9 Best Au Jus Gravy Mix Substitutes For A Delicious Meal

The French word ‘Au Jus’ means ‘with juice.’ It refers to meat dishes that are served with their juices. Au jus, or the juice, is made by preparing a broth from the drippings of roast beef or prime rib.

Drippings are the fat juices of the meat. You can also make this au jus from turkey and chicken and combine it with beef broth and other herbs and spices. Gravy is the key to delicious recipes.

It is a common word in the culinary niche, which is prepared across geographies and cultures based on preferences by adding stocks, herbs, spices, and local ingredients. Gravy combines vegetables and meat drippings. 

Au jus gravy is, therefore, a kind of gravy mix made from juices of boiled meat by adding herbs and spices. It is a thin broth and does not contain any thickening agent.

You can serve the meat dish with au jus to make it a wholesome, delicious meal. 

Au jus add rich and savory flavor to different dishes and makes an excellent accompaniment to various meat recipes and vegetables.

To use au jus gravy mix as a sauce or dip is also a good option. To substitute au jus gravy mix, you need gravy with the same tempting flavor and rich taste.

What Is Au Jus Gravy Mix?

Au jus is a form of gravy made with drippings from cooked meat. Beef drippings and beef broth are the prime ingredients for making au jus. You can also add red wine to prepare this rich, delicious sauce.

Unlike traditional gravies, Au jus doesn’t contain any thickening agent or flour; instead, the drippings are heated to reach a thick consistency. 

You can buy Au Jus from a grocery but preparing this gravy at home is always a better option. You can prepare au jus gravy mix from scratch with various dried herbs and traditional spices and pour it over your dishes for dipping.

You can add chicken bouillon cube or beef to get extra flavor. Use the homemade mix for your meal for a delicious treat. 

The best thing about au jus gravy is that you can keep it in the refrigerator by freezing it into cubes for later use. It is easy to store, and you can make many delicious recipes with this amazing gravy.

Now, we will see the best substitutes for Au Jus substitutes to get the same taste and flavors.

Quick Table: Au Jus Substitutes

1. Vegetable Stock

Vegetable stock is the best option to replace au jus gravy mix with a meatless stock and vegetable-based liquid. It is an excellent replacement for health-conscious people who want to reduce the fat content in their diets.

Although the vegetable stock has a different flavor and taste than the au jus gravy mix, it is nutritious, flavorful, and made from various fresh vegetables. 

You can prepare vegetable stock with onions, carrots, celery, and mushrooms and add leafy vegetables. Combine these with thyme, parsley stalks, and bay leaves and simmer them with herbs and other spices.

The taste may differ compared from au jus, but it is an excellent substitute.

You can also use vegetable bullion to prepare vegetarian au jus gravy that does not have much fat but is healthier. Just whisk a vegetable the bullion into the hot water to prepare the sauce.

Simmer the sauce with sliced mushrooms to make it thicker and richer to get excellent consistency and taste.

How To Prepare Vegetable Stock

Use onions, garlic, celery, carrots, and traditional herbs, including parsley and thyme, to prepare the vegetable stock. You can also add peppercorns, leek tops, bay leaves, and salt to add more flavor to the vegetable stock.

You can also use vegetable scraps instead of fresh vegetables and avoid wastage. You can get delicious stock with vegetable scrap too.

Directions

• Wash the vegetables, so you do not boil any dirt or sand with them. It will spoil the stock. Chop the vegetables into small pieces to fit in the boiling pot. 
• Add the chopped vegetables to a large pot. Add water, salt, bay leaves, and peppercorns, and let it simmer for one hour.
• Remove the vegetables and the peppercorns by straining the stock through a fine mesh strainer.
• Your homemade fresh vegetable stock is ready for use.

How To Substitute

Use vegetable stock in 1:1 au jus substitute

2. Onion Mix Soup

Onion mix soup is made with beef extracts and dried and caramelized onions to provide a rich flavor of raw onions.

Some traditional onion mix also contains the same seasonings you can find in au jus, including parsley, paprika, celery salt, and black pepper.

Although you will find some extra spices in onion mix soup, the earthy and umami flavor make it an excellent replacement for au jus.

Onion mix is sometimes used to make au jus, which makes it a perfect substitute. You require parsley, celery seeds, paprika, opinion flakes, beef bouillon, and seasoning to make onion mix soup.

It just takes ten minutes to get a nice liquid mixture. The onion mix soup helps you serve many recipes and make your meal delectable. 

Onion soup mix is just a bit heavier on the onion taste but similar in flavor to au jus. It makes a great option to replace au jus for a French dip sandwich or pot roast. Onion soup mix and au jus are perfectly interchangeable.

