Easy Perfect Keto Gravy Recipe

Regular gravy can add so many carbs and calories to your meal. This Keto Gravy Recipe is easy to make and delicious without adding extra carbs. You can use the same method with not only turkey but also chicken and beef too.

I guess you either like gravy or love gravy. I love gravy and always look forward to having it.

I think it’s an essential part of the meal whenever you have turkey or chicken or roast beef. If there isn’t any gravy with the meat you know it’s just missing something!

When I had to count my carbs I was disappointed that I couldn’t have gravy until I found a way to make it without flour.

I was happy to experiment and come up with an easy low carb gravy to enjoy and I’m equally happy to share it with you. 

Is Gravy Low Carb/Keto?

Normally gravy is not low carb because in order to thicken the meat drippings you need to add a thickener. Flour and cornstarch are 2 of the most popular choices, but they are both full of carbs.

So if you are on the Keto diet or Low Carb diet then you can’t have gravy, until now…

You will learn now how easy it is to make gravy using low carb ingredients to thicken it. 

How to Make Gravy from Turkey Drippings

You may be wondering: “What is the secret to a truly amazing gravy?”

The answer is in learning how to turn those delicious but thin drippings from the turkey, that just run off your meat and puddle onto your plate, into a gravy that will stick to your meat and melt in your mouth. This is the first step to making a really delicious gravy.

In order to do that you need a thicking agent, and one of the ones that we found to be quite effective is called xanthan gum. It can be used in gravy and it doesn’t take too much to actually thicken the liquid drippings.

1 teaspoon is only about 3 carbs and depending on the amount of liquid you have 1 or 2 tsp would be enough.

If you find that there is too much fat in your drippings then you can separate it simply by pouring it all in a glass measuring cup. The fat will rise to the top of the measuring cup and you can just skim it off the top.  

Can I Make Gravy Without Pan Drippings?

Yes, you can. If you don’t have any drippings from the turkey or you are preparing another type of meat that doesn’t have drippings, you can always start with a can or carton of broth, chicken broth for chicken or beef broth for roast beef.  

Your choice of broth is going to depend on whatever type of meat you are having that you need gravy for.

What are Giblets?

Giblets are the things that are stored inside of your turkey cavity. They include the neck, and organs such as the liver, heart, and gizzards.

It’s a personal choice whether to use them in your gravy or not. Sometimes it depends where you are from as to whether you view them as a delicacy that you love and want to use or as “yuk” and throw them away.

If you decide to use them, rinse them with cold water and place them in the refrigerator until about an hour before you are ready to eat.

Take them out of the refrigerator and place them in a small saucepan and cover with water. Bring it to a boil and simmer until soft. Save the water and chop the giblets into small pieces. 

Bring the giblet water to a boil and add the drippings from the turkey pan and then add the spices and the xanthan gum and thicken your liquid until you reach your desired thickness. When the gravy is done add the chopped giblets to your gravy, blend and serve.

If you decide not to use the giblets, then just discard and proceed with your gravy making process. 

Making the Low Carb Gravy Roux

Any good gravy starts with a roux, only making a low carb one can be tricky. Good thing we are here to answer any questions you might have about it!

Do you Add Milk to Gravy?

You would not want to add milk to your Gravy, especially if you are counting carbs because the milk has 11 carbs per cup. That would not be ideal for a Keto diet at all.

Can you Make Gravy with Water instead of Milk?

Yes, you can make your Keto Gravy with water, in fact, that’s exactly what I do. I add water to the turkey pan while baking the turkey.

Eventually, the meat drippings run into the water, and when combined together they make a tasty base for your gravy. 

If you need any more volume you can also add chicken broth. Then to thicken it you can add xanthan gum as a thickening agent. 1 tsp goes a long way and it’s less than 3 carbs. 

Do you Make Gravy with Hot or Cold Water?

Usually, when you make gravy with flour in it, it’s best to use cold water so that the flour does not form lumps when you add it to the boiling drippings and liquid. 

With my low carb gravy, since you aren’t using any flour then you don’t have to worry about adding any cold water. You can use any temperature you want.

