Honey Is Your Secret Ingredient For Thick Gravy With A Touch Of Sweetness

A staple on every holiday table and a classic for pouring over steaming piles of mashed potatoes, a hearty gravy can never go amiss. It can add moisture to dry meals, enhance the flavor of your food, and serve as the perfect finishing touch to your dinner.

Now, while any gravy is bound to be a tasty addition to your dinner table, there's one simple trick to making a perfect gravy you might want to consider — adding a bit of honey. Honey gives your gravy a slightly sweet taste, which perfectly offsets the sauce's usual saltiness. At the same time, because salt is a flavor enhancer, the presence of this in your gravy helps amplify the sweet honey taste even more. The flavors also meld together in your mouth, leading to a drool-worthy gravy that will take your meal to the max.

That said, there are a couple of considerations to remember when adding honey to your gravy. Plus, there are some other mix-ins that you could use to complement your gravy and create the perfect flavor combo.

The first thing you'll want to think about when trying this trick is what style of gravy you're making. There's Southern white gravy, for instance, which is a creamy gravy with a slightly spicy hint thanks to its pepper. Or, you could add honey to a rich brown gravy with dark, salty flavors. There's also fatty turkey gravy for pouring over holiday meals. Although honey can work well in all of them, it can yield slightly different results for each. Think about whether you want something light, something dark and salty, or something that's rich and decadent as you select which one to use.

The next thing to consider is the type of honey to add to your gravy. Different types of honey have distinct flavors based on the flowers and plants the bees foraged from when making it. Some of these flavors may also come through when you add honey to your gravy. Clover honey is a common variety with a mild, sweet taste, whereas sage honey brings an herbaceous vibe. As you choose a type, consider what will complement your sauce and the meal you're using it for.

Besides honey, you can add several other unexpected ingredients to gravy to boost its flavor and create a delicious topping for your meals. One such mix-in is tossing in a bit of whiskey (or playing around with other types of booze). The whiskey adds subtle tasting notes to your sauce, making it more dynamic.

Another mix-in to try is maple syrup. Similar to the addition of honey, this can give depth to your sauce and add a subtle sweetness to it. Plus, you'll get notes of maple in there, bringing out an autumnal flavor that works well around the holidays. Better yet, you can combine it with the whiskey as well for an even more ramped-up taste.

Going off the holiday theme, you can also take your gravy to the next level by adding cranberry sauce. This ingredient helps give you a thick sauce while adding sweet and sour notes. It's the perfect addition to your holiday spread for enjoying seasonal flavors. So, next time you make this sauce to pour over your mashed potatoes, try one of these twists and prepare to be wowed!