How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (2024)

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Updated on 11/15/22

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How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (1)

Tested byDiana Rattray

Southern-cuisine expert and cookbook author Diana Rattray has created more than 5,000 recipes and articles in her 20 years as a food writer.

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How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (2)

Prep: 5 mins

Cook: 5 mins

Total: 10 mins

Servings: 2to 3 servings

Yield: 1/2 cup

31 ratings

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Whether because of a dietary requirement or simple preference, when gluten is taken out of the equation many beloved recipes go out the door as well.

Gravy is one of the most missed preparations for people who eat a gluten-free diet. However, with very few easy-to-find ingredients, you can make a gluten-free gravy that's easy and flavorful and has nothing to envy in the classic flour version.

Thick and rich, our no-flour gravy is great on meats, mashed potatoes, and vegetables. It can be your new favorite, as it works for multiple dietary requirements if you also follow a few variations to make it dairy-free or totally vegan.

For our recipe, we used pan drippings, which result in a very concentrated flavor. Most gluten-free gravy recipes use thickening agents like cornstarch, arrowroot, or gluten-free flours made from chickpeas or oats. Our recipe lacks flour and other thickening agents, too, to make it allergy-friendly as well: there is no xanthan gum, tapioca, or any agents that might cause food allergies. Before you start, read the label of the stock you're using because many brands use wheat-based products as thickeners, which will make your gravy not gluten-free.

"This gravy was easy to make and made a delicious sauce for sautéed chicken. The lemon juice and wine gave it a tangy flavor, and the butter added richness. The gravy takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and cook, and it’s a great way to enhance plain chicken, pork, or beef." —Diana Rattray

How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (4)

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

  • 1 to 2 tablespoons pan drippings

  • 1 tablespoon minced shallot

  • 1/2 cup dry white wine

  • 1/2 cup warm chicken stock, or beefor vegetable stock

  • 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, at room temperature

  • Salt, to taste

  • Freshly ground black pepper, to taste

  • Freshly squeezed lemon juice, or vinegar

Steps to Make It

  1. Gather the ingredients.

    How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (5)

  2. Leave or pour back into the cooking pan 1 to 2 tablespoons of pan drippings, with all the brown bits that are stuck to the pan.

    How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (6)

  3. Turn the heat to medium-high and add the shallot and the wine.

    How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (7)

  4. Cook, stirring and scraping, until most of the wine has evaporated, the shallot is soft, and all the bits at the bottom of the pan have been released.

    How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (8)

  5. Add the stock and stir again, making sure all the brown pieces in the pan are not stuck to the bottom.

    How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (9)

  6. When there is just under 1/2 cup of liquid, turn off the heat. Add the butter, a little at a time, stirring well after each addition to incorporate it.

    How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (10)

  7. Taste and season to taste with salt and pepper. Add a squeeze of lemon juice.

    How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (11)

  8. Serve the gravy still hot.

    How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (12)

Tip

This is an easy recipe to scale up for a larger family meal or dinner party. Double or triple the drippings, shallot, wine, chicken stock, and butter, and season to taste with salt, pepper, and squeeze of lemon juice or splash of vinegar.

Vegan, Mushroom, and Caper Gravies

  • Vegan gravy: Reduce 1 cup of vegetable stock and 1/2 cup of wine alongside the shallots until you have 1/2 cup of liquid. Add 1/2 cup of cooked mashed potatoes to give the gravy some richness and texture, and use vegan margarine instead of butter. This tasty gravy can be poured on top of vegetables, tofu, tempeh, or seitan, but it's also delicious on rice or potatoes.
  • Mushroom Gravy:Cook the shallots and 1/2 cup chopped wild or domesticmushrooms in the pan drippings. Add the wine and follow the directions as instructed in the method above. If you'd like a thicker gravy, add 1/2 cup of heavy cream to finish up.
  • Lemon-Caper Gravy:Add 1 tablespoon or more mincedcapersalong with theshallotsandwine. Finish with freshly squeezed lemon juice to taste.

