How to Make Gluten Free Gravy • Recipe + Tips • Eat or Drink (2024)

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This post is designed to teach you How to Make Gluten Free Gravy. You’ll learn how to make gluten free gravy using my fool-proof technique. Learn how to season your gluten free gravy properly no matter what type of broth you are making it out of. My gravy is gluten free, dairy free, soy free, egg free, corn free, and peanut free. It can be made vegan if you use vegetable broth.

With Thanksgiving sneaking up on us, I see so many people new to the gluten free diet wondering how to make gluten free gravy. The good news is that making gluten free gravy is not that different from making regular gravy. So while this recipe is not mind-blowing, it’s important to know which replacement ingredients work best. I’ll also share some fool-proof techniques that result in a gravy that’s never clumpy.

If you want dairy free mashed potatoes to go along with your gravy, click here to learn How to Make Dairy Free Mashed Potatoes.

How to Make Gluten Free Gravy • Recipe + Tips • Eat or Drink (1)

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How to Make Gluten Free Gravy

Gluten free gravy is not all that different from the regular gravy. The only major difference is your thickening agent. It’s also important that you incorporate your flour properly so that it does not clump up.

Create a Slurry

The easiest way to thicken any gravy is to make a slurry. A slurry is simply a mixture of your flour and liquid. You can use water as your liquid or use some of your broth. I prefer using broth because it helps keep the gravy flavorful. Creating a slurry is a fool-proof technique to ensure your gravy thickens properly. The last thing you want in your gravy is clumps of flour. By creating a slurry you remove the risk of your gravy clumping up.

How to Make Gluten Free Gravy • Recipe + Tips • Eat or Drink (2)

Choosing a Flour

My favorite flour to use in gluten free gravy is brown rice flour. Brown rice flour acts very similar to regular gluten-full flour in gravy. It dissolves well and does not add any weird flavor. It is such a common gluten free flour that you can easily find it at any store or you might already have some on hand. In the past, I have tried using starches like tapioca starch or potato starch, but unfortunately, those get a bit too gooey in gravy. You also want to avoid some of the grain free flours like almond or coconut because they have a strong taste and a distinct texture.

When to Season Your Gluten Free Gravy

These tips are not exclusive to learning how to make gluten free gravy. No matter what type of gravy you are making, it’s important to know how to properly season it. A little extra seasoning is especially important for vegan gravy made from vegetable broth.

What to add to gravy made from store-bought broth – Great for Vegan Gravy

These are just some suggestions on ways to season gravy made from store-bought broth. You may not want to use all of them at once. If you are using store-bought broth see the recipe card for an example on how to add seasonings.

  • Salt + Pepper to taste
  • Poultry Seasoning
  • Smoked Paprika
  • Garlic Powder
  • Onion Powder
  • Rosemary
  • Liquid Smoke – not necessary but does help add a rich flavor that store-bought broth is lacking
  • Dark Brown Sugar – a very small amount of dark brown sugar helps round out the flavors
  • Dairy Free Butter

What to add to gravy made from turkey pan drippings:

If you are using the pan-drippings and juice from a cooked meat like Turkey on Thanksgiving, you will not need to add a lot of seasoning. Below are the only things I suggest adding to help season your gravy.

  • If there is not enough liquid from the turkey you may need to add some broth
  • Salt + Pepper to taste

How to Make Gluten Free Gravy • Recipe + Tips • Eat or Drink (3)

Troubleshooting Tips

Hopefully, you don’t run into errors when making your gravy. But if you do goof up somewhere along the way it’s not the end of the world. Here are some troubleshooting tips to help you when you are in a pinch.

Too Thick

If your gravy gets too thick don’t panic! This can happen very easily from overcooking your gravy or adding too much flour. If your gravy is too thick just slowly whisk in more broth while your gravy is simmering. Once your gravy reaches the consistency you want to turn it off and remove it from the heat. The longer it cooks the more the liquid will evaporate so be sure to remove it from the heat when it is at your desired consistency.

