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This deep rich vegetarian Gluten-Free Onion Gravy is a testament that you don’t need meat drippings or beef stock to make an excellent gravy. Thick and smooth, this flavourful gravy is a wonderful accompaniment to sausages, pies, mashed potatoes, Sunday lunch or any of your favourite comfort foods.
Jump to:
- Why you’ll love this gravy recipe
- What is gravy made of?
- What can you use in place of flour for gravy?
- Can gravy be thickened with gluten-free flour?
- List of ingredients
- How do you cut onions for gravy?
- What kind of onions do you use?
- Gravy browning
- How to make Gluten-Free Onion Gravy
- Tips and troubleshooting
- How to make ahead
- How to freeze
- Vegan gravy
- Serving suggestions
- What to do with leftover gravy?
- More gluten-free recipes you’ll love
- Gluten-Free Onion Gravy
We usually save our meat drippings and make fresh stock every other weekend. However, life with four kids isn’t always that organised and sometimes I just want to serve something warm and comforting for the family but don’t have any fresh beef broth or any drippings hanging around the fridge. This vegetarian gravy is made with butter for the fat and a veggie stock cube for the stock. Yet we can still produce an incredibly delicious gravy that is just what I am craving poured all over my favourite Bangers and Mash.
This Onion Gravy is also easily made vegan if you swap the butter for a vegan butter so is a fantastic recipe to have up your sleeve if you need a plant based alternative.
The key to this really good gravy is the caramelised onions which give luscious sweetness and produce a gravy rich with deep flavour. This recipe doesn’t need a long caramelisation of the onions though, 40 minutes is too long here, we are aiming for about 20-25 minutes. The trick is cooking the onions at exactly the right medium-low heat which allows the onions to cook slow enough to start getting sweet and quickly enough so they start to catch colour. This light browning on our onions is so important to achieving the right colour on our gravy and saves it from being a weak pale sauce.
Why you’ll love this gravy recipe
- You’ll have no idea this is a Gluten-Free Vegetarian Gravy. Easy switch to make it vegan too.
- Deep, complex flavour that is a lovely accompaniment to any kind of sausage (meat or vegan), yorkshire pudding, mushroom or meat pies or any Sunday Roast.
- Made with cassava flour so you don’t need to make sure you are buying the right brand of gluten-free flour.
- Perfect for all your holiday feasts that doesn’t rely on dripping so you can make it in plenty of time ahead of the big day.
What is gravy made of?
Most gravy recipes call for meat drippings which are heated and mixed with flour to make a thick paste called a roux. Hot beef or chicken stock is then whisked in and thickened by the roux to make a thick smooth sauce which has a lot of umami flavour.
But, this delicious onion gravy proves we don’t need meat drippings or stock or even red wine (a common ingredient) to make a flavourful gravy. We just need lots of onions.
However, if you are looking for a more traditional gravy made with meat drippings and stock then have a look at my Gluten-Free Gravy recipe.
What can you use in place of flour for gravy?
This Gluten-Free Onion Gravy swaps plain all-purpose flour for cassava flour which is a lovely smooth starchy gluten-free flour. You make a roux in the same way that you would with regular gravy and in fact you won’t realise you are making it with a gluten-free flour.
If you can’t get hold of cassava flour then you can substitute for sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour).
READ MORE >>> The Ultimate Guide to Cassava Flour
Can gravy be thickened with gluten-free flour?
I don’t recommend using plain all-purpose gluten-free flour in this recipe as I find the results are usually gritty and thin when using these kind of flours.
List of ingredients
- Unsalted butter. You can swap for a vegan butter if you need this recipe to be vegan.
- Olive oil.
White onions. - Bay leaf.
- Fresh thyme.
- Apple cider vinegar.
- Cassava flour.
- Vegetable broth or stock.
- Worcestershire sauce. Check you are using a vegan one which is usually gluten-free too, although do read the label. If you can’t get hold of this one you can leave out.
- Dijon mustard.
- Salt and pepper.
How do you cut onions for gravy?
