Have you ever come to the end of the slow cooker cooking time and you’re just not happy with the consistency of the sauce? Fear not! Here is a simple guide with six different ways in which you can use your crock pot to reduce the sauce to create your perfect gravy consistency and result in the best slow cooked meals!
Table of Contents
- I’ve added too much liquid to my slow cooker recipe, now what do I do?
- How to thicken gravy sauce in a crock pot or slow cooker
- For future reference
- How to Thicken Gravy in Crock Pot – FAQs
- How to Thicken Gravy in Crock Pot or Slow Cooker
I’ve added too much liquid to my slow cooker recipe, now what do I do?
Sometimes, due to the nature of a slow cooker pot, you’ll find that there’s just a bit more liquid left within the result than you would have wanted.
Whether you’re wanting to thicken a curry, Bolognese, or stew in your crock pot, by following one of these 6 methods, you are sure to acquire the exact results you want!
How to thicken gravy sauce in a crock pot or slow cooker
Make a roux, and add to your crock pot
If you’re about midway through the cooking time and notice that there’s going to be lots of liquid at the end, you can catch this early!
To make roux for gravy thickening:
- Get out a small pan and put it on a low heat.
- To make your roux, add in equal parts flour and either milk or butter.
- Make sure to keep stirring with a handheld whisk at all times, as this is very susceptible to burning.
- Do not let the roux boil, otherwise it will thicken and clump up.
- Judging on how much you think you’ll need, keep adding flour and your butter/milk until you have reached your desired amount.
- Slowly stir in your roux to the gravy, little by little, until you’ve completely added all of the contents to your crock pot.
You can finish the recipe as normal. Hopefully this will have done the trick! If not, you could try the next step too.
Leave the lid off
If you’ve noticed at the end of cooking there is too much liquid left in the pot, it is worth leaving the slow cooker lid off for 5-10 minutes. Let the slow cooker sit on the keep warm setting.
The lid traps the vapors inside of the pot, so removing it will allow the excess to escape. The “keep warm” setting will speed this up without overcooking your food!
Add butter, cream, yogurt or egg yolk
My personal favorite way to thicken a gravy is adding any of the following to the mixture: cream butter, yogurt, or egg yolk. Not only will this thicken the sauce right up, but these ingredients will also truly enhance the flavor of your meal
Which ingredient to use for what meal
Cream, Sour cream or yogurt
- Green sauces
- Soups
- Stews
- Recipes containing: green beans, peas, spinach, nettle etc.
Notes: Yogurt does not go very well with tomato or wine-based sauces. Cream works the best with tomato-based dishes. Be wary of temperature when adding in these ingredients as higher temperatures may cause it to curdle. Only add these ingredients at the low heat setting on your slow cooker.
Butter, cream or egg yolks
- Vegetable stews
- Chicken soups
Note: These ingredients also add a lovely nutty flavor to white sauce dishes!
Puree a fraction of the mixture
This step works really well if you’ve not added in your meat yet (unless you’re able to get all the meat pieces out of the portion you’re blending).
Before carrying out this step, it may be worth noting the time left in the cook and placing the slow cooker on pause.
- Take one-third or one-quarter of the gravy (including chunks) and place in a blender.
- Return the blended portion to your crock pot or slow cooker and stir into your gravy.
The blended gravy should have created a thick sauce which will make your slow cooker recipe thicken. Hopefully this helps achieve your desired results!
Add cornstarch
This step is a great method that can be added to any sauce and is a great gluten-free alternative to using all-purpose flour. Unlike, flour, cornstarch produces a glossy, clear finish.
Make a slurry
- To make a slurry, you’ll need equal parts water and cornstarch.
- Per cup of liquid in your slow cooker recipe, add one tablespoon of cornstarch and whisk this into the pot until the sauce begins to thicken.
Cornstarch is a great ingredient to have in your pantry as in situations like this, you never know when you are going to need it!
Add potato
If you have dehydrated potato flakes or instant masked potato in your pantry, these are also great alternatives to using cornstarch! Just follow the same steps as you would for adding cornstarch, as listed above.
If you already have potato in the recipe, this is a great method of thickening the sauce.
- Grate raw potato into your slow cooker at least 30 minutes before the timer or setting is finished, which will give the potato time to cook.
- The potato soaks up the excess liquid providing a nice and thick gravy.
For future reference
If you’ve followed a recipe and feel at the end there’s more liquid than you would have wanted, it makes be worth jotting down the recipe to use less liquid.
This is a good step to follow for future times cooking, and will save you time and effort!
How to Thicken Gravy in Crock Pot – FAQs
What is a good alternative to using a slow cooker?
You can use a Dutch oven, or a multi-pot as the best options. If you’re looking for a good slow cooker substitute, I have a separate blog post outlining some great appliances and cookware products, so check it out!
What is the difference between a slow cooker and a crockpot?
Which slow cooker has the best reviews?
Having scoured the internet for the slow cooker with the best reviews, I’ve found the Cuisinart slow cooker has some amazing reviews and is pretty affordable too!
How to Thicken Gravy in Crock Pot or Slow Cooker
I hope you find these easy to follow methods useful in thickening the gravy in your crock pot or slow cooker meals and enhancing the flavor with the ingredients you add. This should result in making the tastiest meals you’ve ever made!
If you’ve tried one or more of the methods, let me know in the comments!