Too Thin

Maybe you had more broth than you realized and your gravy isn’t getting thick. Don’t worry too much. Just make more slurry and SLOWLY add it in. Start with a little bit, mix well, and simmer for a few minutes. If it’s still thin repeat.

Too Much Seasoning

If you added too much seasoning you might just have to add more broth and slurry to expand the amount of gravy. This will dilute the seasoning you added.

Clumpy

If your gravy gets clumpy first try adding a bit more broth and whisking vigorously. If the clumps still don’t go away you can try running your gravy through a fine mesh strainer. This should help you remove the clumps.

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How to Make Gluten Free Gravy • Recipe + Tips • Eat or Drink (4)

5 from 7 votes

Gluten Free Gravy

Learn how to make simple gluten free gravy with this simple recipe. Perfect gravy for mashed potatoes. You'll love this gluten free gravy on Thanksgiving or Christmas. It's dairy free, corn free, and can be made vegan with vegetable broth.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Cook Time7 minutes mins

Total Time12 minutes mins

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Keyword: corn free, dairy free, gluten free, gravy, holiday, thanksgiving, vegan

Servings: 3 Servings

Calories: 70kcal

Author: Emily Meyer | Eat or Drink

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Ingredients

Gravy Base

  • 1 1/2 cup store-bought broth or cooking liquid and drippings from meat like turkey

Slurry

  • 1/2 cup broth or water
  • 3 tablespoons brown rice flour
  • 1/2 teaspoon salt - more or less to taste
  • 1/2 teaspoon pepper - more or less to taste

Other optional seasonings - see note in blog post about seasoning your gravy

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Add broth or pan drippings and juice to a small pot and bring to a boil.

  • While your liquid is coming to a boil, make your slurry. To make your slurry add broth or water to a small bowl and add in your brown rice flour. Whisk very well to combine. If you leave the bowl sitting long before adding to your pot, you may need to whisk again because separation can occur.

  • Slowly add your slurry to your boiling broth while whisking. Quickly reduce to a simmer and cook for about 7 minutes. During this time you can add any seasonings you would like to add. If your gravy starts to get too thick for your liking remove from heat and serve. If you run into any issues with gravy consistency see troubleshooting tips in the blog post.

Video

Notes

Read the blog post for tips on seasoning. If you run into any issues with texture see troubleshooting tips in the blog post.

Please be aware: I am not a nutritionist. The nutrition facts provided are not always 100% accurate and are calculated using general brands and figures. If you need exact nutrition facts please consult a certified dietician or nutritionist.

Nutrition

Calories: 70kcal | Carbohydrates: 9g | Protein: 1g | Fat: 3g | Sodium: 843mg | Potassium: 122mg | Vitamin A: 80IU | Vitamin C: 8.3mg | Calcium: 7mg | Iron: 0.4mg

How to Make Gluten Free Gravy • Recipe + Tips • Eat or Drink (2024)

FAQs

What is the best thickener for gluten-free gravy? ›

Cornstarch is probably the most readily available ingredient to sub in for flour in your gluten-free gravy—and you probably already have it in your pantry. The only catch is you'll skip the roux-making process. Once you've deglazed your roasting pan and added stock, transfer about 1 cup stock mixture to a medium bowl.

What is the secret to good gravy? ›

Here are my principles for making great gravy without fear:
  • Make it ahead. This is the most important one. ...
  • Make a really good homemade turkey stock first. Don't skimp on this crucial first step. ...
  • Reinforce the stock's flavor. ...
  • Simmer, simmer, simmer. ...
  • Strain and cool. ...
  • Reduce. ...
  • Hot liquids only.
Nov 5, 2021

Can gluten-free people eat gravy? ›

Around this time of the year, my inbox fills with emails asking, "Elizabeth, how do I make gravy?" Thankfully, gluten-free gravy is really easy to make. As with wheat-based gravy, I like to thicken my gravy with a roux (a cooked combination of fat and sweet rice flour) rather than a gluten-free starch, like cornstarch.