We cut the onions into thin slices using a sharp knife. You don’t need to be too precise about it. The thin slices catch on the heat better which is what gives the onions their colour and in turn produces a lovely deep colour to the gravy.
What kind of onions do you use?
I recommend using white onions (sometimes called yellow onions). The caramelised flavour is just right with these onions. I did test the recipe with red onions and I found the results too sweet.
Gravy browning
One of the drawbacks of using gluten-free flour is that it just doesn’t brown the same as plain all-purpose flour.
A stalwart condiment in our larder growing up was a bottle of gravy browning. A thick gloopy food colourant which you only needed a few drops of and it turned your homemade gravy from a pale colour to a strong dark brown. This isn’t my favourite method to brown my gravy anymore.
I have tried all sorts from black treacle to tamari to coconut aminos to more worcestershire sauce to make my gluten-free gravy a more powerful brown colour. However, I find these methods interfere with the flavour of the gravy too much.
Instead I prefer to cook my onions in a different way to some onion gravy recipes. I cook the onions for a shorter amount of time on a medium-high heat. This allows the onions to catch on the bottom of the pan giving them a soft golden brown colour at the edges. This in turn provides the finished gravy with the right amount of ‘browning’ that the sauce needs.
How to make Gluten-Free Onion Gravy
For full recipe instructions go to the recipe card at the end of this post.
- Melt the butter and olive oil. Add the sliced onion and cook on a medium – low heat for 20-25 minutes until softened and caramelised.
- Add the seasoning, herbs, butter and cassava flour. Stir in to make a thick roux.
- Pour in the stock a little at a time, whisking all the time to create a thick sauce.
- Finally stir in the worcestershire sauce and dijon and simmer for 10 minutes. Serve.
Tips and troubleshooting
- Use both olive oil and butter as the olive oil tempers the butter, which we use for flavour, so it doesn’t burn. You can use ghee.
- Once the onions are coated in the fat then leave for 10 minutes to start cooking then come in every so often to give a stir, scraping the bottom of the pan for the golden brown bits to colour the onions. They should never turn any shade of black though as this means they are burnt and the flavour won’t be good.
- You want to prolong the cooking of the onions for as long as you can as the trick is to kick start the caramelisation process but just getting them to catch on the heat. It usually takes about 20- 25 minutes.
- Always keep an eye on the cooking onions so they don’t burn.
- Make sure the stock is hot when you add it to the roux.
- Pour a little bit of stock into the saucepan at a time, making sure that you are whisking out all the flour lumps before you add the next bit of stock.
- If you would like a thinner gravy then add more stock.
How to make ahead
You can make the gravy up to 3 days before you want to serve it and keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge.
How to freeze
Or you can freeze the gravy for up to 2 months. Allow the gravy to cool to room temperature then store in an airtight container and keep in the freezer. Defrost overnight before re-heating thoroughly in a saucepan.
Vegan gravy
Make sure you use a vegan Worcestershire sauce. You can also swap the butter for a vegan butter for a vegan gravy that tastes just as good as the original recipe.
Serving suggestions
- Sausages. Pork or vegan sausages are both good. Particularly lovely with Bangers and Mash.
- Pork Chops.
- Mushroom pie or meat pie.
- Any roasted joint as part of your Traditional Sunday Lunch.
- Serve over an Oven Baked Meatloaf.
If you do want a traditional Gluten-Free Gravy recipe made with meat drippings and no onions then try my favourite Gluten-Free Gravy recipe.
What to do with leftover gravy?
Leftover gravy, what’s that? You will lap this gravy up with a spoon. However, on the off chance that you do have leftovers these is my favourite uses.
- Bread and gravy. A thick slice of white bread on a plate with lashings of gravy poured over to soak. What an amazing treat!
- Use the gravy for the sauce in your Shepherds Pie.
- Or just make a really good Gluten-Free Savoury Mince with the gravy. Childhood nostalgia meals at its best.
- Homemade chips and gravy.
