How to Thicken Gravy, According to Our Test Kitchen (2024)

FAQs

How to Thicken Gravy, According to Our Test Kitchen? ›

Similar to flour, cornstarch is another ingredient that can be used to make gravy thicker. With cornstarch, making a slurry is also an option, but with 1 tablespoon of cornstarch whisked into cold water. Again, you'll want to add the slurry in increments so you don't over-thicken the gravy.

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

One easy way to thicken gravy is to simply reduce the liquid. Add any pan drippings you have to a small or medium-sized saucepan. Then, add in 1 cup of liquid, and simmer on medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until the liquid reduces by at least a third and the flavors are more concentrated.

Gluten-free plain flour or cornflour: This is simply to thicken the sauce so either works fine. Gluten-free stock: I make mine from 500ml of boiling water and 1x gluten-free stock cube. Any flavour works, be it beef, chicken, ham, turkey or veggie/vegan stock cubes.

The thickening agent needs to be stirred into the liquid in order to dissolve completely and thicken the gravy evenly. The theory behind beginning with a cold broth is sound enough, but it can take a while and time is of the essence when you've got hungry guests and a resting roast.

To make a good cheese sauce or gravy, you need a thickening agent. Cornstarch and flour are two common thickening agents in the home kitchen. Both are cereal starches and when they're mixed with a liquid and then heated, they gelatinize.

Use Flour and Water

Combine 2 tablespoons flour with every 1/4 cup cold water and whisk until smooth. Add the mixture to your sauce over medium heat, and continue to stir and cook until you've reached your desired consistency. Test with a spoon.

To use flour as a thickening agent: Use two tablespoons flour mixed with ¼ cup cold water for each cup of medium-thick sauce. Thoroughly mix in the water to prevent lumps. After stirring the combined flour and water into the sauce, cook and stir over medium heat until thickened and bubbly.

In sauces. Both self-raising and plain flour are fine for thickening sauces. Any air bubbles you get from the raising agents in self-raising flour will pop and evaporate as the sauce cooks, although plain flour usually tastes better.

What can you use instead of cornstarch to thicken gravy? ›

Gravy gets a jelly-like texture due to too much thickener. Too much flour, for instance, can result in a gummy consistency (particularly when left overnight in the fridge). Reheating with additional liquid can often help soften things up.

Arrowroot starch works in these sorts of dishes, too. Some sauces are thickened by starting with a “roux” (a butter + flour mixture), traditionally made with wheat flour. White rice or sweet rice flour is a perfectly good substitute.

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 with flour is by making a roux. A roux is a mixture of fat and flour, and it's an easy way to thicken a sauce. If you make a roux, it should also be added incrementally. A final option is making a beurre manié, which is made by rubbing flour into butter to create a dough or paste.

Onion paste, cashew paste, cream, butter, melon seed paste, cornflour slurry and roux (equal parts of cooked flour and butter) are some of the commercially used thickening agents. Too much water may be the culprit.

One way to thicken gravy with flour is by making a slurry. A slurry is made by whisking 2 tablespoons of flour with cold water, which then gets whisked into the gravy.

If your gravy is too thick, that just means it contains a bit too much flour. Thin it with additional stock; you could use water instead, but then you'd be watering down the flavor.

Using Flour Instead

If using flour, you'll still want to make a slurry: The ratio is two tablespoons of flour and 1/4 cup of cold water for each cup of liquid. Once you add the slurry to the hot sauce, stir until the mixture turns thick and bubbly.

(The classic ratio for gravy is three:two:one, so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.) You can add other flavors to the mixture, swap out the stock for another liquid, or use cornstarch rather than flour to thicken your gravy.