It's so easy to make rich and savory ham gravy from drippings! Those flavorful juices left in your pan after slow roasting a spiral ham are pure gold. Turn them into amazing gravy in just five minutes with only two ingredients.
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Good gravies are essential for any holiday meal: Easter, Christmas and Thanksgiving.
If you want delicious gravy for ham, I've got the best news. You can turn pan drippings from baked ham into the most flavorful, creamy sauce.
Drizzle it on ham slices, mashed potatoes and roasted veggies! Ham gravy is also delicious on cornbread casserole or green bean casserole.
Jump to:
Why You'll Love This Easy Ham Gravy
Simple: Easy, straightforward, delicious. Elevate any holiday meal with this quick homemade gravy.
Quick: Once ham comes out of the oven it needs some rest time. This is the perfect moment to whip up your gravy! Make it on the stovetop in 5-10 minutes.
Mashed potato madness: This gravy is going to make your mashed potatoes taste better than you could ever imagine.
What You'll Need:
- Ham drippings: As ham bakes in the oven, juices and fat are rendered out and melt down into the bottom of your roasting pan. You'll need about 2 cups of these flavor-packed juices for gravy, you can bulk them up with a bit of water or broth if you're short!
- Cornstarch: Mix cornstarch with cold water to create a slurry. We'll add this to our hot gravy while it's simmering and it'll thicken into the perfect consistency.
- Optional: I like a little fresh black pepper in my gravy! Drippings are pretty salty, so I avoid adding extra sodium. You can also add a splash of half and half or heavy cream if desired, we generally do not. When adding dairy, remove your saucepan from the heat first (to avoid curdling).
How To Make Ham Gravy
Keep scrolling for the full recipe card and measurements. We’ll start here with a quick overview!
Collect drippings:
- While baked ham rests, transfer drippings from the bottom of your roasting pan into a medium saucepan or skillet. You can strain drippings if they're too chunky (photo shows the texture of drippings I was working with, I did NOT strain them).
- You need about 2 cups of liquid total. If short, add a little water or broth.
Heat drippings & add slurry:
- Briefly bring drippings to a boil over high heat. Then, turn heat to low and let the drippings settle to a gentler simmer.
- Whisk cornstarch and cold water together. Slowly pour into the hot gravy while whisking constantly. Simmer, and continue whisking often, until thickened (about 2 minutes).
- Add fresh cracked pepper to taste, if desired.
Serve gravy:
- Special occasion? Transfer this liquid gold to a gravy boat for an elegant touch!
- Serve over slices of spiral ham, stuffing, mashed potatoes, carrots and roasted veggies. Or eat it by the spoonful, no judgement here. 😂
Stacey's Top Tips ✨
- Lower heat to a gentle simmer before adding corn starch slurry. Too much heat can cause separation.
- Add cornstarch slurry slowly, and whisk constantly to avoid lumpy gravy.
- Do not add dry cornstarch to hot gravy (same goes for flour). It'll turn into hundreds of little, white clumps that WON'T incorporate into the gravy no matter how much you mix. Ask me how I know. 😂 If you do make this mistake, strain the white clumps out with a fine mesh strainer.
Adjusting Consistency (Gravy Thickness)
It's super-duper easy to adjust gravy thickness!
For thinner gravies, slowly whisk in more liquid (water, broth or cream). Work slowly until you reach a consistency you like.
To thicken gravy more, whisk 1 teaspoon of cornstarch with one teaspoon cold water. Add this additional slurry to gently simmering gravy and whisk constantly for a couple of minutes. This will thicken gravy slightly, repeat if needed!
How To Store Gravy
Storing leftovers: Place leftover gravy in an airtight container and refrigerate 3-4 days. You can also freeze for up to 3-4 months.
How to reheat: Reheat in a pot on the stovetop or in the microwave, in 30 second intervals, until heated through. Add a splash of water to thin if needed.
Recipe Variations
- Wine: Add a splash of dry red or white wine to your pan drippings for elevated flavor.
- Fresh herbs: A little rosemary or thyme would be amazing in this gravy. They add incredible aroma and taste amazing.
- Seasonings: Try adding a sprinkle of garlic or onion powder.
- Cream: Stir in some heavy cream or half and half for lighter color and creamier consistency.
- Umami: Soy or Worcestershire sauce will add some nice umami flavor. They're both pretty salty, so tread lightly! Ham drippings are pretty salty to begin with.
- Gravy without drippings? Yes! Instead of drippings, use broth. You can use ham broth or bouillon, but it's a little hard to come by. I've tried using a mixture of half chicken broth and half beef broth, which worked nicely. Note: you may need more pepper and salt when using stock or broth (vs drippings). A splash or soy sauce or Worcestershire adds nice color.
Frequently Asked Questions
You can! Melt 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Whisk in 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) all purpose flour. Let this roux mixture cook and bubble for a couple of minutes until the flour is slightly toasted and golden. Gradually whisk in 2 cups of drippings, whisk constantly to avoid lumps. Simmer briefly until thickened!
I prefer cornstarch because it's gluten free, which can be nice for accommodating holiday guests. Also, my daughter cannot have dairy and the cornstarch slurry method allows me to avoid butter (dairy free gravy for the win)! If you really want a butter and flour base but you need dairy free gravy, use a vegan butter.
Drippings are the fat and juices that render from a ham while it slow-roasts in the oven. They're super flavorful and perfect for gravies.
You may have added your cornstarch slurry too quickly, or when the drippings were too hot. Let them settle to a gentle simmer before slowly adding the slurry and whisk constantly to create a smooth finish.
YES! I always use a brown sugar glaze on my ham, so the drippings make an incredible sweet and salty gravy that can't be beat. Honey baked ham drippings are good, too.
This will depend some on the fat and water content of your ham. Also, if you glaze the ham this will create more drippings. I got 2 cups (plus a few tablespoons) of drippings from my 10 pound, glazed ham.
Try stirring in a little water or cream. If it becomes to thin, you can bring it back to a gentle simmer and whisk in more cornstarch slurry (a mixture of cornstarch and cold water). DO NOT add dry cornstarch, it will turn into hundreds of little white clumps.
Ham Gravy (2 Ingredients)
Equipment
- 1 Medium saucepan *or skillet
- 1 Whisk *I use one with plastic or silicone coating so I don't scratch my pan.
- Gravy boat *for fancy occasions
Ingredients
- 2 cups ham drippings *bulk with water/broth if needed
- 2 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 tablespoons cold water
- fresh cracked black pepper *to taste *see note below
Recipe notes:
Gravy with roux (butter & flour): Make gravy with butter and flour roux instead of cornstarch, if desired. Melt 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) unsalted butter in a saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in 4 tablespoons (¼ cup) flour. Let this mixture bubble for a couple of minutes so the flour can toast. Gradually whisk in 2 cups ham drippings, then add pepper to taste. Pepper/seasonings: You can add pepper AND salt to taste, but ham drippings are pretty salty on their own, so it's usually unnecessary.Instructions
- Transfer drippings from your roasting pan into a medium saucepan. If you don't have a full two cups of drippings, you can bulk them up a little with water or broth.2 cups ham drippings
- Briefly bring drippings to a boil over high heat, then decrease heat to low. Let the drippings settle to a gentle simmer.
- Whisk cornstarch and cold water together to create a slurry.2 tablespoons cornstarch, 2 tablespoons cold water
- Slowly and gradually add the slurry to the simmering gravy, whisking constantly.
- Continue simmering until thickened (about 2 minutes), then add fresh cracked black pepper to taste. Transfer to a gravy boat for serving and enjoy!
Nutrition
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