• Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar

Cathy's Gluten Free logo

menu icon
go to homepage
subscribe
search icon
Homepage link
  • Recipes
  • Start Here!
    • How My Skin Cleared Up
    • Gluten Free Guidance
  • Meet Cathy
×

Home » Recipes by Type

Published: Nov 14, 2019 · Modified: Dec 6, 2019 by Cathy · This post may contain affiliate links

Home » Recipes by Type

Gluten Free Gravy

Save or share this post:

Share on PinterestShare on FacebookShare on Twitter
Jump to Recipe

This foolproof method for smooth, silky, gluten free gravy works every time. Whether you're making it with roast beef or poultry, it's quick, easy, and produces gravy without lumps.

Maybe your family or friends have gathered for Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner, or you've simply cooked a roast for one or two. This glossy, flavourful, gluten free gravy will top off your plates nicely.

cornstarch, water, and beef drippings in separate containers
This is all it takes to make great gravy!

Gluten free gravy needs only three ingredients:

  • Flavourful, seasoned meat drippings
  • Cold water
  • Starch
Pour some gluten free gravy over your pressure cooked roast for extra deliciousness!
Cornstarch gives gravy a glossy quality.

Why does gravy get lumps?

Gravy goes lumpy when the thickener (flour, cornstarch, or whatever) is added directly to the hot liquid. It cooks immediately into little "dumplings" that can only be eliminated by either straining the gravy or running it through a blender. With my method, the thickener is smoothly blended with cold liquid and stirred into the hot liquid. Then it thickens up right away.

Good, well-flavoured pan drippings from a roasted turkey, chicken, or beef make great gravy. If necessary, add a little water to the bottom of the pan early on in the cooking process, so you don't end up with dry drippings burnt to the bottom of the pan. A rack set in the bottom of the pan will keep your meat up out of the drippings while it cooks.

white gravy boat pouring gravy

Gluten Free Gravy for Turkey, Chicken, or Beef

Whether you're making gravy for turkey, chicken, or beef, the process is the same.

  • Measure the liquid.
  • Combine starch completely and smoothly with cold liquid.
  • Stir the cold starch slurry into the hot liquid. Bring it all to a boil, and that's it!

Recipe for Gluten Free Gravy

beef drippings in the bottom of roasting pan

When the meat has finished cooking, remove it from the roasting pan and set it aside to rest a little and then get sliced.

1 ½ cups beef drippings in measuring cup

Pour the drippings from the bottom of the pan into a pyrex 2- or 4-cup measuring cup (depending on the size of your roast and how much gravy you'll be making.)

Skim excess fat from the top of the drippings. Don't remove all of the fat. Some fat is good for flavour. Once the fat level is down to your liking, read the level of the total liquid. If this liquid is not as much as approximately ¾ the amount of finished gravy you want to end up with, then add some cold water at this point to bring it up. Obviously, if you add a lot of water to bring drippings up to the desired amount, the flavour will be diluted. If you have ½ flavourful drippings and ½ water, it should still be okay.

boiling pan drippings

Now, pour this measured liquid back into the roasting pan. Set it on the stovetop over medium-high heat. It should come to a boil fairly quickly. As it does, you can stir in the flavourful bits that have become stuck to the bottom.

½ cup water in measuring cup

Meanwhile, measure cold water into the measuring cup.

whisk in white liquid in pyrex measuring cup

Add 1 tablespoon cornstarch per cup of TOTAL liquid into the cold water. Whisk it well until it is smoothly combined.

whisk resting in gravy in roasting pan

Then, while whisking the hot liquid, slowly pour the cold cornstarch-water mixture into the boiling liquid. It should thicken up immediately. Turn the heat down to low. Keep stirring until the boiling settles down. Then keep the gravy warm over low heat for up to half an hour until you're ready to serve it.

Traditional gravy thickened with wheat flour benefits from cooking on low for about 10 minutes after it has thickened to cook out the flour taste. This isn't as important or necessary with cornstarch. I also prefer the slight translucent quality of cornstarch-thickened gravy over wheat flour-thickened gravy.

A Note about Seasoning

When I roast a chicken, turkey, or beef with my favourite recipes, they are already well seasoned. Then, making gravy is really just a matter of thickening the drippings. If your drippings are not already well seasoned, add some salt and pepper, Herbamare, or Spike with the cornstarch to the cold water.

Is Cornstarch Gluten Free?

Yes, cornstarch is gluten free. It makes a great thickener for gravies and sauces that you would like to have translucent in appearance.

You might want to take the extra precaution of selecting cornstarch that has been labeled gluten free as a reassurance against cross contamination.

I also like to buy cornstarch that, as well as being gluten free, has not been genetically modified.

sliced roast beef with gluten free gravy
This gravy was thickened with cornstarch.

Gluten Free Thickeners

Cornstarch

Cornstarch makes a shiny, translucent gravy that holds up well to heat. It was my preference for thickening gravy even before I was gluten free.

