Easy Turkey Gravy
on Oct 31, 2020, Updated Jan 03, 2024
Thanksgiving Turkey Gravy is a must-have sauce for the holidays. Using pan drippings, we made this simple turkey gravy recipe delicious!
Thanksgiving just isn’t complete without a boat of delicious gravy on the table! Our simple, easy, and delicious recipe for Turkey Gravy uses those leftover drippings from roasting to add tons of flavor. This sauce is certain to make this year’s dinner special!
Thanksgiving Turkey Gravy
Many things often get lost in the hustle-and-bustle of the kitchen on Thanksgiving. We’re so eager to get our turkey cooking and our sides ready that many crucial dishes often fall to the wayside. Gravy is often the victim of those last-second “Oh, I knew I forgot to make something” moments. When it finally occurs to us, we usually reach for the brown gravy packets or just pop open the jarred stuff. But what if you could make delicious, homemade gravy almost just as easy- using ingredients you probably already have?
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Our recipe for Easy Turkey Gravy hinges on one key ingredient: pan drippings from our Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey. This delicious, ultra-concentrated turkey flavor goes unused in many households- but it shouldn’t! Once you’re done roasting your bird, you can easily strain those drippings off and put them to good use in homemade gravy. Outside of those, all you’ll need is some butter, flour, and seasonings- simple as pie!
The process for making this Thanksgiving Gravy couldn’t be easier as well! If you’ve ever made any gravy from scratch, the method shouldn’t be too foreign to you. And if you’ve never whipped up homemade gravy, you don’t need to worry- it’s real easy! Sure, it’s a few steps more than just letting that packet or jar make the gravy for you but I can assure you that this gravy recipe is worth it! Once you’ve tried it, you’ll love it and never reach for the cheap stuff again. Hope you enjoy it!
More Thanksgiving Recipes
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If you need beef or brown gravy, we have you covered! Our Easy Brown Gravy recipe only needs 5 ingredients and tastes delicious. Why use a packet when you have such a tasty homemade recipe?
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Whether you’re making brown or turkey gravy, both will taste perfect on top of The Best Mashed Potatoes. The creamy and buttery flavors of the potatoes will pair well with the rich, savory taste of the gravy. These potatoes will be great for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any everyday dinner!
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Still, looking for the best way to cook that bird up? Check out our recipe for Roasted Thanksgiving Turkey and look no further! Our turkey gets browned to perfection when we roast it in the oven it tastes delish! Plenty of aromatics and some herb butter provide tons of flavor to this classic main course.
Homemade Turkey Gravy Ingredients
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Turkey Drippings, strained – This is the real key to delicious Turkey Gravy! There’s plenty of recipes out there for turkey gravy without drippings but they really don’t taste as good. For our recipe, you’ll need about 2 1/2 cups worth of drippings. If you don’t have that much, feel free to cut what you have with either water or turkey stock.
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Butter
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Flour
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Thyme
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Salt & Pepper
How to make Gravy from Turkey Drippings
Like any good gravy recipe, we’ll start off by making a roux. To do that, you first need to melt some butter in the bottom of a pot. Do this over medium/medium-low heat.
Once that’s melted and lightly-bubbling, add an equal amount of flour to the butter. Stir around to make sure all that flour is getting soaked with butter!
Allow this to cook for just a little bit, stirring occasionally. You’ll know your roux is ready when it’s richly browned and smells nice and nutty! When you reach that point, you can move on.
Here, you’ll finally start adding your drippings. Slowly stream the turkey drippings into the pot with the roux, whisking constantly the entire time. Pour those drippings in until they’ve all been added before letting the mixture come to a light boil.
At this point, we can add in our thyme. Drop the thyme into the pot and drop the heat down to a simmer.
Whisk your gravy often as it simmers. In time, it will start to thicken up: when it gets to your desired consistency, cut the heat.
After you’ve removed your gravy from the heat, you’re almost ready to serve it. Season your gravy with salt and pepper to taste, transfer it over to your favorite gravy boat, and enjoy!
Turkey Gravy
Ingredients
- 2 1/2 cup turkey pan drippings
- 6 tbsp Butter
- 6 tbsp Flour
- 1 tsp Fresh Thyme
- 1/8 tsp Salt
- 1/4 tsp Black Pepper
Instructions
- Add stock or water as necessary and whisk to release dripping from roasting pan.
- Strain and remove solids and grease from pan drippings. Set aside.
- Melt butter in a small to medium saucepan over medium low heat.
- Slowly whisk in flour to make a roux and cook until light brown and nutty.
- Slowly whisk pan drippings into the roux.
- Whisk constantly until you get a slight boil.
- Add thyme and reduce heat to simmer.
- Continue to whisk frequently until thickened.
- Add Salt and Pepper.
- Remove from heat.
Notes
Nutrition
Thank you for this recipe, my husband always used the jar, and I like the way you directed it. It tastes better also : )