How to Make the Best Turkey Gravy
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This turkey gravy is simply the best! Perfect for your Thanksgiving turkey using up all the pan drippings. Rich, velvety smooth, and so easy!
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Why you’ll love this Thanksgiving turkey gravy
- Easy, fool-proof recipe. This is the world’s easiest, quickest, 20-minute fool-proof Thanksgiving turkey gravy (using pan drippings)! All you have to do is strain your drippings and combine it with some butter, flour, and fresh herbs.
- So much better than store-bought. Say goodbye to powdered mixes and jarred gravy! The pan drippings from the turkey add intense, maximum, rich flavors to your homemade gravy that store-bought gravy simply cannot match.
- Fully customizable. The beauty of making gravy at home is how flexible and giving it is! You can adjust the consistency, salt levels, and seasonings to suit what you have on hand, as well as any dietary restrictions.
- This gravy freezes like a dream. Cream-based gravy will not freeze well as it will separate when frozen and thawed. But this flour-based gravy can keep in the freezer for at least 3 months, saving up any leftover gravy or preparing for big, stressful holidays such as Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Easter.
Key Ingredients
Pan drippings
Using pan drippings from your bird is key here! It will add all the deep rich flavors to your gravy.
Chicken or turkey stock
Good quality chicken or turkey stock is highly recommended (homemade is even better) if you do not have or have enough pan drippings.
Unsalted butter
This will help create the roux – the combination of flour and fat (butter) – which is the foundation of an excellent gravy.
Flour
All-purpose is best but gluten-free flour can also be substituted in a 1:1 ratio.
Thyme
Herbs – dried or fresh – are great to add flavor, adding as much or as little as desired. Rosemary, sage, and oregano can also be added here.
Salt and pepper
Season to taste as your pan drippings will already be seasoned quite a bit.
How to make turkey gravy from pan drippings
- Deglaze the pan (optional). Remove the turkey from the roasting pan and place the pan on the stovetop over medium heat. Use a wooden spoon or whisk to gently scrape up the caramelized, crusty brown bits stuck to the bottom.
- Strain the drippings. Pour the turkey pan drippings through a fine-mesh strainer, discarding the solids and reserving 2 1/2 cups. Pro tip: add chicken or turkey stock, as needed, if you do not have enough pan drippings.
- Make the roux. Melt the unsalted butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat and whisk in the flour and thyme (and any additional herbs) until lightly golden-brown.
- Add the pan drippings. Gradually whisk in the reserved turkey pan drippings, whisking continuously to prevent any lumps.
- Simmer and thicken. Lower the heat to a simmer, stirring frequently, until the gravy is thickened and coats the back of a spoon, about 5-10 minutes.
- Season and finish. Stir in parsley and season with salt and pepper, to taste. Pro tip: you may not need additional salt as the pan drippings are already salted.
Tools For This Recipe
How to Make the Best Turkey Gravy: Frequently Asked Questions
You can use all of the pan drippings from the easiest Thanksgiving turkey recipe.
Unsalted butter allows you to add as much salt (or as little) salt in your dish, allowing for more control and consistency. But you can replace the unsalted butter with salted butter in a pinch, reducing the amount of salt indicated in the recipe and adding to taste.
Absolutely! But because dried herbs are often more potent and concentrated than fresh herbs, you need less when using dry. For example, the correct ratio is 1 tablespoon fresh parsley = 1 teaspoon dried parsley.
Yes! You can follow the recipe below, substituting chicken or turkey stock for the pan drippings, and adding in minced garlic, diced shallots and additional seasonings (ex. sage, rosemary and poultry seasoning), to taste.
Store leftovers in an airtight container in the fridge for 3-4 days, gently reheating on the stovetop over low heat with a splash of water or broth, stirring constantly, until smooth and warmed through.
This flour-based gravy freezes very well! Once cooled completely, you can freeze the leftover gravy in individual freezer bags (or ice cube trays), thawing overnight and gently reheating on the stovetop.
How to Make the Best Turkey Gravy
Video
Ingredients
- Pan drippings from Easy Thanksgiving Turkey
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons chopped fresh thyme
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh parsley leaves
- Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Strain pan drippings through a fine-mesh sieve; discard solids and reserve 2 1/2 cups pan drippings; set aside.
- Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour and thyme until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
- Gradually whisk in reserved pan drippings. Bring to a boil; reduce heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
- Stir in parsley; season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve warm.
Equipment
Notes
- Pan drippings is key. Gravy can be made with or without pan drippings, but pan drippings will add maximum flavor to your turkey gravy.
- Separate the fat. Strain the turkey pan drippings through a strainer or fat separator to prevent a greasy, separated gravy.
