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    Home » Recipes » Sauce

    Instant Roux

    Published: Apr 21, 2014 · Updated: Feb 8, 2024 · Post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe

    Instant Roux saves a lot of time and effort

    Instant Roux from Living Well Kitchen.

    First, you make a roux.

    That's the beginning sentence of the directions you'll see in many southern {especially Louisiana or Creole} recipes.

    What's a roux? A roux is a mixture of flour and fat {usually oil, bacon grease, or butter} that is used to thicken a sauce or soup/stew and add flavor. A roux is typically made by stirring flour into the heated fat.

    To make gumbo, shrimp creole, or crawfish etouffee, you'll need to make a roux.

    And while they aren't that complicated, they can be tedious and time-consuming. They require patience - patience that I don't typically have.

    Having to make a roux can be a major deterrent when you want to make a recipe. If you've ever burned a roux, you know what I'm talking about. If you haven't then lucky you.

    Instant Roux from Living Well Kitchen

    I was at Nan's house this weekend for Easter and we were discussing the cookbook we are creating together. We were talking about roux and the like, and she showed me this jarred instant roux that she had.

    Basically, it was just seasoned and cooked flour. This might sound silly or pointless but if you've ever spent 30 minutes constantly whisking your roux to a golden brown color and then walked away for 16 seconds only to have it burn {and consequently have to start all over}, you will understand the beauty that is Instant Roux.

    There are store-bought options for roux and instant roux, but I prefer to make it myself since it's much more budget-friendly.

    Instant Roux from Living Well Kitchen

    So, I made my own Instant Roux using whole wheat pastry flour, salt, and some spices. It was incredibly simple, but like making a roux, you'll need to stand by your skillet and stir constantly.

    The beauty is that you only have to do it once to get enough Instant Roux for multiple uses. I keep the Instant Roux in the refrigerator in a glass jar and it keeps for quite a while.

    Whole wheat pastry flour has a higher percentage of starch so it is good for making a roux. I have used regular whole wheat and it wasn't as good. You can also use all-purpose flour.

    To use in a recipe, you'll just mix equal parts Instant Roux with water and add to the cooked veggies.

    For example, when making gumbo, add butter or other fat and saute veggies. Then stir in the Instant Roux. Slowly incorporate additional liquid as needed.

    Instant Roux from Living Well Kitchen

    Remember to stand by your skillet and whisk or stir this constantly. When using the cast iron skillet, I recommend a wooden spoon because I didn't want to scrape the skillet using a wire whisk.

    If you use a Dutch oven, you can probably use either. As for size, the bigger the skillet or Dutch oven the better so flour doesn't get pushed out of the pan. For an 8-inch skillet, you don't want to use more than one cup.

    This takes about 25 minutes but it's worth every second.

    Note: I've seen and heard of people baking their flour in the oven but I can't vouch for that as I have never done it. Let me know if you do and maybe I'll test it out...

    Instant Roux from Living Well Kitchen #RecipeReDux

    Instant Roux

    Instant Roux saves a lot of time and effort
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Rate
    Prep Time: 1 minute minute
    Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 36 minutes minutes
    Servings: 16
    Author: Meme
    Total Cost: $0.60 or $0.04/serving

    Ingredients

    • 1 cup flour *see notes
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • ½ teaspoon garlic powder
    • ½ teaspoon paprika
    • ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
    • ¼ teaspoon white pepper or black pepper

    Instructions

    • Add flour to a cast iron skillet or Dutch oven. Turn the heat to medium/medium-low and stir constantly until it turns a golden brown color, should take about 25-35 minutes.
    • Stir in salt, garlic powder, paprika, cayenne pepper, and white pepper.
    • Remove from heat and transfer to waxed paper or parchment paper to cool.
    • Once completely cool, transfer to glass jars.

    Notes

    *Use white whole wheat, whole wheat pastry, or all-purpose flour. I do not recommend whole wheat.
    *To use:
    Add equal parts Instant Roux to cold water and stir well. Stir into the dish to add flavor and thicken.
    *Makes 1 cup.
    Did you try this recipe?Be sure to leave a comment & recipe rating below. Bonus points for tagging @memeinge & #livingwellkitchen on Instagram! THANK YOU! xo

    Meme

    Nutrition Facts
    Instant Roux
    Serving Size
     
    1 tablespoon
    Amount per Serving
    Calories
    26
    % Daily Value*
    Fat
     
    1
    g
    2
    %
    Saturated Fat
     
    1
    g
    6
    %
    Sodium
     
    146
    mg
    6
    %
    Potassium
     
    27
    mg
    1
    %
    Carbohydrates
     
    6
    g
    2
    %
    Fiber
     
    1
    g
    4
    %
    Sugar
     
    1
    g
    1
    %
    Protein
     
    1
    g
    2
    %
    Vitamin A
     
    44
    IU
    1
    %
    Calcium
     
    3
    mg
    0
    %
    Iron
     
    1
    mg
    6
    %
    * Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    Comments

    1. Deanna Segrave-Daly (@tspbasil)

      April 23, 2014 at 6:20 am

      Oh I love everything about this (and need to hear more about this cookbook you're doing with your Nan!) Some of my very favorite foods that you listed - gumbo, etouffee, etc - of course need that roux. Never thought to have some made-ahead!

      Reply
      • Meme

        April 23, 2014 at 9:07 pm

        Thanks Deanna!! I'll have to do a post on my Dad's amazing gumbo and some other southern dishes using roux for you 🙂

        Reply
    2. Glenda @ Healthy Stories

      April 24, 2014 at 1:11 am

      I've never heard of instant roux before. What a great idea to make your own. I'll have to give this one a go.

      Reply
    3. Nina @ Whats for eats

      April 25, 2014 at 8:07 pm

      How funny that you have posted a recipe for instant roux! I was just reading up on what makes an authentic gumbo on a website for a New Orleans food joint called Po' Boy Quarter here in Australia (I am not sure how authentic Po' Boy's food is as I haven't been to New Orleans to compare - but I think it is delicious!) I have only made roux when making cheese sauce for my lasagne - I didn't realise you could make it in advance and keep it on hand.

      Reply
    4. MsGigi

      January 15, 2016 at 4:23 pm

      Does this instant roux give you a dark chocolate roux, Please let me know.
      Thanks

      Reply
      • Meme

        January 17, 2016 at 3:56 pm

        I would say that you'd probably want to cook it a little longer in the fat when you are making your dish. It's more of a light brown rue. Hope that helps!

        Reply
    5. YoNea Cummings

      September 17, 2020 at 8:36 pm

      5 stars
      This is also called a dry roux and as with wet rouxs you can bake it till it’s the color you want.. So bake it to dark chocolate stirring every 15-20 minutes so it won’t burn.. This is definitely better than having an oily gumbo or whatever.. Thanks for sharing !

      Reply
    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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    Meme holding Watson at a restaurant in san diego.

    Hi, I'm Meme!

    A thirty-something registered dietitian nutritionist here to help you enjoy food, make eating easier, and live free of diets & shame.

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