This Easy Turkey Gravy recipe is made from the pan drippings after roasting the turkey to seal in all those wonderful flavors of Thanksgiving. We like to drizzle it over the turkey itself, the mashed potato, and the dressing!
We love our sauces and gravy, they can boost flavor and add juiciness to any dishes. Our easy turkey gravy recipe starts with a homemade roast turkey.
Once the bird is roasted, you will find flavorful drippings and turkey fat on the bottom of the roasting pan. Don’t throw it away, use the pan drippings to infuse flavors into your gravy.
How to make turkey gravy from pan drippings
- Use a turkey baster to suck up the pan drippings and fat at the bottom of your roasting pan.
- Put all the turkey juices in a fat separator and set aside. The fat will rise to the top, you’ll want only the flavor juices at the bottom for the gravy.
At this point, if you want to get fancy, put the turkey off to the side and put the roasting pan on the stove over low heat. Pour the stock directly into the roasting pan and scrape off the fond on the bottom for even more flavor. Strain this mixture through a sieve back into your measuring cup and set aside for later.
- Make a roux: melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat and let it cook until golden brown. Whisk in flour to form a paste.
- Pour in the pan drippings, leaving the fat behind in the fat separator, while stirring with a whisk.
- Reduce heat to low, and begin to pour in warm stock or stock that has been mixed with the fond, ¼ cup at a time while stirring to combine so that there are no lumps. Once the mixture is more of a liquid than a paste, pour the remainder of the stock in while constantly stirring to prevent burning. Allow the gravy to come to a simmer and thicken.
- Add gravy master if using. Also add salt and pepper to taste at this point.
Cook’s Tips
- Using cold stock will seize your gravy and create lumps, so be sure to warm up the stock before adding it to your gravy mixture.
- If you want thicker gravy, hold back some stock, and use only as much as you need until you achieve the desired thickness.
- For this particular turkey, we didn’t get a lot of pan drippings, only a couple of tablespoons. If you have a lot more pan drippings, use it all for maximum flavor and reduce the amount of stock to get the correct gravy consistency.
- Gravy master is optional, add it to your gravy for more flavor, especially if your turkey didn’t yield a lot of pan drippings. We have been using this exact brand for years and bought it at Albertsons.
Storage
Homemade turkey gravy will last 3 – 4 days in the refrigerator. You can freeze leftovers for 4 – 6 months, though I doubt you will have much leftovers.
To reheat, put refrigerated or previously frozen and thawed gravy in a saucepan and cook over low heat until simmering while stirring frequently.
More recipes for Thanksgiving dinner
- Ryan’s Turkey Brine
- Easy Thanksgiving Dressing
- Creamed Corn au Gratin
- Sweet Potato Rolls
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Spiced Apple Cider
- Thanksgiving Pie Recipes
- More Thanksgiving Dinner Recipes
📖 Recipe card
Easy Turkey Gravy
Equipment
- Turkey baster
- Fat separator
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoon unsalted butter (43 g)
- 4 tablespoon all-purpose flour (34 g)
- Pan drippings
- 4 cups stock (chicken or turkey stock, see notes, 946 ml)
- 2 tsp gravy master (optional)
- Salt and pepper (to taste)
Instructions
- Warm up chicken or turkey stock in a microwave safe bowl or a 4 cup pyrex measuring cup, about 3 – 4 minutes until warm to the touch.
- With a turkey baster, suck up the pan drippings at the bottom of your roasting pan and put it in a fat separator and set aside. The fat will rise to the top, you’ll want only the flavor juices for the gravy.
- Optional: if you want to get really fancy, put aside your turkey and set the roasting pan on the stove over low heat, after removing the pan drippings. Pour the stock directly into the pan and scrape off the fond on the bottom of the roasting pan. Strain this mixture through a sieve back into your measuring cup and set aside for later.
- Melt butter in a saucepan over medium low heat and let it cook until golden brown. Whisk in flour to form a paste.
- Pour in the turkey juices, leaving the fat behind in the fat separator, stirring with a whisk.
- Reduce heat to low, and begin to pour in warm stock or stock that has been mixed with the fond, ¼ cup at a time while stirring to combine so that there are no lumps. Once the mixture is more of a liquid than a paste, pour the remainder of the stock in while constantly stirring to prevent burning. Allow the gravy to come to a simmer and thicken.
- Optional: if you have gravy master, add 2 teaspoon for more flavor.
- Taste your gravy before you take it off the heat and add salt and pepper to taste.
Notes
- Using cold stock will seize your gravy and create lumps, so be sure to warm up the stock beforehand.
- If you want thicker gravy, hold back some stock, and use only as much as you need until you achieve the desired thickness.
- For this particular turkey, we didn’t get a lot of pan drippings, only a couple of tablespoons. If you have a lot more pan drippings, reduce the amount of stock to get the correct gravy consistency.
Hi, I was wanting to make this recipe, but I am not understanding this sentence “begin to pour in warm stock or stock that has been mixed with the fond.’ What is the fond? Thank you!
Hi Leslie, in step 3, you are directed to “scrape off the fond on the bottom of the roasting pan” with your stock. Fond is the stuff that is stuck at the bottom of the pan after you roast your turkey. It is optional but adds more flavor.
I grew up with gravy – every roast needs to be swimming in it for me. I’m looking forward to trying your brine, turkey and gravy this year.