How To Prepare Onion Soup Mix

It takes a few ingredients and only ten minutes to prepare onion mix soup. If you have a packed mix, follow the box instructions. For a homemade onion soup mix, you need the following ingredients

• ¼ cup onion flakes
• Two tablespoons of beef bouillon granules
• Onion powder
• Garlic powder
• Paprika
• Parsley
• Celery seed

Put these ingredients in a pot and add three cups of water to the mixture. Please bring it to a boil and simmer it for five minutes. You will get a perfect au jus substitute.

How To Substitute

Prepare onion soup mix per directions on the package and then use in 1:1 au jus substitute. For homemade onion mix soup, replace it with the same quantity.

3. Demi-Glace

The rich brown demi-glace sauce is a traditional French ingredient that is rich in flavor. It is prepared by reducing the broth till it becomes thick and flavorful. Although demi-glace is much similar to au jus, it takes time to prepare this recipe.

You may need more than ten hours to reduce the demi-glace, whereas au jus can be used immediately. The French version of demi-glace uses veal, but you can also use chicken, beef, or vegetable to prepare it.

Demi-glace is a perfect replacement for au jus mix gravy. This concentrated stock has a vibrant and deep meaty flavor with a hint of sweetness. It adds an umami essence and makes the sauce delicious.

Demi-glace is the preferred recipe for poultry gravy and turkey as they do not have many pan drippings to prepare the gravy. Demi-glace is even better than au jus in providing the umami essence to your dish.

You can use demi-glace as a foundation for enriching soups and sauces or spoon it over duck breasts, steaks, or pork chops.

It gives an extra boost of delicious flavor to the braised meat. Stir demi-glace into your bowl of stew to add savory richness.

How To Prepare Demi-glace

You require brown rice to prepare traditional demi-glace, but beef stock makes it a much better option when substituting au jus. You need the following ingredients to prepare demi-glace

• 5 cups of high-quality beef stock
• One dried bay leaf, one teaspoon of dried thyme, parsley, peppercorns 
• ½ cup chopped onions
• ¼ cup chopped celery
• ¼ cup chopped carrots
• ¼ cup all-purpose flour

Start by sautéing celery, carrots, and onions in butter. Add the flour and stir until it becomes light brown, and then add beef stock to the mixture. Put the herbs in a cheesecloth and place in the mix.

Let the mixture boil for 20-30 minutes, and then remove the vegetables. Let it simmer till you your stock reduces by half. You can also use a pressure cooker to shorten the cooking time considerably. 

How To Substitute

Remember that demi-glace is quite thick compared to au jus, so use it in small amounts as a beef topping. You can replace it in the ratio 1:2

4. Chicken Broth

Chicken broth made from the bones and meat of the chicken is a great option to replace au jus. Chicken broth is easy to prepare by simmering the bones and chicken meat for a short time. Chicken broth has many health benefits.

It is packed with essential fatty acids and protein, which help your body build and repair healthy muscles. Chicken broth supports joint health, mobility, and gut health. It is also rich in minerals like iron.

If au jus is unavailable, chicken broth is a great option to replace it in many recipes. You can prepare it easily at home, and commercially prepared chicken stock is also available in the market.

Chicken broth is mild in taste and has a lighter color. You can add a drop or two of Worcestershire sauce if you want your broth to be dark in color.

How To Prepare Chicken Broth (Chicken Stock)

To prepare the chicken broth, roast the bones in the oven and then simmer them on the stove for an hour. You can use this chicken broth in most recipes.

To prepare a chicken broth, you need the following ingredients

• Water
• Rosemary
• Pepper
• Dried thyme
• Chicken meat or chicken bones
• Bay leaves
• Two medium onions, chopped
• ½ cup chopped celery
• ½ cup chopped carrots

Put all the ingredients in the cooker and bring them to a boil. Simmer for 2-3 hours till the liquid reduces to half.

The chicken broth flavor will be different from au jus as it is made from chicken instead of beef but makes a delicious and lighter alternative. Use the exact measurements and seasonings to replace au jus to create a rich flavor.

How To Substitute

Use chicken broth in a simple 1:1 substitution for au jus in most recipes.

5. Brown Gravy Mix

The thicker and creamier brown gravy mix is a tasty option to replace au jus mix gravy.

You can substitute au jus with brown sauce on top of steak, potatoes, and roast beef for a delicious meal. People also use it for dipping roast beef sandwiches. 

Brown gravy is the drippings from cooked beef, similar to au jus but with cornstarch or flour as a thickener. Adding milk or cream makes it creamier and thicker. It is thicker than au jus, but both are made with beef drippings. 

