Sometimes you need gravy for a recipe, but you do not have roasted meat or pan drippings to use as a flavor base. This quick and easy gluten free brown gravy recipe will come to your rescue! You won’t believe how flavorful this gluten free gravy is to make. If you have pan drippings, you can use those too.
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❤️ Sandi’s Recipe Summary
The Quick Bite: This gluten-free brown gravy gets its rich flavor from broth simmered with garlic and fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage, so you never have to wait on a roast to make it. If you do have pan drippings, I will show you how to skim the fat and use them for even deeper flavor. Potato starch keeps it gluten-free and thickens the gravy without muting the herbs
I have been making this gluten-free brown gravy recipe for years. People often think you need pan drippings from roasted meat to make gravy, but this recipe turns out great without drippings. While pan drippings can definitely add to the flavor profile, you can come close without them.
Gravy doesn’t have to be hard, take a lot of time, etc. With just a few simple ingredients and some whisking, you can enjoy gluten free gravy anytime! One key flavor is fresh herbs. They slowly release their flavor into the gravy as it simmers.
This gravy will be a big hit at Thanksgiving, or on Gluten-Free Meatloaf, and served over these Cream Cheese Mashed Potatoes! We also enjoy it drizzled over this Roasted Herb Chicken.
Ingredient Notes:
For the full list of ingredients and amounts, please go to the recipe card below.
- Broth – You can use beef broth as I used, chicken broth, or turkey broth. If you are using pan drippings, use low-sodium broth.
- Potato Starch – Substitute cornstarch if you can not have nightshades. This helps thicken the gravy without changing the base flavor.
- Garlic – Freshly minced or jarred work well.
- Fresh Herbs – Rosemary, thyme, and sage are my favorite to use in this recipe.
- Olive Oil – Use extra virgin olive oil.
One of the stars of my gluten free gravy recipe is fresh herbs. They add so much flavor and depth to your gravy recipe. If you love cooking with herbs as well, you can grow fresh herbs indoors right in your kitchen window! That way, you can snip what you need, when you need it! If you would like more ideas for using fresh herbs in your kitchen, here are my favorite ways to cook with fresh herbs.
How to Make Gluten Free Gravy Without Pan Drippings (Step-By-Step)
Step 1: In a small pot, add olive oil and garlic. Cook them on medium-low heat for 3 minutes. Next, add the broth, herbs, spices, and fresh herbs. Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce heat to low and simmer.
Step 2: Simmer for 15-20 minutes. Use a spoon to scoop a little gravy, blow on it until it cools, and taste it to gauge if it is salty or needs salt. Add salt and pepper to taste.
Step 3: Lumps are one of the biggest challenges in making homemade gravy, and they drive me crazy. To make sure this gravy turns out lump-free, create a slurry to add starch to thicken your gravy. Add a little of the hot gravy to a small bowl. Whisk it with the hot broth in the bowl first. (Don’t just add the starch to the pot of gravy!) Once the mixture is smooth in the bowl, add it to the pot and whisk it into the gravy.
Cook the gravy for 10 more minutes on low heat until it is thick and bubbly. Enjoy!
Serve it with this Oven Roasted Garlic Herb Boneless Turkey Breast or this Air Fryer Turkey Breast.
How to Make Gravy With Pan Drippings:
Step 1: Carefully pour the pan drippings into a glass measuring cup or fat separator. Do not use a plastic cup, because the hot liquid can melt it. Let the drippings sit for a few minutes so the fat rises to the top.
Step 2: Skim off the fat. Save 1 to 2 tablespoons to use in place of the olive oil in Step 1 of the main recipe for extra flavor.
👀 Sandi Says: Some roasted turkey or chicken has a lot of salt due to added salt or using regular broth instead of low-sodium; taste the gravy before adding any additional salt.
Step 3: Follow the main recipe, using this drippings mixture in place of the broth. If browned bits stick to your roasting pan, scrape them up and add them to the gravy while it simmers.
Frequently Asked Questions:
You can easily make this gluten free gravy vegan by using vegetable broth.
You can use any type of broth in this gravy recipe.
Lumps in your gravy are not the end of the world. I like to use this mesh strainer. Pour the gravy through this strainer, and it will remove lumps caused by starch thickeners and take out large chunks of cooked herbs as well.
Serve this gravy with:
If you enjoy this gravy recipe, it also tastes delicious when poured over these recipes:
- Air Fryer Cornish Game Hens
- Dry Brined Orange Marmalade Roasted Turkey
- Gluten Free Traditional Stuffing
- Gluten Free Chicken Fried Steak
Love This Recipe?
If you made and enjoyed this recipe, I would be incredibly grateful if you could leave a comment below. This will help others know it’s delicious. Thank you!
Homemade Gluten Free Gravy (Without Pan Drippings)
Ingredients
- 3 cups beef broth *See notes if you have pan drippings
- 1 minced garlic clove minced
- 2 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 tablespoon fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon fresh sage
- 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary
- 2 tablespoons potato starch or cornstarch
- ½ teaspoon salt or more to taste
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
Method
- In a small pot, add 2 tablespoons olive oil and 1 minced garlic clove and cook for 3 minutes.
- Add 3 cups beef broth, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon black pepper. Add 1 tablespoon fresh thyme, 1 tablespoon fresh sage, and 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary to the pan. If you have pan scrapings, add those too!
- Cover and bring to a boil, then reduce the heat to simmer.
- Simmer for 15 minutes.
- Use a soup scoop to add some broth to a small bowl. Add 2 tablespoons potato starchand slowly whisk in the tapioca starch or potato starch into a slurry. (Having lumps in your gravy is one of the biggest challenges you have with making homemade gravy. When adding your starch to thicken your gravy, it is important to mix it in a bowl with the hot broth first. Don't just add the starch to the pot of gravy!
- Cook for 5 more minutes on low and then serve it hot.
- If you do end up with some lumps, run your gravy through a strainer to remove them.
- If you have pan drippings, follow these directions
- Carefully pour the pan drippings into a glass measuring cup. Don't pour into a plastic cup, or the hot liquid can melt it.
- Add broth to the measuring cup of pan drippings to make a total of 3 cups. The amount of pan drippings varies depending on how often you baste the meat as it roasts.
- Follow the remaining steps for the main gravy recipe.
Nutrition
Notes
- You can use chicken broth if you prefer to make a chicken-based gravy.
- If you have pan drippings, see the Instructions for how to use them in this gluten free gravy recipe.
- Make this brown gravy vegan by using vegetable broth.
- If you are nightshade-free, use cornstarch instead of potato starch.
- This gluten free brown gravy will keep up to 3 days in an airtight container, or up to 4 months in the freezer.
Private Notes
Tried this recipe?
Let us know how it was!
I truly hope you enjoy this recipe. I have been testing and creating gluten-free recipes for over 15 years. Creating gluten-free recipes that do not taste gluten-free is my goal for every recipe. Sometimes I only have to test a new recipe a couple of times, and others it takes multiple times. I do this so you get reliable, delicious results every time!
I love the idea of using flavorful fresh herbs! Making my mouth water, as we speak.
For those who want to give it a try, I use chicken bone broth from Costco (lower sodium than any of the others I’ve found) to make gluten free gravy. Comes in handy for making mashed potatoes, too, if you’re lactose-intolerant like me.
Hi Melanie, I just recently tried that Costco bone broth and I agree, it is really good for low sodium. We are always watching sodium intake, well, except for my daughter, who has POTS and needs a lot of salt.