This homemade turkey gravy recipe is quick and easy to make! Don’t let those delicious pan drippings from your Thanksgiving turkey go to waste.
Recipe Science
- Use pan drippings for gravy—they’re packed with concentrated juices, fat, and flavorful fond.
- To thicken the gravy, add equal parts fat and flour to create a roux. The flour’s starches swell as it boils, giving the sauce a rich texture.
- Whisk in the juices to evenly distribute the starches, ensuring efficient thickening in just a few minutes.
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Why It Works
After spending hours in the kitchen, closely tending to the golden brown roast turkey, there’s one last critical step. Make the gravy! It’s always the perfect complement drizzled over slices of meat and mashed potatoes. This is a classic stovetop gravy recipe using incredibly flavorful pan drippings.
The savory concentrated juices and rich fat instantly boost the taste. A roux thickens the gravy, turning the liquid gold into a velvety sauce in minutes. This sauce is quicker than giblet gravy and is easy to make and reheat before serving.
Ingredients You’ll Need
- Drippings: These are collected from the pan after roasting the turkey. They are a combination of flavorful turkey juices, fond, and fat. Freezing or refrigerating quickly separates them into a fat layer floating on top and juices on the bottom. This helps to measure the portions of the recipe.
- Flour: The flour is mixed with the fat to create a roux to thicken the sauce.
- Stock: Use store-bought or homemade turkey stock made from the bones. This dilutes the roux and makes for a pourable gravy.
- Seasoning: I season the gravy with salt and freshly ground pepper. The pan drippings are already loaded with flavor, but adding other aromatic flavorings, like garlic and herbs, works well, too.
See the recipe card below for all ingredients and measurements (US and metric).
Ingredient Substitutions
Once you know how to make the best turkey gravy recipe feel free to customize the sauce! Try these tasty suggestions:
- Liquid: Chicken broth or stock is the best substitute for turkey juices or stock. I prefer to use unsalted to control the sodium level.
- Fat: If the drippings do not contain enough fat, you can use butter, coconut oil, avocado oil, or olive oil.
- Add Herbs: Fresh or dried rosemary, sage, thyme, or tarragon add dimension to the gravy.
- Add More Umani: To enhance the gravy’s savory and meaty taste, add a small amount of soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, or coconut aminos. Start with a teaspoon and add more to reach your desired seasoning level.
- Make it Gluten-Free: Combine ¼ cup cornstarch with ½ cup water to create a slurry. Whisk it into the hot liquid, cooking until thickened.
- Make it Grain-Free: Combine ⅓ cup arrowroot powder with 2/3 cup water to form a slurry. Whisk it into the hot liquid, and cook until thickened.
How to Make Turkey Gravy
Step 1: Collect the Drippings
Pan drippings are the juice, fat, seasonings, and fond or caramelized bits of protein and carbohydrates from the roast stuck at the roasting pan’s bottom.
If you’ve added vegetables, those sweet and savory ingredients infuse their flavor into the drippings. Use a strainer to help catch any big pieces of vegetables or fresh herbs.
The concentrated ingredient took time and care to develop and shouldn’t be poured down the drain. Scrape the pan so the fond dissolves, and extract as much liquid as possible.
Step 2: Separate the Fat
Pour the turkey drippings into a measuring cup or fat separator. The goal is to separate the fat from the juices. This way, you can measure the proper ratios to make the gravy.
Once separated, measure the amount of juice. Add store-bought turkey or chicken, stock, or broth to bring the liquid to four cups. Before using, ensure the liquid is at room temperature and not hot.
Pro Tip: I like to refrigerate or freeze the cup of drippings to speed up the process. The fat that floats to the top will solidify, making it easier and faster to scoop off the top. If you don’t have enough reserved fat, add butter, coconut oil, or olive oil to the required amount.
Step 3: Make a Roux
To thicken the turkey gravy, use equal parts fat and flour by volume. This is a classic roux base used to make a thick sauce. I like to use a light-colored pan, like stainless steel, so I can see the color of the roux change. Heat the flour and fat, and melt butter, if needed, over medium heat. Whisk constantly to disperse the ingredients, cooking out the raw flour taste.
Ingredient Chemistry: When the sauce comes to a boil, the starches in the flour swell, turning the thin liquid into a sticky consistency. The color of the roux should turn from pale ivory to golden blonde. This will give the sauce a thick consistency once the liquid is added.
Step 4: Add the Juices
Turn up the heat to medium-high so that the liquid can come to a boil. Slowly add the juices, whisking in about a ¼ cup at a time. Keep stirring to distribute the starches for efficient thickening.
