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The best onion gravy for Christmas 2021
What's a Christmas dinner without a generous slathering of rich gravy? We tested 11 onion gravies to find the best f0r Christmas 2021.
You've got the Christmas turkey, roast potatoes and the all-important pigs in blankets sorted, but there's nothing that can break or make the festive feast quite like a generous helping of gravy.
Here at the Good Housekeeping Institute, we like our onion gravy full of rich, homemade flavour – even if we do feel like cutting corners with a shop-bought option. And if you fancy a change from the classic turkey, these gravies will pair well with everything from beef wellington to vegan alternatives.
How we test
Our expert panel tasted 11 gravies from the leading supermarkets to find the perfect addition to our Christmas meal (and Boxing Day sandwiches!). Here are our top picks for 2021.
BEST GRAVY: M&S Onion Gravy
Overall Score: 81/100
With slices of softened onions in a rich, glossy sauce, this gravy has a heartily comforting, beefy aroma. Testers enjoyed the well-rounded balance of flavours from the rich, salty beef stock and the sweetness from the onions.
BUY NOW Ocado, £2 for 350g
RUNNER-UP: Aah! Bisto Onion Gravy Granules
Overall Score: 77/100
This gravy has a smooth, thin consistency and a sweet, sharp aroma from the onions. Some testers would have liked more of a savoury depth to the aroma but enjoyed the balanced onion flavour, which has a slightly pickled quality.
BUY NOW Ocado, £1.50 for 170g
Aldi Onion Quixo
Overall Score: 74/100
A thick gravy with small pieces of dried onion that some of our panel found rather chewy. Testers enjoyed the meaty aroma and the overall richness of this gravy but some found the punchy beef flavour overpowering and would have liked a stronger onion taste.
AVAILABLE IN STORE ONLY Aldi, 89p for 300g
Sainsbury's Onion Gravy
Overall Score: 74/100
With a generous helping of large onion pieces, this gravy has a thick consistency and a slight oiliness. Rich in aroma with aromatic thyme notes that reminded some testers of French onion soup, the sweet roasted onion flavour pleased our panel, although some found the thyme flavour a little strong.
BUY NOW Sainsbury’s, £1.60 for 300g
Knorr Onion Gravy Pot
Overall Score: 73/100
Pale in colour, with a lovely smooth, light consistency, most testers agreed this gravy had a deeply rich onion aroma. It has a slight chicken flavour with a gentle sweetness, but the zingy saltiness was divisive, with some testers finding it overpowering.
BUY NOW Sainsbury’s, £1.80 for 4, 28g pots
Waitrose & Partners Onion Gravy
Overall Score: 72/100
Big, thickly cut chunks of onions in a very thin and watery looking liquid. Pleasantly distinct onion aroma with a fresh ale quality to it. Testers liked the sweet onion flavour but wished for a deeper, punchier onion flavour.
BUY NOW Waitrose & Partners, £2.99 for 450g
Tesco Finest Onion Gravy
Overall Score: 69/100,
A thick, deep brown gravy with large thin slices of onion and small flecks of thyme. The aroma has a savoury, earthy mushroom note with a gentle hint of sweet onion. The flavour is rich, smooth and simple with a subtle, savoury umami mushroom note and a peppery warmth on the finish. Some testers found the peppery bite on the finish a little too strong alongside a metallic note which was slightly off putting.
BUY NOW Tesco, £2.10 for 500g
Morrisons The Butcher's Onion Gravy
Overall Score: 68/100
This chunky gravy contains assorted sizes of soft onion and slivers of garlic. The aroma is savoury with an earthy mushroom, almost meaty note, sweet caramelised onion and a madeira-style sweetness. The flavour contains more of the same with plenty of soft, sweet onion and garlic, a herby freshness and a peppery spice that lingers on the finish. Some testers found this a little simple and one dimensional.
BUY NOW Morrisons, £1.25 for 300g
ASDA Onion Gravy Granules
Overall Score: 68/100
Small pieces of dried onion in a deep, dark and thick brown gravy. There is a very savoury and meaty aroma, with testers wishing for a more intense onion aroma. We liked the good salty hit and hearty flavour but struggled to distinguish any real onion flavour and found it a bit lumpy in texture.
BUY NOW ASDA, 71p for 200g
Aah! Bisto Best Onion Gravy
Overall Score: 54/100
Thick with a glossy appearance and gently fragrant with onions but with an underlying vegetal aroma. Testers disliked this gravy and commented on its flat, watered down flavour but found it was seasoned quite nicely.
BUY NOW Sainsbury's, £2.90 for 250g
The Bay Tree Onion Gravy
Overall Score: 46/100
Chunky pieces of onion in a thickly set gravy. The aroma is tart and has a strong pickled onion quality to it. Some testers enjoyed the sweetness and acidic tang but almost all agreed this didn’t taste at all of a balanced onion gravy. Far too sweet, tangy and overpoweringly acidic from the vinegars. We also thought it was too thick and chunky to be considered a gravy.
BUY NOW The Bay Tree, £3.15 for 350g
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