Turkey Gravy Recipe
Published November 21, 2024. This post may contain affiliate links. Please read my disclosure policy.
Try the best turkey gravy recipe, loaded with flavor and cooked and thickened until creamy and silky-smooth for the ultimate complement sauce to your holiday meal. You will be amazed at how tasty and straightforward this gravy is to prepare.
Any gravy recipe is only as good as what you’re serving it on or with. If you want to use it on the best meal, try it on my Smoked Turkey or Roast Turkey.
Turkey Gravy
Turkey gravy is a thick, creamy sauce made from turkey drippings, bones and meat, vegetables, herbs, and liquid. It becomes thickened by reducing the liquid while cooking it and by using a thickening agent like a slurry. The gravy is then finely strained and served alongside the turkey, and it pairs excellently with side dishes like mashed potatoes and stuffing.
In many households, people remove as much meat as possible from the neck and any roasted bones, finely mince them along with the cooked heart and add them to the sauce when it’s done. I personally do not like this, as I prefer a silky-smooth sauce, but to each their own, and you are more than welcome to give it a try.
Ingredients and Substitutions
- Turkey — I used the backbone removed from a spatchcock turkey, the neck, and the heart from the giblets. Any turkey bones, skin, or meat are good to use. I would avoid using the kidney and liver, as those can make the gravy bitter.
- Liquid – I prefer to use chicken stock to make the gravy richer. However, using vegetable stock, brodo, or water will work well.
- Onion — You can use leeks, shallots, red, white, yellow, or sweet onions. Some whole garlic cloves are also good.
- Vegetables — I used carrots, celery, and parsnips. However, any root vegetable, like celeriac root, rutabaga, etc., can also be used. You do not need to peel any of the root vegetables, though you should rinse them of dirt.
- Herbs – Fresh thyme, sage, and rosemary were used, but you can also used dry.
- Wine – Any good dry white wine like chardonnay, sauvignon Blanc, or Pinot Grigio is good.
- Flour -All-purpose flour is used to make the beurre manie.
- Fat – You can coat the vegetables and turkey in your favorite cooking oil. I prefer to use olive or avocado oil. In addition, unsalted butter is used to make the beurre manie thickening agent. I always like to use unsalted butter to control the sodium content.
- Seasonings – I used only coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper.
How to Make Turkey Gravy
Start by chopping the turkey backbone into 3 pieces and cutting the neck in half.
Add the turkey pieces to a large bowl and the heart from the giblets, onion, garlic, celery, carrots, parsnips, herbs, salt, and pepper.
Drizzle in the oil and mix the ingredients until they are coated.
Transfer the mixture to a roast pan or sheet and spread it out to flatten the ingredients. I usually place the turkey on a rack over the vegetables at this stage.
Roast in the oven on a middle rack at 425° convection for 60 to 70 minutes or until well browned.
Drain off any rendered fat through a chinois or fine mesh strainer into a shallow pan or plate and place it in the freezer to solidify.
Next, transfer everything from the pan into a large-sized sauce pot.
With the remaining fond that is stuck to the bottom of the pan place it over a burner, or two burners over medium heat, and deglaze with 1 cup of white wine. Scrape the pan to remove all the goodies stuck to the bottom.
Transfer the mixture to the pot.
Pour in the chicken stock and cook over medium-to-medium-high heat for 15 to 20 minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavors.
Strain the mixture completely through a chinois or fine mesh strainer into a separate pot.
Over medium heat, slowly stir in the beurre manie about a ¼ to 1/3 cup at a time until it is incorporated, thick, and creamy. This will take 4 to 6 minutes total. You will use most of the beurre manie.
Finish the sauce by stirring 3 to 5 tablespoons of the chilled fat from the freezer.
Adjust any seasonings with salt and pepper and serve.
Make-Ahead and Storage
Make-Ahead: You can make this recipe up to 3 days ahead. Keep cool until ready to use.
How to Store: Cover and keep in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. You can freeze this, but the sauce may break, and you will need to rethicken it.
How to Reheat: Add the desired amount of turkey gravy to a small saucepot and heat over low heat until hot. You may need to rethicken it using a small amount of roux or beurre manie.
Chef Notes + Tips
- You can also use a meat cleaver to chop the turkey’s backbone and neck.
- If you are making this for a holiday meal, I highly recommend prepping the vegetables 1 to 2 days ahead to alleviate cooking pressures.
- Substitute the 3 sprigs of fresh rosemary, thyme, and sage with 1 teaspoon of each dry.
- Fond are the yummy brown proteins in food that stick to the bottom of the pan as they are cooked. It is loaded with umami flavors and should always be released into the food to make it tastier.
- You can also thicken the gravy with a traditional roux or slurry.
- The sauce should easily coat the back of a spoon, known as nappe.
- Be sure to taste the sauce before and after adding the frozen fat to see what else the gravy may need.
- There is ample time to make this sauce while your turkey rests after roasting.
- You can garnish the gravy at the end with finely minced herbs such as thyme, chives, or parsley.
More Sauce Recipes
The Best Turkey Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 turkey backbone
- 1 turkey neck
- 1 turkey neck
- 1 roughly chopped yellow onion
- 2 roughly cut carrots
- 2 roughly cut ribs of celery
- 2 roughly cut parsnips
- 3 mashed garlic cloves
- 3 sprigs fresh thyme
- 3 sprigs fresh sage
- 3 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 3 tablespoons olive oil
- 1 cup dry white wine
- 8 cups chicken stock
- 1 beurre manie recipe
- coarse salt and freshly cracked pepper to taste
Instructions
- Start by chopping the turkey backbone into 3 pieces and cutting the neck in half.
- Add the turkey pieces and the heart from the giblets to a large bowl, along with the onion, garlic, celery, carrots, parsnips, herbs, salt, and pepper.
- Drizzle in the oil and mix the ingredients until they are coated.
- Transfer the mixture to a roast pan or sheet and spread it out to flatten the ingredients. At this stage, I usually place the turkey on a rack over the vegetables.
- Roast in the oven on a middle rack at 425° convection for 60 to 70 minutes or until well browned.
- Drain off any rendered fat through a chinois or fine mesh strainer into a shallow pan or plate and place it in the freezer to solidify.
- Next, transfer everything from the pan into a large-sized sauce pot.
- With the remaining fond stuck to the bottom of the pan place it over a burner, or two burners over medium heat, and deglaze with 1 cup of white wine. Scrape the pan to remove all the goodies stuck to the bottom.
- Transfer the mixture to the pot.
- Pour in the chicken stock and cook over medium-to-medium high heat for 15 to 20 minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavors.
- Strain the mixture completely through a chinois or fine mesh strainer into a separate pot.
- Over medium heat, slowly stir in the beurre manie about ¼ to 1/3 cup at a time until it is incorporated, thick, and creamy. This will take 4 to 6 minutes total. You will use most of the beurre manie.
- Finish the sauce by stirring 3 to 5 tablespoons of the chilled fat from the freezer.
- Adjust any seasonings with salt and pepper and serve.
Hands down the best gravy I have ever made. Now my gravy is done & ready for tomorrow. The beurre manie made the gravy silky smooth with a perfect thickness; the flavor is incredible.
Thank you for this wonderful recipe!
Happy Thanksgiving & blessings!
Thank you!!