The Ingredients You Absolutely Need For A Delectable KFC Gravy Copycat

KFC is notoriously secretive with its recipes. The chain's fried chicken uses a blend of herbs and spices to season the food, but even KFC's head chef doesn't know the secret recipe. Still, the discretion surrounding the ingredients hasn't stopped fans of the food from trying to recreate their favorite items at home.

The ingredients of the fast food chain's gravy are no exception to the recipe secrecy. Although the chain has never publicly come forth to reveal the sauce's secret ingredients, the chefs over at Mashed have developed a copycat recipe for KFC mashed potatoes and gravy that tastes pretty close to the real thing.

The fast food chain confirmed to Vice back in 2018 that stock is used to create the gravy. While there were no specific details about what goes into it, Mashed deduced that the gravy likely uses a blend of chicken and beef stock to create the rich flavor. And to thicken up the gravy, the recipe suggests using instant mashed potato flakes. 

When you're making homemade gravy, it's pretty common to see classic recipes only call for one kind of stock. By adding both chicken and beef stock into the mix, the gravy takes on the savory flavors from both proteins. When making a homemade version, using bouillon cubes to create the stock can make the sauce a little extra flavorful. Bouillon cubes are generally pre-seasoned, so while KFC may not make its spice blend publicly known, the cubes could help contribute to the familiar flavor.

The instant mashed potato flakes are also a deviation from the norm. Gravy recipes typically suggest sprinkling in flour or cornstarch as a thickening agent. Potato flakes will function in a similar way, however. As they're mixed into the gravy, the flakes will absorb the extra liquid, leaving your gravy thick and creamy. Instant mashed potatoes also come in a variety of flavors — like buttery, cheesy, or garlicky — so the addition could contribute to the taste of the sauce.

Though there are plenty of instant gravy recipes in the world, some think they don't come close to KFC's recipe. On X, formerly known as Twitter, one user even asked, "Is drinking your leftover kfc gravy normal?" Another tweet claims "That KFC gravy is worth its weight in gold."

The gravy can be used to top off a plethora of dishes, but it pairs especially well with mashed potatoes. To mimic the taste and feel of KFC's side dish, you'll want to make sure your spuds are mashed until smooth and creamy — no skins or lumps left in the mix. For texture and taste, milk, butter, and a little salt can be added in. Just be sure to leave them relatively simplistic so that the gravy flavors are allowed to shine.

If you aren't feeling up to making your own, KFC does sell the gravy a la carte, so you could purchase a few portions to serve. But if you're cooking for a crowd, it'll probably save you some money to whip up a batch of your own. If you want to try to replicate the taste of KFC's gravy, try adding both chicken and beef stock to the mix, then thicken the sauce up with some potato flakes.

Static Media owns and operates Daily Meal and Mashed.