground beef you use, there may be some extra fat in the skillet after cooking. If necessary, carefully spoon off the excess rather than pouring everything into a strainer. This way, you won’t lose the softened onions along with the fat.

Tip #4: Adjust the Gravy Thickness: Cornstarch thickens as the liquid heats. Give the gravy a little time to simmer before deciding whether it needs adjusting. If it becomes thicker than you prefer, stir in additional water a little at a time.

Serving Suggestions

My preferred way to serve this old-fashioned hamburger gravy is over mashed potatoes. If you’re looking for a simple side to go with it, my easy mashed potatoes without milk or butter are an economical option that works well with the savoury brown gravy.

You can also serve the gravy over egg noodles, rice, or thick slices of toast. If you’re serving it with rice, my guide on how to cook rice in a rice cooker explains how to prepare fluffy rice without having to watch a saucepan on the stove.

How to Store Hamburger Gravy

Allow the leftover hamburger gravy to cool briefly, then transfer it to a shallow, airtight container and refrigerate promptly.

Store the cooked ground beef gravy in the refrigerator for 3–4 days. Reheat in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring as it warms. Add a splash of water if the cornstarch-thickened gravy has become too thick during storage.

The original water-based gravy can also be frozen in meal-sized portions. The texture may change slightly after thawing, so stir well while reheating. If you plan to add milk, cream, sour cream, or Greek yogurt, it’s generally better to add those ingredients fresh after reheating the original gravy.

With the onions softened first and the beef browned in the same skillet, this hamburger gravy comes together without much fuss. Spoon it over a generous helping of mashed potatoes while it’s hot, and adjust the amount of onion to suit your family’s taste.

Do you prefer plenty of sliced onions in your hamburger gravy, or just enough to flavour the sauce?

Meet Amber

I’m the home cook and recipe creator behind A Cents For Cookery. I learned to cook growing up off-grid in Northern Ontario, where meals were made on a woodstove and preserving, baking, and making ingredients stretch were part of everyday life. Here I share practical family recipes, homemade baking, vintage-inspired cooking, and the kitchen knowledge I’ve picked up over the years to help you make the most of the food you have.

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