The rich and thick brown gravy is a perfect substitute for au jus in many recipes, including Mississippi roast or Mississippi chicken.

You can prepare brown gravy mix easily at home or buy from your grocery store and use it in your recipes when you do not have au jus in the inventory.

How To Prepare Brown Gravy

To prepare brown gravy mix, you need beef stock, cream, seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, and flour or cornstarch. Begin by cooking the flour and then add butter. Let it cook for a while, and then add beef stock and stir it.

Add half a cup of milk gradually, mix all the ingredients, and then add water to make the mix thin and lighten the consistency. Finally, add pepper and salt to taste.

How To Substitute

Start with ¼ to ½ serving as a substitute and adjust as per your taste and the recipe’s requirement.

6. Beef Stock Powder Sauce

The beef stock has a similar taste to au jus from the meat drippings making it an excellent substitute with tempting flavors. The beef stock powder is a dehydrated beef stock that you can prepare by simmering meat scraps and beef bones.

Though beef stock powder makes a good substitute, if you add herbs and seasoning, you will get the closest flavor with au jus. As au jus is made using beef broth, beef stock powder makes a good flavoring substitute. 

You can use beef stock powder sauce in your meat or all recipes that call for au jus. You require onion powder, corn scratch, beef stock powder, garlic, seasoning, and parsley to get a delicious substitute for au jus.

Since beef stock powder sauce does not combine many spices or herbs, it has a mild taste compared to au jus.

You can substitute au jus with beef stock powder in stir-fries, steak, vegetable recipes, baked recipes, Mississippi pot roast, barbecue dishes, and many more.

How To Prepare Beef Stock Powder

To prepare beef stock powder

• In a half cup of water, mix two tablespoons of beef or chicken bouillon cube to stock powder and the heat the mixture.
• Add two tablespoons of onion powder, half a teaspoon of garlic powder, a tablespoon of dried parsley, and black pepper.
• Mix three tablespoons of cornstarch and double the amount of water for cornstarch.
• Start with only two tablespoons of the mixture if you want your sauce like au jus but thinner than gravy.

How To Substitute

Use beef stock powder alone or seasonings in a 1:1 swap for au jus in any recipe.

7. Beef Broth

In taste and preparation, beef broth is very similar to au jus. The beef broth takes time, so it may not be the quickest substitute it certainly is the delicious option! The taste of your recipe will also depend on what spices and herbs you add to it.

The delicious beef broth is easy to make, and you can use it in many dishes as a replacement for au jus. You require beef bones, favorite vegetables, herbs, onions, seasoning, and water to get this perfect substitute for au jus.

You can buy a simple beef broth from the grocery store, heat it and use it to replace au jus. Add garlic powder and a little Worcestershire sauce to make the broth fruitful.

Beef broth is the closest substitute to au jus and requires only a handful of ingredients to prepare. Rather than using a slow cooker, you can use a pressure cooker to shorten the preparation time.

How To Prepare Beef Broth

You use brown pieces of meat to prepare au jus gravy, but you can make beef broth by cooking down beef bones. Making beef broth is easy and needs only a few ingredients.

It would take around half an hour to extract the juices by baking the meat. Add vegetables and bake for another thirty minutes. Add enough water to cover the mixture and let it simmer for four to five hours.

Drain the mix to separate the liquid, and the broth is ready.

How To Substitute

Use homemade beef broth in a 1:1 substitute for au jus.

8. Beef Bouillon Cubes Sauce

The concentrated dehydrated beef stock combines with spices to make beef bouillon cubes. These cubes include onions, which may vary as each brand has its recipe.

You can replace au jus with beef bouillon cube sauce in many recipes to get a similar savory flavor, and you need not add any additional herb or spice.

To use beef bouillon, dissolve one beef bouillon cube in a cup of warm water and simmer it for a few minutes. Use half a cup of water for every cube to get a thicker texture.

It is ready for use in your recipes and makes it an easy substitute in many recipes that call for au jus.

You can get beef bouillon cubes in different versions, including low sodium options, chemical-free cubes, organic and all-natural, and all-natural, chemical-free cubes.

So you have an excellent range to choose from to replace au jus and meet your dietary requirements. The umami-flavored bouillon makes them a perfect addition to stews, rib roasts, and soups.

How To Prepare Bouillon Cubes Sauce

You can make the bouillon sauce by making a broth from the cube and converting it into a sauce. You may also use the cubes directly in your dish.

Melt a cube in half a cup of water and boil it for a thicker consistency or add a cup of water to get a lighter texture. Then add herbs to the broth to enhance the flavor.

You may also add black pepper and fresh parsley to enhance the flavor and taste deliciously. Potatoes in the recipe will act as the thickening agent.

