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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This is an amazing, and simple, gravy recipe. I am looking for a really good gravy to serve with a beef roast. Could this recipe be adapted for beef? Thanks.
Hi Paula, you could use this for beef and make no changes, or you could replace the turkey drippings with beef drippings and use beef broth instead of chicken broth.
I am planning on making turkey for Christmas Day and I always add white wine and some chicken stock to the roasting pan when I start roasting the turkey. I am considering making this gravy and wanted to know if I can skip the cognac since I have wine in the pan drippings when the turkey was roasted. Thank you for your advice
Yes Celeste, I think that would be fine!
My mom opens a jar of gravy for Thanksgiving, so I never have gravy on my turkey or mashed potatoes at her house. This year I decided to make gravy at home before heading to her house. This was simple, delicious & will be on our table from now on. I used dried herbs and cut back a little per your answer to a previous reviewer’s question.
This has been my go-to turkey gravy recipe for the last few years. I stopped looking for another. Tasty, no fuss, easy.
Made this ahead for Thanksgiving & added some defatted drippings while turkey rested…best gravy ever! Also made your Sweet Potato Casserole and your delicious Kale & Brussel Sprout salad- rounded out a great holiday meal- Thank you!
I don’t have cognac, but I have Grand Marnier which says it’s a blend of cognac and orange. Do you think that will be ok? Have you ever tried it?
Hi Abbie, I’ve never tried it but I think it will work just fine.
It was amazing. Best gravy EVER.
My sister-in-law introduced me to this recipe and there”s no turning back! I love this gravy recipe and have used it for beef and pork as well. I use 1/2 dark biato gravy thickener and 1/2 flour which I find gives better flavour and a richer taste and consistency. I do not add salt to the gravy as there is plenty of seasoning already with meat
/poultry drippings. Try fresh basil as the only herb. Rave reviews every time.
Hi, can dried herbs be used? If so, in what quantity to fresh?
Hi Steven, Yes, you’d want to cut the amount by about a third, as dried are stronger in flavor than fresh.
I want to make gravy for mashed potatoes on Easter. We’re doing a ham though. Can I leave out the turkey drippings, or would that change the taste too much?
Hi Kay, You can…won’t have the same richness or deep flavor but will still be very good.
What kind of herbs would you add to this gravy?
Hi Linda, I like to use a combination of thyme, sage, rosemary and parsley.