How to Make Gluten-Free Gravy You'll Want to Pour Over Everything
Who says you need flour to make a killer Thanksgiving gravy?
Matt Armendariz
Get a Premium Subscription to the Food Network Kitchen App
Download Food Network Kitchen to sign up and get access to live and on-demand cooking classes, in-app grocery ordering, meal planning, an organized place to save all your recipes and much more.
I'm going to say something controversial, and with reckless abandon: Gravy is the best part of Thanksgiving dinner. Most years, I could take or leave the turkey. Green bean casserole just isn't my thing. And I'll happily pass on the cranberries. But a generous drizzle of smooth and creamy gravy all over everything on my plate? Yes, please. It ties the entire Thanksgiving feast together.
Unfortunately, unlike most other Thanksgiving staples, gravy is a gluten bomb (it's classically made with a roux, a combination of fat and flour that thickens the gravy into rich, pourable goodness). Nowadays, the odds are that someone in your family is either allergic to or avoiding gluten, whether it's your brother-in-law (like mine) or your mom (like Megan Mitchell's). What's a gravy-lover to do? Forgo the gravy? (Never!) Make two? (Who has time for that?) Lucky for all of us, Megan recently shared her recipe and tips for a delicious, gluten-free turkey gravy that will satisfy everyone in an upcoming live class on the Food Network Kitchen app.
Made with real turkey dripping, Megan's gravy combines turkey stock with a whole head of slow-roasted garlic and tons of herbs for maximum flavor. Her secret weapon is cornstarch: an easy gluten-free alternative to flour that — unlike tapioca starch, xanthan gum or rice flour — you probably already have in your pantry. Instead of making a roux as you'd do with flour, Megan combines equal parts cornstarch and water to create what's called a slurry. Dissolving the cornstarch in room-temperature water first helps prevent the cornstarch from forming clumps in the hot gravy. (And we can all agree that nobody likes lumpy gravy!) The result is a thick, rich and smooth gravy that no one will ever guess is gluten-free (and dairy-free!). Her recipe makes six to seven cups of gravy, perfect for a small family feast, or even a Thanksgiving meal plus leftovers for two (post-Turkey day poutine, anyone?).
Catch Megan's class this Wednesday, Nov. 18 at 4 p.m. on the Food Network Kitchen app. Then save it to your favorites so you can stash her recipe in your back pocket for Thanksgiving.
Related Links:
