Comfort Food | Sides | Thanksgiving
ByMelissa Riker Updated
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This is just the absolute Best Turkey Gravy Recipe. Made with drippings from your roasted turkey, it takes only a few other ingredients like butter, flour, black pepper, and veggies! Perfect for pairing with Roast Turkey and Homemade Biscuits when feeding friends and family on Thanksgiving!
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This is the best turkey gravy recipe I’ve ever tried, made the old-school way and worth every moment you spend on it! Pair it with a turkey prepped with turkey injection and a homemade turkey rub and it’s perfection every time!
Why I love this recipe
- This easy gravy starts with turkey drippings: the juices and liquid left in the bottom of the pan after roasting your turkey. The drippings are packed with flavor and are essential to make the BEST gravy.
- Combined with the drippings, a few flavorful veggies and the perfect combination of herbs come together to perfection.
- You can make it while the turkey is resting after removing it from the oven so it’s usually the last step in my Thanksgiving cooking schedule (see this post for my printable Thanksgiving planner.)
Ingredients
- drippings from roast turkey
- chicken or turkey stock
- bay leaves
- carrots
- onion
- celery
- fresh thyme
- flour
Step by Step
- First things first, let’s get those drippings! After removing the turkey from the oven, remove the drippings from the bottom of the pan and strain to remove any solids that may have made their way down there. Let the drippings sit for about ten minutes undisturbed to allow the fat to rise to the surface.
- Use a large spoon to skim the fat off the surface of the drippings, reserving 4 tablespoons of the fat, which you’ll place in a large saucepan. Set aside 1 cup of the drippings in a separate container.
- In the saucepan, heat the turkey fat along with the carrots, onion, celery, and thyme. Cook over medium heat until the veggies are soft, about 8 minutes.
- Now it’s time to make a roux! Simply sprinkle the flour over the saucepan and stir it all around so the liquid absorbs it. Keep stirring as you add in the reserved turkey drippings….it should be smelling delicious by now!
- Keep stirring as you cook 3 minutes, then add the turkey stock and bay leaves and bring to a simmer. Reduce the heat and continue to simmer about ten minutes until it’s nice and thick. After that, you’ll strain out the veggies and salt and pepper to taste. I promise it’ll be the most delicious turkey gravy you’ve ever tasted!
FAQs
Do you need giblets to make turkey gravy?
This recipe is simple and doesn’t require giblets from your whole turkey, so feel free to discard those when prepping your roast turkey.
What is a roux?
A roux is a combination of fat and flour used while cooking to make a thickened sauce or gravy. A classic roux recipe contains equal parts butter or fat to flour. Roux gravies will continue to thicken as they cool.
What if my gravy is too thin/thick?
It’s easier to thin a gravy than to thicken it, so err on the side of less liquids to start. If your gravy is too thick after adding the roux you can easily thin it by adding a little more stock or broth.
Can I make this gravy recipe without the vegetables and herbs?
You can omit the vegetables and herbs from this recipe if you prefer. I would simply heat the reserved fat then go straight to adding the flour.
How do you make gravy without drippings?
Starting gravy with drippings is ideal but it is possible to use broth or stock only. I highly recommend NOT skipping the herbs and vegetables if you only use broth or stock to avoid a bland gravy. Here is a full gravy without drippings recipe.
Substitute 1/4 cup butter for the fat in the roux and an additional cup of broth or stock for the reserved drippings.
Can I make this gravy recipe without flour/butter if I am gluten free/dairy free?
You can make this gravy gluten free by using a cornstarch slurry instead of a roux. Simply combine 4Tbsp of cornstarch in the minimum amount of water needed to make a thin paste, about 1/2 cup.
Heat drippings along with herbs and vegetables to a simmer, then stir in the slurry and whisk until thickened then add broth to get the desired consistency.
Can you freeze turkey gravy?
Yes! You can make this turkey gravy and freeze it up to 3 months. You can freeze it in a freezer-safe container, freezer bag, or even in an ice cube tray for single servings.
Thaw overnight in the refrigerator and reheat on the stovetop, whisking to smooth any separation of the fats.
More delicious Thanksgiving recipes for you:
Sides
- Candied Yams
- Sweet Potato Casserole
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potatoes with Bacon
- Cheddar Chive Mashed Potatoes
- Traditional Corn Pudding
Desserts
- Pumpkin Cheesecake Pie
- Sweet Potato Pie
- Southern Pecan Pie with Molasses
- Chocolate Chip Pecan Pie
And of course, pull it all together with our printable Thanksgiving Planner!
If you’ve tried this recipeplease comment and rateit below, I love hearing from you!
Perfect Turkey Gravy
5 Stars 4 Stars 3 Stars 2 Stars 1 Star
5 from 3 reviews
- Author: Melissa Riker
- Total Time: 40 minutes
- Yield: 10 1x
Description
This is just the absolute Best Turkey Gravy Recipe. Made with turkey drippings from your roasted turkey, it takes only a few other ingredients like. butter, flour, black pepper, and veggies! Perfect for feeding friends and family on Thanksgiving!
Ingredients
Units Scale
- 1 cup turkey drippings, including fat
- 1 large carrot, sliced thinly
- 1 yellow onion, peeled and diced
- 1 celery stalk, sliced thinly
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 6 tablespoons all purpose flour
- 3 1/2 cups turkey or chicken stock
- 2 bay leaves
- salt and pepper to taste
Instructions
- After removing the roast turkey from oven removedrippings from bottom of the pan.
- Strain to remove any solid material and allow to sit 10-15 minutes for fat to rise to the surface.
- Skim fat off the surface with a large spoon, reserving 4 tablespoons of the fat and one cup of the drippings.
- Add turkey fat to a large saucepan and add vegetables and thyme.
- Cook over medium heat until soft, about 8 minutes.
- Sprinkle flour over the mixture and stir until flour is absorbed by the liquid to form a roux.
- Continue to cook while stirring an additional 2-3 minutes or until golden in color.
- Add in turkey drippings while continuing to stir constantly. Cook about three minutes (continuing to stir) then add turkey stock and bay leaves.
- Bring gravy to a simmer and reduce heat to simmer for 10-12 minutes or until thickened.
- Strain gravy to remove herbs and veggies and salt and pepper to taste before serving.
Notes
- You may substitute butter for turkey fat if necessary and use chicken stock instead of turkey stock.
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 20 minutes
- Category: condiment
- Method: stovetop
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size:
- Calories: 101
- Sugar: 2.4 g
- Sodium: 165.4 mg
- Fat: 6 g
- Carbohydrates: 8.4 g
- Protein: 3.5 g
- Cholesterol: 15.4 mg
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