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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Dear Jen,
I was wondering if this gravy would go well with a roasted goose, with the fat drippings from the turkey being subbed for goose fat and the chicken stock.
Definitely!
Made this for Thanksgiving and loved it! This is really the best gravy. Before adding the cream and herbs, I used an immersion wand to break down the onions and then even strained the remaining small onion pieces out – trying to accommodate picky guests who don’t like onions. They loved it and didn’t even know. I added rosemary for the herbs. This will be my new go-to gravy recipe, thanks!
I chopped onions in food processor-they became almost liquidy, still cooked- never got that caramel onion taste- contuinued with recipe- it came out tasting very much like onions- any way to save it?
Hi Emmanuelle, Unfortunately there’s no way to salvage it. You have to be really careful when chopping onions in a food processor because, as you mentioned, they can become puréed and almost liquid — and then they won’t cook properly. The best way is to pulse in 1-second intervals until just chopped.
Thank you very much Jenn- I will start over today- Have a great Thanksgiving- I am also making a few of your pies…
Can this be doubled easily or better to make 2 separate batches ? I have a lot more people this year!
Sure, Jill – no problem to double it. Happy Thanksgiving!
Wondering if there would be enough pan juices from your rolled stuffed turkey breast recipe to use to make this gravy? I have ordered your book and can’t to receive it!
Hi Cathy, Thanks for your support with the cookbook! Regarding the pan juices, there will be some (and I always add them to my gravy) but not a ton because the breast is pretty lean.
What I have done is just buy some turkey wings or a drumstick and roast them ahead of time and make my own broth! Then make the gravy as she does above minus the onions! Smash hit!
I made this last year and it was a huge hit! Can I substitute whole milk for the cream? I will not be using cream this Thanksgiving except for the gravy. My family loves your brussels spouts and kale salad so much that I won’t be cooking brussels sprouts with cream this year. I like it that you can make both ahead of time!
Hi Wendy, I’ve never tried this with whole milk, but I think it would work. (It’s also okay to just omit the cream.)
How far in advance can I make the gravy?
It would be fine if made a day or two of time. Enjoy!
Best gravy I’ve ever made! This was a huge hit at Thanksgiving. I used the drippings from a turkey that I had brined so when it came time to add chicken broth I used unsalted. We didn’t have any cognac or brandy on hand so I just omitted it from the recipe.
My first time making gravy, so I had a store bought as a back up, but I didn’t tell anyone which was which, and everyone “gobbled” mine up! easy and delicious! another hit from Once Upon A Chef!!!
Best gravy I’ve ever had!! I also liked being able to make it the day before…added the drippings the day of….so easy to make…no lumps either!! I did put it in the blender since my guests prefer “smooth” gravy…will make this again!