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.
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Very Nice .. so easy ill never forget how to make Great gravy against Thanks!
Best turky gravy i ever made and ate. Thank you.
Going try this one for Christmas. Question… I have a great turkey recipe that has me put a qt or so of apple cider in the bottom of the roasting pan, anyone ever do that and make this gravy? If not, do you think it’ll come out as good as the reviews I’m seeing here? I’m thinking it’ll be pretty awesome but wanted to ask. Thanks in advance for any feedback.
Made this last night for a ladies evening and hands down the best gravy I have ever made, or maybe even had. Delicious and easy. Yum!
First time ever making gravy of any type. Made it for Thanksgiving for 13 people. Not only was it extremely easy, but it tasted GREAT. Everyone loved it. I had just enough juice to make a double batch. Definitely keeping this in my wheelhouse. Thank you for posting this.
This turned out the best Turkey gravy I’ve ever eaten. We spatchcock our turkey. I don’t know if that makes a difference in the amount of drippings we get, but we get nowhere near two cups. I ended up making a broth with the giblets and the back my husband pulled out. We cooked those down to about two cups, then added our drippings and followed the rest of the recipe. It. Was. Amazing. 10/10 will use this again!
Will there be enough liquid for gravy with a
10lb turkey breast? How long do you think it will take to get to 165?
We discovered last minute that no one had been assigned gravy. We did not have fresh thyme or even dried thyme, but the result was still the best turkey gravy I have ever had! I feel like if your name is on the recipe it is a sure bet. Thank you for sharing another great recipe
Excellent !!
Delicious!
Google
I used your recipe for this year’s Thanksgiving dinner. Everyone loved it. The wives even asked me to email the recipe’s URL to them.
Thank you for this simple but yet delicious recipe
Your recipe just made my Thanksgiving a lot happier. How something so delicious be so easy to make? Thank you! Now if I could just master a non-lumpy roux.
Non-lumpy roux=sift your flower and whisk whisk whisk. Also, pull your pot off the heat while you whisk in your flower if it seems too hot. I got a simple flower sifter from the Dollar Tree.
I have always delegated the responsibility of making the gravy to others because I was intimidated. This year, I had to make it myself, and I’m so glad I found this recipe! It came out perfectly and was delicious!
Thanks! Easy and delicious.
Just made it I added a couple of fat pinches of bell’s seasoning for extra measure! Fantastic!!!!
I have so many gluten free family members. Can I substitute cornstarch for the flour? If so, how much do I use? So excited to try this! My daughter in law says you cannot go wrong with your recipe!
You can try almond flour for the roux. Have not tried myself but I have seen several keto based recipes that call for the substitution of almond for wheat flour. You can also use your cooked turkey veg (carrots, celery, onion) and puree with a food processor. Add to gravy to thicken, no need for roux. Good luck and happy holidays!
Yes I make GF. GF all purpose flour is best. You could gradually add a cornstarch slurry but sometimes you get a pasty taste.
This is late info, but you can use ground arrowroot to substitute for flour or cornstarch. It’s gluten free! I prefer it over cornstarch or masa when called for in sauces, chili, etc. I find that when using masa especially, that a flavor is introduced that changes the flavor profile to something less desirable, IMHO. I also use arrowroot when I either don’t have time or don’t feel like making a roux with flour.
Wondra is a great substitute, some places sell the double 0 flour which also works great.
Wow!! This is amazing!! Thank you for sharing!!
You can try almond flour for the roux. Have not tried myself but I have seen several keto based recipes that call for the substitution of almond for wheat flour. You can also use your cooked turkey veg (carrots, celery, onion) and puree with a food processor. Add to gravy to thicken, no need for roux. Good luck and happy holidays!
Made this last year and it was delicious! I have never been good at making gravy but this recipe will be my forever go-to. Super easy and very tasty! Thank you!
Delicious, quick and easy!
Omg simple yet DELICIOUS!! Was perfect for what I needed yields 3 cups and that’s what made me try it and will always remember and use it!!
Do you have a video on this one??