Making Gluten-Free Roux

Everything you thought you knew + All about Oil Options, Flour Options, Stages: White, Blond, Light Brown, and Dark Brown, and more for making it gluten-free...

Feb 14, 2023

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How to Thicken Gravies and Sauces Like a Chef

What exactly is a roux, and what is it used for?

As the silent x in its name implies, Roux is an essential core of the French cooking method. It’s the base thickening agent for three classic French mother sauces and the foundation for countless recipes. Many cooks and chefs agree that Roux is the alpha “the beginning” of many great sauces and gravy. It is also a staple of many Cajun and Creole recipes tied to Louisiana’s history and traditions, widely known as being rooted deep in French culinary influences.

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Roux as An Alternative to Cornstarch

Many cooks may already know about thickening sauces and gravies with cornstarch. To do so, Mix one tablespoon of the white powdery substance with one tablespoon of cold water to make a slurry, which is then blended into each cup of liquid to make a medium-thick sauce.

If you have someone in the family with a gluten allergy, intolerance, or sensitivity, or for someone with celiac disease, cornstarch is an essential pantry staple to substitute for wheat-based flour as a thickening agent.

But cornstarch isn’t your only option to use as a gluten-free thickener.

When thickening gravy, soup, and other sauce-based recipes like casseroles and many Cajun and Creole dishes, making a gluten-free roux (a mixture of gluten-free flour and fat) as a base will add extra creaminess and density, which, in turn, helps incorporate the other fatty ingredients into the finished product.

The Importance of a Roux…

Learning to make roux adds another technique to your cooking skills, which allows you to thicken various dishes as a chef would.

Many years ago, it was one of the first methods I learned to cook, adding it to milk or stock to make things like gravies and creamy bases for soups and casseroles. But after tasting the cooked butter and flour mixture straight from the pan, it only tasted like a nearly flavorless, greasy, thickened paste.

Initially, I didn’t understand the sophistication of the roux.

It wasn’t until the pasty mixture was added to the liquid that the experimentation of cooking with it made sense.

That fantastic discovery sparked my curiosity about what more I could do with it.

Through cooking trials, I learned that whisking this “paste” into a simple liquid like milk, mixing in some cheese, and a dash of fresh ground nutmeg could suddenly transform what began as an experiment into something wildly delicious, like super creamy and flavorful mac and cheese.

That’s when I fell in love with the puffy paste base made from butter and flour.

Finally, I got it – the toasty, buttery, nutty-tasting roux made everything noticeably better. It was about its magical powers to incorporate and bind ingredients into a heavenly homogeneous sauce, gravy, or soup.

For that incorporation to happen, everything depended upon developing a roux.

Adding the magical roux to the milk or stock provided the concentration and consistency needed to elevate these mixtures of ingredients—transforming them, melding them seamlessly so that the cheese, cream, drippings, fresh herbs, spices, vegetables, and other elements stirred or whisked together became drawn into the silky, velvety sauce or gravy as if they’d always belonged there—waiting, wanting to be devoured.

Thickening Sauces and Gravies with Roux

Making a roux pronounced “roo” – (Not to be confused with “Roo,” the baby of Kanga in the famous childhood story.) is a primary cooking base mixture for thickening sauces and soups. It’s made by combining equal parts of fat and flour by weight, then adding it to the milk, stock, or other liquid. It’s the base for making classic sauces such as Bechamel or Velouté, Mornay, or Espagnole sauce. The plan is to eventually make all those sauces into recipes featured elsewhere on this blog.

But in the meantime, I want to talk about the fat and the flour…

The Fat and the Flour

The traditional fat in roux is butter, which separates the flour’s starch grains. If you have ever added flour alone to a liquid, you have probably noticed that it clumps up, resulting in a clumpy sauce instead of a smooth one.

By adding butter or oil, the starch (flour) is suspended in the fat, which is distributed throughout the liquid. This causes the starch to be distributed evenly rather than clumping up.

Cooking the Roux

Another reason not to add raw (or plain) flour straight into a liquid is that it tastes like raw flour. That’s why cooking the roux for a few minutes before using it in your sauce or gravy is essential.

