How to Make a Roux (Easy Roux Recipe for Gravy)

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Learn how to make a roux with step-by-step instructions. Roux is used to make gravies, sauces and bases for soups and stews; It can be used as a thickening agent, as well as adding a wonderful deep flavor to your dishes!

Roux is the cornerstone of many sauces and stews. It is an amazing thickening agent and flavor enhancer.

But guys, first of all I'm not going to lie. The steps to make a roux can be a hassle. It takes a lot of time, attention and stirring. 

BUT, it's totally worth it. Whether it's an extra creamy cheese sauce made with roux as a base, a nice white sauce, or a deep, intense base for a stew you're after, a roux will get you there. An easy roux recipe is included at the bottom of this post.

Jump to:

• What is Roux?
• Easy Roux Recipe Ingredients
• How to Use a Roux for Sauce, Gravy, Soups and Gumbo
• Types of Roux
• Step By Step Instructions to Make a Roux
• How To Make Roux in the Oven
• How to Add Liquid to a Roux
• Expert Recipe Tips
• How to Save a Broken Roux
• Why is My Roux Not Thickening?
• Frequently Asked Questions
• How to Store Roux
• Recipe
• 💬 Comments

What is Roux?

Roux is made with equal parts fat and flour, cooked over medium to low heat to allow the flour to cook. There are 4 basic kinds of roux; white, blonde, medium brown (golden roux) and dark brown roux (or black/chocolate roux). Many sauces, gravies and soups use roux as a base.

Each of them have a different use. You can scroll down below to see some ways you can use a roux in your cooking.

The lighter white or blonde roux has less flavor, but works great as a thickening agent to make creamy sauces like a béchamel sauce (like we use in this croque madame) or other mother sauces like velouté.

The black roux is less thick, but has a great deep rich flavor used often in Cajun and Creole cooking.

As the roux cooks, the starch in the flour is toasted, which is what gives it it's nutty flavor. The more toasted the flour (AKA the darker the roux) the more flavor your roux will have.

Traditionally, it is made with clarified butter; however, you can use any fat you'd like. If you choose a fat that burns easier, you just need to be a little more careful to not let it burn during the process.

I love a roux made with melted butter, bacon fat, ghee, vegetable oil, duck fat, chicken or turkey fat, or even pan drippings.

See the bottom of the post in the recipe card for a simple roux recipe. And don't forget to watch the step-by-step video!

Easy Roux Recipe Ingredients

Roux only requires 2 ingredients - flour and some kind of fat. Like we discussed above, you can choose to use any fat from vegetable oil to butter to duck fat to pan drippings and everything in between.

When making a chocolate roux, butter is not recommended as it has a lower smoke point and can start to burn when being cooked for such a long time.

Fatworks offers a variety of extremely high quality fats that can be used to make a roux. Check out some of their most popular:

• Duck Fat
• Beef Tallow
• Ghee (Clarified Butter) or make your own ghee
• Pork Lard (Leaf Lard)

How to Use a Roux for Sauce, Gravy, Soups and Gumbo

Use roux as a thickening agent and a flavor enhancer in dishes. Like stated above, a lighter roux has more thickening power, while a darker roux is more flavorful. 

You can start with a roux to make some of these Cajun and Creole favorites like gumbo:

• Crawfish etouffee
• New Orleans gumbo
• Chicken and sausage gumbo
• Chicken etouffee
• Instant Pot gumbo

But roux is not only used in Cajun recipes, it also is an amazing base for some favorite comfort food recipes like these:

• Instant Pot chicken pot pie
• Macaroni and cheese
• Scalloped potatoes
• Mushroom lasagna

Types of Roux

There are 4 different basic types of roux: white roux, blonde roux, golden roux, chocolate (black) roux. The darker the roux, the longer it takes to cook and the more flavorful it becomes.

Below we discuss the details about each type of roux, and basics for how they are made and used.

White Roux (for Mac and Cheese)

White roux takes less than 5 minutes to cook - this is the easiest and most basic roux to cook. The butter and flour cooks just long enough to get rid of the raw flour taste and take on a creamy consistency.

Because we are not cooking it to a deeper brown color, it doesn't take on much flavor. It is typically used as a thickening agent for gravy or soup.

We use this roux for sauces like beef gravy, bechamel sauce, a creamy sausage gravy, bacon gravy or a base for homemade mac and cheese or sauces like cheese sauce (basically a bechamel sauce where you just add cheese!).

Here are some of the sites favorite recipes that use this roux:

• Creamy tortellini soup
• Turkey gravy (great for Thanksgiving!)
• Mac and cheese
• Bacon gravy
• Sous vide turkey thighs with gravy

Blonde Roux (for Gravy Roux)

If you're going blonde, you'll need to cook the roux for about 5-10 minutes. It will take on very light brown, almost peanut butter color. This is a great base for creamy bisques.

Here are some of the readers favorite recipes that use a blonde roux:

• Crawfish bisque
• Prawn bisque
• Instant Pot pork chops with sausage gravy
• Pork cutlets with white gravy

Medium Brown Roux (Golden Roux)

The golden roux recipe takes between 15-25 minutes to cook, depending on the temperature you cook it at. It should be a milk chocolate brownish color when it's done.