I just start with all the liquid in the bottom of the turkey pan, which consists of the drippings from the pan added to the water that I added to the bottom of the pan before I put the turkey in the oven.

I like to make sure that I have enough liquid when the turkey is done cooking so that I will be able to make plenty of gravy. I even add some chicken broth too if I don’t have enough liquid from the turkey pan.

Can You Make Gravy with a Stock Cube?

I have made gravy with it and without it. My rule of thumb is if you have enough flavor without it then I don’t add it to my gravy. But if it’s kinda bland then I choose to add it to my gravy.

It’s only 1 carb per tsp so you can add a few teaspoons without raising your carbs too much. 

How do you Thicken a Keto/Low Carb Gravy?

Before I had to learn to eat a Low Carb Diet, I made gravy using flour to thicken my gravy all the time, and it took a lot of flour to thicken it, hence lots of carbs. Then we had to figure out how to make gravy without flour. 

What Can You Use Instead of Flour to Make Gravy?

So we’ve experimented with a lot of ingredients to add to our low carb gravy and found a solution.

You can use xanthan gum to thicken the gravy. It only takes a little bit, 1 or 2 tsp is enough. It thickens very quickly so only put it in ¼ tsp at a time so that it doesn’t thicken too much.

Can You Use Almond Flour to Thicken Gravy?

Yes, you can use almond flour to thicken your gravy. A word of caution though, if you add too much your gravy can be very heavy, so just add a small amount at a time and then you will know how much you should add.

Another thing to remember, if your almond flour is not a finely ground one it could leave your gravy a little gritty. There are several brands of almond flour that are finely ground so use one of them. 

Also, if you use too much almond flour it could make your gravy taste a little nutty in flavor. So use only the amount that you need to thicken and taste during the process. 

One nice thing about using almond flour it doesn’t lump up when you add it to your boiling gravy, unlike regular flour that lumps up easily. The idea is to have as smooth a gravy as possible.                                                                                                                                                                    

Can You Use Coconut Flour to Thicken Gravy?

Yes, coconut flour will thicken your gravy too but one downfall with using it is that it tastes a little like coconut. But usually, it doesn’t take too much flour to thicken your gravy so use a little (1 or 2 Tbsp) at a time. 

It’s also very low in carbs, only 2 grams in ¼ cup.

What Ingredients are in a Low Carb Gravy

Pan/meat drippings – I put water in the bottom of turkey pan and then as the meat starts cooking it drips into the pan too.

These drippings can’t be duplicated by anything in a carton or a can. They are unique because they come from the meat and have so much flavor, so combined together with the water it forms the base for your gravy.  

Xanthan Gum – This is a thickening agent that is very low in carbs, and a little goes a long way unlike the traditional thickeners like flour which is very high in carbs and requires a lot to thicken the drippings.

Spices – Some basic spices like garlic powder, onion powder, salt, pepper, parsley or whatever else that you like to season with.

How Much Gravy do I Need per Person?

This is kind of hard to figure out how much gravy you need for your guests to enjoy.

Some people don’t use gravy at all. Some like just a small flavor of it and some people like me cover their meat entirely and then some extra just in case the meat gets dry halfway through eating. 

I think you should plan to have enough gravy for ¼ cup per person, that is what I’ve found the average person uses.  

If you allow ¼ cup per person, for every 4 people you would need 1 cup. For 8 people, 2 cups…etc.

If you have a crowd that you know love gravy then plan on ½ cup per person.

If you have extra gravy leftover you can always freeze it. I come from a family who always believes in having plenty of food so that there are leftovers for the next day or two.

How to Make the Best Keto Gravy – Step by Step

When I make any meat I usually put some water in the bottom of the pan to catch the drippings from the meat and that makes for a better start to your gravy.

Once you’re done cooking your turkey, take your liquid from the oven pan and pour it into a saucepan on the stove. Put the burner on medium and bring the liquid to a boil.

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Next, add some xanthan gum ¼ tsp at a time to begin the thickening process. Xanthan gum can thicken quickly so hence the reason to add a little at a time. 