How To Substitute

Use beef bouillon cube as a 1:1 substitute for au jus in any recipe.

9. DIY Au Jus Recipe

Making homemade, low-sodium beef broth is a simple and healthy way to enhance the flavor of any meal. It is an easy recipe for beef broth that you can use to make beef au jus, beef stew, beef pot pie, beef and onion soup, beef stroganoff, and more.

This easy-to-make sauce is made with just four ingredients, and it’s always a great way to dress up your steak. In addition, this Au Jus recipe is a great way to make your gravy without the extra calories and preservatives of store-bought flavorings.

Making your own au jus is an easy and economical way to have the taste of a high-end restaurant without the high-end price. All you need is beef or veal stock, a cup of dry red wine, and salt. Then all you have to do is simmer the ingredients in a pan, and your au jus is ready.

How to prepare DIY Au Jus Recipe

To make a DIY Au Jus Recipe, you will need to add a half-cup of flour to two cups of beef stock, whisk until smooth, and heat the mixture until it boils.

Then, add a half-cup of water, a quarter-cup of white wine, a teaspoon of Worcestershire sauce, and a teaspoon of salt. Stir the mixture and simmer until the sauce thickens.

Next, add a teaspoon of Dijon mustard, two teaspoons of cornstarch, and two teaspoons of cold water. Stir until the sauce thickens and remove from heat.

You’ll need to start with a cup of beef or chicken stock, 1/2 cup white wine, and a few teaspoons of dried herbs and spices. Simmer the ingredients on low heat for 10 minutes.

Pour the mixture into a food processor or blender and blend until smooth. Add more wine or stock to taste.

How To Substitute

If you are short on time, you can make a quick and easy DIY Au Jus Recipe. You will need to make a simple gravy and add in some dry mustard powder and dry herbs like thyme or oregano. This will give your gravy a nice depth of flavor.

Frequently Asked Questions

Is Au Jus Gravy Mix Healthy?

Au jus has tremendous fat, primarily from fat beef drippings. The dry packets of au jus gravy from the grocery are also very high in salt. Au jus gravy may not be very healthy, but it tastes good!

Are Brown Gravy And Au Jus Gravy The Same?

You may use these two recipes for the same purpose but have different compositions. The significant difference between the two is cornstarch or flour as a thickener in brown gravy.

Au jus gravy is made from meat juices, herbs, and spices without thickeners. Brown gravy is thick and darker than au jus gravy.

How To Use Au Jus Gravy Mix Recipes? 

You can use au jus mix gravy for serving beef, chicken, or lamb. It gives your dishes, especially meat, a tasty and creamy feel. You can use it to serve in noodles and as a french dipping for meals.

What Thickener Can You Use In Au Jus Gravy Mix?

You can use either cornstarch or flour in au jus gravy mix as a thickening agent. Wheat flour can also serve the purpose and help you in avoiding the gluten found in regular white flour.

To eliminate the flavor of the flour, allow the gravy to cook for a few minutes.

9 Au Jus Gravy Mix Substitutes For A Delicious Meal

Prep Time

5

minutes

Cooking Time

25

minutes

Total Time

30

minutes

Got a craving for Au Jus but don’t have any gravy mix? No problem! We’ve got substitutes for Au Jus gravy mix that will make your taste buds happy.

Ingredients

• Vegetable Stock

• Onion Mix Soup

• Demi-Glace

• Chicken Broth

• Brown Gravy Mix

• Beef Stock Powder Sauce

• Beef Broth

• Beef Bouillon Cubes Sauce

• DIY Au Jus Recipe

Directions

• Choose your favorite substitute from the list given above
• Follow the directions given in the recipe after having substituted the ingredient in the correct ratio

Recipe Video

• Author
• Recent Posts

Jess Smith

Hi, my name is Jess Smith, and I love cooking in my spare time. Around three years ago, I decided to give up my day job as a teacher to pursue my passion for food. While I have enjoyed sharing tips and tricks on Social Media, I have decided to expand my horizons through this blog.

Through this blog I hope to help others learn the basics and more intricate details of cooking. I know from personal experience how frustrating it can be to cook a meal, only to realize you are missing one ingredient from your list. This is why I love to write articles chatting readers through some great substitutes that can be used in an emergency.

I hope you will find this blog useful, and that it will help you to develop your culinary skills, to help you cook up a storm!

Latest posts by Jess Smith (see all)

• Top Main Differences Between Tagliatelle And Fettuccine Pasta - March 10, 2023
• The Main Differences Between Red And Green Jalapeno Peppers - March 10, 2023
• Perfect Griddle Cakes To Make Simply Delicious Recipes For The Meal - March 9, 2023