The Stages of Cooking a Butter or Neutral Oil Roux

The longer you cook the roux, the darker it will get, adding a nutty, toasty flavor. But it’s important to note that the darker it gets, the less thickening power it has.

The Stages: White, Blond, Light Brown, and Dark Brown

There are several stages of cooking roux to achieve the type called for in recipes. The type is based on the color produced by how long the flour and fat are cooked.

White: This is the lightest stage. When making a white roux, the mixture will look slightly puffy and be ready to incorporate into a gravy or stock after just 1 to 2 minutes of cooking. It is used to make delicious white sauces like bechamel sauce for Croque Monsieur or Croque Madame, to thicken homemade mac and cheese, or to whip up some sausage gravy to pour over scrambled eggs and biscuits.
Blond: As the butter and flour are fully incorporated in a blond roux, the raw flour smell disappears as the mixture is toasted and cooked for about 3 minutes, becoming almost nutty. The appearance develops to a light blond, still looks puffy, and makes an excellent base for delicate sauce starting points like velouté (pronounced "vuh-loo-TAY"), the base thickening sauce for Étouffée, or gravy for Salisbury steak.
Light Brown: At this stage, the roux becomes darker with a color close to peanut butter after toasting and cooking for 5 to 8 minutes. Because light brown roux is thick, it is perfect for making savory sauces like Espagnole (pronounced like the word for Spanish: español) and thicker gravies for topping comfort foods from mashed potatoes to steak with mushroom gravy.
Dark Brown: The darkest of roux, this deep dark brown thickener makes rich, flavorful Cajun and Creole gumbos and stews. Because of its long cooking time, up to 20+ minutes of gentle cooking, you'll want to use clarified butter, ghee, lard, or a high smoke point oil instead of fresh butter pats, so the oil is less likely to become bitter or burn.

Using Roux

The roux base thickens liquid foods as the starch dissolves, causing them to expand and gelatinize. Individual starch granules absorb liquid-like sponges, slowly swelling and concentrating as they are heated. When this happens, the roux’s fat ensures the flour is evenly dispersed into the liquid without clumping.

That’s why thickening sauces usually require low and slow heating so the granules don’t clump together. The idea is that the final dish is smooth and free of lumps and doesn’t have a grainy or floury texture when you eat it.

How to Make a Gluten-Free Roux

Luckily, the roux is very easy to make. The most important thing to be aware of is the measurements because they are by weight. It’s best to weigh the fat and the flour to get the proper ratio. If you measure out equal parts of fat (i.e., ½ cup of butter and ½ cup of flour), the balance of fat to flour will be thrown off, and you will end up with a roux that won’t correctly thicken whatever you’re making.

How Much Roux Do You Need to Use?

Here are some basic guidelines for making enough roux to combine into 4 cups of liquid, such as hot milk or stock, to make a light, medium, or heavy gravy or sauce. Please keep in mind that the type of flour you use and the stage to which the roux is cooked will also determine its thickening power.

Roux for Light Sauce

1 ½ ounces butter (or - may substitute, Neutral Oil, Lard, or Fat drippings)
1 ½ ounces of gluten-free, All-Purpose Flour

Medium Sauce

2 ounces butter (or - may substitute, Neutral Oil, Lard, or Fat drippings)
2 ounces of gluten-free, All-Purpose Flour

Heavy Sauce

3 ounces butter (or - may substitute, Neutral Oil, Lard, or Fat drippings)
3 ounces of gluten-free, All-Purpose Flour

How to Produce Smooth, Properly Thickened Gravies and Sauces

Two basic rules exist when adding a roux to a liquid to ensure success.

Always add hot roux to cold or cooled liquids or
Add cold or cooled roux to hot liquids.

This will prevent the roux from clumping and creating lumps that are hard to eliminate.

Additionally, once the roux is added to the liquid, to prevent a gritty or starchy taste when served, cook whatever you’re making for at least 15 minutes to allow the starch granules to thicken fully.

Roux Oil Options

When it comes to fats, typically, roux is made from unsalted clarified butter or neutral oil (like avocado oil, canola oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, or other vegetable oil). Other choices include vegan or dairy-free butter, lard, vegetable shortening, or the incredible “liquid gold” of oils – bacon fat, which can add tons of extra flavor depending on what you are making!

