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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Hi Jenn, I absolutely love this recipe and can’t wait to make it again this year for Thanksgiving. We have a large group to feed so I need to triple the recipe – are there any adjustments I should consider? Or will simply multiplying all ingredients by 3 do the trick? Thank you so much!
Glad you like it! Yes, you’ll need to multiply everything by 3. Just keep in mind that it will take longer to thicken so you’ll need to simmer it longer.
Hello Jenn,
I was wondering if I could sub the Turkey drippings here with chicken schmaltz since I won’t be making Turkey for this thanksgiving ? And if so, how much ?
Thank you so much, I look forward to making this
Hi Mlak, I think that would work. I’d suggest adding 3 to 4 tablespoons. Hope you enjoy!
Wow! Absolutely delicious. I didn’t have Cognac so I substituted with White Wine. I didn’t get the lovely color the Cognac would have provided so I added just a dash of tamari. The flavor is incredible. I’m making your stuffed turkey breast later today and if it’s half as good as the gravy, well, I’ll be a happy gal. Thank you!
I took a chance to make this turkey gravy on Thanksgiving Day, knowing Jenn’s reputation and the ease in making it. It was FABULOUS! This will be my go to gravy from now on. Great job, Jenn!
Delicious! The perfect gravy to complete your turkey. Easy to make, so flavorful & refrigerates really well for leftovers.
I have been cooking for 47 years and always made turkey gravy the way my mother and grandmother always did in TN. Sometimes they would add giblets and chopped hard boiled eggs and sometimes they would just make a smooth gravy. Since 2020 has been such an unusual year, I decided to cook our Thanksgiving meal a bit differently. Knowing it would be just my husband and myself, I felt comfortable trying a few unfamiliar recipes. The reviews for this gravy encouraged me to try it. My husband and I both loved it! Absolutely delicious! Luckily, I had cooked extra turkey in the morning to have for pot pies. I had strained the drippings and chilled them so the fat would congeal at the top. When I started the gravy, I discarded the turkey fat and used butter to cook the very finely chopped onions. I mixed my turkey drippings with enough homemade chicken stock for the correct amount. I used half fresh thyme and half fresh sage for the herb seasoning. I love the addition of the cognac and cream. I will always make this turkey gravy recipe from now on. It is a perfect flavor combination! Thanks again, Jenn.
Delicious. Made this as you suggested, for the rolled stuffed turkey breast. It was so flavorful and complimented everything! I used an immersion blender on it because my son hates seeing onions. It was just lovely! Will be my go to gravy recipe! Thank you!
We are having a quarantine Thanksgiving. 🙂 So I can’t run out to the store to get anything I may have missed. It was either delivered yesterday or we do without. And I forgot Cognac or Brandy. I was thinking of omitting…but we do have Bourbon or Dry Sherry on hand. What do you think… just omit, or would you use the Bourbon or use the Sherry? And it is Thanksgiving day, so hopefully you are having a wonderful day with your family. If you get this after the holiday I would still be interested in knowing. Thank you and hope you have a wonderful Thanksgiving!
Hi Michelle, So sorry I’m just seeing this. You can leave it out, or add Sherry or white wine. Any way you make it, it will be delicious. 🙂
Can I make this without cream? Looks so good!
Sure, Erika – it should work.
If I make this tomorrow, do I need to freeze it or will it keep until thanksgiving?
Hi Liz, it should be fine. Enjoy!