The Best Gravy Bowls for Your Holiday Table, According to Experts

With its wide handle, pointed spout and graceful shape this stoneware boat should appeal to just about everyone. It has a capacity of 16 ounces (2-cups) and is available in go-with-everything white plus 5 other colors. To heat up gravy, you can pop it in the microwave. Not only is it dishwasher safe, it has few crevices to catch drips so will be fairly easy to hand clean if your machine is packed to the gills.

This classic white porcelain gravy bowl looks good with any décor from farmhouse casual to super fancy. While it’s on the small side, holding only a little more than a cup of gravy, it’s so inexpensive you can equip yourself with a duo and place one on either end of the table. As you would hope, you can place it in both the microwave and the dishwasher.

With its decorative bands of gold, or platinum if you prefer, this bone China server is incredibly elegant, making it worth the splurge if you like to set a formal table. A matching tray is included to prevent the boat from leaving messy footprints on your linen. Its capacity of almost 3 cups makes it one of the largest gravy boats you can buy. In spite of its metal trim, it can be safely cleaned in the dishwasher but you can’t zap it in the microwave to reheat gravy mid-meal.

The Aspen gravy boat is made of white porcelain but isn’t ornate so it coordinates well with any aesthetic. It comes with a matching saucer to catch drips and dribbles. As it holds 2 ½ cups, it should make it around the table once before you have to fill it with more gravy. When it’s time to replenish, you can zap it in the microwave.

Think white is boring? This sturdy gravy boat from an iconic American brand comes in 13 glossy colors including brights and pastels, and yes, if you must, white. You can load it with over 2 cups of gravy but don’t keep it stashed away in between the holidays. Use it on weekends for pancake syrup, after dinner for hot fudge sauce, or at a party for whipped cream. It’s as practical as it looks---you can pop it in both the microwave and the dishwasher.

This cute little pumpkin will be a great accent piece for your Thanksgiving tablescape, but we suggest finding ways to use it throughout the fall. Caramel sauce on bread pudding? Custard on baked apples? Hollandaise on asparagus? Thanks to the lid, it holds in heat once you bring it to the table. It has a capacity just shy of 2 cups and is microwave and dishwasher safe. In addition to orange, it’s offered in white or olive green.

Soft matte shades are all the rage. Noritake offers this stoneware gravy server in 11 nonglossy hues, including neutrals like sand and slate and richer colors like raspberry and chocolate. Nice and deep and 2 ½ cups in capacity, it holds in heat so gravy stays hot at the table.

If you’re lucky enough to have dinnerware lovingly passed down from previous generations, this gravy boat is a beautiful accompaniment piece. With its etching below the rim and floral design it looks like a family heirloom but the jaunty angle of the handle keeps it from seeming fussy. It holds just one cup so if it’s the only gravy server at a dinner for more than 4, it will need to be refilled. We think it would also be pretty filled with raspberry sauce or marmalade.

The Spode turkey-shaped gravy boat does double duty: It’s a seasonal decoration as well as a serving piece. Along with it you get a ladle for doling out gravy rather than pouring it and it has a lid to help hold in heat. Constructed of a material called dolomite, a form of limestone, and heavily decorated, it can’t be heated in the microwave or cleaned in the dishwasher.

No cold, congealed gravy with the Norpro. This white porcelain boat sits on a matching stand under which you can light a tea candle (one is included). Go ahead and put the gravy on the table before everyone sits down without worrying it will get gloppy. It’s a generous 2 cups in capacity and is both microwave and dishwasher safe.

This gravy boat holds 3 cups so gravy lovers can blanket their turkey, dressing and spuds without worrying about leaving enough for their tablemates. As it’s white, it blends into any décor but it is a little clunkier than some of our other picks. However, if you’re hosting a crowd, the large capacity may win over elegance.

Hate jumping up to refill and reheat the gravy throughout the meal? Treat yourself to the Rorence Gravy Jug. While admittedly it’s not the prettiest server you can buy, you may find its pros outweigh its cons. It’s built like a thermos with double wall stainless steel insulation and holds a whopping 4 cups so you can seated, enjoy your turkey and join in the conversation. You’ll find yourself reaching for this jug throughout the year to keep cream, milk, coffee or cocoa hot on the table. Keep in mind that to maintain its insulating properties, you’ll have to handwash the Rorence.

With its rippled texture, this little pitcher looks like hand thrown pottery and is a great pick if your style leans casual. It comes with a ladle which gives more control over the amount of gravy dolloped on and is less likely to drip. It’s big enough to hold a pint of gravy on feast days but don’t save it for special occasions; press it into action as a creamer or sauce boat any day.

Nothing dresses up a table like silver. While this gravy boat is actually stainless steel plated with nickel, it has a shiny finish and a traditional design that complement a formal table. It’s a lot more reasonably priced than sterling, but like silver, it needs to be hand washed and polished occasionally. It doesn’t hold much more than a cup of gravy and can’t be zapped in the microwave, so if you’re hosting a big crowd, you’ll have to reheat the gravy in another container and refill the boat.

Technically this is a pancake syrup server but with a lid that’s angled to prevent drips and help hold in heat plus a generous 2-cup plus capacity, we think it’s a great gravy boat. Made of white ceramic, it complements all but the fanciest table.