Once you have reached your desired thickness then add salt and pepper to taste and serve. 

How to Get the Lumps Out of My Gravy?

In traditional gravy that requires using a lot of flour to thicken it the way to make sure your gravy does not have lumps is to put the flour in a glass jar, add cold water and shake it up. You then add it to the boiling gravy while whisking to avoid lumps. 

However, since you don’t use flour when making low carb gravy, and the xanthan gum is only a tiny amount, there is not really much chance for lumps to form. Just add it to the boiling gravy and whisk. 

The same if you use almond flour or coconut flour, neither one of them lumps up like traditional gravy so no worries.

Can I Make Gravy a Day Ahead of Time?

Yes, you could make the gravy ahead of time but to get the most flavorful part of the gravy, which is the drippings, you would logically also have to make the turkey a day ahead of time too. That would be a problem if you planned on eating the turkey fresh from the oven.

Making the gravy ahead of time can be done, you just wouldn’t be able to use it on that turkey you got the drippings from unless you didn’t care about serving the turkey the same day you cook it.

How to Make My Gravy Less Salty

Want to learn how to fix salty gravy? If your gravy seems to be too salty for your taste, simply add a little water to cut it.

Just don’t forget the more liquid that you add, the more thickening agent you need to use.

You could also add just a little heavy cream or sour cream to it to cut the saltiness. It only needs a little because after all your volume of liquid is not that much.

Even though these dairy products are acceptable on a Keto diet plan, don’t add too much and raise your carb level too much.

By adding a squeeze of lemon juice, that could do the trick also.

Chances are that once you put the gravy on your meat or veggies, they won’t be salty and the 2 together will make a tasty, not salty, combination.

How do you Darken Turkey Gravy?

I don’t think that turkey gravy needs to be darker than it is, but if you want your turkey gravy to be a little darker than it is, just add ¼ tsp of gravy master which is only 1 carb and it adds a lot of color. A little goes a long way.

What to Put in Gravy to Make it Taste Better?

My favorite go-to spices for gravy are onions, garlic, salt, and pepper.

I like to keep it simple so that you can taste the meat flavor. That’s why I use the drippings from the meat because it already has a lot of flavor of its own. 

You can also add some poultry seasoning which is made from sage, rosemary, and thyme. Just add a little to enhance the gravy. Too much may overpower it.

Variations of Low Carb Gravy

When you make a roasted chicken you can also make gravy the same way that you make the turkey gravy, just using chicken instead. Thicken it with xanthan gum and if you need any more chicken flavor you can add chicken broth or chicken bouillon.

If you make roast beef or prime rib you can make beef gravy the same way.

Just take the beef drippings from the bottom of the pan and if you need more liquid or flavor you can always use a can of beef broth. Add garlic powder and dried onion flakes.

Other Diets this recipe is good for

Gluten-free – as long as you do not add flour for thickening like traditional gravy then it will be gluten-free. Use the xanthan gum, it’s good for gluten-free.

You could also use a little almond flour or coconut flour to thicken your gravy which is also low carb and gluten-free.

What Can I Put Gravy on?  

If you like gravy-like me, besides putting gravy on turkey or chicken,  you can also put it on your Keto Stuffing or also your Cauliflower Mash or Butternut Squash Casserole, all recipes that are on our web site.

• Roast Turkey
• Chicken
• Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes
• Keto Stuffing
• Butternut Squash Casserole

How to Store Low Carb Turkey Gravy

As you might expect, as with all food storage, put your gravy in an airtight container and store it in your refrigerator. It will keep about 4-5 days in the refrigerator.

Can I Freeze Turkey Gravy?

Yes, you can definitely freeze your turkey gravy. Put it in an airtight container and then place the container in a plastic freezer bag. That will give your gravy extra protection.

It should last in the freezer for 6 months so you have plenty of time to use it.

Similar Recipes:

If you’re in the mood for some other Low Carb Sauces then try our:

• Easy Keto Salsa
• Buffalo Chicken Dip
• Tzatziki Sauce
• Sugar Free BBQ Sauce

All of them are low carb and your family and friends will love them!

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