- Deglaze the pan (optional). If the roasting pan from the turkey has a lot of browned bits stuck to the bottom, set the pan over medium heat and add a splash of water, stock, or white wine. Then use a wooden spoon to lift up all the caramelized bits (fond) before adding to the reserved pan drippings.
- Use good quality stock. If you do not have enough pan drippings from your turkey, you can add chicken or turkey stock to make up for the difference. But your gravy is as good as your stock! Use good-quality or homemade stock for the best results.
- Fresh herbs are best. Although you can certainly substitute dried herbs, fresh herbs are ideal here, delivering the best kind of flavor. This is also a great time to use up all the leftover herbs from your holiday turkey.
- Cook the roux. Whisk in the flour until it turns light golden-brown to eliminate the raw flour taste.
- Whisk constantly. Whisking constantly is key here for a lump-free gravy.
- Freeze as needed. Let the gravy cool completely before transferring to individual freezer bags (or ice cube trays). Label, date, and freeze up to 3 months. To reheat, thaw overnight in the fridge and gently reheat on the stovetop until warmed through.
Did you make this recipe?
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Do you think I can use a chicken or a bone broth completely instead of the turkey drippings? My husband’s health requires a strict diet, so I’m trying to find a healthy gravy. I would use a broth and almond flour in place of the drippings and flour. I just don’t want to alter the taste
I think you can, especially if you cook the broth til it’s thicker. I see no reason you couldn’t. You can season it like you and your family like. It will be delicious!!!! I cook with almond flour all the time. How about thickening with tapioca flour? That’s probably what I will do. Happy Thanksgiving!!!
Can I use chicken or turkey broth in addition to drippings to make a larger quantit
Yes you can, although it will thin the gravy so you’ll have to add more flour to compensate.
do you think there would be enough pan drippings from your roasted turkey breast recipe?
What if you don’t have turkey drippings? Can I use some type of bouillon?
I can’t express how thrilled I am that this recipe was a success! Recently, I’ve been longing for the comfort of Thanksgiving dishes, and to my family’s relief, we needed a change from our usual chicken routine. Fortune smiled on us when I found turkey slices on offer at Sprouts. They were delightfully lean, prompting me to improvise with chicken broth and a hearty sprinkle of turkey rub in place of the usual poultry seasoning. I must say, the gravy was the star of the show – it turned out absolutely delicious! It was the perfect twist to satisfy our cravings and bring a dash of holiday spirit to our table.
Are 2.5 cups of liquid really going to cook out of a turkey breast? That number seems a bit hopeful. What if you don’t have that much?
There will be a lot more than 2.5 cups.
I ended up with 5 cups.
I made my first turkey this year and needed a gravy recipe. This was amazing!!! I should also mention that I’ve always had trouble making gravy but this worked perfectly. Thank you so much!
This is the best recipe for Gravy yet!
Yum! So good, thank you!
Do you separate out the fat?
100% Delicious. I needed to ‘practice’ making this, so I took the drippings from a Costco chicken that collected in the container and combined it with homemade chicken broth (Ina Garten’s recipe) and this was easily the best gravy I’ve ever had, bar none. I did add in a tablespoon of butter at the end for silkiness. Can’t wait to make this again!
Always looking fir good gravy recipe. Trying today.
Can’t wait to try it. I tend to have trouble with lumpy gravy but I think this recipe will be great. Is it possible to double the recipe? Or how many people would this serve?
I forgot to review this. Made this for Thanksgiving last year, and use the same method for my beef roasts (which I make frequently,) using beef broth for the liquid. I never had enough gravy for my “hot’ sandwiches before this recipe. Thanks for posting.
Absolutely Awesome! Exactly like My Mom made. But forgot & had to look up. Only 1/4 cup of drippings from my turkey breast. So even out with Better than bullion. My Mom used bullion cubes Lol. Anyways too salty…but my bad/Everything taste salty to me lately. Thickened up nicely after a bunch of boiling & stirring. Happy I made this instead of the enclosed gravy pkg!
Bullion is the problem. Use chicken stock and stir, stir!
So simple and straightforward, perfect gravy for turkey dinner. Love this! Thanks so much for sharing!!
Honestly the best gravy ever
Amazing!
The seasoning was amazing! This was super easy. The only tweak I made was based on my family’s preference for milk in gravy. We added an extra 1/2 tsp of flour and 2 T of milk. Best gravy, better than my mom’s scratch Thanksgiving gravy!
Thee best tasting turkey I’ve ever made. Even the turkey haters enjoy it. The white meat was moist and tender as it should be. I’m thrilled it turned out so delicious. The tenting method- on point. I even prepared some yummy turkey gravy. It was a lip smacking meal. Ohhh.. I had a few issues removing the back, but I did it! And that too was DELICIOUS . I’d just bake a pan full of turkey backs if I could find some. Thanks again.
It’s simple and convenient!