This Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Steak starts with tender cube steak, a crisp seasoned coating, and creamy dairy-free pepper gravy. This comforting skillet dinner is easy enough for weeknights and special enough for Sunday supper.
This Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Steak is crispy, savory, and covered in rich pepper gravy. A well-seasoned gluten-free flour coating creates that classic crunchy crust, making this comforting Southern-style meal perfect for family dinners, weekends, or holidays.
I love a dinner that feels nostalgic without requiring complicated ingredients. Chicken fried steak has that wonderful contrast of crunchy, seasoned coating around tender beef, followed by a generous spoonful of creamy gravy.
This recipe became a favorite because it proves gluten-free comfort food does not need to feel like a compromise. The double-dredge gives each cube steak a hearty, craggy crust, while the almond milk gravy stays smooth, peppery, and completely dairy-free.
Why You’ll Love This Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Steak Recipe
- Delivers a crisp, deeply seasoned gluten-free coating.
- Uses simple, easy-to-find ingredients.
- Includes a creamy dairy-free pepper gravy.
- Makes a satisfying family-style dinner in about 40 minutes.
- Works beautifully with mashed potatoes, green beans, roasted vegetables, or a simple salad.
- Uses cube steak, an affordable cut that cooks quickly in a skillet.
Ingredients Notes
Cube steaks: Cube steak is tenderized beef, usually round steak, with a distinctive textured surface. That texture helps the flour coating cling well.
Gluten-free flour: Use a dependable all-purpose gluten-free flour blend. Choose one intended as a cup-for-cup replacement for regular flour, and verify it is gluten-free if cross-contact is a concern.
Almond milk: Choose plain, unsweetened almond milk. Sweetened or flavored varieties will change the flavor of the breading and gravy.
Frank’s Hot Sauce: It adds tang and gentle heat rather than making the steak spicy. Confirm your specific bottle meets your dietary needs.
Oil: Refined coconut oil has a neutral flavor and higher smoke point than unrefined coconut oil. Avocado oil is another great option for frying.
Seasonings: Cayenne adds a small background warmth. Reduce or omit it if you prefer a milder dish.
Gravy: The browned bits left in the pan add savory flavor, so leave them behind when removing excess oil.
How to Make Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Steak
In a shallow dish, combine 1 ½ cups gluten-free flour, 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper. Stir well to combine.
In a measuring cup, whisk the almond milk, eggs, and Frank’s Hot Sauce until smooth. Pour the mixture into a second shallow dish.
Coat one cube steak evenly in the seasoned flour mixture. Use your fingers to gently press the flour into the steak’s textured surface so the coating adheres well.
Dip the floured steak into the almond milk mixture, coating both sides. Return it to the flour mixture and dredge again, pressing the flour onto both sides.
Then transfer the breaded steak to a wire rack or plate. Repeat with the remaining steaks, then let them rest for a few minutes. This helps the coating stay in place during frying.
Heat the oil in your large skillet over medium heat until it shimmers. Then add the chicken.
Fry the steaks for 3–4 minutes per side, turning each steak only once, until the crust is browned and the beef is cooked through. If necessary, fry in batches, leaving enough space between each steak.
Move the cooked steaks to a clean wire rack set over a sheet pan. Keep them warm in an oven set to 200°F while you finish the remaining steaks.
To make the gravy, carefully pour excess oil into a heat-safe cup, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the skillet along with the browned bits. Add dairy-free butter or additional oil if needed.
Heat the skillet over medium heat. Whisk in ¼ cup gluten-free flour and cook for 1–2 minutes, stirring constantly.
Gradually pour in the almond milk, whisking constantly until smooth. Add the black pepper and sea salt.
Cook the gravy for 7–10 minutes, stirring almost constantly, until thick and creamy. Spoon the gravy generously over the warm steaks and serve immediately.
Storing and Reheating
Keep any leftover chicken fried steak and gravy in separate airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
To reheat the steak, place it on a wire rack over a baking sheet and warm it in a 375°F oven for about 10–15 minutes, or until heated through and crisp around the edges. Avoid reheating in the microwave, as it can make the coating soft instead of crispy.
Warm the gravy gently in a saucepan over low heat, stirring often. Add a splash of unsweetened almond milk if it has thickened too much in the refrigerator.
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Gluten-Free Chicken Fried Steak
Crispy, tender gluten-free chicken fried steak with a seasoned double coating and creamy dairy-free pepper gravy. This classic Southern-style comfort-food dinner is perfect with mashed potatoes, green beans, or roasted vegetables.
Ingredients
For the Chicken Fried Steak
- ½ cup refined coconut oil or avocado oil
- 4 cube steaks
- 1 ½ cups gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ teaspoons sea salt
- ¾ teaspoon paprika
- ½ teaspoon garlic powder
- ½ teaspoon onion powder
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- ¼ teaspoon cayenne pepper
- 1 ½ cups unsweetened almond milk
- 2 large eggs
- 2 teaspoons Frank’s Hot Sauce
For the Dairy-Free Pepper Gravy
- 2 tablespoons reserved frying oil or dairy-free butter, if needed
- ¼ cup gluten-free all-purpose flour
- 3 cups unsweetened almond milk
- 1 teaspoon black pepper
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
- In a shallow dish, combine the gluten-free flour, sea salt, paprika, garlic powder, onion powder, black pepper, and cayenne pepper.
- In a measuring cup, whisk together the almond milk, eggs, and Frank’s Hot Sauce. Pour the mixture into a second shallow dish.
- Dredge one cube steak in the seasoned flour mixture. Press the flour gently into the steak so it fills the textured surface.
- Dip the floured steak into the almond milk mixture, coating both sides. Return it to the flour mixture and coat it again, pressing the flour onto both sides.
- Place the breaded steak on a wire rack or plate. Repeat with the remaining steaks, then let them rest for a few minutes.
- Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat.
- Fry the steaks for 3–4 minutes per side, turning only once, until browned and cooked through. Work in batches if necessary.
- Transfer cooked steaks to a clean wire rack set over a sheet pan. Keep warm in a 200°F oven while cooking the remaining steaks.
- Make the gravy by carefully pouring off excess oil, leaving about 2 tablespoons in the skillet along with the browned bits. Add dairy-free butter or more oil if needed.
- Whisk in ¼ cup gluten-free flour. Cook for 1–2 minutes over medium heat, stirring constantly.
- Slowly whisk in the almond milk. Add the black pepper and sea salt.
- Cook for 7–10 minutes, stirring often, until the gravy is thick and creamy. Spoon over the warm chicken fried steaks and serve immediately.
Notes
- Use a gluten-free all-purpose flour blend that is made for one-to-one substitution for the best coating and gravy texture.
- Use plain, unsweetened almond milk to avoid a sweet flavor in the breading or gravy.
- Do not overcrowd the skillet. Frying in batches helps the coating stay crisp.
- Letting the breaded steaks rest before frying helps the coating stick better.
- Store leftover steak and gravy separately in airtight containers in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Reheat steak on a wire rack over a baking sheet in a 375°F oven for 10–15 minutes. Reheat gravy in a saucepan over low heat, adding a splash of almond milk as needed.
