Are you searching for the ultimate finishing touch for your holiday feast? The rich, savory, and velvety-smooth gravy that will tie your entire Thanksgiving or Christmas dinner together and have everyone reaching for seconds? This incredible, from-scratch Classic Turkey Gravy is that perfect recipe. We’re talking a magnificent, deeply flavorful gravy, built from a homemade turkey broth and the precious, caramelized drippings from your roasting pan, and thickened to luscious perfection with a classic roux.
This isn’t just another gravy recipe; it’s your definitive guide to mastering the crown jewel of the holiday table. Forget the lumpy, bland, or greasy gravies of years past. We’ll show you the simple but crucial professional secrets to a flawless, foolproof gravy that is packed with an incredible depth of flavor. This is the recipe that will make your holiday meal truly unforgettable.
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
Recipe Overview: The Ultimate “Liquid Gold” for Your Holiday Feast
What makes this Turkey Gravy so spectacularly delicious is its incredible, deep flavor, all built from scratch using the very components of your roast turkey. This recipe is a masterpiece of classic, no-waste cooking. The heart and soul of the dish is a rich, homemade turkey broth, made by simmering the turkey neck and giblets with aromatics while your turkey roasts. The magic happens when the flavorful drippings and caramelized bits from your roasting pan are transformed into a luscious gravy, thickened with a classic butter and flour roux. The result is an unbelievably savory, complex, and velvety-smooth gravy that simply cannot be replicated from a jar or a packet.
| Metric | Time / Level |
| Total Time | 2 hours 30 minutes |
| Active Prep Time | 30 minutes |
| Difficulty Level | Easy |
| Servings | About 8 cups |
The Thanksgiving Pantry: The Essential Ingredients
This iconic dish uses a handful of high-quality, simple ingredients to create its signature rich and savory flavor.
- The Broth (The Flavor Foundation!):
- Turkey Neck & Giblets: Don’t throw these away! Simmering the neck and giblets (but not the liver, which can be bitter) in chicken broth is the number one secret to a gravy that tastes intensely of rich, roasted turkey.
- The Pan Drippings (The “Liquid Gold”!):
- The Drippings & The Fond: After you have roasted your turkey, the rendered fat and delicious, caramelized brown bits that are stuck to the bottom of your skillet are called the fond.1 This is not burnt food; it is pure, concentrated, and delicious flavor, and it is the absolute key to a spectacular gravy.
- The Roux (The Secret to a Silky Texture!):
- Butter & Flour: A classic and simple foundation of unsalted butter (or the skimmed fat from your drippings) and all-purpose flour. This simple paste is the foolproof secret to a perfectly thickened, velvety gravy that is never lumpy.
The Gravy Masterclass: The Secrets to a Perfect, Lump-Free Gravy
This recipe uses two simple but brilliant professional techniques that guarantee a flawless, impressive result.
- The Perfect Roux: The number one secret to a thick, stable, and creamy gravy is a simple roux. By cooking the flour in the melted butter or fat for a few minutes, you are cooking out the raw, pasty flavor of the flour and creating a perfect thickening agent. The key to a lump-free gravy is to then add your hot broth very slowly, in a thin stream, while whisking constantly.
- Deglazing the Pan: This is a game-changing, professional chef’s trick! After you’ve removed your turkey, you will deglaze your roasting pan by adding a splash of your hot broth and using a wooden spoon to scrape up all those delicious, dark, caramelized bits from the bottom. This is the non-negotiable secret that infuses your gravy with an incredible, slow-roasted flavor in just seconds.
Step-by-Step to the Best Turkey Gravy
This elegant, festive gravy is a joy to prepare.
Part 1: The Art of the Rich, Homemade Turkey Broth
While your turkey is roasting, start your broth. In a large saucepan, melt your 2 tablespoons of unsalted butter over a medium-low heat.2 Add your sliced onion and the turkey neck and giblets (discarding the liver). Cook, stirring, for about 15 minutes, until the giblets are browned.
Add your 8 cups of chicken broth, the herb sprigs, and the bay leaf. Cover the pan and let it simmer gently while your turkey roasts, for about 2 hours.
Strain the finished broth and keep it warm. You can reserve the neck and giblets to chop and add to the finished gravy, if you desire.
Part 2: The Magic of the Pan Drippings and the Final Gravy
Step 1: When your turkey is done roasting, transfer it to a cutting board to rest. Pour all the pan drippings from your roasting pan into a degreasing cup or a large glass measuring cup.
Step 2 (The Flavor Secret!): Add 1/2 cup of your prepared turkey broth to the hot roasting pan and use a wooden spoon to scrape up all the delicious browned bits from the bottom. Add this flavorful liquid to your degreasing cup.
Step 3: Let the fat rise to the top of your degreasing cup. Spoon off 1/2 cup of this fat and transfer it to a large saucepan over a medium heat. (You can use butter if you don’t have enough fat).
Step 4: To make your roux, sprinkle the 1/2 cup of all-purpose flour into the hot fat and cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 4 minutes, until the flour browns slightly.
Step 5 (The Most Important Step!): Very gradually, add your hot turkey broth to the roux, whisking constantly to prevent any lumps. Bring the gravy to a boil, then reduce the heat to a medium-low.