For instance, a roux for soups, sauces, and casseroles provides extra creaminess and thickness that helps merge other fatty ingredients (like cheese, which is cheesier or creamier). Generally, it helps combine the ingredients into a more unified finished result.

The Best Flour for Making Gluten-Free Roux

While any starchy flour, such as rice flour or potato flour, can be used for making a gluten-free roux, the best option we’ve found for producing it is an all-purpose gluten-free flour blend that does not include dairy (some gluten-free flour blends do) or a combination of sweet rice flour and tapioca flour/starch. We’ve also tried blending cassava flour and tapioca flour/starch for a gluten-free-grain-free option.

Still, our favorite flavor profile for achieving the almost nutty taste as the roux cooks is an all-purpose gluten-free flour or measure-for-measure blend.

Making a Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free Roux

To make a gluten-free, dairy-free roux, you’ll want to use vegan or dairy-free butter or a neutral oil like vegetable oil, avocado oil, coconut oil, grapeseed oil, canola, or similar oil. Our favorites include vegan or dairy-free butter, canola, coconut oil, or bacon fat.

How to Make a Gluten-Free Roux

Below is the complete, step-by-step recipe, or watch a quick video summary of what to expect when making a roux at home.

Instructions

To Make the Roux

Melt butter (Neutral Oil, Lard, or Fat drippings) in a medium-sized saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat.

Whisk the flour into the butter or oil, allowing it to simmer to cook the flour.

To make Gravy or Sauce

Incorporate the cooked roux by whisking it into 4 cups (liquid measurement), such as hot milk or stock, to make gravy or sauce or stir it into soups or stews to thicken them. Once thickened, season it according to your recipe or taste.

Tips for Success

Not that we are experts by any means, but here are a few more tips we’ve picked up over the years from watching and reading posts and recipes from professional chefs that can be useful.

What temperature to cook a roux?

Low and slow makes a mighty fine roux. While you might be tempted to turn up the heat, cooking a roux on low to medium-low heat is best overall. Never turn the burner higher than medium to ensure your roux has little risk of burning.

How to Deal with Lumps

The goal is to end up with a silky, uniform paste that coats the back of a spoon (but doesn’t stick). When making a roux, it’s best to keep the butter and flour mixture moving to keep lumps from forming when the flour combines with the butter. Many professional chefs suggest that stirring in a figure-eight motion is the best way to prevent lumps from forming.

We Suggest Using a Whisk and Keeping a Close Eye on the Cooking

Our favorite tool for making a roux is a small flexible whisk. It works great for keeping the flour moving constantly and reaching every pan corner. Whisking continuously will keep the roux smooth and prevent small bits from sticking to the bottom and burning.

Can You Add Spices to a Roux?

Your roux’s success can be deceptive. Please note that if you add spices directly to the roux, it may seize up almost instantly. But fear not! This doesn’t mean that your roux is ruined. On the contrary, once you add the roux paste to your stock or stew, it will dissolve away instantly, filling your pan with the creamy finished sauce that you worked hard to prepare.

Patience is a “Roux-tiful” Virtue…

It’s tempting to multitask and want to chop vegetables or do something else to get things done faster. However, neglecting the process of continually whisking may likely result in a scorched pan and having to start over. If you know you will be short on time, you can make a roux ahead of time and store it for use later.

How To Store a Roux

Roux can be made and stored in the fridge or freezer until needed. We like to cool it and then weigh it into recipe-sized portions to be used. Then, each pre-weighted amount is transferred into airtight containers and sealed. Vegetable oil roux can be kept in a cool, dry cupboard for several weeks. Store a butter or fat-based roux in the refrigerator for up to a month, or freeze it for up to a year. When thawing frozen roux, make sure to bring it (thaw it) to room temperature or crush or crumble it into your liquid while whisking to avoid creating lumps.

Paying tribute...

The idea for documenting this thickening method for making variations of roux came to me while making Crawfish and Shrimp Étouffée from my previous post. As it often happens, when I’m working (cooking), I reflect on memories from years of doing the same alongside my mother and grandmothers in their kitchens. But I never remember them calling this method for thickening gravies and sauces “making a roux.” Instead, it was just part of putting together whatever dish we cooked.

