Easy Keto Gravy Recipe with No Drippings Needed • Low Carb with Jennifer (2024)

FAQs

Can I use almond flour to thicken gravy? ›

Yes, you can use almond flour to thicken your gravy. A word of caution though, if you add too much your gravy can be very heavy, so just add a small amount at a time and then you will know how much you should add.

If you want to have keto-friendly gravy this Thanksgiving, you have a few main options: you can mix in a vegetable gum – we use xanthan gum, or you can use egg yolks, cream cheese, half-and-half, 'Au Jus,' or unflavored gelatin powder, whichever floats your gravy boat.

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.

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.

Almond flour makes a great thickener for a sauce but don't expect it to act the same as traditional flour. You'll need to cook off excess liquid to achieve a thicker consistency. For a smoother sauce, puree mixture after cooking.

Keto practitioners incorporate a variety of different condiments into their diets, including hot sauce, low-carb BBQ sauce, sugar-free ketchup, mustard, ranch dressing, mayonnaise, guacamole, soy sauce, sour cream, and more.

If you love cooking, you're probably used to recipes that call for cornstarch as a thickening agent. But cornstarch is typically forbidden on Keto, with a whopping 116g of net carbs per cup. That's enough to knock you and your 5 best friends out of ketosis.

You cannot make gravy with just water and flour. What you will get is a slurry, not gravy. To make gravy you mix equal parts of oil (or butter) and flour. Whisk them together until you have a smooth roux. Cook over medium low heat, stirring constantly, for about 3 minutes.

Using cornstarch to thicken sauce is very similar to using flour, but you need different quantities: Use one tablespoon cornstarch mixed with one tablespoon cold water (aka a cornstarch slurry) for each cup of medium-thick sauce. Thoroughly mix the cornstarch and water together, then pour into your sauce.

What is a substitute for butter in gravy? ›

In flour-thickened sauces such as gravy and bechamel, oil also makes a fine substitute. Swap the butter for oil using a 1:1 ratio.

Arrowroot. This powder comes from rhizomes of the Marantaceae family of tubers. It's a great natural substitute for those needing a gluten-free gravy thickener. As with using cornstarch or flour to thicken gravy, make a slurry with your arrowroot powder by mixing 2 to 3 tablespoons with an equal amount of water.

You will need about 1 tablespoon of cornstarch to thicken about 1 1/2 to 2 cups of gravy. Don't add powdered cornstarch directly to a hot liquid; it will clump. The gravy also needs to be whisked briskly to ensure a smooth texture, and must be heated long enough to cook off its starchy flavor.

In nonstick pan over medium heat, toast ¼ cup of All-Purpose Flour Artisan Blend, Bread Mix, or Baking & Pancake Mix, whisking constantly until it colors from white to tan, 5 to 10 minutes. Melt butter in pan, add the toasted flour, and mix well. Add stock, whisking constantly to prevent lumps from forming.

Nuts or nut-based flour

A quick and easy paleo-friendly way to add more thickness to your soups is to grind down 1-2 cups of nuts. Use cashews, peanuts, almonds, or any other nuts that you have at home. Almond flour is also a commonly available substitute that you can find in almost any grocery store today.

Also, almond flour hasn't got much starch, very unlike wheat flour, so you may find that you cannot create a roux with almond flour for that reason. It is the starch in wheat flour that causes the thickening. Since thickening is the whole purpose of a roux, using a flour with very little starch is unlikely to work.

Almond Flour – This low carb, gluten-free flour works for adding bulk when recipes call for cornstarch. Start with substituting 1 tablespoon of almond flour for every tablespoon of cornstarch.

You can cook finely ground almond flour in pan juices to thicken them, but the results won't be the same. Thickening sauces with flour, cornstarch, or a combination of flour and butter, either as beurre mani or as a roux, rely on the breakdown of starch molecules enhancing their ability to absorb liquids.