Last Updated on September 14, 2024 by Shari Mason
**Au jus** is French for “with juice.” It’s a **savory sauce** usually paired with meat dishes like chicken, veal, and lamb. This **delicious gravy** comes from the natural juices released from the meat during cooking.
That being said, making au jus from scratch can be difficult. Here are the best store-bought au jus sauces that are so good that you’ll never guess they came off grocery shelves.
Top 10 Store-Bought Au Jus Brands You Need To Try
1. Lawry’s Au Jus Mix
Average Price: Around $2
Why We Love It: You can make a rich, beefy sauce in minutes with Lawry’s Au Jus Mix. It’s made with onions, molasses, and other natural beefy flavors similar to those at fine French restaurants.
The packaging states to add water, but we like preparing this with a splash of balsamic vinegar and sherry wine. This is an excellent sauce for French dip sandwiches or a bowl of hearty onion soup.
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2. Johnny’s French Dip Au Jus Concentrate
Average Price: Around $25
Why We Love It: Johnny’s French Dip Au Jus Concentrate boasts of being unlike other powdered brands — this is an actual sauce in a bottle, made with onion, garlic, red wine vinegar, and Worcestershire sauce.
This is one of the best au jus sauces to tenderize and marinate steaks with or as a flavoring agent for soups and stews. [1]
3. Knorr Au Jus Gravy Mix
Average Price: Around $2
Why We Love It: Knorr Au Jus Gravy Mix is a well-seasoned, juice-style gravy. It’s rich yet delicately flavored and pairs well with many dishes to add depth and warmth.
This traditional au jus will go exceptionally well with steak and mashed potatoes. This can be prepared in as little as five minutes by whisking it with some water on a stovetop.
4. Orrington Farms Au Jus Mix
Average Price: Around $25
Why We Love It: Orrington Farms Au Jus Mix allows you to achieve gravy perfection by adding two scoops in one cup of broth.
You can use it as is (because it’s nicely rich and beefy). But you can enhance its flavor further by adding a bit of oregano for sandwiches, a dash of wine for steaks, or sauteed mushrooms to level up mashed potatoes.
5. Trader Joe’s Au Jus
Average Price: Around $3
Why We Love It: As the name suggests, you can get Trader Joe’s Au Jus from Trader Joe’s. This meat essence is pre-seasoned with delicious spices to enhance its beefy flavor.
Grab a bottle at the nearest TJ’s near you if you think this will be a great match with this Friday’s roast pork dinner.
6. Chef’s Companion Au Jus Mix
Average Price: Around $50
Why We Love It: Whether you’re a seasoned chef or a simple cook at home, your pantry should never be without Chef’s Companion Au Jus Mix. This is the perfect blend of “made from scratch” comfort food, plus speedy preparation.
“I cook with wine, sometimes I even add it to the food.”
Gordon Ramsay, British Celebrity Chef
Each packet makes one gallon of au jus sauce to store for future use. It can be poured over steaks, served with stews, or used as a sauce for pasta noodles — the options are limitless!
7. Better Than Bouillon Au Jus Base
Average Price: Around $7
Why We Love It: If you’ve been creating au jus with beef bouillon, the Better Than Bouillon Au Jus Base lets you know that, well, it’s better than bouillon.
This brand is sold in Costco and most other grocery stores, so getting a hold of it won’t be difficult. [2]
Better Than Bouillon Au Jus Base is made with a blend of beef stock and red wine and can be a flavor enhancer to many dishes.
8. McCormick Au Jus Gravy Mix
Average Price: Around $2
Why We Love It: McCormick Au Jus Gravy Mix is made with McCormick’s famous herbs and spices, which gives it that rich, beefy, and delicious flavor.
This special seasoning mix is perfect for dipping, glazing, or pouring over your favorite steaks, sandwiches, soups, and stews.
Like other McCormick products, this is made with zero MSG and artificial flavors, so you can rest assured that you’re serving your family only the best.
9. Minor’s Au Jus Concentrate
Average Price: Around $25
Why We Love It: Minor’s Au Jus Concentrate is a staple to many kitchen pantries because of its authentic pan-dripping flavor.
Simply add a bit of water to this concentrate, mix well, and add to your favorite dishes! This is the perfect pair to French dip sandwiches, baste for roasting, or gravy to a gorgeous slab of steak.
10. Williams Sonoma Au Jus Mix
Average Price: Around $20
Why We Love It: Williams Sonoma has added an au jus mix to its premium sauces. This one is rich, beefy, and delicious, perfect for adding to steaks, sandwiches, and stews if you’re feeling more indulgent.
We love how this perfectly captures natural beef drippings flavor. You can definitely have it as is, but we like heating it on the stovetop and adding just a splash of wine or balsamic to give it more punch.
FAQs
u003cstrongu003eWhat’s the best store-bought au jus for prime rib?u003c/strongu003e
Lawry’s Au Jus Mix is the best store-bought au jus for prime rib. We like how it’s just the right blend of richness and beefiness, adding tremendous depth to prime rib (whether used as a baste or dipping sauce).
u003cstrongu003eIs there a difference between au jus and au jus gravy?u003c/strongu003e
Au jus is a light sauce made with the drippings from cooked meat and simmered until it reaches the appropriate thickness and consistency. u003cbru003eu003cbru003eOn the other hand, au jus gravy is made from the same drippings, but it is thickened using a roux (a mixture of flour and butter).
u003cstrongu003eCan I use a brown gravy packet instead of au jus?u003c/strongu003e
Yes, you can use a brown gravy packet instead of au jus. However, it will differ slightly in taste (as brown gravy mix often includes dairy and flour), but it will be just as amazing.
u003cstrongu003eWhat can you substitute for au jus sauce?u003c/strongu003e
You can substitute au jus sauce with bouillon cubes sauce, brown gravy mix, beef stock powder sauce, beef broth, or onion mix soup.
u003cstrongu003eIs beef broth the same as au jus?u003c/strongu003e
No, beef broth is not the same as au jus. Beef broth is made with the liquid you boil beef bones and meat scraps in. On the other hand, au jus is made with the drippings of cooked meat.
Final Say
Au jus is one of the best things from the French. It’s meaty, rich, and delicious and pairs well with anything you add to, whether potatoes, French dip sandwiches, or a thick slab of steak.
Our personal favorite store-bought au jus is Lawry’s Au Jus Mix because it’s nice and meaty on its own. However, it’s also highly versatile and can withstand a bit of sherry or balsamic to make its flavors pop even more.
Do you agree with our list? Is your favorite store-bought au jus on this list? Let us know your thoughts by sounding off below.
References:
- https://www.allrecipes.com/article/how-to-marinate-meat/
- https://www.seriouseats.com/bouillon-cube-history#
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