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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This was…….damn delicious!
(I think the ppl saying it was too thymeie probably used dried and forgot to covert….. 1/3 dried =1 fresh)
I used 1/4 teaspoon dried….. perfect:)
If you don’t have full amount of drippings just add stock or broth to make up the missing amount.
As always, whisk in flour gradually, don’t just dump it in.
Same goes for the drippings. Gradual.
Happy Holidays, everyone!
This is amazing! I made it yesterday and it had an earthy and delicious flavor. I made it exactly the way the recipe instructed. It came out with a smooth and creamy consistency. I used a “little less” than 1 tsp and 1/4 tsp of black pepper at the end. I drizzled it over Stuffing and some over Turkey slice. So good you can sop it up with a biscuit! I only recommend that you make this if you have a wire whisk. You will need it to avoid lumps.
Made this today. Super good and best I’ve had in a long time. Thank you for sharing!
Probably the best gravy I have used. I added a cup of chicken broth to add to the volume a bit. Intense flavor.
The gravy turned out delicious! Just wish there was a way to keep the fat and flour from separating.
Mamma Mia! DELICIOUS!! I added only a pad of butter as the natural gravy was Butterball, I might just add a bit of lemon
This is the best gravy I’ve ever had! I had fresh Rosemary so I added that instead of the thyme. I highly recommend this substitution!
Can you substitute margarine for butter?
Superbly simple! Very tasty….my first attempt. Thanks!
Yummy gravy!! So simple and delicious!, Aloha Chungah
Sounds delicious and I made it pretty much the same way that they had no thyme so I used a little Sage little poultry seasoning.
So easy and delicious! Did not have thyme on hand and only had dried parsley but was still yummy.
Très bonnes recettes
We fry our turkey. What would I substitute for the pan drippings?
Chicken Stock will work….
If no dripping use a piece of chicken or turkey brown in a pan with a little butter add hot water about a half of cup when that boils off repeat should have drippings ! Add stock to make gravy! Toss chicken or use for salad
I enjoy many of your delicious recipes. Thank you
Cream of celery will work with the dripping from your Turkey.
Add poultry seasonings,onion powder,salt,pepper and chicken stock, with a pat of butter. Let it cook at least 30 minutes, but if you have more time, allow it to simmer low. It’s a perfect marriage! It’s the easiest gravy ever.
This is exactly how I’ve made Thanksgiving gravy for years! My papa taught me this recipe, never fails….unless you mistake powdered sugar for flour. (That only happened once!)
That’s hilarious and sounds like something I would do. I once mistakenly added cornmeal instead of oatmeal to a meatloaf. It was solid as a brick.
LOL, You ladies have me rolling! Thanks for sharing these hilarious mishaps
Happy Thanksgiving
back off mark they are married
I was making an apple pie once and mistakenly added ground cumin instead of ground cinnamon to the cut apples! I started mixing with a spoon and realized the aroma was anything but sweet! I ended up rinsing the apple slices off one by one and crossed my fingers as it baked in the oven.
No one was the wiser!
This sounds so good. I have everything except the fresh parsley leaves. I’m not likely to get ahold of those before Thanksgiving due to my not wanting to enter a store because of Covid and my weakened immune system from chemo treatments. Does anyone have any Ideas as for a substitute for the fresh parsley leaves or will it turn out decent without them? I’ll be making a turkey breast and stuffing it with a quartered fresh onion so I’m expecting to get some good flavor from my pan drippings. Any advice about not having the fresh parsley leaves would be appreciated.
hi wayne! I’ve left our parsley leaves before and I don’t think it makes too big of a difference. in case it’s helpful, there’s an app called “Shipt” – that allows groceries to be delivered to your home for free with minimum purchases of $35 and Amazon also allows for deliveries from Whole Foods. Getting groceries is so hard during this time, so I figured I’d pass those two options!
A recipe is just a guideline… 😉 I made gravy last Thanksgiving without fresh parsley and it still turned out delicious. If you happen to have any dried parsley on hand that would work otherwise I’m sure it will taste just fine without it… Happy Thanksgiving!
Thank you for sharing this recipe! This is exactly how I make my gravy Your recipe is quick, easy, and tastes delicious!! I give it a five star!!!
I let my Turkey breast thaw out too early so I had to throw it in the crockpot to cook and then I wrapped it in going and Saran Wrap and threw it back in the freezer for a few days. I went ahead and used your recipe for gravy and man is it awesome! And it was so easy. I didn’t have enough drippings from just my Turkey breast so I made the rest up with low sodium chicken stock. Maybe a tad too much thyme but still the best I have ever had. No need for salt all all. Not sure if I should freeze it or if it will be ok in the fridge for 5 days. Thoughts?
so simple….and great…thank you…
I’ve been making homemade gravies and sauces for decades, but I decided to try a new turkey gravy recipe instead of my regular one. This gravy was excellent! It tasted much better than I expected and it was so easy to make. I highly recommend this recipe to anyone new to cooking and wanting to try making gravy. Just follow the directions as listed and you’ll have a super tasty gravy to serve. (PS-roasting a turkey is super easy too. You’ll never know until you try!)
How do you roast a Turkey?