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
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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 just made this in preparation for the big feast on Thursday- OMG, this gravy recipe is the best!! I didn’t have high hopes as mine is rather light in color compared to Jenn’s but it is absolutely delicious!! And, it’s already made 🙂 I will add the drippings from the turkey after it’s cooked. I bought the Big Easy air fryer you recommended. Thank you, and Happy Thanksgiving!!
Can I use dry white wine or sherry instead of the brandy or cognac? I don’t have any experience with the two in the recipe so I don’t know how much they contribute to the flavor profile.
Hi Regina, I think either of those will work well, but I’d probably go with the wine. Hope that helps!
Hi Jenn! Would this gravy still taste good if I substitute the fresh herbs for dried herbs instead? We always have dried herbs on hand and lately the fresh herbs in a small packet at the grocery store have become more expensive.
Hi Lilee, Yes that’s fine – you’ll need 1 teaspoon total. Enjoy!
A little late, but I wanted to come on here and rave about this gravy. It was so easy and was wonderful paired with the Sausage Stuffed Turkey Breast. I prepared all of the Thanksgiving dishes this year and I felt like a pro! 🙂 Thanks to Jenn! I prepared the gravy ahead of time. I did need my husband’s help (he is the experienced cook) when it came time to serve; obviously, the gravy had thickened a little too much since I prepared it in advance. Hubby helped me get it back to the right consistency again by adding more broth (we didn’t really have any turkey drippings from the breast). I feel confident in gravy making now though, something I thought I would never learn as simple as it is!
The recipe calls for chicken broth. I’ve just noticed that our grocery store sells turkey broth. Should I use turkey broth rather than chicken broth?
Hi Laura, Either will work well; the quality of the broth is the most important thing.
I do not like onions or shallots at all. Is there any way I could skip them or substitute anything else?
Hi Randi, They add a lot of flavor, but you can just omit the onions.
Absolutely delicious and did not require tying up my oven all day. Definitely making it again for Thanksgiving.
i plan on making your turkey roll this Thanksgiving and I have a question: does the turkey breast roll create the drippings for the gravy? If not, what do I substitute?
The turkey breast doesn’t create much in the way of drippings. You can just use more broth in place of them. Hope you enjoy!
I’m sorry if this has been asked before – but I was wondering if I could use arrowroot powder instead of flour? I know arrowroot is more like a cornstarch but someone who will be here for Canadian Thanksgiving – is Gluten Free? Thank you
I have made this before and it is great
Yes, Barb, I think that should work. Happy Thanksgiving!
I realized I left a review for your sausage stuffing under the gravy recipe! lol. I made both! The gravy was delicious and my husband loved it. Thank you!
Hi Jenn
Another turkey day question: I want to make the turkey gravy today but won’t have the Turkey drippings til Thursday. How much chicken broth should I use til Thursday?
One more, can I make the sweet potato casserole and then refrigerate?
You’re the best and my go to,
Hi Ellen, I’d count on about 1/2 cup of turkey drippings, so 2 cups of broth. And yes you can definitely make the sweet potato casserole ahead and refrigerate. Happy Thanksgiving! ❤️
This was amazing. My family raved, said it was the best gravy they ever had. It was so helpful to make ahead and just reheat. The only problem was that I should have doubled the recipe to more for the leftover turkey!! Thanks for another great recipe.