Wheat flour is what makes a pan sauce look like diner gravy. It is also what makes that gravy unsafe on a gluten-free plate. The drippings, the stock, and the salt are not the problem when they are plain. The thickener is. A head-to-head of cornstarch, tapioca, and arrowroot is in Cornstarch vs Tapioca vs Arrowroot. Starches and sweet rice flour gelatinize in hot liquid and give you a sauce you can pour, without a wheat roux.
This is a method and a chart. It assumes the liquid itself is gluten-free: turkey or chicken drippings from a bird that was not basted with a wheat-containing broth. Whether that bird is plain is covered in Is Turkey Gluten-Free?, or a packaged broth that is labeled gluten-free. If the roasting pan already held wheat stuffing or a flour-dusted roll, start a clean pot with labeled gluten-free broth instead of scraping that pan.
The FDA gluten-free claim (under 20 ppm) is the standard when a broth or packet says gluten-free. See the FDA gluten and food labeling page. A certified mark counts only when that package shows it.
How to make gluten-free gravy
Strain the drippings and spoon off most of the fat if the pan is very greasy. Measure 2 cups of defatted drippings or labeled gluten-free broth. Whisk the thickener with cold water into a slurry before it touches the hot pot. Boiling liquid on a dry starch makes lumps. Simmer until the gravy looks glossy and coats a spoon, which is usually one to three minutes. Salt at the end. Drippings are already salty.
Hold the gravy warm in a clean pan. A spoon that also served wheat rolls will undo the pot.
Thickener chart
Amounts below are a starting point for about 2 cups of gluten-free drippings or broth. Whisk the starch or flour into cold water first.
- Cornstarch: 2 tablespoons starch plus 2 tablespoons cold water. Finish is clear and glossy. High heat and long simmering can thin it again. Good for a make-ahead pot you will not boil for an hour.
- Arrowroot: 2 tablespoons starch plus 2 tablespoons cold water. Also glossy. It behaves better than cornstarch if you need to reheat gently. Avoid mixing it into a strongly acidic pan or it can turn slimy.
- Sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour, mochiko): 3 tablespoons flour plus 3 tablespoons cold water. This is the opaque, more traditional-looking gravy. The word glutinous means sticky starch, not wheat gluten. Read why in Is Glutinous Rice Flour Gluten-Free?.
- Tapioca starch: 2 tablespoons starch plus 2 tablespoons cold water. Glossy, a little stretchy. Fine for a smaller boat of gravy.
- Potato starch: 2 tablespoons starch plus 2 tablespoons cold water. Neutral and light. Do not confuse it with potato flour.
A labeled gluten-free all-purpose blend can thicken too, but it often contains rice flour that stays slightly gritty. Starch or sweet rice flour is the cleaner gravy tool. Flour behavior in general is in best gluten-free flour substitutes and the flour guide.
Is jarred gravy or a gravy packet gluten-free?
Sometimes a specific jar is labeled gluten-free, and many packets are thickened with wheat. The category is not safe.
Read the packet you bought. "Gravy mix" is not a gluten-free phrase. Modified food starch on that label is a separate question, covered in Is Modified Food Starch Gluten-Free?. If you cannot read a clear gluten-free claim, make the pot above.
Can I use the drippings from any roasted turkey?
Only when nothing gluten-containing went into that pan. Self-basting liquid, a flour-thickened baste, or stuffing cooked inside the bird can put gluten in the drippings.
Use a plain bird and a clean pan, or build the gravy from labeled gluten-free broth plus a little butter or schmaltz. The menu plan is Gluten-Free Thanksgiving. Stuffing that stays out of the cavity is Gluten-Free Stuffing.
What if the gravy is thin, lumpy, or gluey?
Thin gravy needs more slurry, added off the boil and then simmered. Lumpy gravy means the starch hit hot liquid dry. Strain it and start the slurry again. Gluey gravy usually means too much starch or a boil that went on too long. Thin with a splash of gluten-free broth.
Whisk constantly for the first minute. If you are feeding a crowd, make the gravy in a wide saucepan so it heats evenly.
Which dishes use the same thickeners?
Gravy is the holiday version of a skill you will use all year.
- Garlic mashed potatoes on the same plate
- Au gratin potatoes
- Green bean casserole when the sauce needs a clean thickener
- Pumpkin pie for the rest of the table
- Classic cornbread if you want a bread basket that is not wheat rolls
Browse dinner and salads and sides. Soy sauce in a pan sauce is a different mistake: Is Soy Sauce Gluten-Free?. Shared spoons and flour dust are in the cross-contamination guide.
This article is educational and is not medical advice. Verify broths, packets, and starches on the package you are using. Personal celiac decisions belong with a clinician or dietitian. Certified gluten-free applies only when that package claims it.