Growing up in a family of primarily German descendant cooks (on both sides), homecooked meals were everyday occurrences—meals made from memory without cookbooks. Instead, recipes, if any existed, were hand-written on three-by-five recipe cards, recording lists of ingredients with scant amounts and important notes for making the foods that were regularly taught by doing as other home cooks before any of us had done for years.

The Dawn of a New Era...

It wasn’t until I got into the public school’s seventh-grade home economics class that I heard the term “roux” ever used. But that’s not to discredit the side-by-side tutorials on cooking that I learned at home. I am blessed to have spent those times in the kitchen with the women in my family.

I appreciate those women to this day (and probably more than they could ever imagine) for making time amidst busy schedules to prep food and make timely dinners. In the midst of it all, they took the time to teach me, an impatient kid with a short attention span, how to cook with what was on hand.

Whether you’re new to gluten-free cooking at home or have been at it for years, I hope this post about making the kitchen basic called roux inspires you as it has me (forever a student) to start experimenting with all the ways of using a roux to make something fabulously delicious.

Thanks for stopping by. Have a happy time cooking!

How to Make a Gluten-Free Roux

Gluten-Free + Egg-Free, Nut-Free

Roux (pronounced “roo”) is a primary cooking method for thickening various gravies, soups, and sauces. An alternative to using cornstarch, it’s made by combining equal parts (by weight) of fat and flour, then adding the mixture to milk or stock. It’s also an easy culinary skill to master at home!

Please read the Recipe Notes footnote below before making a roux. [1]

Saucepan or Skillet
Utensils

Light Sauce

1 ½ ounces butter (or - may substitute, Neutral Oil, Lard, or Fat drippings)
1 ½ ounces gluten-free All-Purpose Flour

Medium Sauce

2 ounces butter (or - may substitute, Neutral Oil, Lard, or Fat drippings)
2 ounces gluten-free All-Purpose Flour

Heavy Sauce

3 ounces butter (or - may substitute, Neutral Oil, Lard, or Fat drippings)
3 ounces gluten-free All-Purpose Flour

The Stages of Cooking a Butter or Neutral Oil Roux

White Roux - Cook for 1 to 2 minutes: A white roux mixture will be very light in color and look slightly puffy when done. Used white roux for making white sauces like sausage gravy or bechamel sauce, and it’s the perfect thickener for mac and cheese.
Blond Roux – Cook for about 3 minutes: As the butter and flour are fully incorporated, a blond roux mixture will smell almost nutty, and the appearance will also look puffy. This roux is an excellent base for lighter sauces like velouté, the sauce for Étouffée, or light gravies.
Light Brown Roux – Cook for 5 to 8 minutes: At this stage, the roux becomes darker with a color close to the color of peanut butter after toasting and cooking. It is perfect for making savory sauces and thicker gravies.
Dark Brown Roux—Cook for up to 20+ minutes of gentle cooking: This is the darkest roux. This deep dark brown thickener is excellent for making Cajun and Creole gumbos and stews. Because of its long cooking time, you’ll want to use clarified butter, ghee, lard, or a high smoke point oil instead of fresh butter pats, so the oil is less likely to become bitter or burn.

How to Make the Roux

Melt butter (Neutral Oil, Lard, or Fat drippings) in a medium-sized saucepan or skillet over medium-low heat.
Whisk the flour into the butter or oil, allowing it to simmer to cook the flour.

To make Gravy or Sauce

Incorporate the cooked roux by whisking it into 4 cups (liquid measurement), such as hot milk or stock, to make gravy or sauce or stir it into soups or stews to thicken them. Once thickened, season it according to your recipe or taste.

Footnote(s)

[1] The most important thing to be aware of when making a roux is the measurements because they are by weight. It’s best to weigh the fat and the flour to get the proper ratio. If you measure out equal parts of fat (i.e., ½ cup of butter and ½ cup of flour), the balance of fat to flour will be thrown off, and you will end up with a roux that won’t correctly thicken whatever you’re making.

Enjoy the Recipe! Scroll to the end for the downloadable PDF, which you can print and save to your recipe binder.

L♥VE this recipe? Have you tweaked this recipe to be over-the-top delicious? Have a question? Please let everyone know in the comments below! 😉 It’s super helpful for other readers and me.