No Fail Gluten Free Gravy Recipe (easy & dairy free) (2024)

FAQs

What is the best gluten-free flour to use for gravy? ›

Sweet rice flour is my go-to flour for making gluten-free gravy. It contains a slightly higher starch content than other gluten-free flours, making it silky and smooth. Even more, because this flour is gluten-free, it doesn't clump as easily as wheat flour. No more lumpy gravy on Thanksgiving!

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

The ratio is an easy one to remember: Use 1 tablespoon of cornstarch per 1 cup of liquid for a perfect gluten-free gravy thickener every time.

Similar to flour, cornstarch is another ingredient that can be used to make gravy thicker. With cornstarch, making a slurry is also an option, but with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked into cold water. Again, you'll want to add the slurry in increments so you don't over-thicken the gravy.

Tapioca flour: ideal as thickener or for healthy baking.

Gluten-free flours often contain fine starches, so they absorb more liquid than conventional flour. To address this, gluten-free recipes usually call for more liquid and produce looser batters. They may also call for a larger quantity of leavening, like baking powder, to help add volume and lighten the texture.

Your gravy might taste doughy or chalky if you didn't cook the flour enough when making your roux. You'll want to cook the flour for at least five minutes, until it smells nutty and begins to turn light brown. But if you don't notice until it's too late and you've already added your broth, bring the gravy to a simmer.

Add an umami-rich condiment.

Just as you might add condiments like soy sauce, miso paste, Worcestershire sauce, or even a splash of sherry or cider vinegar to your favorite gravy recipe, incorporate them into store-bought gravy for a more complex flavor.

Roux is commonly made with flour, but you can also sub in cornstarch or arrowroot powder. Mix the cornstarch or arrowroot powder with water to form a slurry before adding it to the pan and cooking it with the fat.

Sweet rice flour, ground from glutinous rice, makes a velvety gluten-free roux and nicely replaces wheat flour measure for measure. Classically roux uses clarified butter as its fat.

What can I use in place of flour for gravy? ›

Cornstarch and potato starch are the best options for gravy. Avoid arrowroot and tapioca starches because they can get "stringy" and look artificial in gravy. Cornstarch gravy is more translucent than flour based sauces. Potato starch gravy is more opaque than cornstarch, but less opaque than flour.

Tapioca can be bought as flour, pearls, or flakes, and it's also gluten-free. Most cooks recommend substituting 1 tablespoon of cornstarch with 2 tablespoons of tapioca flour. Tapioca is a processed starch flour made from the root vegetable cassava.

It's important to note that cornstarch has twice the thickening power of flour. If you need to substitute cornstarch to thicken liquid in a recipe that calls for ¼ cup (four tablespoons) flour, you only need two tablespoons cornstarch.

Butter does not provide any thickening to a sauce, since it is made of just fat and water. But a chunk of butter, salted or unsalted, swirled into a sauce at the end, can temporarily emulsify a sauce, while adding richness and sheen, all of which are good things.

Another way to thicken gravy without flour is to roast vegetables like carrots, onions or shallots, celery, whole garlic and red bell peppers with the meat. Strain the juices and puree the vegetables and add it to the de-fatted meat juices, wine and some stock. Reduce the liquid to a thick gravy then strain and serve.

Our Top Picks

we rate these favorites over the others: King Arthur Gluten-Free Measure for Measure Flour: This blend features rice flour and whole-grain brown rice flour, which, Tegethoff explains, boosts structure, texture, and fiber.

Use a gluten-free flour mix or single alternative flour. Sweet rice flour, sorghum flour and garbanzo flour are great single flour options. Sweet rice flour can be found in the Asian section of the grocery store and makes a very smooth sauce.

The secret is to use Bob's Red Mill 1 to 1 baking gluten-free flour. My family and guests never know they are missing the gluten from traditional flour used to make a roux to thicken this gravy. So full of flavor, my kids beg for more gravy. I'm always trying to reinvent the meals I use to create in a gluten-free way.