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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Hello Chef Jenn – Since we are downsizing Thanksgiving this year 🙁 we are just skipping turkey all together and just purchasing a rotisserie chicken in its place that we will simply heat up. I will be making gravy a day or two ( at the most) ahead of time. 1) For chicken insead of turkey, would you recommend beef stock/broth or stick with the chicken stock/broth? 2) Also, since I won’t have drippings, is there any meat that you would suggest I stick in to add some depth? A piece of bacon or sausage for example? Thank you again for making me look like a good cook- your blog and cookbook are my go-tos!
In answer to your questions:
1. I’d stick with chicken broth
2. I don’t think you need to add any meat, but you can use the juices that come in the bottom of the roasted chicken container as the drippings.
Hope that helps!
I just “discovered” canned chicken and beef STOCK for my soups — more flavorful than broth. Is there a reason you specify broth in your wonderful recipes?
(PS – I am up for adoption…)
Hi Judith, it’s perfectly fine to use broth and stock interchangeably in my recipes. 🙂
Jenn,
What do you think about substituting creme fraiche for the heavy whipping cream?
Sure. 🙂
I am a huge fan and share your blog with everyone! I’m not a fan of making gravy- it never turns out right but this year I’m giving it a go with your recipe. If I make ahead, how much broth should I use ahead of time? Also making your stuffing and mashed potatoes. Thanks so much for helping me to bring my cooking confidence back!
So glad you like the recipes! You’ll need a total of 2-1/2 cups (made up of defatted turkey drippings plus chicken broth to get to 2½ cups).
So I have made this gravy following Ina’s recipe, but omitted cognac as did not have. This year I am making your version and plan to use the cognac. This may seem like a silly question, but does the cognac cook off enough that the children can have this gravy? I’m sure it does, but wanted to check!
Not a silly question, but, yes, the cognac does cook off so it’s perfectly safe for kids. Hope you enjoy!
Hi there! You responded to someone saying 2.5 cups of broth for the gravy? I thought it was 2 cups broth and half cup turkey drippings?? ( Hence, NOT 2.5 cups of broth)
Also, someone asked if they could use bourbon or sherry (in place of cognac) You wrote, use sherry or white wine ( yet elsewhere, you said to use bourbon, in place of cognac) This is confusing, please clarify, thanks so much
Hi Shallini, Sorry for the confusion. You’ll need 2-1/2 cups total broth/turkey juices (I usually count on about 1/2 cup of turkey drippings, so 2 cups broth plus 1/2 cup drippings). And you can use sherry, wine, or bourbon in place of the cognac.
This is my absolute Go To gravy recipe. I used to have fear and trepidation about gravy until I stumbled on this gem! I now modify it for Rouladen by using beef broth, and easily have two gravies at Christmas one veggie broth-based for my vegetarians, the other turkey for everyone else. This was the recipe that introduced me to once upon a chef, and now have the cookbook. Love the style of recipes. Thank you from a beginner cook.
I use this recipe every year, some with the cognac, some without. It is always delicious. Thank you!
Jenn,
Can your turkey gravy be made without the Cognac/Brandy without compromising the flavor?
Yes, you can omit it without a problem. Hope you enjoy!
Incredible. Best gravy ever. Thanks again Jen!
Yes, this is a keeper. I did stick-blend the onions into the gravy as I didn’t chop them small enough. It was great. Thickened it at the last minute with an arrowroot slurry as we had gluten free people dining with us. Thank you, Jen. This was really good as were your mashed potatoes.
Have you ever pureed the gravy before serving? I didn’t chop my onions small enough and I’m wondering if it’ll ruin it if I puree it. I’ll add the turkey drippings tomorrow. I made this last year and it was a big hit.
I haven’t, Abbie – I’d probably just leave it alone. The onions will be so soft, I don’t think it will be an issue.