How to Make Ham Gravy with Cornstarch and Drippings

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Learn how to make ham gravy with cornstarch and either drippings or broth. This easy recipe will help you cook and thicken any gravy, including ham, turkey, chicken, or brown gravy. It's especially good at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter; but it's also great for family dinner!

One of my most popular recipes, especially around Christmas and Easter, is my homemade ham gravy recipe; unlike this cornstarch gravy recipe, it's made with flour and ham drippings.

This good gravy, on the other hand, is made with cornstarch and ham drippings. Learning how to make gravy with cornstarch is super easy to do, and it just so happens to be gluten-free ham gravy (as long as all of your ingredients contain no gluten; I always recommend you double check to be safe).

Now you do have to know how to bake a ham for this easy gravy recipe. And, in fact, you can switch out the pan drippings for any flavor broth you like to make any flavor corn starch gravy you like; so you can make brown gravy, turkey gravy, chicken gravy, vegetarian gravy, and more.

Keep in mind… The main flavoring for this flavorful gravy comes directly from the ham itself. So if you glaze your ham, like I did with my pineapple glazed ham, the flavoring from that glaze will go into your homemade gravy. Rule of thumb: If you’re using a sweet glaze, your gravy will be a little sweeter.

Why You May Want to Make Gravy with Cornstarch

  • If you're like me and need to make gluten free ham gravy, then corn starch gravy is the key. Just make sure the brand of cornstarch you use is gluten-free, and make sure all your other ingredients are too.
  • Ham gravy goes hand in hand with creamy mashed potatoes. It also makes a great addition to your baked potato buffet or mashed potato buffet.
  • Gravy made with cornstarch is a great condiment for Thanksgiving dinner, Christmas dinner, and Easter dinner.
  • Learning how to make gravy with cornstarch also makes a great addition to any ordinary family dinner, because it's absolutely easy to make; and if you don't have drippings, no problem. Use broth instead.
homemade ham gravy made with cornstarch in white Corning Ware dish with spoon

Ingredients and Substitutions Notes

  • Ham Drippings – You can get ham drippings when you bake any kind of ham, whether you bake a bone-in ham, spiral ham, fresh ham, etc. Of course, you can substitute broth for drippings if you're not making a big roast; while ham broth may not have the excellent flavor real ham drippings have, it still makes a fine gravy. This goes for other types of meat, as well… You can use beef broth to make brown gravy, chicken broth for chicken gravy, vegetable stock to make vegetarian gravy, etc. You can also substitute other types of drippings, like turkey drippings to make homemade turkey gravy, pot roast drippings to make roast beef gravy, etc.
  • Cold Water
  • Heavy Whipping Cream I use both cream and water in this recipe for ham gravy. You can replace the cream with milk, though, if preferred.
  • Cornstarch It doesn't take much cornstarch to make a good gravy, only about 3 tablespoons of cornstarch.

How to Make Ham Gravy with Cornstarch

There are different methods to making a good gravy, but this is my simple recipe…

  1. First, whisk together the water, heavy whipping cream, and cornstarch in a liquid measuring cup and set aside.
  2. Add the brown bits of ham drippings or pan juices from the roasting pan, to a medium saucepan, and start to cook on medium heat.
  3. Add the cornstarch mixture, as a thickening agent, to the ham drippings in the pan, and continue whisking and stirring constantly 'til the mixture boils and the gravy begins to thicken.
  4. Once your gravy has thickened, this hot liquid is ready to pour into a gravy crock or gravy boat for serving.
steps for how to make ham gravy with cornstarch

Now keep in mind, depending how salty your gravy is, you may need to add a little extra water to bring that saltiness down. If you add extra water, you'll need to add a pinch up to a tablespoon of cornstarch (depending how much extra water you add), in order to keep a thicker consistency.

And always, always, if you're going to add more cornstarch, whisk it together into a cornstarch slurry with liquid in a separate dish first to avoid lumps. Speaking of lumps…

How to Avoid Lumpy Gravy

Here's the easy way and the best way to prevent lumps in your gravy…

  • It's important to start by mixing together a slurry of cornstarch, water, and heavy whipping cream in a small small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisking this together in the beginning will help prevent lumps in your gravy, as well as thicken the gravy.
  • Use a wire whisk to stir your gravy while it's cooking. It’s pretty much a given that you may have a few lumps, but you can minimize them by whisking the gravy.
  • Also, there's no hurry. Take your time to avoid any lumps in your delicious gravy.
ham drippings gravy on mashed potatoes, served with sliced ham and green beans on gray plate with fork

Expert Tips and Recipe FAQ's

Why is my gravy bland?

If your gravy happens to be bland upon tasting, you likely just need to add a little salt and pepper to give it added flavor.

How should you store leftover gravy?

Store it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.

Can you freeze ham gravy with cornstarch?

While you'd have no problem freezing a gravy made with water and flour, this gravy contains cream and will not freeze well. It will likely change the consistency when it thaws, so you're better off not to freeze it.

More Recipes to Enjoy with Gravy

If you love ham gravy with cornstarch and making homemade gravy with cornstarch, you'll love these recipes to go with your homemade gravy!

If you try this recipe, why not leave a star rating in the recipe card right below and/or a review in the comment section further down the page? I always appreciate your feedback. You can also follow me on Pinterest, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube. And subscribe to my email list too!

ham gravy with cornstarch on mashed potatoes, served on gray plate with baked ham, green beans, and a fork

How to Make Ham Gravy with Cornstarch

Learn how to make ham gravy with cornstarch and either drippings or broth. This easy recipe will help you cook and thicken any gravy, including ham, turkey, chicken, or brown gravy. It's especially good at Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter; but it's also great for family dinner!
4.91 from 11 votes
Print Pin Rate
Course: Condiments, Sauces & Dressings
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 10 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 30 minutes
Servings: 12
Calories: 56kcal
Author: Mel Lockcuff

Ingredients

Instructions

  • First, whisk together the water, heavy whipping cream, and cornstarch in a liquid measuring up, and set aside.
  • Add the ham drippings* or pan juices from the roasting pan, to a medium saucepan, and start to cook on medium heat.
  • Add the cornstarch mixture to the ham drippings in the pan, and continue whisking and stirring constantly 'til the gravy begins to thicken.*
  • Once your gravy has thickened, it's ready to pour into a gravy boat for serving.

Notes

*You can substitute broth for drippings if you're not making a big roast. You can use beef broth to make brown gravy, chicken broth for chicken gravy, etc. You can also substitute other types of drippings to make homemade turkey gravy, roast beef gravy, etc.
*Depending how salty your gravy is, you may need to add a little extra water to bring that saltiness down. If you add extra water, you'll need to add a pinch of cornstarch, as well, in order to keep a thicker consistency. Always, always, if you're going to add more cornstarch, whisk it together with liquid in a separate dish first to avoid lumps.
How to Avoid Lumpy Gravy
Here are a few tips to help prevent lumps in your gravy…
  • It's important to start by mixing together the cornstarch, water, and heavy whipping cream in a small small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisking this together in the beginning will help prevent lumps in your gravy.
  • Use a whisk to stir your gravy while it's cooking. It’s pretty much a given that you may have a few lumps, but you can minimize them by whisking the gravy.
  • Also, there's no hurry. Take your time to avoid any lumps in your gravy.

Nutrition

Serving: 1g | Calories: 56kcal | Carbohydrates: 2g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 3g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 20mg | Sodium: 220mg
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