This homemade turkey gravy recipe is very easy to make. Using the turkey drippings from the roasting pan and basic pantry ingredients, you’ll make the best turkey gravy you’ve ever had.
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My turkey gravy recipe is easily adaptable and can be made to suit your taste preference. Simple additions of honey, red wine, white wine, heavy cream, and herbs can add flavor and depth to your gravy. Add your favorites to come up with your signature version aka Sauce Supreme.
Ingredients
Let’s start by gathering the ingredients we need to make Turkey Gravy. In Chef Speak this is called the “Mise en Place” which translates to “Everything in its Place”.
Not only does setting your ingredients up ahead of time speed up the cooking process, it also helps ensure you have everything you need to make the dish.
Chef Tip
*Turkey bones, skin and fat can be used to make delicious turkey stock. Pick up an extra turkey leg or thigh to add to the stock to enhance the turkey broth.
Chicken broth can be used if you don’t have turkey broth.
If you are spatchcocking the turkey, you can use the turkey back to make the broth. My dry brine turkey recipe is my favorite, but you won’t have the extra bones. Roasting a whole turkey will give you more drippings and they will be more flavorful.
How to make Turkey Gravy
Follow along with my directions below to see how to make turkey gravy in your own kitchen.
- melt the butter in a small saucepan over medium heat.
- add flour to the melted butter and whisk until well blended
Add additional flour to get the shine off the roux. *add it one tablespoon at a time until it thickens and it looks dull rather than shiny.
Allow the roux to cook over medium to medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes to cook the flour. You may start to notice a nutty smell, almost like bread baking.
Add two cups of stock to the roux, one cup at a time, whisking until well blended.
- Pour off the drippings from the roasting pan
- To get the most flavor out of the turkey drippings, add one cup of water to the pan and place it on the stovetop over medium heat.
- Scrape all the tasty bits off the pan and let them mix with the drippings and water.
I didn’t have as much dripping as I usually do for two reasons. I was testing a new recipe for spatchcocking a turkey. Roasting a spatchcocked turkey takes about half the time of conventional roasting, so there weren’t as many drippings as I normally have. The other reason was this was just a test, so I used an inexpensive Butterball turkey (which I deeply regretted) to get a feel for how the recipe would work.
Add the drippings to the gravy, and whisk until completely blended in.
*If the gravy is too thick, you can add more of the turkey stock (or chicken stock). I love using this gravy with my turkey croquettes.
Since I didn’t roast the turkey as long as conventional roasting, the drippings weren’t as dark as they would’ve been, since they didn’t have as much time to caramelize.
Recipe FAQs
With dry brining, the drippings can be salty. If your gravy is too salty, don’t despair; it’s an easy fix.
Mix a small amount of roux (butter and flour) and add this to the gravy, whisking it in.
Add water (or low-sodium chicken broth) to thin out the gravy. This will help cut the salty taste.
If you like darker gravy, that’s an easy fix. Add a little kitchen bouquet to the gravy. It won’t affect the flavor and will darken the gravy, making it look richer.
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Easy Homemade Turkey Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 4-6 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 4 cups turkey broth or chicken broth
- ¼ teaspoon black pepper
- ½ – 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning or sage optional
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a medium saucepan
- Add the flour to the melted butter and whisk until well blended.
- Add additional flour to get the shine off the roux. *add it one tablespoon at a time until it thickens and it looks dull rather than shiny.
- Allow the roux to cook over medium to medium-low heat for 2-3 minutes to cook the flour. You may start to notice a nutty smell, almost like bread baking.
- Add two cups of stock to the roux, one cup at a time, whisking until well blended.
Deglazing the roasting pan
- Pour off the drippings from the roasting pan and save for gravy.
- Add one cup of water to the pan and place it on the stovetop over medium heat. Scrape all the tasty bits off the pan and let them mix with the drippings and water.
- Scrape all the tasty bits off the pan and let them mix with the drippings and water. Leave this on the heat just long enough to get the bits warm up so they can be scraped easily.
- Strain the broth and add it to the turkey gravy, whisking in until blended.*If the turkey gravy is too thick, you can add more of the turkey stock (or chicken stock).
- Taste the gravy and reseason as needed.
Notes
Mix a small amount of roux (butter and flour) and add this to the gravy, whisking it in.
Add water (or low-sodium chicken broth) to thin out the gravy. This will help cut the salty taste. What can I do if my gravy is too light? If you like darker turkey gravy, that’s an easy fix. Add a little kitchen bouquet to the gravy. It won’t affect the flavor and will darken the gravy, making it look richer. What can I add to my turkey gravy to enrich the flavor? I have often added red wine and/or honey to the turkey gravy to add depth of flavor. Start with just a little to see if you like the taste.
Kirk says
Chef Dennis,
I’ve tried making gravy before, and actually thought there’s no use trying anymore. This recipe was simple and very informative. My gravy turned out superb with both poultry seasoning and sage added. Very complimentary to the dry brine turkey recipe.
Thank you! Absolutely 5 stars!!!
Chef Dennis Littley says
You made my day with your comment. I’m glad you were able to make delicious turkey gravy to make dinner even more delicious.
Joanne says
Can you use cornstarch instead of flour?
Chef Dennis Littley says
If you prefer it as a thickener. If you do use cornstarch, you don’t need the roux.
rosemary says
what do you mean when you say “get the shine off the roux”
Chef Dennis Littley says
The butter will make it look shiny. You want to add enough flour so it looses the shine and has more of a dull appearance.