Rice Flour

If you prefer an opaque gravy with a texture more like that achieved with wheat flour, use brown rice flour to thicken your liquid. However, you'll need to use twice as much, 2 tablespoons rice flour per cup of liquid.

Tapioca Flour/Starch

For a paleo, grain-free option, use tapioca flour or starch. They're the same thing. Use the same amount as specified for cornstarch. Tapioca starch gives the gravy a translucent appearance.

Arrowroot Flour/Starch

You could also use arrowroot flour or starch. (Again, it goes by either name.) It makes an almost transparent gravy. Arrowroot flour doesn't stand up well to sitting on the heat for a long time or to reheating, though. Use a rounded tablespoon of arrowroot flour per cup of liquid.

flat lay of gravy in white boat with roast beef to the side
In minutes, you can have smooth, silky gravy ready to serve with your dinner.
thickener chart
Pin to save.

The amounts in this recipe are given for cornstarch and are examples only. You can adjust them according to the amount of meat drippings you have and how much gravy you want to make. The important thing is to include 1 tablespoon of cornstarch for every cup of liquid.

It's easy to recalculate my recipes for different numbers of servings! Click on the number of servings, change it, and the ingredient measurements (but not the metric ones 🙁 ) will adjust accordingly! 🙂

whisk resting in gravy in roasting pan
Print Pin Recipe

Gluten Free Gravy

This simple method produces smooth, silky gravy with ease.
Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 5 minutes
Total Time 10 minutes
Servings 2 cups
Calories 72kcal
Author Cathy

Equipment

  • Roasting Pan

Ingredients

  • 1 ½ cups seasoned pan drippings
  • ½ cup cold water
  • 2 tablespoons cornstarch

Instructions

  • Measure pan drippings, adding some water if necessary to bring level up as desired. Return measured liquid to the roasting pan and bring to a boil over high heat on stovetop.
  • Meanwhile, measure cold water. Whisk cornstarch into cold liquid until smooth.
  • Whisk this cold slurry into the boiling drippings in pan, stirring constantly. The gravy should thicken up immediately. Turn down the heat, keep warm, and serve.

Notes

The key to smooth, gluten free gravy is to blend 1 tablespoon cornstarch per cup of total liquid smoothly into cold liquid before adding it to the hot.

Nutrition

Serving: 0.25cup | Calories: 72kcal
Pin Recipe
Follow me for more great recipes.@CathysGlutenFree
gluten free gravy on beef
PIN TO SAVE

Save or share this post:

Share on PinterestShare on FacebookShare on Twitter

More Recipes by Type

  • How to Bake a Blind Pie Crust, Gluten Free
  • Gluten Free Zucchini Bread Recipe
  • Gluten Free Fish Batter Recipe
  • Sautéed Green Beans with Almonds

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Colleen says

    November 19, 2019 at 7:38 pm

    5 stars
    I like to use cornstarch, too, but thank you for the great info on using other thickeners. I need to experiment more with them. Your gravy looks like perfection!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 20, 2019 at 9:27 am

      Thank you, Colleen! It's nice to have options for people who don't eat grains at all.

      Reply
  2. Jessica says

    November 20, 2019 at 11:16 am

    5 stars
    I love the simplicity of this recipe! And so great for my gluten-free guests!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 25, 2019 at 12:55 pm

      Perfect! I hope your guests enjoy it.

      Reply
  3. Terri says

    November 25, 2019 at 9:07 am

    5 stars
    We often make gluten-free gravy for holiday gatherings (for my aunt) and it's great - I don't even notice a difference ! Gravy is the crowning glory - yummy! And yours looks super tasty!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      November 25, 2019 at 12:56 pm

      Thank you, Terri!

      Reply
  4. Susan says

    December 01, 2019 at 1:00 pm

    Thanks, Cathy, for your great instructions for basic but delicious foods!

    Reply
    • Cathy says

      December 01, 2019 at 8:58 pm

      Thank you so much for your kind comment, Susan!

      Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recipe Rating




This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Primary Sidebar

I'm Cathy, developer of delicious, nutritious gluten free recipes, simplified for creating at home.

CathysGlutenFree.com

As featured in...

logos for Country Living, Foodgawker, Yummly, and A Canadian Celiac Podcast

Categories

  • Breakfast
  • Breads
  • Salad Recipes
  • Main Dishes
  • Desserts
  • Cookies and Snacks

Smoothie Recipes

  • Green Apple Smoothie
  • Mango and Pineapple Smoothie Recipe
  • Apple Spinach Smoothie Recipe
  • Mango Spinach Smoothie Recipe
Elimination Diet Meal Plan

Footer

^ back to top

About

  • Meet Cathy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Accessibility Policy

Newsletter

  • Sign Up! for emails and updates

Contact

  • Contact

Copyright © 2022 CathysGlutenFree, all rights reserved