Turkey Gravy
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Take your holiday turkey up a notch with this rich, savory gravy made from the drippings. It ties the whole meal together and can be made ahead to keep the day stress-free.
This is my go-to turkey gravy recipe, and I make it every year for Thanksgiving. It’s what makes my Thanksgiving turkey so good—and it’s just as essential for the stuffing and mashed potatoes! The recipe is modestly adapted from Ina Garten’s Barefoot Contessa Family Style cookbook and is quick and easy enough to make while your turkey rests. If you’d rather get a head start, you can prepare most of it ahead of time and simply stir in the turkey drippings when reheating.
Some recipes call for using giblets or the turkey neck to enrich the gravy, but I skip them. The drippings already provide plenty of flavor, and leaving them out keeps things simple. This easy turkey gravy recipe delivers all the rich, classic Thanksgiving flavor without the fuss.
“Wow! Everyone raved about this gravy! I was thrilled that I could make it a day in advance and just add the drippings when the turkey was done…My son took the recipe home!”
What You’ll Need To Make Turkey Gravy
- Butter & Onions: Cooked together to build a rich, flavorful base for the gravy.
- Flour: Thickens the gravy so it’s silky and smooth.
- Turkey Drippings & Chicken Broth: The liquid base of the gravy. To get the drippings, pour the pan juices into a fat separator while the turkey rests, then discard the fat. If you don’t have quite enough drippings (you’ll need about 2½ cups), just top it off with chicken broth.
- Cognac or Brandy: Adds incredible depth of flavor.
- Heavy Cream: Makes the gravy extra rich and velvety.
- Fresh Herbs: Add a pop of color and that classic Thanksgiving flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1: Cook the onions. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the onions. Cook until very soft—it will take about 15 minutes.
Step 2: Add the flour. Whisk in the flour and cook for a few minutes to get rid of the raw flour taste.
Step 3: Whisk in the drippings and Cognac. Whisk in the pan drippings or chicken broth and Cognac and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes.
Step 4: Finish the gravy. Stir in the cream and fresh herbs, then season to taste with salt and pepper. Keep in mind that gravy should be generously seasoned—turkey on its own is pretty mild. Always taste the gravy with a piece of meat to make sure the seasoning’s just right.
Make-Ahead Tip: The gravy can be made (without the drippings) up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated in an airtight container. When reheating after roasting the turkey, use 2 cups of chicken broth and stir in about ½ cup of defatted turkey drippings for extra flavor.
Turkey Gravy Video Tutorial
More Holiday Recipes You’ll Love
Turkey Gravy
This easy turkey gravy made brings the whole meal together—and you can make it ahead for an easier holiday.
Ingredients
- 1 stick (½ cup) unsalted butter
- 1½ cups finely chopped yellow onions
- ¼ cup all purpose flour
- Defatted turkey drippings plus chicken broth to make 2½ cups
- 1 tablespoon Cognac or Brandy
- 1 tablespoon heavy cream
- 1 tablespoon chopped fresh herbs (such as thyme, sage, rosemary or parsley)
- Salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium-low heat. Add the onions and cook until very soft and translucent, about 15 minutes.
- Whisk in the flour and cook for 2 to 3 minutes, stirring occasionally. Whisk in the turkey drippings/chicken broth and Cognac and bring to a boil over medium-high heat. Reduce the heat to a simmer and cook, stirring occasionally, until thickened, about 5 minutes. Stir in the cream and fresh herbs and season to taste with salt and pepper. (Gravy should be generously seasoned because turkey is pretty bland; I usually add at least ¼ teaspoon salt and ¼ teaspoon pepper, but it depends on how salty your broth and drippings are.) Transfer the gravy to a gravy boat and serve.
- Make-Ahead Instructions: The gravy can be made, without the turkey drippings, up to 2 days ahead of time and refrigerated. Use 2 cups of chicken broth and add about ½ cup defatted turkey drippings after cooking the turkey when you reheat the gravy. Note that the gravy will thicken up in the fridge; thin it to the desired consistency with water or chicken broth upon reheating.
Nutrition Information
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- Serving size: 1/3 cup
- Calories: 143
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 7 g
- Sugar: 2 g
- Fiber: 0 g
- Protein: 2 g
- Sodium: 357 g
- Cholesterol: 31 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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I was completely floored when I tried this recipe for the first time, made by my sister in law Beverley last week. Amazing, unbelievable, incredible! This truly is THE BEST EVER GRAVY! This is now MY gravy (try it with fresh basil). THANK YOU BEVERLEY AND THANK YOU Once Upon A Chef .
Fresh basil works beautifully as an herb. Also. I use sweet onion (Vidalia) .Thanks Beverley for turning me on to this gravy as well!
With Christmas around the corner, mom always cooks a turkey for Christmas day. I have always been the one to cook the gravy. For the most part it usually turns out ok. I wanted to try this recipe and see how it was. I was very satisfied and I will be making this for the family this year. People might think gravy is gravy but you should give this a shot. It’s simple and the flavor is outstanding!!
This was my first time making a meat gravy and it was so easy. I did not use the Cognac but the flavor was still really nice. Thank you for your easy to follow instructions.
I made this gravy for my Thanksgiving turkey, and everyone raved about it! I left out the cream because some guests had dietary restrictions, and it was still delicious. I served it with leftovers for the next few days, and it tasted as good as it did on Thanksgiving. Love your recipes–keep them coming!!
Very easy and very good, thank you!
Wondering about a kosher turkey gravy. I don’t like using the “fake” dairy products. Any suggestions?
Hi Mimi, I think this recipe would work well with margarine, and you can omit the cream no problem. Or if that doesn’t appeal, you could always just serve the turkey with the pan juices.
Can I prepare this the night before then add the drippings the next day when they turkey is done?
Hi Ruth, Absolutely! Just reduce the broth by about 1/2 cup. Hope you enjoy it!
How important is the Cognac?
Hi Caroline, A little cognac or wine adds a boost of flavor, but the gravy is still delicious without it.
how important is it to add the onions?
Hi Alice, It is very important…they give a lot of flavor.
If we can’t add dairy to it, would it even be worthwhile to try this without the cream (and replacing the butter with oil or margarine)?
Hi Susan, Unfortunately, probably not. The cream isn’t an issue, but there is a whole stick of butter in this recipe, which adds a lot of flavor. Sorry!