The Best Turkey Gravy Recipe (2024)

Why It Works

  • Soy sauce enhances the meatiness of turkey, giving the gravy a boost in umami.
  • Browning the turkey trimmings in fat enhances their flavor.
  • Using just enough flour to thicken the gravy, without making it stodgy, is key.

Why shouldn't you buy pre-made gravy? The short and simple answer can be foundin our powdered gravy taste test.Powdered gravy mixes just don't taste right.Sure, some of them have that nostalgic, cafeteria sort of appeal, but unless you're seriously trying to relive middle school, you're much better off making your own. With a few store-bought staples, it's surprisingly easy, and immensely better than anything you'll get out of a packet.

The Best Turkey Gravy Recipe (1)

Here are three ways to do it, in increasing order of flavor and complexity, though even the most complex is still quite simple. All of these gravies can be made in advance.

Three Ways to Improve Turkey Gravy

The Easiest Way: Reach for the Umami Bombs

The Best Turkey Gravy Recipe (2)

In an ideal world, if you have the time and inclination, the best way to make your gravy is to make your own stock, by browning the chopped carcass and neck of your turkey and simmering it with lots of vegetables. But a good-quality, low-sodium store-bought chicken stock makes a flavorful base that's far better than jarred gravy. Use it in this basic turkey gravy, which is essentially just stock thickened with a bit of flour and butter, and then add a touch of umami-rich ingredients like soy sauce and Marmite.

These might seem like odd choices to include in gravy, but when used judiciously, they can seriously increase flavor, adding depth and savoriness. A quarter teaspoon of Marmite and a teaspoon of soy sauce for every quart of gravy is about the right amount.

The Not-Quite-as-Easy-but-Better-Way: Add Aromatics

If you're going the store-bought-stock route, try simmering it down with some roughly chopped mirepoix (onions, carrots, and celery), a couple of bay leaves, peppercorns, and some fresh herbs, like thyme or parsley stems. You'll be amazed at the depth of flavor it picks up with just a quick, 30-minute simmer, especially if you brown those vegetables first, as we call for in thisall-purpose gravy.

And, of course, there's nothing stopping you from also adding umami bombs to it.

The Hardest-but-Still-Really-Easy-and-Much-Better-Way: Add Turkey and Drippings

The Best Turkey Gravy Recipe (3)

Your turkey gives off plenty of flavorful liquids and solids while it's roasting. Look at the bottom of the pan when the turkey is done—see the browned bits in there? That's calledfond, and it's an instant gravy-enhancer. While your turkey is resting, place your roasting pan over a burner and pour in some stock. Scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon, strain, and use this enhanced stock as the base for your gravy. Even if you make your gravy in advance, you can always give it a boost at the last minute by deglazing the pan with a little stock and whisking it into your gravy just before serving.

While you're at it, through in the turkey neck and gizzards that came with the bird to the stock as it simmers. This'll boost turkey flavor even more.

Thicken Your Gravy the Right Way

No matter how you make your gravy, you want to make sure to thicken it the right way so that it comes out smooth and clean-tasting, without any gloppiness or starchiness.

There are two keys to this process. First is the ratio of flour and butter to liquid. I like to go with two teaspoons to one tablespoon of butter, plus one tablespoon of flour, per cup of liquid, letting it cook down a little bit to thicken. So, for a quart of stock, I melt three tablespoons of butter over medium heat, then vigorously whisk in a quarter cup of flour and cook the mixture until it's pale golden brown to remove any uncooked-flour flavor.

The second key is adding stockslowly. Dump it all in at once and that flour mixture can clump, resulting in gloppy sauce. Basic rule of thumb: The harder you whisk and the slower you add the stock, the smoother your gravy will be. Once you've added all the liquid, bring it up to a boil, reduce it to a simmer, and let it cook down until it gets to the right consistency, seasoning it only at the end with salt and pepper. (Seasoning too early can result in the salt concentrating and becoming too strong.)