What is the formula for gravy? ›

A traditional roux uses roughly an equal amount of flour and fat, but gravies often call for a bit more flour than that, to ensure the gravy is thick enough. (The classic ratio for gravy is three:two:one, so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.)

What gluten free flour is best for making gravy? ›

Both Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1, (the blue bag) and Cup4Cup make a great gluten-free gravy. I have tried this recipe with a few other flours and haven't been impressed. So if you can't find either of these 2 brands, I do recommend using sweet white rice flour which comes from short-grain white rice.

Which is better to thicken gravy cornstarch or flour? ›

What's the difference between using cornstarch or flour to make your gravy? Cornstarch does have more thickening power than wheat flour (because it's pure starch, while flour has some protein in it). So usually you need a little less cornstarch than flour for the equivalent thickening power.

What can you add to homemade gravy to make it taste better? ›

Bonus: Seasoning for Tasty Gravy

I only season my homemade gravy with salt and pepper, and it's delicious! If you want to add more spices, avoid anything with large pieces (such as dried rosemary) to keep gravy smooth. Thyme, onion powder, garlic powder, parsley, paprika, and oregano all taste great.

What can I add to gravy to make it tastier? ›

If you are reaching for a jar or carton of turkey gravy at the store, here are seven easy ways to give it a boost.
  1. Add in some white wine. ...
  2. Thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. ...
  3. Stir in pan drippings. ...
  4. Simmer with fresh herbs. ...
  5. Add an umami-rich condiment. ...
  6. Sauté some vegetables. ...
  7. Add roasted garlic.

Do you use hot or cold water for gravy? ›

It used to be said that the broth must be cold or the gravy will turn out lumpy. We made three gravies, one with gently simmering broth, one with room-temperature broth, and one with cold broth. Adding the warm broth shaved a few minutes off the cooking time, but there was no discernible difference in quality.

What to avoid when cooking gluten-free? ›

Grains not allowed
  • Wheat.
  • Barley.
  • Rye.
  • Triticale — a cross between wheat and rye.
  • Oats, in some cases.

What does gluten-free gravy taste like? ›

You may have already discovered your favourite one - mine is the knorr classic gluten free gravy (I picked it up at Tesco Extra). I like the neutral flavour and texture of this one, and when added to meat stock and vegetable water it makes a very tasty gravy.

What is gluten-free gravy made of? ›

Gluten-free plain flour or cornflour: This is simply to thicken the sauce so either works fine. Gluten-free stock: I make mine from 500ml of boiling water and 1x gluten-free stock cube. Any flavour works, be it beef, chicken, ham, turkey or veggie/vegan stock cubes.

What is it called when you mix flour and water for gravy? ›

You cannot make gravy with just water and flour. What you will get is a slurry, not gravy. To make gravy you mix equal parts of oil (or butter) and flour. Whisk them together until you have a smooth roux. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes.

How much cornstarch per cup of liquid for gravy? ›

If you're cooking hot liquids like sauces, stock or broth, 1 tablespoon of corn starch per cup of liquid will give you a thin to medium consistency that's appropriate for soups or very thin sauces. 2 tablespoons per cup will give you a thicker, more gravy-like consistency.

Can you use Bob's Red Mill gluten-free flour to thicken gravy? ›

Our Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour makes wonderful gravy your family will love.

What do chefs use to thicken gravy? ›

Thicken Gravy with a Roux

To make your roux, use an equal amount of flour and fat, like butter or oil, and follow these steps: Melt the butter or heat the oil in a skillet or saucepan on medium heat. Add the flour and whisk into the fat until all lumps are gone.

What do restaurants use to thicken gravy? ›

Onion paste, cashew paste, cream, butter, melon seed paste, cornflour slurry and roux (equal parts of cooked flour and butter) are some of the commercially used thickening agents.

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