This kind of roux is commonly used for recipes that require a bit more flavor and less thickening. This is when you really start getting that amazing nutty aroma from cooking!

Golden roux is used in these reader favorite recipes:

• Japanese curry roux
• Crawfish pie
• Yaya gumbo recipe
• Crawfish gumbo

Dark Roux (Black Roux) for Gumbo Recipe

Chocolate/black roux takes more of a time commitment. But it's totally worth it. It takes between 30 and 40 minutes and careful attention to ensure it doesn't burn.

When making a black roux, it's important to stir constantly to ensure you DON'T BURN IT. It adds a deep, amazingly delicious flavor to dishes, and is also sometimes called gumbo roux. 

NOTE: When making a this kind of roux, I don't recommend using butter. Butter has milk solids in it when have a tendency to burn if cooked for an extended amount of time. 

The most popular recipe we have on the site is the New Orleans seafood gumbo - it uses a black roux and has a rich, amazing flavor.

Step By Step Instructions to Make a Roux

I recommend using a cast iron skillet. The pan heats uniformly and makes it easy to whisk with the lower sides. You can also use a cast iron Dutch oven if you'd like something a bit deeper. 

Once you've chosen your fat, you need to use an equal parts flour and your choice of fat. For instance, if you used ½ cup of fat, you'll need ½ cup flour. 

Heat a skillet over medium heat and add the fat. Once heated, whisk in flour.

Whisk them together until smooth and then just keep on whisking.

You can increase the heat if using a high smoke point fat (peanut oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, ghee, lard) to speed up the cooking. However, I've had the best results over medium heat or medium-low heat.

Learn more about smoke points in this article by Serious Eats. 

It's important to whisk or stir continuously to keep the roux from burning. You're going to whisk until you've reached your desired color (white, blond, golden, black/chocolate).

For a white roux to be used in a sauce, you only need to cook for about 3-5 minutes - just long enough that the flour is cooked.

For a blond roux, you will whisk for about 5-10 minutes until you get a light brown color.

A golden roux is slightly darker and takes about 15-25 minutes, depending on the heat on your stove. 

A black roux takes the longest, typically 30-40 minutes. 

How To Make Roux in the Oven

I prefer to make my roux on the stove, but if you don't feel like standing over the stove for 45 minutes to make a dark roux, you can make it in the oven. 

To make it in the oven, place the flour and fat in an ovenproof skillet (like a cast iron skillet) and whisk together.

Place in a 350°F oven for 1 ½ to 2 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

How to Add Liquid to a Roux

Whenever you add liquid to a roux, it is important to use warm or hot liquid and to very SLOWLY pour it into the roux. Pour the liquid in a little at a time, while whisking continuously to ensure the roux doesn't break.

**Always make sure your liquid is warm or hot before adding it to a hot roux to avoid clumping - do not use cold liquid. 

Liquids that are commonly used are milk, chicken stock, beef stock, and any other types of stock with or without seasoning.

Expert Recipe Tips

1. Many different fats can be used to make this recipe. Try using butter, oil, duck fat, goose fat, ghee, coconut oil, canola oil, or vegetable oil.
2. When making a dark brown roux, I don't recommend using butter. Butter has milk solids in it when have a tendency to burn if cooked for an extended amount of time. Any other higher smoke point fat works great for a dark roux. I personally use vegetable or avocado oil.
3. Roux should be whisked or stirred continuously while cooking to avoid burning your roux. If you see any black specks or dots, it means the roux has started to burn and you will need to throw it out and start over.
4. When making a dark roux, it will go from a dark chocolate color to burned very quickly - make sure to pay attention and stir constantly.

How to Save a Broken Roux

It's a very sad thing when a roux breaks. A broken roux is when the oil and flour separate, and instead of having a uniform roux, you have chunks of flour sitting in a pool of oil. It's no good and can be very difficult to fix.

I have not personally had much luck saving a roux. However, I have read that you can use Xantham gum to thicken a roux back up. Check out this article from Cook's Illustrated on how to use Xantham Gum. 

In addition to Xantham gum, some of the other tips for saving a broken roux are as follows:

• Add 1-2 tablespoons of cold butter to the roux while whisking
• Transfer to a blender and blend until it emulsifies

To prevent a broken roux, make sure you are slowly adding your liquid to it while stirring continuously to make sure it emulsifies.

Why is My Roux Not Thickening?

First off, it's important to note that the longer you cook it, the thinner it will get. A dark roux will not be very thick. 

If your lighter roux is not thick enough, you may have not added enough flour. Add additional flour, 1 tablespoon at a time, until the desired thickness is reached. 

Frequently Asked Questions

How to Store Roux

It can be made ahead and stored in an airtight container in the fridge for about 3-4 weeks. Use cold roux the same way you would use warm roux. Just heat it in a skillet over medium low heat and use it per the recipe.

It can be frozen and stored in the freezer for up to a year for the best results. You can freeze it all in one airtight container, or freeze it in ice cube trays then store in a freezer safe plastic bag. I prefer the second option as I can thaw out as much as I want at a time. 

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