How to make homemade ham gravy with cornstarch and drippings. Easy and simple recipe that also happens to be gluten-free.
One of my most popular recipes, especially around Christmas and Easter, is my homemade ham gravy recipe. Unlike this recipe, it's made with flour and ham drippings.
This gravy, on the other hand, is made with cornstarch and ham drippings. It's super easy to make, and it just so happens to be gluten-free ham gravy (as long as all of your ingredients contain no gluten; I always recommend you double check to be safe).
Now you do have to cook a ham for this gravy recipe. But you're likely not going to have ham gravy unless you're having ham, so no big deal.
I use both cream and water in this recipe for ham gravy. You can replace the cream with milk, though, if preferred.
The main flavoring for the gravy comes directly from the ham itself. So if you glaze your ham, like I did with my pineapple glazed ham, the flavoring from that glaze will go into your homemade gravy.
Rule of thumb: If you’re using a sweet glaze, your gravy will be a little sweeter.
Ham gravy goes hand in hand with creamy mashed potatoes. It also makes a great addition to your baked potato buffet or mashed potato buffet.
WHERE CAN I FIND THE ACTUAL RECIPE CARD?
If you’d rather skip all of my recipe tips, important info for this recipe, and similar recipe ideas – and get straight to the actual ham gravy recipe – just scroll down to the bottom, where you’ll find a printable recipe card.
INGREDIENTS YOU'LL NEED:
- Ham drippings
- Water
- Heavy whipping cream
- Cornstarch
Remember, all of the ingredient amounts you’ll need are in the printable recipe card below.
KITCHEN TOOLS AND EQUIPMENT YOU'LL NEED:
Gravy Boat or Gravy Crock and Gravy Spoon
HOW TO MAKE HAM GRAVY WITH CORNSTARCH
- First, whisk together the water, heavy whipping cream, and cornstarch in a glass measuring cup and set aside.
- Add the ham drippings or pan juices from the roasting pan, to a medium saucepan, and start to cook on medium heat.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the ham drippings in the pan, and continue whisking and stirring constantly 'til the gravy begins to thicken.
- Once your gravy has thickened, it's ready to pour into a gravy crock or gravy boat for serving.
Now keep in mind, depending how salty your gravy is, you may need to add a little extra water to bring that saltiness down. If you add extra water, you'll need to add a pinch of cornstarch, as well, in order to keep a thicker consistency.
And always, always, if you're going to add more cornstarch, whisk it together with liquid in a separate dish first to avoid lumps. Speaking of lumps…
HOW TO AVOID LUMPY GRAVY
Here are a few tips to help you prevent lumps in your gravy…
- It's important to start by mixing together the cornstarch, water, and heavy whipping cream in a small small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisking this together in the beginning will help prevent lumps in your gravy.
- Use a whisk to stir your gravy while it's cooking. It’s pretty much a given that you may have a few lumps, but you can minimize them by whisking the gravy.
- Also, there's no hurry. Take your time to avoid any lumps in your gravy.
CAN YOU FREEZE HAM GRAVY?
While you'd have no problem freezing a gravy made with water and flour, this gravy contains cream and will not freeze well. It will likely change the consistency when it thaws, so you're better off not to freeze it.
MORE GRAVY RECIPES FOR YOU TO ENJOY:
GET THE PRINTABLE RECIPE
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Ham Gravy with Cornstarch
Equipment
- ARGO Corn Starch, 35 Oz
- Ouddy 3 Pack Stainless Steel Whisks 8″+10″+12″, Wire Whisk Set Kitchen Whisks
- Pyrex Measuring Cup Set, 4 Pack, Clear
- Cuisinart MultiClad Pro Stainless Steel 3-Quart Saucepan with Cover
- Sauce Ladle, Stainless Steel Kitchen Utensil, Mirror Polish & Dishwasher Safe, FDA Approve, 8.67 inch, Rainbow
- Le Creuset 12-Ounce Gravy Boat, Caribbean
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup water
- 1/4 cup heavy whipping cream
- 3 tablespoons cornstarch
- 2 cups ham drippings
Instructions
- First, whisk together the water, heavy whipping cream, and cornstarch in a glass measuring cup and set aside.
- Add the ham drippings or pan juices from the roasting pan, to a medium saucepan, and start to cook on medium heat.
- Add the cornstarch mixture to the ham drippings in the pan, and continue whisking and stirring constantly 'til the gravy begins to thicken.*
- Once your gravy has thickened, it's ready to pour into a gravy crock or gravy boat for serving.
Notes
- It's important to start by mixing together the cornstarch, water, and heavy whipping cream in a small small bowl or glass measuring cup. Whisking this together in the beginning will help prevent lumps in your gravy.
- Use a whisk to stir your gravy while it's cooking. It’s pretty much a given that you may have a few lumps, but you can minimize them by whisking the gravy.
- Also, there's no hurry. Take your time to avoid any lumps in your gravy.
