This is the easiest turkey gravy recipe. Perfect for any holiday turkey! Making homemade gravy is easier than you think.
You can make this turkey gravy from scratch with turkey drippings or with turkey stock. Always smooth, never lumpy, and full of fantastic turkey flavor.
How To Make Gravy From Scratch
Turkey gravy is traditionally made with turkey drippings and thickened with a roux.
Sometimes when I smoke or grill my turkey I have fewer drippings and I can't always make turkey dripping gravy.
When this happens it's easy to make turkey gravy without drippings by using turkey stock.
Making Gravy From Drippings
Making turkey gravy from drippings is super easy.
- Strain the drippings through a fine-mesh strainer to remove all of the solids.
- Make a roux with butter and flour.
- Add the pan drippings and bring to a boil to thicken.
- Season with sage, thyme, and of course, salt and pepper.
How To Make Turkey Stock For Gravy
Making turkey stock is super easy. When you buy a turkey you will find inside a bag of giblets and a turkey neck, both of which are great for adding rich turkey flavor to homemade turkey stock.
If you are going to spatchcock your Turkey you will also have the backbone to use in the stock.
- Add the turkey neck, giblets, and tukey backbone to a stock pot or dutch oven.
- Add one onion quartered, two carrots, and two stalks of celery. They can be rough chopped.
- Cover with six to eight cups of water.
- Add spices; bay leaves, black and pink peppercorns, juniper berries, all spice berries and one tablespoon of kosher salt.
- Bring everything to a boil.
- Reduce to a simmer and simmer for a few hours, until the broth has a rich turkey flavor.
- Strain all the solids and reserve the turkey stock for making gravy.
Add water. Add spices.
Simmer. When the stock has a rich turkey flavor, strain.
Turkey Gravy From Stock
If you don't have pan drippings or need a make-ahead turkey gravy recipe, making an easy turkey gravy with turkey stock is the answer. Sometimes this is also called turkey neck gravy because the turkey neck is used to make a rich broth.
- Make a roux with butter and flour.
- Add the turkey broth and bring to a boil to thicken.
- Season with sage, thyme, and of course, salt and pepper.
Turkey Giblet Gravy
My grandma always loved turkey giblet gravy. To make a giblet gravy you chop up the giblets that come inside the turkey and cook them in a pat of butter. You will also use the stock to make giblet gravy.
- Finely chop the giblets and brown them in a pan with ¼ cup of butter.
- Sprinkle ¼ cup of flour
- Add the turkey stock and bring to a boil to thicken. Season with sage, thyme, and of course, salt and pepper.
To Make Turkey Gravy That's Gluten-Free
If you need to make gluten-free gravy, simply leave out the roux, which is typically made with butter and flour.
Thicken the gravy with a cornstarch slurry instead.
- Make a slurry using ¼ cup of cornstartch and ¼ cup of water or broth.
- Bring the pan drippings (or urkey stock) to a boil.
- Add the slurry and simmer in a saucepan over medium heat until the gravy has thickened.
More Thanksgiving Side Dishes that You'll Love
If homemade turkey gravy and mashed potatoes aren't enough, here are more Thanksgiving side dishes. These are my most popular Thanksgiving sides.
From Scratch Green Bean Casserole, Fall Harvest Salad, Dumpling Noodles, Easy
Cranberry Sauce, Roasted Sweet Potatoes, and Mashed Sweet Potatoes.
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Turkey Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- ¼ cup unsalted butter
- ¼ cup flour note 1
- 2 ½ turkey stock or pan drippings strained
- ½ teaspoon dried rubbed sage
- ½ teaspoon dried thyme
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- ¼ teaspoon pepper
Instructions
- Make the roux by melting ¼ cup of unsalted butter in a medium saucepan. Add the ¼ cup of flour and whisk together until the mixture is thick and a nice golden brown.¼ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup flour
- Add the turkey drippings (or stock). Bring the gravy to a boil and then reduce it to a simmer. Simmer for 5 to 7 minutes until the gravy begins to thicken.2 ½ turkey stock
- Season the gravy with sage, thyme, salt, a pepper.
Laura's Tips + Notes
- Omit the butter and flour that is used to make a roux.
- Use ¼ cup of cornstarch and ¼ cup of water or broth to make a slurry.
- Add the slurry to the turkey broth or reserved pan drippings.
- Bring to a boil and simmer until the gravy thickens.
