Turkey Gravy
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Take your holiday turkey up a notch with this rich turkey gravy, made from flavorful turkey drippings. It not only enhances every dish on your table but can also be prepared in advance, saving you time and stress on the big day!
This is my favorite turkey gravy recipe, and I serve it every year with my Thanksgiving turkey—in fact, it is what makes my Thanksgiving turkey (and it’s just as essential for the stuffing and mashed potatoes!). The recipe is modestly adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook and is quick and easy enough to make while your turkey rests after roasting. If you’d rather get a head start, you can prepare most of it ahead of time and simply stir in the turkey drippings when reheating.
Some recipes call for using giblets or the turkey neck to enrich the gravy, but I skip them. The drippings already provide plenty of flavor, and leaving them out keeps things simple. This is an easy turkey gravy recipe that delivers all the rich, classic Thanksgiving flavor without the fuss.
“Wow! Everyone raved about this gravy! I was thrilled that I could make it a day in advance and just add the drippings when the turkey was done…My son took the recipe home!”
What You’ll Need To Make Turkey Gravy
- Unsalted Butter: Forms the base of the roux and adds richness to the gravy.
- Yellow Onions: Provide a savory depth of flavor and a natural sweetness as they cook down.
- All-Purpose Flour: Thickens the gravy to the perfect silky consistency.
- Defatted Turkey Drippings and Chicken Broth (to make 2½ cups): The liquid base of the gravy, providing a rich, deep flavor and beautiful color. To prepare, collect the juices from the roasting pan into a fat separator while the turkey rests, and pour off the drippings, leaving the fat behind. Since the drippings alone rarely make 2½ cups, top them off with store-bought chicken broth.
- Cognac or Brandy: Adds a subtle depth and complexity.
- Heavy Cream: Makes the gravy smooth, velvety, and just a bit richer.
- Fresh Thyme, Sage, Rosemary, or Parsley): These herbs and that quintessential Thanksgiving flavor and a bit of color.
- Salt and Black Pepper: Essential for balancing the flavors; season the sauce generously to complement the turkey.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Begin by melting the butter in a medium saucepan.
Add the onions.
Cook until very soft, about 15 minutes.
Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.
Whisk in the pan drippings/chicken broth and Cognac and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Stir in the cream and fresh herbs.
Season to taste with salt and pepper. Remember, the gravy should be generously seasoned because turkey is bland. And always taste the gravy with a piece of meat to be sure the seasoning is right.
Make-Ahead Instructions
The gravy can be made, without the turkey drippings, up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated in an airtight container. Simply use 2 cups of chicken broth and then add about 1/2 cup defatted turkey drippings after roasting the turkey when you reheat the gravy. Note that the gravy will thicken up in the fridge; thin it to the desired consistency with water or chicken broth upon reheating.
“This was amazing. My family raved and said it was the best gravy they ever had. It was so helpful to make ahead and just reheat. The only problem was that I should have doubled the recipe for the leftover turkey!!”
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Turkey Gravy
Take your holiday turkey up a notch with this rich turkey gravy, made from flavorful turkey drippings. It not only enhances every dish on your table but can also be prepared in advance, saving you time and stress on the big day!
Ingredients
- 1 stick unsalted butter
- 1½ cups finely chopped yellow onions
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- Defatted turkey drippings plus chicken broth to make 2½ cups
- 1 tablespoon Cognac or Brandy
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (such as thyme, sage, rosemary or parsley)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until very soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the turkey drippings/chicken broth and Cognac and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and fresh herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Gravy should be generously seasoned because turkey is pretty bland; I usually add at least ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, but it depends on how salty your broth and drippings are.) Transfer the gravy to a gravy boat and serve.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The gravy can be made, without the turkey drippings, up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Use 2 cups of chicken broth and add about ½ cup defatted turkey drippings after cooking the turkey when you reheat the gravy. Note that the gravy will thicken up in the fridge; thin it to the desired consistency with water or chicken broth upon reheating.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1/3 cup
- Calories: 143
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 357 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Yuck! Gluey and bland.
Wow! Everyone raved about this gravy! I was thrilled that I could make it a day in advance and just add the drippings when the turkey was done. My husband, who loves the leftovers, commented that they were better than ever with the addition of this gravy. My son took the recipe home!
