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Rich turkey stock and pureed roasted vegetables create a creamy low-carb turkey gravy without flour.
Low-Carb Gravy
Roasting turkey wings, neck, or parts along with cauliflower, onion, and garlic gives you a rich turkey stock, which creates this luscious, low-carb turkey gravy with no flour. Then the vegetables get pureed along with the stock to create a creamy turkey gravy, and I swear you can’t tell there’s cauliflower in it! This gluten-free gravy recipe is delicious served over your Thanksgiving turkey and mashed potatoes. The best part? You can make it up to three days in advance, so it’s one less thing to do on Thanksgiving. If you want a more traditional gravy made with flour, here’s my classic turkey gravy recipe.
Why This Flourless Gravy Recipe Works:
- Low Carb: The omission of flour and the addition of cauliflower keeps the total carbs low.
- Gluten-free: This easy flourless gravy recipe is naturally gluten-free, making it an excellent choice for anyone with family members who don’t eat gluten.
- Healthy: This turkey gravy contains half of a head of cauliflower, which is a good source of fiber, vitamin C, vitamin K, and folate.
- Make Ahead: Who doesn’t want to check one thing off their to-do list before Thanksgiving? Make this gravy a few days in advance, and all you have to do is reheat it before your big feast.
Turkey Gravy Ingredients
- Turkey: You’ll need two turkey wings or the neck and back from turkey. (Spatchcocked is a fancy word for butterflying a turkey by removing the backbone, opening it out, and flattening it.)
- Cauliflower: Cut half of a large head of cauliflower into one-inch-thick slices.
- Onion: You’ll need half of a medium yellow onion and half a head of garlic.
- Seasoning: Kosher salt, black pepper, Bell’s seasoning
- Liquid: Use a half cup of low-sodium chicken broth and six cups of water.
- Herbs: Small sprigs of fresh sage and thyme
How to Make Low-Carb Gravy
- Roast Turkey and Veggies: Toss the turkey wings, cauliflower, onion, and garlic with olive oil, salt, and pepper, and roast until the turkey skin is golden and some of the fat has rendered.
- Make the Turkey Stock: Remove the garlic from the skin and put it in a large pot with the vegetables and turkey. Pour the broth and pan drippings into the pot with water, salt, and herbs and bring it to a boil. Then simmer for a couple of hours and strain.
- Make the Gravy: Blend the vegetables with seasoning, pouring in the stock a little at a time until the gravy is at your desired consistency. When ready to serve, heat it on the stove.
Variations
- Quicker Gravy: Skip the step for making the stock, and puree the roasted onion, cauliflower, and garlic and pan drippings with store-bought low- sodium chicken broth. You should need less than one quart for a creamy, pourable consistency.
- Seasoning: If you don’t have Bell’s, any turkey or poultry seasoning will work. You can also make your own by adding the individual spices in Bell’s: rosemary, oregano, sage, ginger, marjoram, thyme, and pepper.
What to Serve with this Low-Carb Gravy
When I think gravy, I think holidays. So, here are some of my favorite Thanksgiving dishes to pair with your turkey and gravy.
- Slow Cooker Garlic Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Cornbread Sausage Stuffing
- Green Bean Casserole
- Brussels Sprout Gratin
- Mashed Potatoes
How to Make Ahead
This gluten-free gravy recipe will last for up to four days in the fridge or six months in the freezer. The best part is that you can make it up to three days in advance.
- After you make the gravy, cool it and refrigerate it.
- On Thanksgiving Day, reheat it on the stove, adding more stock or water a splash at a time if necessary.
Can you make gravy without flour or cornstarch?
Yes, the roasted cauliflower thickens the gravy, meaning there’s no need for flour or cornstarch.
More Turkey Recipes You’ll Love
- Slow Cooker Turkey Breast with Gravy
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Stuffed Turkey Breast with Cranberry Stuffing
- Sheet Pan Thanksgiving Dinner
- Butternut Stuffed Turkey with Cranberries
Make-Ahead Flourless Turkey Gravy (Low-Carb)
Rich turkey stock and pureed roasted vegetables create a creamy low-carb turkey gravy without flour.
Yield: 16 servings
Serving Size: 1 /4 cup
Ingredients
- 2 turkey wings, or the neck and back from a spatchcocked turkey (about 2 pounds total for both)
- 1/2 large head cauliflower, cut into 1-inch thick slices (about 1 pound)
- 1/2 medium yellow onion
- 1/2 head garlic, halved horizontally
- 2 teaspoons extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons kosher salt, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup low-sodium chicken broth, or water
- small sprig of fresh sage
- small sprig of fresh thyme
- 1 teaspoon Bells poultry seasoning
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 425°F.
For the Turkey Stock:
- Put the turkey wings, cauliflower, onion and garlic cut side down on a large rimmed baking sheet. Drizzle the olive oil over everything, season with 1/2 teaspoon of salt and black pepper to taste, and toss to combine. Roast, turning everything halfway through, until the turkey skin is golden and some of the fat has rendered and the garlic is caramelized, about 50 to 55 minutes, careful not to burn.
- Once done, remove the garlic from the skin and place in a large pot with the onion (discard any burnt parts), cauliflower and turkey. Pour the chicken broth onto the baking sheet and use a spatula or wooden spoon to scrape up all of the browned bits from the pan (put the pan over a burner turned to medium to help with any stubborn parts).
- Pour the broth and pan drippings into the pot with 6 cups of water, 1 1/2 teaspoons salt and the sage and thyme and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and gently simmer, partially covered until the meat easily comes off the bone, at least 2 hours, or as long as 3 hours.
- Discard the turkey wings, thyme and sage. Pour the mixture through a sieve to separate out the solids. Remove as much fat as you can from the stock: either pour the stock into a separator if you’ve got one, or refrigerate or freeze the stock so the fat solidifies and can easily be removed. If refrigerating the stock, plan to make the gravy right before serving and warm the ingredients up first.
To Make the Gravy:
- Add the vegetables (onion, garlic and cauliflower) to a high speed blender with bells seasoning and the remaining 1 1/2 teaspoon salt. If the stock is hot, carefully pour in the stock, a little at a time, until the gravy is your desired consistency. If you added all the stock and the gravy is still too thick, switch to adding a little extra water as needed. (any extra stock can be saved for anotheruse). If you don't have a high speed blender, pour the stock through a fine mesh sieve to get the ultimate smooth gravy texture.
- When ready to use, heat up on stove, taste for salt and serve with your turkey dinner. Makes about 4 cups
Last Step:
Please leave a rating and comment letting us know how you liked this recipe! This helps our business to thrive and continue providing free, high-quality recipes for you.Notes
- For a quicker gravy, skip the step for making the stock, and puree the vegetables (onion, cauliflower and garlic) and pan drippings with store-bought low-sodium chicken broth. You should need less than 1 quart to get a nice creamy, pourable consistency.
- Gravy can be made up to 3 days in advance and gently reheated, adding more stock or water a splash at a time if necessary. Serve warm.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 /4 cup, Calories: 53 kcal, Carbohydrates: 11 g, Protein: 3 g, Fat: 1 g, Saturated Fat: 0.5 g, Sodium: 336 mg, Fiber: 3 g, Sugar: 4.5 g
