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Here is a keto gravy recipe using alternative low carb thickeners. Although coconut flour and almond flour may work, there are much better choices for a flourless gravy.
As I was getting my holiday recipes ready this year, I noticed that I’ve never posted a gravy recipe. It’s not because I’ve never made low carb gravy. I just never shared a recipe for it.
How To Thicken Gravy When On The Keto Diet
Regular gravy is usually thickened with wheat flour or cornstarch. We all know wheat flour isn’t low in carbs.
But, is cornstarch keto?
At about 7 grams of carbs per tablespoon, cornstarch can be a low carb option if a small amount is used. However, most people on a keto diet avoid grains and excess carbs. So you’re better off not using it.
In the past, I’ve made xanthan gum gravy. And sometimes, I’d blend xanthan gum with guar gum but, I’m not a fan of using either of those “gum” thickeners these days.
Instead, I prefer using glucomannan!
However, all of these low carb thickeners can make your sauce turn into a thick pudding. So you need to add just the right amount to prevent the liquid from thickening too much, especially as it cools.
That’s why I decided to create an easy keto gravy that’s thickened with egg yolks, some puréed onions, and a little butter or coconut oil. Plus, the onion and butter not only thicken but adds flavor.
Frequently Asked Questions About Keto Gravy
The entire recipe for my delicious keto gravy is at the end of this post. First, I have a few questions I want to answer.
Can you Make Gravy with Coconut Flour?
I’ve thought of using coconut flour to make a keto-friendly gravy but, the taste of the flour isn’t completely neutral and it’s slightly sweet. It could be used as a thickener since it absorbs liquid creating a thicker sauce.
Therefore, you can add in a small amount of coconut flour in this low carb gravy recipe if desired. I would only add in a teaspoon at a time and give it some time to settle in before judging the consistency. You can even omit or reduce the onions in the recipe by adding a little bit of this low carb flour.
I’ve made a coconut flour gravy a few times but the texture is somewhat clumpy. And, if you aren’t careful with the amount added, you’ll end up with something that looks more like porridge.
Can You Make Gravy With Almond Flour?
You may be wondering if finely ground almonds could be used as a keto thickener. Personally, I wouldn’t use them.
Although almonds are fairly neutral in taste, they do give a slightly nutty flavor that wouldn’t taste right.
Plus, almond flour doesn’t mix in as smoothly into a liquid as coconut flour does. It tends to be more grainy.
But, if you don’t mind these issues, you can certainly experiment and give it a try. Personally, I’d go with the coconut flour instead!
How To Make Gravy Without Flour
I like to make my keto gravy with egg yolks as the main thickener along with some finely chopped onions which add in flavor. You could leave the onions out for a zero carb gravy, but there’s not a lot used and it’s worth adding them for a better taste.
The drippings from freshly roasted meat work best for the gravy! But, you can use a pre-made meat stock if you want gravy for mashed cauliflower or turnips without having to make a roast.
Step 1: Strain Roast Meat Stock
To start the gravy, take the strained pan drippings from a roast or meat stock and reduce the liquid by boiling it down for about 10 minutes.
Step 2: Add In Onions and Puree
Then, add in the onion and finely puree it with a blender.
Note: Of course, you’d skip this step if omitting the onion.
Step 2: Add Egg Yolks
Then, two egg yolks are tempered with the hot liquid and then slowly whisked into the pot with the rest of the hot gravy liquid.
Step 3: Add Butter or Coconut Oil
To help thicken things up, butter or coconut oil is whisked in next.
Cooking Tip
If the gravy is too thin when it’s removed from the heat, an additional low carb thickener can be added. My preference is to add a small amount of glucomannan.
However, a little cream cheese can also be used as a thickening agent!
What To Serve With Keto Brown Gravy
Brown gravy is typically made by thickening roasted meat juices with wheat flour or cornstarch. So the key to make it keto friendly is to thicken the liquid with a low carb gravy thickener.
A keto beef gravy is perfect for serving over low carb roast beef and mashed turnips or cauliflower. You can also dress up the sauce by adding in things like mushrooms or onions.
Low Carb Gravy For Thanksgiving Recipes
Holidays like Thanksgiving just wouldn’t be the same without a gravy boat on the table. Sure, you can eat your turkey and faux mashed potatoes plain when following a low carb diet but they taste so much better topped off with a keto gravy!
And, don’t forget the low carb buns when planning your holiday meal! Plus, you’ll want to have a traditional low carb pumpkin pie for dessert made with a flaky almond flour pie crust.
Be sure to check out the healthy Thanksgiving recipes collection I put together as well if you need more ideas for holiday dinners.
What do you use to thicken soups and sauces on a ketogenic diet? Is it just one thickener or do you a combination of them?
I’d love to know what you prefer to use when making homemade gluten-free gravy that’s low in carbs. Let me know in the comments!
Other Recipes To Try
If you are looking for more low-carb sauces and dressings, check out some of these favorites:
- Sugar-Free Cranberry Sauce also has blueberry in it for a really sweet sauce that is the perfect side dish to mashed cauliflower and Turkey.
- Keto Cheese Sauce is perfect for dipping veggies or for drizzling on top of grilled chicken.
- Homemade Keto Alfredo Sauce tastes amazing on top of zucchini noodles – tastes just like takeout.
- Sugar-Free Caramel Sauce is a dessert sauce that you can drizzle on top of low-carb ice cream for a decadent treat.
- Keto Ranch Dressing tastes ideal as a dip for your veggie platter – or you can also mix it in your favorite side salad.