Step 6: Pour the dark, savory roasting juices from the bottom of your degreasing cup into the gravy, discarding any remaining fat.
Step 7: Let the gravy simmer, whisking occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until it has thickened. Add a dash of Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper to your taste. For an extra rich finish, you can stir in 2 tablespoons of a cold, flavored butter at the very end, if desired.
Classic Turkey Gravy (A Foolproof From-Scratch Recipe!)
A classic, from-scratch recipe for a rich and flavorful Classic Turkey Gravy, the perfect accompaniment to a holiday roast. This recipe involves two key components: a deeply flavorful broth made by simmering the turkey neck and giblets with aromatics, and a savory gravy base made from the turkey’s pan drippings. A classic roux of fat and flour is used to thicken the gravy, which is then simmered until it reaches the perfect consistency. The article also includes several optional recipes for flavored butters to enrich the final gravy.
Ingredients
- For the Broth:
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 medium onion, leek, or 2 shallots, sliced
- Neck and giblets from your turkey (liver discarded)
- 8 cups low-sodium chicken broth
- 3 sprigs of fresh thyme, parsley, rosemary, and/or sage
- 1 bay leaf
- For the Gravy:
- Turkey drippings from your roasting pan
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- Dash of Worcestershire sauce
- Kosher salt and freshly ground pepper
- 2 tablespoons cold Flavored Butter (optional)
Instructions
- Start the Broth: When your turkey goes into the oven, melt the butter in a large saucepan. Add the sliced onion and the turkey neck and giblets. Cook for about 15 minutes, until the giblets are browned. Add the chicken broth, herb sprigs, and bay leaf. Cover and simmer for about 2 hours while the turkey roasts. Strain the broth and keep it warm.
- Prepare the Drippings: When the turkey is done roasting, transfer it to a cutting board. Pour all the pan drippings into a degreasing cup. Add 1/2 cup of the prepared broth to the roasting pan and scrape up any browned bits from the bottom. Add this liquid to the degreasing cup.
- Let the fat rise to the top of the drippings in the cup. Spoon off 1/2 cup of this fat and transfer it to a large saucepan over medium heat.
- Make the Gravy: Sprinkle the flour into the hot fat in the saucepan to make a roux. Cook, stirring constantly with a wooden spoon, for about 4 minutes until the flour browns slightly.
- Gradually add the hot broth to the roux, whisking constantly to prevent lumps. Bring the mixture to a boil, then reduce the heat to medium-low.
- Pour the dark roasting juices from the bottom of the degreasing cup into the gravy, discarding any remaining fat.
- Simmer, whisking occasionally, for about 10 minutes, until the gravy has thickened.
- Stir in the Worcestershire sauce and season with salt and pepper to taste. If desired, stir in the optional flavored butter at the end.
Notes
- This is the quintessential homemade gravy for a Thanksgiving or Christmas turkey dinner.
- Making a separate, enriched broth from the turkey neck and giblets is a key step that adds a huge amount of flavor to the final gravy.
- Using a degreasing cup is the easiest way to separate the flavorful pan juices from the excess fat.
- The recipe includes several variations for flavored butters (like Pumpkin or Spiced Cranberry) that can be stirred in at the end for extra richness and a unique flavor profile.
Storage and Make-Ahead Tips
Gravy is the ultimate make-ahead holiday side!
- Make-Ahead: This is a perfect make-ahead dish! You can prepare the entire turkey broth up to 3 days in advance and store it in the refrigerator. You can even make the entire gravy a day or two ahead.
- Storage: Store any leftovers, well-covered, in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
- Reheating: The best way to reheat gravy is to do so gently in a saucepan on the stovetop over a low heat, whisking frequently until it is smooth and warmed through.3 It may thicken in the fridge, so you may need to whisk in a small splash of broth or water to reach your desired consistency.
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Frequently Asked questions (FAQs)
Q1: My gravy is lumpy! What did I do wrong?
Lumpy gravy is almost always because the liquid was added to the roux too quickly. The secret to a perfectly smooth sauce is to add your hot broth very slowly, especially at the beginning, in a thin and steady stream, while whisking constantly. If you do end up with a few lumps, don’t worry! You can simply pour the finished gravy through a fine-mesh sieve before serving.
Q2: My gravy is greasy. How can I fix it?
This is a very easy fix! A greasy gravy is simply a sign that you did not skim enough of the fat from your pan drippings. Simply let your finished gravy sit for a few minutes off the heat, and the excess fat will rise to the top, where you can easily spoon it off.4
Q3: Can I make this without a whole turkey?
Yes! You can often buy turkey wings, necks, and giblets separately from your butcher, especially around the holidays. You can simply roast these parts on a sheet pan until they are deeply browned, and then use them to make your broth and to create your “pan drippings” to deglaze.
Q4: How do I fix a gravy that’s too thin or too thick?
If your gravy is too thin, simply let it continue to simmer on the stove until it has reduced and thickened to your liking. If it is too thick, you can simply whisk in a little more of your warm broth or some hot water until it reaches the perfect consistency.
Q5: Can I make this vegetarian?
Yes! To make a delicious vegetarian “gravy,” you can create a rich broth by roasting a medley of mushrooms, onions, and carrots until they are deeply caramelized. Then, you can make a roux with butter and flour, and use a flavorful mushroom or vegetable broth as your liquid.