Overview
About Cream gravy
Cream gravy, the milk-and-flour white gravy poured over biscuits and chicken-fried steak, is a dairy plus gluten trigger rather than an onion one.
It is thickened with a wheat-flour roux, so it contains gluten, and it is built on milk, so it is high in lactose and high in dairy protein. That milk base is what makes it high FODMAP here, unlike a meat-and-onion brown gravy where the trouble comes from onion and garlic. If dairy or wheat bother you, a rich cream gravy tends to hit both.
Sensitivities
How Cream gravy scores
Watch for
What trips people up
- High in lactose from the milk base, a common cause of bloating, gas and cramping for the lactose intolerant
- High in dairy protein, so it is a problem if you react to casein or whey
- Contains gluten from the wheat-flour roux, making it off-limits for celiac disease unless made with a gluten-free thickener
- High FODMAP mainly because of the lactose, not onion, which sets it apart from brown meat gravy
Diet fit
Where it fits
Swap ideas
More alternatives
FAQ
Common questions about Cream gravy
What makes cream gravy different from regular gravy as a trigger?
The trigger source. A brown meat gravy is usually a problem because of onion and garlic, but cream gravy has neither. Its issues are the milk base, which is high in lactose and dairy protein, and the wheat-flour roux, which adds gluten. So cream gravy is a dairy-and-wheat trigger, not an onion one.
Is cream gravy gluten-free?
Not the traditional version. Cream gravy is thickened with a roux made from wheat flour, which contains gluten. You can make a gluten-free cream gravy with cornstarch or a gluten-free flour blend, but the classic recipe is not celiac-safe.
Can lactose-intolerant people eat cream gravy?
It is a common trigger. Cream gravy is essentially seasoned milk thickened with flour, so it is high in both lactose and dairy protein. Making it with a dairy-free milk such as coconut or almond, and a gluten-free thickener, removes both trigger sources.
References
Read the background
Ratings reflect the Triggerbites ingredient database and may vary with portion size and preparation.