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Roux without Butter

This dairy free olive oil roux is made without butter. It is perfect for gravy, sauces, soups and stews.

Roux with oil in pan on white marble counter

A roux is a simple, but important cooking technique.

It is most commonly used to make gravies, but it is sometimes also used to make sauces, soups, and stews.

It is also used in saucy dishes like lasagna and scalloped potatoes.

The benefit of using a roux is that when combined with liquids, it thickens them.

A roux is an essential part of turkey gravy for Thanksgiving.

However, it is also used for southern classics like white gravy and sausage gravy.

For a dairy free recipe version of these recipes, a roux without butter is necessary, and this olive oil roux is a good choice.

WHAT IS A ROUX

A roux is made of flour and fat cooked together until it reaches a specific color.

It is used as a thickening agent for gravy, sauces, soups, and stews, and have been used in French cooking for hundreds of years to thicken sauce.

The flour is added with the fat to the stove top, blended until smooth, and cooked to the desired color. 

A roux can be white and used for white sauce, blond for classic gravies, or brown, which is used in gumbo and jambalaya.

The lighter the roux, the more thickening power it has.

Once the roux is the desired color, liquids like stock are added.

Browning Flour

People often see instructions like “brown the flour” and avoid this step because they aren’t making brown gravy.

Browning flour means you’re cooking the flour. This removes the flour flavor so it won’t ruin the taste of your gravy.

WHY USE FLOUR TO THICKEN GRAVY

I use flour to thicken gravy because it gives the gravy that classic opaque, slightly pail look.

Many people don’t like using flour, because if it isn’t cooked long enough, it can give a floury flavor to the gravy. Also, if not made properly, it can become clumpy.

The good news is, making a smooth creamy gravy is a snap if you turn it into a roux first.

Another benefit some people see with gravy made with flour is that it keeps better in the fridge. This means it can be made ahead of time or use up leftovers.

Can you make a roux without butter

To make roux without butter, replace the butter called for with using oil, vegan butter, kosher margarine, or even animal fat like schmaltz.

In this recipe you make roux with olive oil instead of butter.

What is the ratio of flour to oil in a roux?

To make a roux with oil, you will want 1/4 less oil than you have flour.

While people often say you can use a 1:1 ratio, they are not factoring in the fact that butter and oil are not completely interchangeable because butter contains water, whereas oil does not.

So, just like when baking with oil, you need 3/4 cup of oil for every 1 cup of butter.

What Kind of Oil to Use

Neutral oils like vegetable oil, safflower oil, and sunflower seed oil work well when making a roux with oil.

However, you can also use oils like olive oil and avocado oil when making a roux, though there may be a slight shift in the flavor if you do.

Why does my roux taste like flour?

Roux tastes like flour when it is not cooked long enough.

Yield: 6 servings

Roux without Butter

Roux with oil in pan on white marble counter

This dairy free roux is made without butter and made using oil instead. It can be used in gravy, sauces, and soups.

Prep Time 5 minutes
Cook Time 2 minutes
Total Time 7 minutes

Ingredients

  • 1/2 cup olive oil
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour

Instructions

  1. Heat the oil in a large skillet or frying pan over medium heat.
  2. Whisk in flour. Stir over medium heat.
  3. For a white roux: cook for 30 seconds to 1-minute. For a blonde roux: cook for 3 to 4 minutes. For a brown roux: cook for 10 to 12 minutes.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

6

Serving Size:

1

Amount Per Serving: Calories: 222Total Fat: 19gSaturated Fat: 1gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 17gCholesterol: 0mgSodium: 0mgCarbohydrates: 12gFiber: 0gSugar: 0gProtein: 2g

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