The Best Turkey Gravy Recipe (4)

Make Your Gravy in Advance

Any of these gravies can be made up to five days ahead. Get your turkey ahead of time and you'll even have a neck and giblets to work with. For Thanksgiving week, make your gravy on Monday or Tuesday, refrigerate it, then don't even think about it until Turkey Day. It'll reheat well in a small saucepan, or just in the microwave—stir it every 30 seconds while microwaving to make sure it doesn't explode.

Mix It Up!

In the mood for something a little less traditional? Try thisporcini mushroom gravy, made with dried mushrooms and heavy cream, or this otherrich and creamy version flavored with fresh herbs. For a lighter, brighter take, tryspiking your gravy with apple cider. And if you want to get extra fancy, go for thisred wine and shallot gravy. Any one of them will work wonders on your turkey and mashed potatoes.

November 2016

Recipe Details

The Best Turkey Gravy

Prep5 mins

Cook105 mins

Active15 mins

Total110 mins

Ingredients

  • Turkey neck, gizzards, and trimmings

  • 1 tablespoon (15ml) vegetable oil

  • 1 large onion, roughly chopped

  • 1 large carrot, peeled and roughly chopped

  • 2 ribs celery, roughly chopped

  • 1 1/2 quarts (about 1.5L)homemadeor store-bought low-sodium chicken stock, plus more as needed

  • 1 teaspoon (5ml) soy sauce

  • 1/4 teaspoon Marmite

  • A few sprigs mixed herbs, such as fresh parsley, thyme, or rosemary

  • 2 bay leaves

  • 3 tablespoons (45g) butter

  • 1/4 cup (1 1/2 ounces) flour

  • Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. Chop reserved turkey neck, gizzards, and trimmings into 1-inch chunks with a cleaver. Heat oil in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat until shimmering. Add turkey parts, onion, carrot, and celery and cook, stirring occasionally, until well browned, about 10 minutes total. Add stock, soy sauce, Marmite (if using), herbs, and bay leaves. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer. Simmer for 1 hour, then strain through a fine-mesh strainer. Add any drippings from the roast turkey, then skim off excess fat.

    The Best Turkey Gravy Recipe (5)

  2. You should have a little over 1 quart of fortified stock; if not, add water or more chicken stock to equal 1 quart. Discard solids and set stock aside.

  3. Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add flour and cook, stirring constantly, until golden brown, about 3 minutes. Whisking constantly, add fortified broth in a thin, steady stream. Bring to a boil, reduce to a simmer, and cook until thickened and reduced to about 3 cups. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Gravy can be made up to 5 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator.

    The Best Turkey Gravy Recipe (6)

Special Equipment

Cleaver, fine-mesh strainer

Make-Ahead and Storage

You can store gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to five days. In most cases, it will reheat nicely, either in the microwave (make sure to stir every 30 seconds to one minute to heat it evenly and prevent a skin from forming) or in a saucepan over very gentle heat (stir or whisk often). If anything does go wrong, just remember that lumps can be strained or blended out, and an overly thick gravy can be thinned with a little stock or water. An overly thin one, conversely, can be thickened by simmering briefly with a little extra cornstarch slurry.

  • Thanksgiving Turkeys
  • Thanksgiving Side Dishes
  • Thanksgiving
  • Turkey
  • Winter Sides
The Best Turkey Gravy Recipe (2024)

FAQs

What to add to turkey gravy to make it taste better? ›

If you are reaching for a jar or carton of turkey gravy at the store, here are seven easy ways to give it a boost.
  1. Add in some white wine. ...
  2. Thicken it with a cornstarch slurry. ...
  3. Stir in pan drippings. ...
  4. Simmer with fresh herbs. ...
  5. Add an umami-rich condiment. ...
  6. Sauté some vegetables. ...
  7. Add roasted garlic.

Is gravy better with flour or cornstarch? ›

Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.

