October 15, 2020

How to make Keto Gravy

Name: Easy Keto Gravy
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: 55 min
Ingredients: 1 tbsp butter; 1 pkg turkey or chicken giblets; 1/4 medium onion (chopped); 2 stalks celery (sliced); Salt and pepper; 3 cups chicken broth; 1/2 to 3/4 tsp glucomannan

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Learn how to make the best keto gravy with this easy recipe. Rich and delicious, you won’t miss the carbs! Great with roast turkey or chicken.

Titled image of keto gravy in a white bowl with a roast turkey in the background

I should have shared my keto gravy recipe with you long ago. I’ve shared all sorts of other keto thanksgiving recipes, so why have I held back on the gravy?

I promise I was not trying to keep anything from you. It’s just that I’ve never taken the time to formalize it and write it down from start to finish.

I am one of those people who makes gravy on the fly, when the turkey’s in the oven. I make it slightly differently every time, depending on what I have on hand and how big the bird is.

But you deserve a really good gravy recipe for your holiday meals, and so I roasted a chicken and spent time working out the ideal ratios. This is a classic gravy that goes perfectly with chicken or turkey. And it’s highly adaptable for any herbs and spices you want to add in.

Keto thickeners for gravies and sauces

The first thing we need to discuss is how to thicken your gravy. Because no one likes thin, watery gravy, am I right?

Traditional gravy is usually thickened with flour or a starch like cornstarch or tapioca starch. Flour gravies usually start off with a roux, a thick paste of butter and flour cooked until brown, before the broth is slowly whisked in. Whereas starch is usually added to the broth at the end of cooking.

Neither flour nor starch are good options for a keto-friendly gravy. But never fear! There are several possible keto solutions – but I find one of them superior to all the rest.

You can always use gums like xanthan and guar gum, but they tend to give the gravy a slightly slimy quality. I’ve also seen recipes that blend cream cheese into the hot broth – and that works because cream cheese contains some sort of gum, like xanthan or locust bean.

But I don’t want cream cheese in my gravy, thank you very much!

So for the best classic keto gravy, do yourself a favor and get some glucomannan powder. It makes your gravy thick and rich, without any sliminess or cream cheese.

Pouring keto gravy from a ladle onto mashed cauliflower.

What is glucomannan?

Glucomannan is fiber extracted from the konjac root, the same ingredient that’s used in shiritaki noodles. It’s often sold as a dietary supplement, so make sure you aren’t purchasing the capsules, rather than the loose powder.

It’s a great thickener and a little goes a long way. For keto gravy, I experimented and found that 1/4 tsp per cup of liquid was just about right.

One huge advantage over gums like xanthan is that it doesn’t clump up the minute it hits the warm liquid. So you don’t have to work quite so quickly to whisk it into your sauce.

It’s incredibly useful so I promise you it won’t go to waste. I’ve used glucomannan in quite a few of my recipes, including my Keto Mongolian Beef, Keto Chicken and Mushrooms, and my updated Keto Rhubarb Crisp.

A plate full of Thanksgiving dinner with keto gravy in the background.

How to make the best keto gravy

This low carb gravy recipe is really quite straightforward and goes perfectly with chicken or turkey. And you can scale it up or down, depending on the size of your feast!

Remove the giblets (the neck, heart, liver, and gizzard) from the cavity of the bird. I highly recommend using the giblets to help deepen the flavor of your gravy. But if you really object, or you purchased a partial bird that doesn’t have them, you can go without.
Saute the giblets and the chopped onion and celery in butter, allowing them to cook until the giblets are browned and the butter has deepened in color.
Add in chicken or turkey broth and bring the whole mixture to a boil. Then reduce the heat and simmer for at least 30 minutes, again to deepen the flavor.
Once your bird has finished roasting, you want to add all the juices and drippings from the pan into your broth. Scrape up all the browned bits from the roasting pan and get those into the broth too, as they have tons of flavor!
If the drippings are very fatty, you can spoon some of it off, either before you add them to the broth or after. Let them sit for a bit so the fat rises to the top, then simply use a spoon to remove some.
Bring the pan of broth and juices to a boil again and cook until reduced by about one quarter. Then use a sieve to strain out all the solids. Return the liquids to the pan.
Whisk in the glucomannan and season to taste! The gravy will take a bit to thicken up so don’t overdo it. Start with 1/2 a teaspoon and add more if your gravy isn’t thicker after 10 minutes.
If your gravy gets overly thick, it’s easy to thin it out with some more broth. Put it back over low heat and whisk in until well combined.
You can easily scale this recipe up for a larger bird or if you just love to drown everything in gravy. For every cup of liquid, you need about 1/4 tsp glucomannan.

Roast turkey with keto gravy, mashed cauliflower, and green beans on a white plate over a red napkin.

How to store keto gravy

Gravy of any kind is best made fresh but this does do well in the fridge for several days. So you can enjoy leftover turkey and keto gravy as long as you have the taste for it!

As I have mentioned, it will thicken more as it cools. If it’s very thick, place it in a saucepan and add a few tablespoons of broth. Warm over low heat and whisk frequently until it thins out.

More delicious keto Thanksgiving recipes

Easy Keto Gravy

Learn how to make the best keto gravy with this easy recipe. Rich and delicious, you won't miss the carbs! Great with roast turkey or chicken.

Course Side Dish

Cuisine American

Keyword keto gravy, low carb gravy

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 40 minutes

Total Time 55 minutes

Servings servings

Calories 47kcal

Ingredients

1 tbsp butter
1 pkg turkey or chicken giblets
1/4 medium onion chopped
2 stalks celery sliced
Salt and pepper
3 cups chicken broth
1/2 to 3/4 tsp glucomannan

Instructions

In a large saucepan over medium heat, melt the butter. Add the giblets, onion, and celery. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and saute until nicely browned, about 5 minutes.
Add the broth. Bring to a boil and then simmer 30 to 40 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the giblets.
When your chicken or turkey is done cooking, remove to a platter and tent with foil. Pour any pan juices and drippings to the stock in the pan, scraping up any browned bits for flavor. (You can spoon off some of the fat from the drippings, if there is more than you like).
Bring to a boil and cook until reduced by about one quarter. Set a fine mesh sieve over a bowl to strain out the solids. Discard solids and return the liquid to the pan.
Whisk in 1/2 tsp of glucomannan and let sit 10 minutes to thicken. If you like very thick gravy, whisk in the remainging glucomannan.
The gravy will continue to thicken up as it cools. If it gets overly thick, add a little chicken broth to thin it out as you re-warm it.

Notes

You can easily scale this recipe up for a larger bird or if you just love to drown everything in gravy. For every cup of liquid, you need about 1/4 tsp glucomannan.

Nutrition

Please note that I am not a medical or nutritional professional. I am simply recounting and sharing my own experiences on this blog. Nothing I express here should be taken as medical advice and you should consult with your doctor before starting any diet or exercise program. I provide nutritional information for my recipes simply as a courtesy to my readers. It is calculated using MacGourmet software and I remove erythritol from the final carb count and net carb count, as it does not affect my own blood glucose levels. I do my best to be as accurate as possible but you should independently calculate nutritional information on your own before relying on them. I expressly disclaim any and all liability of any kind with respect to any act or omission wholly or in part in reliance on anything contained in this website.

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