- Add a little gravy to homemade stews or casseroles like this Gluten-Free Chicken Casserole for extra flavour or to thicken.
More gluten-free recipes you’ll love
- Gluten-Free Yorkshire Puddings
- Gluten-Free White Sauce
- Gluten-Free Parsley Sauce
- Gluten-Free Cheese Sauce
- Gluten-Free Bread Sauce
- Gluten-Free Custard
- Dairy-Free Peppercorn Sauce
I urge you to give this Gluten-Free Onion Gravy a try. If you do then please leave a comment below and give the recipe a rating which helps others find the recipe on Google. If you then go on to use this recipe as a launch pad for your own culinary creation then I’d also love it if you’d share it and tag me on Instagram. It is so lovely for me to see your versions and variations of my recipes.
Gluten-Free Onion Gravy
Ingredients
- 70 g unsalted butter
- 1 tablespoon olive oil
- 500 g white onions - peeled and sliced (from 4 onions)
- 1 bay leaf
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- Pinch of white pepper
- 40 g cassava flour
- 800 ml vegetable stock
- 1 teaspoon worcestershire sauce - see notes
- 1 teaspoon dijon mustard
Instructions
- Heat the pan for a couple of minutes on a medium heat. When hot, add 20g of the butter plus the olive oil.
- Add the onion slices and heat on medium-low heat for about 20-25 minutes until sticky and caramelised. Stir the pan occasionally to collect all the brown sticky bits from the bottom. For the end 5-10 minutes you will be stirring almost continually to avoid the catching onion burning. The onions are ready when they are still soft but golden and sticky.
- Turn the heat to low and pour in the apple cider vinegar and stir well to deglaze the pan.
- Add the herbs and the salt and pepper.
- Stir in the butter until melted then add the cassava flour. Switch to a whisk and mix the flour in well until it has all been absorbed by the fat.
- Pour in the stock very slowly, about 100ml at a time, stirring continually to remove lumps until it gradually begins to resemble a sauce. Once about half of the stock has been added you can turn the heat up to medium and keep on stirring in the stock until it has all been added and the only lumps in the gravy are the onion.
- Whisk in the dijon and the worcestershire sauce and bring the gravy up to a gentle boil.
- Turn the heat down and simmer for 10 minutes then remove from the heat and serve.
Notes
- Cassava flour. You can substitute for the same amount of sweet rice flour (glutinous rice flour) – this is not the same as regular rice flour. I do not recommend swapping for an all-purpose gluten-free flour as it doesn’t produce a high quality gravy.
- Worcestershire sauce. Lea and Perrins is not gluten-free. However, you can buy many alternative versions and the vegan versions which you can pick up from health food shops or Amazon are almost always gluten-free. Do check your labels.
- Vegan version. As I said you should use a vegan Worcestershire sauce. You also can swap the butter for a vegan butter.
- Adding the stock. Add the stock a little amount at a time, whisking all the while, this gives an ultra smooth sauce and is the best way to dissolve any lumps of flour.
Make ahead. You can make the gravy up to 3 days before you want to serve it and keep it stored in an airtight container in the fridge. - Freeze. Or you can freeze the gravy for up to 2 months. Allow the gravy to cool to room temperature then store in an airtight container and keep in the freezer. Defrost overnight before re-heating thoroughly in a saucepan.
- US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups.
Nutrition information
Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.The nutrition serving is for 1 serving of gravy, assuming the gravy is served to 8 people.
Pat Render says
I'll definite try this but without the onions and use some lamb glaze from Souschef. I assume sweet rice flour can also be used to make a roux for cheese sauce?
Georgina Hartley says
Yes, the only thing I will say is that if you are not using the onions then the gravy might not colour as well as sweet rice flour doesn't brown in the same way that regular flour does. If you are using a lamb glaze then that will go some way to colouring the gravy. If you don't want an onion gravy then this other gluten-free gravy might suit you - although it still uses the onions to help give colour and flavour but they get strained out at the end. And yes you can use sweet rice flour for cheese sauce. Click here for the cheese sauce recipe.