How do you add richness to gravy? ›

Stocks and broths also add both flavor and body to the gravy. Milk and cream add richness and flavor; they can round out or mellow any sharper flavors that develop along the way. Finishing a sauce or gravy with butter will thicken the gravy and add a velvety texture—a surefire way to up your gravy game.

What is the best thickener for turkey gravy? ›

If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.

How do you fix bland turkey gravy? ›

It's bland.

The solution: The first thing you should try is adding a little more salt, as salt helps bring out the inherent flavors of the gravy that you didn't taste before. If that doesn't work, add umami (savory)-heavy condiments like soy sauce or Worcestershire sauce.

What's the difference between turkey gravy and regular gravy? ›

Thus, turkey gravy is a brown gravy. You can also make brown gravy with the drippings from other kinds of meat, such as a roast or chicken. White gravy is made with milk, fat, and a thickening agent; white gravy is made without drippings, and with sausage added is popular for biscuits and gravy.

What is in Butterball turkey gravy? ›

Boneless Turkey Breast Roast: Contains Up To 20% Of A Solution Of Water, Contains 2% Of Salt, Dextrose, Natural Flavor, Modified Food Starch, Sodium Phosphate For Tenderness And Juiciness, Gravy Packet Ingredients: Water, Modified Corn Starch, Maltodextrin, Salt, Rice Flour, Cooked Turkey, Onion Powder, Caramel Color, ...

What is in Harry's Roasted Turkey Gravy? ›

Poultry_stock (water, Poultry Broth Concentrate* [chicken Broth And Turkey Meat*, Salt, Potato Flour*, Soy Sauce*, [water, Soybeans*, Salt, Alcohol*], Natural Flavors, Chicken Fat*, Onion Powder*, Spices*, Lactic Acid]), Cooked Turkey Meat (turkey Meat, Salt), Enriched Flour (wheat Flour, Niacin, Reduced Iron, Thiamine ...

Why isn t my turkey gravy thickening? ›

Cook the gravy longer.

If the consistency of your gravy isn't what you want, try simmering the gravy a bit longer to help evaporate some of the liquids. If the gravy still hasn't thickened to your liking after about 10 minutes or so, it's now time to try a thickening agent.

How do you add depth of flavor to gravy? ›

But if you have time to spare, add pan drippings from turkey, bacon or bacon drippings, caramelized vegetables (like onions, leeks, carrots and celery), herbs or garlic. You'll want to simmer the gravy with these additions for a good 20 minutes to pick up the additional flavors (longer, if possible).

How do chefs thicken gravy? ›

Thicken Gravy with a Roux

To make your roux, use an equal amount of flour and fat, like butter or oil, and follow these steps: Melt the butter or heat the oil in a skillet or saucepan on medium heat. Add the flour and whisk into the fat until all lumps are gone.

What is the formula for gravy? ›

(The classic ratio for gravy is three:two:one, so 3 tablespoons flour, 2 tablespoons fat, and 1 cup of hot stock.) You can add other flavors to the mixture, swap out the stock for another liquid, or use cornstarch rather than flour to thicken your gravy.

What can you add to brown gravy to make it taste better? ›

There's so much you can do to spice things up! One easy way to improve your gravy is to add a good balance of flavors — mustard, wine, or vinegar for acidity and some herbs for freshness, for example.

Top Articles
Latest Posts
Article information

Author: Catherine Tremblay

Last Updated:

Views: 5749

Rating: 4.7 / 5 (67 voted)

Reviews: 82% of readers found this page helpful

Author information

Name: Catherine Tremblay

Birthday: 1999-09-23

Address: Suite 461 73643 Sherril Loaf, Dickinsonland, AZ 47941-2379

Phone: +2678139151039

Job: International Administration Supervisor

Hobby: Dowsing, Snowboarding, Rowing, Beekeeping, Calligraphy, Shooting, Air sports

Introduction: My name is Catherine Tremblay, I am a precious, perfect, tasty, enthusiastic, inexpensive, vast, kind person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.