Yes, you can be gluten free and have luscious, savory gravy too! Whip up a batch of this simple gravy using just a few ingredients to liven up any ordinary dinner. This gluten free and easily made dairy free recipe can be made in minutes either with or without pan drippings.
I’m not sure how many tasting spoons-worth of Gluten Free Gravy pushes a person into “spoon-drinking gravy” territory, but the limits are stretched each time I make this super simple recipe that livens up any ho-hum dinner.
What can I say — savory, peppery gluten free gravy made from a handful of everyday ingredients is just as good draped over roast chicken, as it is straight eaten from the pot.
Easy Gluten Free Gravy
My gluten free gravy recipe is a mixture of everyday ingredients that combine to create a luscious, glossy sauce that can be spooned over baked or roasted chicken, turkey, mashed potatoes (or eaten by the spoonful…it truly is the most flavorful gravy!)
Gluten free gravy can be made from scratch in less than 10 minutes using fridge and pantry staples, or you can make it using pan drippings from a roast chicken, turkey drippings, or juices from a beef pot roast. I’ll share both methods below.
If you’ve ever been personally victimized by a gloopy jar of gravy, or overly-salty gravy seasoning packet, come to the homemade side. There’s nothing like it!
Ingredients Needed
- Gluten free flour: use whatever gluten-free flour blend you normally cook and bake with — I always have Bob’s Red Mill Gluten Free 1-to-1 Baking Flour on hand.
- Stock or broth: use chicken stock or chicken broth if making the gravy to pair with poultry, or beef stock or beef broth for a beef dish.
- Fat: use butter, or plant-based butter to make this gravy dairy-free, or fat leftover in the pan from making a roast.
- Gluten free Tamari: deepens the color of the gravy, and lends a satisfying, savory flavor.
- Poultry seasoning: is a mixture of ground dried sage, thyme, rosemary, and marjoram. Just a small pinch pumps up the cozy flavor! Only add this if you’re making gravy with chicken stock or broth.
- Salt and pepper: ‘nuf said.
Why is my Gluten Free Gravy Watery?
Most gluten free flour blends are made with a variety of flours and starches including cornstarch, potato starch, and/or tapioca starch.
- What’s GOOD about these particular starches is that they thicken sauces like gravy very quickly — even faster than all-purpose wheat flour.
- The PROBLEM with these thickeners is that if they’re heated for too long, they lose their thickening power and your gravy will become watery.
Which leads me to…
My #1 Tip for Making Perfect Gluten Free Gravy
Don’t overcook your gravy!
Cook the fat and gluten free flour blend together for 1 minute before whisking in the stock or broth. The gravy should thicken to the proper consistency after cooking for another 1 to 2 minutes. Season then serve — that’s it!
What’s funny is that the main reason why gluten free gravy is so quick to make is because it’s gluten free.
Hey, I knew being gluten free would eventually pay off… 😉
How to Fix Watery Gravy
Oops! Watery gravy happens — luckily it’s easy to fix.
- Create a cornstarch slurry: stir together 1 Tablespoon cornstarch with 1-1/2 Tablespoons cold water in a small dish until its completely smooth.
- Drizzle into the gravy: drizzle the cornstarch slurry into the hot gravy over medium heat while whisking — you may not need all of the slurry. Cook for a minute or two or until your desired gravy texture is reached.
2 More Tips for Making Gluten Free Gravy
Keep these two additional tips in mind when cooking gluten free gravy to ensure you achieve a perfectly creamy and savory sauce.
- Season at the end. This is especially important when making gravy with pan drippings and juices from a roast. For example, I heavily salt my roast chickens, so the pan drippings are always well seasoned and I rarely need to add extra salt to the gravy at the end.
- Keep whisking. This isn’t a dish you’ll want to walk away from while it’s cooking. Keep whisking from start to finish — again, it only takes a few minutes.
Alrighty — let’s do this!
How to Make Gluten Free Gravy from Scratch
Use this method for making gluten free gravy if you aren’t cooking a roast and using the pan drippings to make gravy — rather, you’re making the gravy from scratch.
Step 1: Start by melting butter, or plant-based butter, in a saucepan over medium heat.
Step 2: Sprinkle in the same amount of gluten free flour then cook while whisking for 1 minute. This is your roux.
Recipe Tip
Do not overcook the roux or your gravy will be watery! Really all we need to do is to cook off the flavor of raw flour.
Step 3: Slowly stream in stock or broth while whisking constantly to avoid lumps.
Turn the heat up slightly then whisk until the gravy has thickened, 1-2 minutes. Turn off the heat then add a drizzle of gluten free Tamari for color and saltiness, a pinch of poultry seasoning for depth of flavor, plus plenty of black pepper. Taste then add salt if needed.
That’s it! Serve immediately or place a lid on top to keep warm. Mmm — I’m telling you — so luscious and delicious!
How to Make Gluten Free Gravy using Pan Drippings
Use this method for making gluten free gravy if you have a roast you’ve cooked either in a cast iron skillet or roasting pan. These photos demonstrate making gravy with pan drippings from a roast chicken, but the technique is the same for a roast turkey, or beef pot roast.