Thanks, Jenn!
Hi! A friend introduced me to your site, and I’ve made about five of your recipes so far. They are all so easy and delicious! I’m also getting your second cookbook for Christmas. I’m super excited about it! Anyway, my question is about the drippings. Can I make this without any if I just want gravy as a side for dinner? What would I substitute in their place?
Hi Sarah, so glad you’ve enjoyed the recipes so far enough to get the cookbook! Yes, you can make this without the drippings. Just use additional chicken broth. Hope you enjoy!
I loved the flavor of this gravy! I am a huge fan of fresh herbs and it did not disappoint. I have to say though, that I was not a fan of the texture with the onions…I chopped them extremely finely, but it still felt a bit off. I am thinking that next time I may blend the gravy in the Vitamix next time?
The flavor of the cognac was fabulous and I will DEFINITELY be using it going forward! I also may use this gravy with sauteed chicken breasts as a main dish!
Hi Heather, it’s perfectly fine to blend this in the Vitamix for a smoother texture. 🙂
Glad you liked it! Yes, you can definitely blend this in the Vitamix for a smoother texture.
This gravy is phenomenal! Seriously. I’m not a fan of giblet gravy. Found your recipe and followed it exactly. Best gravy I’ve ever made! Was skeptical of adding the brandy, but after making so many of your foolproof recipes, I added it. Goodness girl…..you can COOK! Love your recipes….always so easy to follow. Thank you for sharing your talent with us!
Wow this was surprisingly good! Best turkey gravy I’ve ever had. I did not add the brandy/cognac and tided my herbs up in a piece of cheesecloth because I don’t like the texture of fresh herbs in gravy. Wonderful, thanks for sharing!
I am a self-confessed gravy snob. So many gravies tried over the years with most having indifferent results at best. But hope springs eternal and I’m always up to trying something new…searching for that gravy treasure. And it seems that perseverance and patience does indeed pay off. At least it has with this recipe from Jenn. Wow, what a difference…it has a full and robust taste that I feel would satisfy the most ardent gravy aficionado. Thanks so much for the recipe…it’s a keeper in our household!
Hi Jenn. I made this before, and while delicious it came out very pale in color. Any recommendations for how I can get the gravy to a richer brown color like your photos? I’m planning to make this again for Christmas along with your dry-brined turkey. Thanks!
Hi Braden, The color comes from the drippings. Did you add them last time?
Thanks Jenn. I did add them, but maybe scooped too much of the fat off? Happy Thanksgiving
I don’t think it would have anything to do with the fat. The drippings on the pan should be really dark (almost caramelized) which adds to the color of the gravy. Did you by any chance use a nonstick roasting pan for the turkey?
Hi Jenn, this turkey gravy recipe has double the amount of fat to flour ratio than most recipes, including the Ina Garten recipe that you adapted. Is this intentional or is it a misprint? And how do you think the recipe would turn out if I used a 1:1 fat/flour ratio? Thanks!
Hi Nancy, I took a look at the recipe, and unless I’m missing something, my ratios are the same as that in Ina’s recipe. The primary difference I see is that I call for 2 1/2 cups of turkey drippings/broth and Ina’s recipe only calls for 2 cups.
Hi Jenn,
Your recipe calls for one stick of butter, which is 8 tablespoons, and 1/4 cup of flour, which is 4 tablespoons – thus a 2 to 1 ratio of fat to flour. Ina Garten’s recipe calls for 3/4 stick of butter, which is 6 tablespoons, and 6 tablespoons of flour – a 1 to 1 ratio. So I was questioning that fat-to-flour ratio and why it was higher or whether it was a misprint. Am I missing something here?
Thanks,
Nancy
Hi Nancy, I think we must be looking at 2 different versions of Ina’s recipe. This is the one I’m looking at.
Ahh! Yes, that explains it. I noticed that the Ina Garten recipe with the 1 to 1 ratio calls for only one red onion while the Ina Garten recipe you based yours on calls for two onions, which probably explains the difference in the fat to flour ratios in her two recipes. Thanks so much!
Hello silly question but how do you de-fat the turkey drippings?
Thank you
Not silly! I usually just skim it away with a spoon, but if you don’t have a fat separator you could use this creative method. Hope that helps!