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Low Carb Keto Gravy
Recipe Video (Click on Image to Play)
Ingredients
- 2 cups pan drippings and water or meat stock
- ½ cup onion
- 2 large egg yolks in small bowl
- ¼ cup butter flavored coconut oil or butter
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- Strain pan drippings and add enough water or stock to make 2 cups. Place in a pot and reduce the liquid to thicken a bit by boiling down for about ten minutes.
- Add onion to liquid and finely puree with a stick blender or high speed blender. Cook the onion for a few minutes to further reduce the liquid.
- (To prevent cooking the egg, the hot liquid needs to be incorporated into the egg yolk very slowly) Remove from heat and slowly pour about ¼ cup of the hot liquid into the egg yolks while whisking to temper them. Gently pour the egg yolk mixture into the hot liquid in the pot while whisking.
- Continue to whisk and simmer the gravy liquid. Whisk in the coconut oil or butter and stir until smooth. You can continue to simmer. Butter tends to thicken the gravy better than coconut oil, but the gravy will thicken more as it cools with the coconut oil.
Notes
Low Carb Sweeteners | Keto Sweetener Conversion Chart
Nutrition
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Note on Nutritional Information
Nutritional information for the recipe is provided as a courtesy and is approximate only. We cannot guarantee the accuracy of the nutritional information given for any recipe on this site. Erythritol carbs are not included in carb counts as it has been shown not to impact blood sugar. Net carbs are the total carbs minus fiber.
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First Published: November 29, 2018… Last Updated: October 15, 2020, with additional recipe information.
Jamie
Exactly what I was looking for and it tasted great! Thank you so much.
Craig
I would give the advise of using coconut flour and egg out of this recipe as it can destroy the gravy.
Steve Denver
I worked in a vegetarian restaurant and the gravy was insanely popular. Chickpea flour was used as the thickener. It is higher in fiber and lower in calories than wheat flour. Add a lot of sage!
Steve Denver
I never considered using egg yolks. GREAT IDEA!
Just a note: if anyone has access to DUCK eggs (Asian markets frequently have them), they are almost all yolk and very little white.
Lisa MarcAurele
I LOVE duck eggs and prefer them over chicken eggs. They also give better rise to baked goods.
Donelda Higgins
I have used psyllium husk as a thickener, but didn’t like the texture. It was kind of slimy. Do any of the thickeners that you suggested have a similar texture/
Lisa MarcAurele
I like glucomannan better and it doesn’t have the slimy feel of others. However, you have to be careful not to overdo it. Tapioca works too, but there’s more carbs in it.
Barbara MacDonald
I made this gravy tonight. I roasted 2 chickens and yielded about 1/2 cup of drippings. I added 1 and 1/2 cups water. I followed your directions using the onion and egg yolk. DELICIOUS! This is better than my usual gravy using flour. Fantastic recipe. Thanks
Jennifer Rayman
This was really good. Used butter instead of coconut oil. Was very flavorful and my son said he may prefer to my regular flour based gravy. Thank you!!!
Lisa MarcAurele
You’re welcome! I’m so glad the low carb gravy worked out so well for you.
Harvey
thank you this is very good I made it tonight but there’s one problem with your instructions you say to leave out the onions for a zero carb gravy well if you do it still will have two eggs in it and two eggs equal one carb
Lisa MarcAurele
I’ll fix that as each egg does have about 0.6 carb each.
Craig
Use only reduced cream not egg and coconut flour!
Renouf Peter
Mine did not thicken and it looked like mud puddle water.
Lisa MarcAurele
It can be a little tricky to thicken, but it should as it cools a bit.
Mary
I reduce the hell out of it, adding stock as necessary, and thicken with butter.
Mary
I find this interesting. This is like a gravy pudding! I am a bit rushed to try it tonight, but I certainly will try it in the near future.
Lisa MarcAurele
Hope it works out! I find that the more gelatin (collagen) from the drippings, the better it works out.
What's the frequency, Kenneth?
I was thinking maybe psyllium husk powder (first thought after glucomannan.)
Lisa MarcAurele
It does thicken liquid but may impact the taste and texture.
Helen
Made it and loved it. However, when entering ingredients into MFP, the drippings were much higher in number than thought. I did chicken, drained some juices for gravy. Was doing 2 servings (since just me and mother are doing keto) so all the liquid was the drippings at 125 ml. For each serving of drippings it’s 486 kcals and 54g fat. This can’t be right, right? I can’t have anything else today if this is right.
Lisa MarcAurele
I don’t think that’s correct. I analyzed the recipe a couple times and didn’t get anything like that.
Marcy Smith
Can I freeze this? My go-to non-Keto gravy is made ahead using turkey wings and frozen. I am trying to find a Keto version that would freeze. This looks great!
Lisa MarcAurele
It should be okay to freeze. It does thicken when cold, but should get thinner when heated.
Karyn
Can you make this a couple of days ahead of time?
Lisa MarcAurele
It’s fine in the fridge for several days so I don’t see why not.
Salina
I’ve been using arrowroot as a starch substitute with some success. It doesn’t hold the same long term so leftover stews and sauces will revert but it adds no flavor and doesn’t leave the slimy mouthfeel of xanthum gum or gelatin.
Lisa
Have you tried glucomannan? I find it’s a better low carb thickener than arrowroot.
Tatiana
Natural foods are my priority when it comes to feeding the family. Great recipe and fantastic alternative for a store bought gravy
Marsha
Yum, this gravy looks so delicious!