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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Hello Chef Jenn – Since we are downsizing Thanksgiving this year 🙁 we are just skipping turkey all together and just purchasing a rotisserie chicken in its place that we will simply heat up. I will be making gravy a day or two ( at the most) ahead of time. 1) For chicken insead of turkey, would you recommend beef stock/broth or stick with the chicken stock/broth? 2) Also, since I won’t have drippings, is there any meat that you would suggest I stick in to add some depth? A piece of bacon or sausage for example? Thank you again for making me look like a good cook- your blog and cookbook are my go-tos!
In answer to your questions:
1. I’d stick with chicken broth
2. I don’t think you need to add any meat, but you can use the juices that come in the bottom of the roasted chicken container as the drippings.
Hope that helps!
I just “discovered” canned chicken and beef STOCK for my soups — more flavorful than broth. Is there a reason you specify broth in your wonderful recipes?
(PS – I am up for adoption…)
Hi Judith, it’s perfectly fine to use broth and stock interchangeably in my recipes. 🙂
Jenn,
What do you think about substituting creme fraiche for the heavy whipping cream?
Sure. 🙂
I am a huge fan and share your blog with everyone! I’m not a fan of making gravy- it never turns out right but this year I’m giving it a go with your recipe. If I make ahead, how much broth should I use ahead of time? Also making your stuffing and mashed potatoes. Thanks so much for helping me to bring my cooking confidence back!
So glad you like the recipes! You’ll need a total of 2-1/2 cups (made up of defatted turkey drippings plus chicken broth to get to 2½ cups).
So I have made this gravy following Ina’s recipe, but omitted cognac as did not have. This year I am making your version and plan to use the cognac. This may seem like a silly question, but does the cognac cook off enough that the children can have this gravy? I’m sure it does, but wanted to check!
Not a silly question, but, yes, the cognac does cook off so it’s perfectly safe for kids. Hope you enjoy!
Hi there! You responded to someone saying 2.5 cups of broth for the gravy? I thought it was 2 cups broth and half cup turkey drippings?? ( Hence, NOT 2.5 cups of broth)
Also, someone asked if they could use bourbon or sherry (in place of cognac) You wrote, use sherry or white wine ( yet elsewhere, you said to use bourbon, in place of cognac) This is confusing, please clarify, thanks so much
Hi Shallini, Sorry for the confusion. You’ll need 2-1/2 cups total broth/turkey juices (I usually count on about 1/2 cup of turkey drippings, so 2 cups broth plus 1/2 cup drippings). And you can use sherry, wine, or bourbon in place of the cognac.
This is my absolute Go To gravy recipe. I used to have fear and trepidation about gravy until I stumbled on this gem! I now modify it for Rouladen by using beef broth, and easily have two gravies at Christmas one veggie broth-based for my vegetarians, the other turkey for everyone else. This was the recipe that introduced me to once upon a chef, and now have the cookbook. Love the style of recipes. Thank you from a beginner cook.
I use this recipe every year, some with the cognac, some without. It is always delicious. Thank you!
Jenn,
Can your turkey gravy be made without the Cognac/Brandy without compromising the flavor?
Yes, you can omit it without a problem. Hope you enjoy!
Incredible. Best gravy ever. Thanks again Jen!
Yes, this is a keeper. I did stick-blend the onions into the gravy as I didn’t chop them small enough. It was great. Thickened it at the last minute with an arrowroot slurry as we had gluten free people dining with us. Thank you, Jen. This was really good as were your mashed potatoes.
Have you ever pureed the gravy before serving? I didn’t chop my onions small enough and I’m wondering if it’ll ruin it if I puree it. I’ll add the turkey drippings tomorrow. I made this last year and it was a big hit.
I haven’t, Abbie – I’d probably just leave it alone. The onions will be so soft, I don’t think it will be an issue.