How to Store Gravy

  • Refrigerate leftover gravy in an airtight container for up to 3 days.
  • To freeze completely cooled leftover gravy, pour it into a resealable freezer bag. Label the bag with the name and date and freeze the gravy for up to 3 months.
  • Reheat leftover gravy in a saucepan or skillet over low heat, stirring frequently, until it is hot and simmering.
Nutrition Facts (per serving)
119Calories
8g Fat
4g Carbs
1g Protein

×

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 2to 3
Amount per serving
Calories119
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 8g10%
Saturated Fat 5g25%
Cholesterol 22mg7%
Sodium 315mg14%
Total Carbohydrate 4g1%
Dietary Fiber 0g1%
Total Sugars 1g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 1mg3%
Calcium 12mg1%
Iron 0mg2%
Potassium 97mg2%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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How to Make Pan Gravy Without Flour: A Simple Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What can I use instead of flour to make 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.

How can you thicken gravy without flour? ›

Cornstarch should thicken gravy in less than a minute when at a simmer. If it doesn't thicken enough, it's a sign that you need more cornstarch. Whisk in more cornstarch slurry a little at a time, and let each addition come to a simmer before adding more.

Do you have to put flour in gravy? ›

(The classic ratio for gravy is three:two:one, so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.) You can add other flavors to the mixture, swap out the stock for another liquid, or use cornstarch rather than flour to thicken your gravy.

What is pan gravy made of? ›

Easy to make, our pan gravy makes the best of the flavorful bits and juices remaining in the bottom of a pan after roasting a turkey, a chicken, a rack of pork, or a beef roast, amongst other delicious meat cuts. Just flour, stock, and butter, beyond the drippings, is all that's needed to make this succulent gravy.

How to make gravy if you don't have flour or cornstarch? ›

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.

How to make a roux without flour? ›

How to Make a Roux Without Flour. 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.

Will butter thicken a sauce? ›

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.

How to thicken dough without flour? ›

Cornstarch can be subbed in for wheat flour at a 1:2 ratio. Because it's a durable thickener, you only need half the amount of cornstarch to create the same effect. Also, adding cornstarch to a gluten free recipe is a great way to add softness and texture to baked goods while keeping them grain free!

How is gravy made from scratch? ›

Melt butter in a medium-sized sauce pan. Add flour and whisk constantly until mixture is golden caramel color and smells fragrant (3-5 minutes). Slowly whisk in liquids, while whisking, until mixture is smooth. Bring to a simmer and cook until thickened and bubbly, 5 minutes or longer.

What to use instead of flour for thickening? ›

Arrowroot and cornstarch are gluten-free alternatives to thickening with flour. They'll also keep your sauce clear and cloud-free. You'll need about 1 tablespoon for every cup of liquid in the recipe. Mix the cornstarch with equal parts water to create a slurry and pour it into the pot.

What is the KFC gravy made from? ›

What is the gravy at KFC made of? The restaurant uses a simple combination of gravy powder, water, and – their secret ingredient – chicken crackling. This is a collection of the browned bits and pieces leftover from frying their world famous chicken.

What is pan gravy? ›

noun. : gravy consisting of seasoned but not thickened juices extracted from meat in cooking and often a little water.

What is the difference between pan gravy and pan sauce? ›

Flour or cornstarch is a thickener used to make gravy, whereas a pan sauce is cooked down or reduced to make it thicker. The natural juices, browned bits and fat left behind generated from the cooked protein are the base for a good pan sauce.

What options can you use to thicken gravy? ›

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

What can you use instead of cornstarch to thicken gravy? ›

Here are five of the best cornstarch substitutes for all your thickening needs.
  • All-Purpose Flour. Yep, that's right — all-purpose flour is a very stable thickener. ...
  • Arrowroot Powder. ...
  • Potato Starch. ...
  • Rice Flour. ...
  • Tapioca Starch.
Jun 23, 2023

How to thicken milk without flour or cornstarch? ›

One of the easiest ways to thicken milk is by boiling it on the stove. As it heats up, the liquid parts of the milk will start to evaporate. Remember to keep stirring the whole time! If you want to make condensed milk, add sugar before you heat it up.

References

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