Gravy

A low-FODMAP gravy made with homemade chicken broth and a gluten-free flour roux, using garlic-infused oil and scallion greens in place of onion and garlic.

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; check the label for wheat if you're 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 so the drippings are safe to use.
• 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 is the reliable base.
• 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, or stir in a little lactose-free cream only if you tolerate it.

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.

Not sure about an ingredient? The FODMAP Foods app rates 1,000+ foods low, moderate, or high FODMAP, with the safe portion for each, so you can cook with confidence.