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When you make turkey gravy from the drippings of your roasted turkey, something wonderful happens. A silky, luscious sauce is created, perfect for drizzling over sliced turkey, dressing or stuffing, mashed potatoes, and all your other favorite Thanksgiving fixings!
Turkey drippings gravy is a Thanksgiving must-have. In fact, no holiday table would be complete without it! All you need are those magical turkey drippings and a few pantry staples to make the perfect homemade turkey gravy.
When the holidays roll around, I love to pull out all the stops. Cheesy Au Gratin Potatoes, Sweet Potato Casserole with Pecan Crumble, and Fresh Green Bean Casserole are always on the list, but you can’t forget the star of the show — the turkey!
My favorite centerpiece for the Thanksgiving table is my Roasted Cajun Turkey Recipe. The turkey is out of this world, but the best part is the turkey gravy from the drippings!
In just 15 minutes, you can have the best turkey gravy recipe on your table, ready to drench all the Thanksgiving goodies like this Cornbread Dressing. How easy is that?
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The rich and savory gravy is the perfect addition to your holiday menu. It’s made from turkey drippings, which are the delicious savory pan juices from the bottom of the roasting pan after roasting a turkey.
The key to the best gravy for Thanksgiving dinner is using those flavorful turkey juices. Here’s why this homemade turkey gravy should have a spot on your Thanksgiving table this year:
- Easy steps: Whether you’re making my Cajun Butter Thanksgiving Turkey or another turkey recipe, you’re already halfway to this delicious homemade gravy! All you need is 15 minutes and a few items that are already in your pantry.
- Incredible flavor: Align with the seasonings from your turkey, adding garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, and Italian seasoning ensures that this gravy is bursting with flavor.
- Versatile: While making turkey gravy from the drippings of your Thanksgiving turkey is traditional during the holidays, you can also make this recipe with chicken drippings and enjoy it year-round!
Ingredients You Need
This easy turkey gravy recipe comes together with the drippings from your turkey and a few pantry staples!
Note: The full list of ingredients with measurements is provided in the recipe card below.
- Turkey Drippings – You’ll need the drippings from your turkey (or chicken!) with the solids separated off.
- Flour – Regular all-purpose flour is perfect for thickening the homemade gravy.
- Turkey or Chicken Stock – Turkey stock is perfect if you can find it, but chicken stock will work as well. You can even use chicken broth or turkey broth if that’s what you have on hand!
- Spices – You will need garlic powder, onion powder, paprika, Italian seasoning, salt, and black pepper for the very best flavor.
How to Make Gravy with Turkey Drippings
Homemade gravy made from turkey drippings tastes better than any canned or boxed gravy you can find at the store. Use the drippings from your turkey and make this gravy in a few easy steps!
- Separate the drippings. Carefully remove the turkey drippings from your roasting pan and pour into a clear bowl or pitcher. Let cool to room temperature, or until the solids have sunk to the bottom. Reserve 1 cup of the liquid for your gravy.
- Add flour. Whisk flour into the 1 cup of turkey drippings slowly, whisking until smooth. Add to a medium saucepan.
- Add stock. Gradually add stock or broth, whisking to combine.
- Simmer. Simmer on low heat for at least 5 minutes, adding more stock if needed.
- Season and serve. Let your gravy cook until it reaches your desired consistency, then add the spices and salt and pepper to taste, stirring to combine.
- Pour into a gravy boat and serve warm!
Chef’s Kiss
Gravy is easy to make and adjust! If your gravy is too thick, just add more stock. If it’s not thick enough, just cook it a little longer to allow it to thicken. Just whisk constantly under your gravy reaches the desired consistency.
Expert Tips
- Adjust the color. If you used my Cajun Turkey Recipe, you may have noticed that the gravy is a bit on the orange side. This can be fixed by adding a teaspoon of browning sauce. Or you can do without the browning sauce and it will still taste amazing!
- Stir constantly. Be sure that you keep whisking as you are adding the flour and the broth. Gravy can thicken very quickly and the flour will burn if it is on the bottom of the pan instead of incorporated in the sauce.
- Make it ahead. This delicious gravy is easy to make ahead of time if you don’t want your to-do list to be too long on Thanksgiving!
Recipe FAQs
The secret is to keep whisking! This is really important for making sure the flour doesn’t create any lumps.
You can make it a couple hours before your meal, 3-4 days early if you keep it refrigerated, or up to 6 months early if you plan to freeze it. That means there’s no excuse to not have homemade gravy on your holiday table!
Storage Instructions
If you’re making turkey gravy from the drippings on the day you plan to serve it, you can keep it on low heat for 1-2 hours, or let it cool and heat it back up before serving.
If you make your gravy any further in advance than that, it should be refrigerated in an airtight container. It will keep for 3-4 days in the refrigerator, or frozen for 3-6 months.
To reheat your leftover turkey gravy, heat it over medium-low heat in a small saucepan, stirring frequently. It may become thickened over time, so add a splash of stock or broth to bring it back to your preferred consistency.
More Thanksgiving Recipes
Side Dishes
Fresh Green Bean Casserole
Side Dishes
Jalapeno Cheddar Cornbread
Holiday Recipes
Creamy Mac & Cheese
Turkey Gravy from Drippings
Ingredients
- 1 cup turkey drippings
- 1/2 cup flour
- 2 cups chicken or turkey stock plus more as needed (up to 3 to 4 cups)
- salt & pepper to taste
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon paprika
- 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
Instructions
- Carefully remove turkey drippings from roasting pan. Pour your drippings into a clear bowl or pitcher. After a few minutes, you'll see your turkey drippings separate. The solids will sink to the bottom and the fat content will remain clear.
- Remove 1 cup of the fat part of the turkey drippings and pour into a medium sauce pan set over medium heat.
- Slowly whisk in the flour until you have a smooth consistency.
- Gradually pour in the chicken or turkey stock while whisking to let everything combine. Cook for 4 to 5 minutes, whisking constantly. Reduce heat to low and simmer until the gravy thickens to your desired consistency. If needed, add more stock to thin out the gravy.
- Once you're happy with the consistency of your gravy, add the spices and stir until well combined.
- Serve with sides and turkey!
Notes
- Because I used my cajun turkey for this recipe, the gravy had an orange hue, so I used 1 teaspoon of browning sauce to make the gravy a more brown traditional color but this is OPTIONAL.
- Browning is found in the sauce aisles, it is “burnt sugar,” and is commonly used to make sauces more of a brown color!
- Gravy is forgiving. If it’s too thick, just add some more stock or drippings, whisking until everything is combined. You can cook it down more to thicken if you add too much.
- If it’s too thin, just cook it a little longer and it will thicken. If it’s not thickening enough, add a touch more flour and cook until the gravy reaches your desired consistency.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
It was really good!!! I’ve never made turkey or turkey gravy before and your recipe made me look like I know what I’m doing 😂😂😂