gluten-free | dairy-free
This Thanksgiving turkey is gluten-free and dairy-free—rubbed with herbs and dairy-free ‘butter,’ roasted hot-then-low for crispy skin and juicy meat, and served with a gluten-free, dairy-free gravy built from an Earth Balance and GF-flour roux (works with or without drippings). The centerpiece every GF/DF person dreads at someone else’s table—here it’s yours, safe to eat, start to finish.
Roasting a Thanksgiving turkey is a simple task for some and a frightening task for others. And, roasting a juicy, flavorful turkey can be a challenge even for the experienced Thanksgiving cooks.
Victoria does not like turkey much, but she LOVES my turkey when I make it with this recipe. She says it has so much more flavor and the texture, even in the breasts, is tender and juicy.
The key to this juicy turkey is adding aromatics inside and coating the outside with “butter” and herbs. The other important element is the roasting process that gives the turkey a high dose of heat for a short period of time, which creates a crispy exterior that keeps all the juices inside while it continues to cook.
Our step-by-step recipe and video will guide you with tips and tricks for prepping, seasoning, roasting, basting, and carving your turkey. And, our gravy is gluten-free and dairy-free and easy to make with or without drippings.
Now, go eat something amazing!
Gluten-Free Thanksgiving Roast Turkey & Gravy
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The Ingredients
For the Turkey Interior
- 12 lb turkey, thawed
- 1 pkg poultry blend of herbs , or roasting blend, fresh
- 2 lemons, cut in quartered
- 1 medium yellow onion, quartered
- 6 cloves garlic
For the Turkey Exterior
- 1 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread, melted
- 1 tbsp rubbed sage
- 1 tbsp rosemary, dried
- 1 tbsp thyme, dried
- 1 tbsp marjoram, dried
- 1 tbsp garlic powder
- 1 tbsp onion powder
- 1 tsp white pepper
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the Stock
- 1 the giblets and goodies that come in the bird
- 3 cups water
- 2 stalks celery, roughly chopped
- 1 carrot, roughly chopped
- 1 half yellow onion, quartered
- 2 cloves garlic
- 1 tsp kosher salt
For the Gravy
- 1/4 cup Earth Balance Buttery Spread
- 1/4 cup gf explorers cooking flour blend
- 2 cups turkey stock you made
- kosher salt and pepper to taste
The Process
The Day Before You Roast
- Remove the bag of "goodies" from the turkey and place in a plastic bag in the fridge. Fully thaw your turkey and rinse well both inside and out. Place, uncovered on a sheet pan and place in the fridge overnight. On the day you roast the turkey, remove the turkey from the fridge and let come to room temperature, about two hours.
Roasting Prep and Stock Making
- To a medium-sized saucepan, add the "goodies" from the turkey, 3 cups of water, the carrot, celery, onion, garlic, and kosher salt. Bring to a boil and then reduce heat to low and let simmer until the turkey is out of the oven.
- Preheat your oven to 425 degrees.
- Quarter the onion and lemon, peel the garlic, and melt the Earth Balance. Gather the fresh herb pack, and the dried herbs and spices (sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, and kosher salt).
- Stuff the inside of the turkey with the fresh herbs, then add the garlic, lemon, and onion, alternating the lemon and onion for good distribution.
- Secure the legs and tuck the wings under the bird. Move the entire turkey to the roasting pan outfitted with a turkey rack.
- Using a pastry brush, brush the Earth Balance on the outside of the bird making sure to get it into all the cracks and crevices. Sprinkle the herbs and spices uniformly over the turkey (sage, rosemary, thyme, marjoram, garlic powder, onion powder, white pepper, and kosher salt).
Roasting and Basting the Turkey
- Place the turkey in a 425 degree oven for 30 minutes. Partially pull out the rack the turkey is on so you will have room to baste the turkey. Using a stainless steel turkey baster, suck up a baster full of juices form the bottom of the pan and spread over the turkey. Repeat until you have basted every part of the turkey. Then, insert a probe thermometer into the thickest part of one of the thighs and reduce the temperature to 350 degrees. Your turkey will be done when the temperature reaches 165 degrees. The rule of thumb is 12 minutes per pound of cooking time.
- Baste the turkey every 30 minutes until the turkey is done. When the turkey reaches 165 degrees, remove it from the oven. Transfer the turkey, while still in it's rack to a sheet pan, cover with foil, and let cool for at least 20 minutes.
- Before you start the gravy, strain the stock into a measuring cup.
Make the Gravy
- White the turkey is cooling, you can make the gravy. NOTE: This turkey may not yield much drippings and that is okay. Much of the moisture and fat remains in the turkey. If you do have dripping, spoon out about 1/2 cup into a measuring cup.
- In a medium saucepan, melt the Earth Balance over medium-high heat. Once melted whisk in the flour and keep whisking as you make a roux. Start slowly pouring the turkey stock into the roux and whisk without stopping. If you are using drippings, add them after you have added about half of the stock. If you are not using drippings, you will use all of the stock. If you are using drippings, you may use only 1.5 cups of the stock. If, after adding all the stock, you gravy is thicker than you would like, add a bit more stock. Note that the gravy will continue to thicken even after you remove it from the heat. Taste the gravy and season with kosher salt and pepper if needed. Remove from heat. Transfer gravy to a serving dish.
Carving the Turkey
- If you have not carved a turkey before, you may want to watch the video below.
- Transfer the turkey to a cutting board. Remove the legs and transfer to the serving platter whole. Remove the thighs and leave whole or shred. Remove the breasts from the breast bone, slice and transfer to the serving platter. Enjoy!