Step 1: Let the chicken rest in the pan for 10 minutes — this allows time for the juices to naturally seep out of the meat, and the pan to come to a safe temperature to start handling.
After 10 minutes, lift the chicken using tongs to let any juices drip off then transfer the chicken to a cutting board to let it rest (the cook has to also immediately eat both wings — it’s the law).
Step 2: Turn the heat under the skillet (or roasting pan — ensure it’s stovetop-safe) to medium-high then add 1 cup chicken stock or broth.
Use a metal spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up the browned bits from the bottom of the pan. The stock does not need to come to a simmer or boil — a little bit of heat just helps loosen up the bits.
Step 3: Pour the pan juices through a fine mesh sieve into a glass measuring bowl then use a turkey baster or injector to remove the fat from the top.
If you have a fat separator — even better! You’ll still want to make sure to pour the pan drippings through a fine mesh sieve to catch any big or burnt bits.
Step 4: Follow the same instructions as making gluten free gravy from scratch.
Add the fat to the skillet over medium heat then add the same amount of gluten free flour and whisk while cooking for 1 minute. Slowly stream in the liquid (add store-bought stock or broth if you don’t have enough from the drippings) while whisking constantly to create a smooth sauce then cook until thickened and creamy, 1-2 minutes.
Taste then season with and pepper. Note: I typically do NOT add Tamari, poultry seasoning, nor salt when making gravy from pan drippings since they are already so well seasoned.
Recipe Tip
If you roasted the chicken in a skillet, you can use the same skillet to make the gravy. If you used a traditional roasting pan, use a clean saucepan for making the gravy.
Can I Freeze Gluten Free Gravy?
I do not recommend freezing gluten free gravy for the same reason it’s important to not overcook the gravy in the first place — the starches that don’t hold up well to overcooking also don’t hold up to freezing. The gluten free gravy becomes watery once thawed.
Luckily, as you can see, whipping up a fresh batch of gluten free gravy couldn’t be simpler (nor, as you’re about to find out, more delicious)!
Enjoy each and every luscious spoonful!
Making Gluten Free Gravy for Thanksgiving? Serve it with…
- 1/4 cup butter OR fat from pan drippings
- 1/4 cup gluten free flour
- 2 cups stock or broth, see notes
- drizzle gluten free Tamari, optional, see notes
- pinch poultry seasoning, optional, see notes
- salt and black pepper
Prevent your screen from going dark
To Make Gluten Free Gravy from Scratch:
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Add butter to a medium-size saucepan over medium heat. Once the butter has melted, sprinkle in the gluten free flour then whisk to combine. Cook while whisking for 1 minute.
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Slowly drizzle in the stock or broth while whisking to create a smooth sauce. Turn the heat up slightly then continue to cook while whisking until the gravy has thickened, 1-2 minutes.
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Turn off the heat then add a drizzle of gluten free Tamari, a pinch of poultry seasoning, and black pepper. Stir to combine then taste and add salt if needed. Serve gravy immediately or place a lid on top of the pan to keep warm.
To Make Gluten Free Gravy Using Pan Drippings:
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Let the roasting pan or skillet rest for 10 minutes to allow the natural juices from the roast to seep out, and the pan to cool down slightly. Lift up the roast using tongs to allow any excess liquid to drip off, then transfer to a cutting board to continue to rest.
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Turn the heat under the skillet or roasting pan (ensure it’s stovetop safe) to medium-high then add 1 cup stock or broth. Use a metal spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all the browned bits from the bottom of the pan.
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Pour all the liquid through a fine mesh sieve into a fat separator or glass measuring cup. Measure out 1/4 cup fat using the fat separator, or use a turkey baster or meat injector to remove 1/4 cup fat from the drippings in the glass cup. Add melted butter if needed to equal 1/4 cup fat if you don’t have enough.
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Heat the skillet over medium heat (use a new, clean saucepan if you used a roasting pan to cook your meat) then add the fat. Once hot, add the gluten free flour then whisk to combine. Cook while whisking for 1 minute.
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Slowly drizzle in the stock or broth (add store-bought stock or broth if you don’t have 2 cups of the pan drippings) while whisking to create a smooth sauce. Turn the heat up slightly then continue to cook while whisking until the gravy has thickened, 1-2 minutes.
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Turn off the heat then season with black pepper. Stir to combine then taste and add salt if needed. Use gravy immediately or place a lid on top of the pan to keep warm.
- Use plant-based butter to make this gluten free gravy also dairy-free.
- Use chicken stock or broth if serving the gravy with poultry dishes, and beef stock or broth if serving with beef-based dishes.
- I don’t typically add Tamari, poultry seasoning, nor salt if I’m making the gravy using pan drippings — they’re usually well seasoned enough.
- I do not add poultry seasoning to the gravy if making beef gravy.
Serving: 0.33cup, Calories: 214kcal, Carbohydrates: 10g, Protein: 3g, Fat: 19g, Saturated Fat: 12g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 5g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 53mg, Sodium: 843mg, Potassium: 39mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 1g, Vitamin A: 571IU, Calcium: 21mg, Iron: 1mg
Nutritional values are estimates only. Please read our full nutrition information disclaimer.
Photos by Ashley McLaughlin
