Gluten Free Gravy Made with Apple Cider

5 from 3 votes
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With the perfect balance of sweet and savory, plus a pop of tart cranberry, this gluten free Apple Cider Gravy is a delicious addition to a weeknight dinner or a holiday meal. It adds an amazing tangy flavor to chicken or pork chops. But it’s also an easy make-ahead gravy recipe for your Thanksgiving turkey.

Apple Cider Gluten Free Gravy Recipe

This might not be a traditional gluten free gravy recipe, but I guarantee you are going to love the sweet and savory balance of flavors for all of your fall meals. When I’m eating my holiday turkey, I usually prefer to just smear it with Cinnamon Orange Cranberry Sauce. But this recipe has brought me on to Team Gravy!

The tang of the Dijon mustard is balanced with the sweetness of the cider. And the seasonal herbal flavors of sage and thyme with the pop of sweet-tart cranberries make this the perfect gravy recipe for the season.

Plus, those dried cranberries plump up while it simmers to add little bursts of sweet-tart flavors and a gorgeous bejeweled appearance that makes it so festive for the holidays. You can even make it in advance and reheat it for your Thanksgiving turkey.

And as an added bonus, this recipe is also vegan, so if you have any meatless family or friends on your guest list they can enjoy this gravy over tofurkey or another vegetarian main dish.

A gluten free gravy made with apple cider for chicken or turkey

Gluten Free Gravy Recipe Ingredients

You’ll soon see that apple cider makes a wonderful base for a delicious gravy. But do NOT make the mistake of trying to use apple cider vinegar which will make it way to tart and harsh. Other than that, the ingredients are fairly straightforward. You can find the exact amounts in the recipe card at the bottom of the post.

  • Apple cider: For extra savory flavor, you can substitute up to half of the cider with stock or the juices or dripping from roasting a bird. Apple juice is also an option if you can’t get cider.
  • Dijon mustard
  • Cornstarch: You’ll use a slurry to thicken this gluten free gravy instead of a butter and flour roux.
  • Salt and pepper
  • Fresh sage and thyme: If you only have dried, you can substitute with about one-quarter to one-third the amount.
  • Olive oil
  • Shallot: Finely minced. You can substitute with sweet onion.
  • Dried cranberries

How to Make Apple Cider Gravy

This gluten free gravy is so quick and easy to prepare.

Make the slurry. First, whisk together apple cider, mustard, cornstarch, salt, pepper, sage, and thyme in a small bowl.

Saute the shallot. In a small pot or skillet, heat the oliuve oil and saute a little shallot for a few minutes until tender.

Simmer to thicken. While whisking constantly, slowly pour in the apple cider mixture and add the dried cranberries. Bring the mixture to a simmer and cook for 10 to 15 minutes or until thickened.

Season and serve. Add salt and pepper to taste. Then enjoy with your favorite dishes.

Gluten Free Apple Cider Gravy with Dried Cranberries on chicken

Can you make gravy ahead of time?

Making homemade gravy, especially on a holiday when there is so much food happening and the timing is kind of crazy, is always a challenge. The last thing you want to do is worry about making gravy AFTER the turkey comes out of my oven.

This can be made in advance. You can definitely make it right before your meal and replace some of the apple cider with your roast chicken or turkey drippings. That does give it a more rich and savory flavor.

But it was originally made with just apple cider, meaning you can make it while you roast the turkey or even the night before you plan to serve it. When you reheat it, do it over low heat, and add a little chicken or vegetable broth to thin it out if needed.

Spoon Cranberry Apple Cider Gravy over turkey or chicken

What to Serve with Apple Cider Gravy

You’ll be slathering this delicious gravy over everything. Here are some of our favorite meats that p[air well with the festive flavor.

  • Baked chicken: The flavors nicely complement roast chicken, whether you’ve roasted a chicken in the oven, made a slow cooker roast chicken or air fryer rotisserie chicken, or even just picked one up at the grocery store.
  • Pork: You can also sear pork chops in a pan, remove them, and make the gravy in the same pan. Then return the pork chops to the pan and let them simmer in the gravy until they are done. Or try it with a slow cooker pork tenderloin or a pork loin roast.
  • Roast turkey: Of course, you can’t go wrong serving it on Thanksgiving with your roasted turkey. If you are having a smaller gathering, an air fryer turkey breast is the way to go.

Gluten free holiday sides

If you are having it on Thanksgiving, don’t forget the other sides that are delicious covered in gravy:

Make Ahead gravy for chicken or turkey

More gluten free Thanksgiving recipes

Gluten Free Apple Cider Gravy with Dried Cranberries on chicken
5 from 3 votes

Cranberry Apple Cider Gravy

With the perfect balance of sweet and savory, plus a pop of tart cranberry, this gluten free Apple Cider Gravy is a delicious addition to a weeknight dinner or a holiday meal. It adds an amazing tangy flavor to chicken or pork chops. But it's also an easy make-ahead gravy recipe for your Thanksgiving turkey.

Ingredients

  • 2 cups apple cider can substitute up to half with stock or the juices/dripping from roasting a bird
  • 1/4 cup dijon mustard
  • 2 Tablespoons cornstarch
  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 1 Tablespoon finely chopped fresh sage
  • 1 tsp chopped fresh thyme
  • 1 teaspoon olive oil
  • 1 small shallot or about 1/4 cup sweet onion, finely minced
  • 1/4 cup dried cranberries
  • Kosher salt & freshly ground pepper

Instructions

  • In a bowl or large measuring cup, combine apple cider, mustard, cornstarch, salt, pepper, sage, and thyme. Whisk to combine.
  • In a small saucepan or skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat. Add shallot or onion and cook for a minute or two, or until it starts to soften.
  • While whisking constantly, add the cider mixture and dried cranberries, bring to a simmer, and cook for 10-15 minutes, or until thickened.
  • Serve gravy over roasted or baked chicken, turkey, pork, etc.

Notes

You can also sear four chicken breasts or pork chops in a pan for about 3 minutes per side, remove them and make the gravy in the same pan, then return the chicken or pork to the pan to simmer until it is cooked through.
This gravy reheats nicely, but you may need to add a little stock or broth to thin it out.
Nutrition Facts
Cranberry Apple Cider Gravy
Amount Per Serving
Calories 56
% Daily Value*
Sodium 381mg16%
Potassium 70mg2%
Carbohydrates 12g4%
Sugar 8g9%
Vitamin C 0.8mg1%
Calcium 9mg1%
Iron 0.2mg1%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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4 Comments
  1. heather

    Oh My Goodness… *blush*. Yup, used 2 cups of apple cider “vinegar”… am very excited to make it with apple CIDER, as per your recipe! We also enjoy vinegary/mustardy, but 2 cups of AC vinegar was a bit much!

  2. heather

    I tried this recipe and enjoyed it, but me and my family found it to be very “vinegary”. I’m going to try again with less vinegar, perhaps some water or nutritional yeast… something to mellow out the vinegar taste/flavour!

    1. Thanks for your feedback. There is no actual vinegar in the recipe – did you perhaps use apple cider vinegar instead of apple cider? If not, and if I am just mmisreading your comment, one thing might be to cut the amount of dijon mustard, as that will effectively reduce the amount of vinegar in the sauce. Stirring in some butter or milk or cream may mellow it out a bit, too. We like things vinegary/mustardy, so that may just be a personal taste preference. But if you try something else, let me know.

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