After about 5 minutes, give it a taste and season it with salt and pepper.
Step 5: To Serve
If desired, strain the gravy for a smoother consistency. The recipe makes a large batch of sauce, enough for guests and leftovers.
This is a great make-ahead turkey gravy recipe! Prepare, cool, and store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stovetop right before serving. If needed, add some stock to make the consistency thinner. Alternatively, freeze the gravy for 4 months, defrost, and reheat it before serving.
Expert Tip: Gluten-free gravies using cornstarch or arrowroot powder don’t reheat as well. Reheating and agitation cause the thickening properties to break down, resulting in a thinner sauce. It’s best to make these versions on the day of eating.
Frequently Asked Questions
Turkey gravy uses drippings from the roast and giblets, if desired. White gravy uses milk, giving it a creamier texture. Brown gravy is made from meat drippings, like beef.
The most common way to thicken the gravy is to make a roux using flour and butter or turkey fat. Alternatively, cornstarch, arrowroot powder, tapioca flour, or potato starch are good gluten-free alternatives. Each has a different thickening power, so they must be converted before adding.
Flour is better for a thick, opaque sauce that reheats well. Cornstarch is twice as strong as flour as a thickening agent because it’s pure starch. Half as much is needed. It gives a glossy shine and is gluten-free but will become thinner when reheated.
Lumpy gravy is caused by the starches in the thickening agent, like flour, clumping together. This happens when whisking isn’t constant when making the roux and adding the liquid. The starches need to be dispersed by gradually incorporating liquid. If not, they swell together, forming lumps in the gravy. This is also caused by adding hot liquid to the roux, cooking the starches and proteins too quickly, making it hard to break apart. Strain the gravy to remove the lumps.
To make turkey gravy without drippings, start with turkey or chicken stock. For additional flavor, saute chopped onions, shallots, carrots, garlic, and fresh herbs like rosemary, thyme, or sage. Simmer the stock in the caramelized vegetables for 10 to 15 minutes before use. Use butter instead of the fat from the drippings to make the roux.
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Turkey Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- ½ cup reserved fat, from pan drippings or unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 4 cups roasting juices, from pan drippings
- 4 cups turkey stock, or chicken stock, as needed
- kosher salt, as needed for seasoning
- black pepper, as needed for seasoning
Instructions
- Collect the Drippings – After cooking the roast turkey, scrape the browned bits (fond) stuck to the bottom of the pan, using the juices to help dissolve the drippings. A small amount of water and heating the pan over low heat can help loosen the fond.
- Separate the Fat – Pour the juices, fond, and fat drippings into a measuring cup or fat separator. Allow it to sit and separate until the fat rises to the surface, about 10 minutes. Refrigerate or freeze to speed up the process. Reserve the fat and pour the juices into a measuring cup. Add store-bought turkey or chicken stock to reach a total of 4 cups.
- Make a Roux – In a large saute pan, add ½ cup of reserved fat and ½ cup of flour. If you don’t have enough fat, use butter. Heat the pan over medium heat, whisk, and cook for 1 minute.
- Add the Juices– Turn the heat to medium-high. Gradually whisk the juices into the pan, cooking for about 3 to 5 minutes or longer for a thicker consistency. For a thinner sauce, add more juice or stock. Season gravy with salt and pepper to taste.
- To Serve – For a smoother consistency, strain the sauce if desired. Serve hot and rewarm if needed.
Recipe Video
Notes
- Recipe Yield: 4 cups
- Serving Size: ¼ cup
- No Pan Drippings: Use ½ cup unsalted butter and 4 cups turkey/chicken stock or broth.
- Substituting Cornstarch or Arrowroot Powder: If using cornstarch or arrowroot powder to substitute flour, heat the juices, stock, or broth first until boiling, and then whisk in the starch slurry. The drippings and butter are not needed unless a small amount is added for flavor.
- Cornstarch: Combine ¼ cup cornstarch and ½ cup water to make a slurry. Whisk into the hot liquid until thickened, about 1 minute.
- Arrowroot Powder: Combine ⅓ cup arrowroot powder with 2/3 cup water. Whisk into the hot liquid until thickened, about 1 minute.
- For Extra Flavor: Chopped herbs like thyme, rosemary, and sage can be added at the end of cooking.
- Storing: Cool and store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
- Freezing: Store in a resealable bag or airtight content for up to 4 months. Defrost and reheat.
Nutrition Facts
Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000-calorie diet. All nutritional information is based on estimated third-party calculations. Each recipe and nutritional value will vary depending on the brands you use, measuring methods, and portion sizes per household.
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