Anyone know a white flour substitute that would work in white sauce?

HEALTH FORUM Diabetic Recipes
#1

Hey everyone,

I have a friend who’s cutting white flour out of his diet altogether due to diabetes, which is making me curious about how to create some diabetic-friendly recipes that are still as good as their non-healthy equivalents.

Specifically, I’m looking to make sausage gravy. My usual recipe is to take high quality sausage and cook it, add flour and fry into the sausage fat as a thickener, and add milk to create a thick white sauce around the sausage.

Does anyone know a blood sugar friendly substitute for white flour that I could use? It doesn’t have to taste exactly the same, but I’d like to get as close as possible. Wheat flour seems like it would be gritty, but I’m going to experiment with that at some point.

Thanks!

#2

You might try potato or tapioca starch.

#3

For thickening, corn starch or arrowroot would work, but I doubt they’ed give the same taste.
A few years ago, I heard of Yellow Pea Flour, which was suppose to be a godsend in replacing white flour. Haven’t heard about it since, but I’m not diabetic, so I haven’t been into that info.

I do know about the problems of white flour carbs being broken into sugars by the body, but many diabetics still use limited amounts. Perhaps not for breads, etc., but I would think the limited amount in gravy wouldn’t create a problem. Guess that would be more of a question for a Doc though…

hee hee…I just thought~if ya’ tell a Doc that you’re worried about sausage gravy not being healthy enough, he might just give ya’ a silly look

#4

Haha, I guess sausage gravy is never going to be totally healthy. But I like the idea of at least making it more blood sugar friendly. And served over a grilled portobello instead of a biscuit, it may one day be a health food. :twisted:

Thanks for the tips. I’ll give the yellow pea flour idea a try sometime in the next few weeks and report back. I’ve got some wild boar sausage in my freezer that is begging to be put into some gravy.

#5

My husband and I use cornstarch all the time for gravies, sauces and as a thicker all the time. Just mix cornstarch in any cold liquid first then pour into any heated liquid and stir until it thickens.

#6

I use Quinoa flour as a substitute for white flour in gravy or for a flour dredge to make coating.

#7

Being diabetic, I use cornstarch to thicken my gravies. But the key with white sauces is in the reduction, I’ve found. I also ramp up the flavor and reduce the carbs at the same time by using 1/3 pork flavored broth to 2/3 milk. I get the intense flavor and less carbs and calories. But I guess you aren’t worry about carbs or calories if you are making sausage gravy huh. LOL. Have a great day!

#8

Have you thought about using rice flour? It’s gluten free and I know of some diabetics who use it.

#9

For my thanksgiving turkey gravy. I add thinly sliced onion and shallots to the roasting pan with some chicken stock for the last hour or so of roasting. While the turkey is resting I strain the pan juices, keeping the solids. I skim the fat from the liquid, and then I blend the liquid and solids with a stick blender until it is smooth and creamy. I adjust the gravy with more chicken stock if it is too thick. Delicious flour free gravy!

#10

Cornstarch will do the trick. I use it because my husband is diabetic.

#11

I liked the suggestion of rice flour and it is much lighter then flour. It is hard to find so I use my blender to make it from rice. Quinoa sounds good as well, but again you may have to make your own. Also you can try corn flour to give it a Mexican flair. Neither will taste as good as flour, but it beats no sausage gravy at all.