Gravy

A low FODMAP gravy of pan drippings or butter, a gluten-free flour roux, low FODMAP chicken broth, scallion greens, thyme, and sage.

Prep 5 min

Cook 15 min

Serves 8

Gluten-free

Ingredients

• 3 tablespoons fat: turkey or chicken pan drippings, unsalted butter, or garlic-infused olive oil for a dairy-free gravy
• 3 tablespoons (about 28 g) gluten-free 1:1 flour blend, or 2 tablespoons cornstarch (check the label for inulin or chicory root fiber)
• 2 cups (480 ml) low-FODMAP chicken broth, warm
• 2 tablespoons finely chopped scallion, green tops only (no white bulb), or leek greens
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh thyme (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1 teaspoon chopped fresh sage (or 1/2 teaspoon dried)
• 1/2 teaspoon fine salt, plus more to taste
• 1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1 tablespoon lactose-free heavy cream or lactose-free milk (optional, for a creamier gravy)
• Pinch of asafoetida (optional, for onion-garlic depth; use one labeled gluten-free)

Instructions

Build the roux

1. Warm the fat in a saucepan over medium heat. If you're using butter, let it melt and stop foaming.
2. Sprinkle in the gluten-free flour blend and whisk constantly for 2 to 3 minutes, until it smells toasty and turns light golden. This cooks out the raw-flour taste. If you're using cornstarch instead, skip the roux and see Tips.

Whisk in the broth

1. Pour in the warm chicken broth in a thin stream, whisking hard the whole time so no lumps form. Whisk in the asafoetida now if you're using it.
2. Bring to a gentle simmer, still whisking. The gravy will thicken over 3 to 5 minutes as the flour hydrates.

Season and finish

1. Add the scallion greens, thyme, sage, salt, and pepper. Simmer for 2 to 3 minutes so the herbs bloom into the gravy.
2. Stir in the lactose-free cream if using, then taste and adjust the salt and pepper.
3. For a smooth gravy, strain out the herbs and scallion before serving. Thin with a splash more broth if it gets too thick.

Tips & Substitutions

• Cornstarch for a quicker thickener. Whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch into 3 tablespoons cold broth or water, then stir that slurry into the simmering broth instead of making a roux. Cook 1 to 2 minutes until it turns glossy and thick.
• Roast the bird without onion or garlic. Pan drippings only stay low-FODMAP if the turkey wasn't roasted with onion or garlic in the cavity. Flavor the bird with lemon, leek greens, and fresh herbs to keep onion and garlic out of the drippings.
• Check the gluten-free flour label. Some all-purpose blends add inulin or chicory root fiber for texture, both high in fructans. Choose a blend without them, or use the gluten-free 1:1 flour blend.
• Skip the bouillon and gravy granules. Packaged stock cubes, gravy granules, and most bouillon pastes list onion and garlic powder. Homemade low-FODMAP chicken broth keeps them out.
• Watch the Worcestershire. A dash deepens the color, but Lea and Perrins contains garlic. Leave it out, or add a splash of tamari for umami instead.
• Make it dairy-free. Use garlic-infused oil in place of the butter and leave out the cream (lactose-free cream is still dairy).

Why This Works

• Garlic flavor from oil, not the bulb. The fructans in garlic don't dissolve into oil, so garlic-infused oil carries the flavor without the FODMAP. The onion note comes from scallion and leek greens, where the fructans sit in the white bulb rather than the green tops.
• Homemade broth skips the hidden aromatics. Most boxed stock and bouillon are built on onion and garlic powder. Simmering your own broth keeps the base clean.
• Gluten-free flour or cornstarch thickens without wheat. Wheat flour is high in fructans. A gluten-free 1:1 blend without inulin, or a cornstarch slurry, gives the same silky body.
• Butter and lactose-free cream keep the dairy low. Butter has only trace lactose, and lactose-free cream has the lactose already broken down, so a spoonful of either stays low-FODMAP.

Storage

Cool and refrigerate in a sealed container for up to 4 days. Gravy sets into a gel in the fridge, so reheat it gently on the stove and whisk in a splash of low-FODMAP broth or water to bring it back to a pourable consistency. It also freezes for up to 3 months, though flour-thickened gravy can separate a little on thaw. Whisk hard while reheating to smooth it back out; cornstarch-thickened gravy freezes less well and is best made fresh.