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HomeRecipesThanksgiving

How to Make Turkey Gravy from Drippings

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By: IsabelPosted: 11/19/18

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Don’t let all the seasonings and juicy pan drippings from your turkey go to waste – learn how to make turkey gravy from drippings the easy way!

Turkey gravy on slices of Thanksgiving turkey.

Don’t let all the seasonings and juicy pan drippings from your turkey go to waste. Use all those delicious brown bits at the bottom of your roasting pan to make the best turkey gravy recipe ever!

I don’t know about you but if there’s a good gravy on the dinner table, you can bet that I’m love pouring it ALL OVER my plate, not just on the meat. Gravy on the mashed potatoes, gravy on the green beans, gravy on the Brussels sprouts, gravy everywhere! That’s when you know it’s good.

And this turkey gravy is that good.

Making turkey gravy from drippings is one of the easiest and best ways to make a flavorful and rich gravy that enhances the flavor of that Thanksgiving turkey you worked so hard to make. And best of all, you can make it while your turkey is resting and cooling down so it can be carved.

Turkey Gravy Ingredients

After you’ve transferred your turkey to a carving board to rest, here’s what you’ll need.

  • drippings from 1 roasted turkey
  • 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 to 1 1/2 cups turkey stock (or chicken stock)
  • salt and black pepper, to taste
Turkey gravy from pan drippings
Solidified fat from turkey pan drippings

How to make turkey gravy from drippings

  1. Carefully pour turkey drippings through a strainer and into a large glass container or two. Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to let the fat rise to the top and solidify a bit.
  2. Remove the drippings from the fridge, scoop out 2 tablespoons of fat and discard the remaining fat (or transfer to a storage container to use later). You should now have only the liquid turkey drippings remaining.
  3. Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the 2 tablespoons of reserved fat, all-purpose flour and whisk together until smooth. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, whisking constantly, until bubbly and light to golden brown.
  4. Add in 1 cup of turkey drippings, 1 cup stock and whisk together until completely smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until the gravy has thickened to your liking. Season with salt and black pepper and serve.

Tips for making the perfect turkey gravy recipe

  • Use unsalted, low sodium turkey or chicken stock if possible. Since the pan drippings may already be pretty salty, I suggest you use low sodium and unsalted stock if you can find it. Then you can taste the finished gravy at the end and add salt and black pepper, to taste.
  • Pour the pan drippings from the turkey through a colander or strainer. This will help separate any meaty bits and will keep your gravy as smooth as can be.
  • If your gravy has thickened too much, whisk in some turkey or chicken stock 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s thinned out to your liking.
  • If your gravy isn’t thickening for some reasoning, a quick fix is to whisk in a little bit of cornstarch.
  • The color of your gravy can vary from light to dark brown depending on the spices and seasonings used to make your turkey.
Turkey gravy from pan drippings in a small pot seasoned with black pepper.

If you’re making this turkey gravy recipe for an upcoming Thanksgiving, Friendsgiving, or Christmas feast, here are a few more recipes you might like!

What to serve with Turkey Gravy

  • Herb Roast Turkey Recipe
  • Chipotle Citrus Thanksgiving Turkey
  • Sweet Potato Casserole
  • Honey Balsamic Brussels Sprouts
  • Green Chile Corn Casserole
  • Easy Honey Cranberry Sauce

Recipe

4.74 from 15 votes

How to Make Turkey Gravy from Drippings

Serves: 8 servings
Print
Rate
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Total : 25 minutes
Don’t let all the seasonings and juicy pan drippings from your turkey go to waste – learn how to make turkey gravy from drippings the easy way!

Ingredients

  • drippings from 1 roasted turkey
  • ¼ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 to 1 ½ cups turkey stock (or chicken stock)
  • salt and black pepper, to taste

Instructions

  • Carefully pour turkey drippings from the roasting pan through a strainer and into a large glass container or two to separate any meaty bits. (I poured the drippings into these wide mouth Ball jars.) Place in the fridge for 15 minutes to let the fat rise to the top and solidify a bit. 
  • Remove the jar of drippings from the fridge and scoop out 2 tablespoons of fat from the top and transfer to a small bowl. Scoop out the remaining remaining fat from the top and discard. You should now only have liquid turkey drippings left in the jar.
  • Heat a small saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the reserved 2 tablespoons fat, all-purpose flour and whisk together until smooth. Cook for 1 minute, whisking constantly, until bubbly and light to golden brown.
  • Add in 1 cup of turkey drippings from the jar*, 1 cup stock and whisk together until completely smooth. Bring to a boil, reduce heat to simmer and cook until the gravy has thickened to your liking. Season with salt and black pepper to taste and serve.

Isabel’s Tips:

  • If you don’t have enough turkey drippings to equal 1 cup, just add more turkey or chicken stock until you have 2 cups of liquid.
  • This recipe can easily be doubled or tripled.
  • Use unsalted, low sodium turkey or chicken stock if possible. Since the pan drippings may already be pretty salty, I suggest you use low sodium and unsalted stock if you can find it. Then you can taste the finished gravy at the end and add salt and black pepper, to taste.
  • Pour the pan drippings from the turkey through a colander or strainer. This will help separate any meaty bits and will keep your gravy as smooth as can be.
  • If your gravy has thickened too much, whisk in some turkey or chicken stock 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s thinned out to your liking.
  • If your gravy isn’t thickening for some reasoning, a quick fix is to whisk in a little bit of cornstarch.
  • The color of your gravy can vary from light to dark brown depending on the spices and seasonings used to make your turkey.

Nutrition Information

Serving: 1/8th of recipe Calories: 54kcal (3%) Carbohydrates: 3g (1%) Protein: 3g (6%) Fat: 3g (5%) Saturated Fat: 1g (5%) Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g Monounsaturated Fat: 1g Trans Fat: 0g Cholesterol: 3mg (1%) Sodium: 24mg (1%) Potassium: 0mg Fiber: 0g Sugar: 0g Vitamin A: 0IU Vitamin C: 0mg Calcium: 10mg (1%) Iron: 0mg
Author: Isabel Eats
Course:Sauce
Cuisine:American
Did you Make my How to Make Turkey Gravy from Drippings?Leave a comment below and tag @isabeleats on social media!
@isabeleats

You may also like…

  • Cranberry sauce recipe in a white bowl.
    Easy Cranberry Sauce Recipe
  • Herb Roast Turkey on a large platter next to Thanksgiving side dishes.
    Herb Roast Turkey Recipe
  • A carved turkey on a large white platter.
    How to Carve a Turkey
  • Healthy sweet potato casserole topped with candied pecans.
    Healthy Sweet Potato Casserole
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Recipe Rating:




  1. Sherri Wibert says

    Posted on 12/25 at 7:18 pm

    5 stars
    Thank you times a billion you saved my Christmas dinner. This recipe was so easy and fast. I needed gravy for noodle that go on mashed potatoes with our turkey and this was a huge hit. I saved to my Pinterest Hubby’s favorites!!!

    Reply
  2. Ana Febles says

    Posted on 11/25 at 6:55 pm

    What about if I don’t have chicken or turkey stock, what could I substitute with?

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 2/7 at 10:50 am

      Hi Ana! Any broth you have on hand should work!

      Reply
  3. Mandy says

    Posted on 11/20 at 11:19 am

    5 stars
    AMAZING! This has been the staple of my thanksgiving menu since 2019 (what everyone raves about and asks for me to share). The flavor is rich and so delicious! I use lemon and herbs on my turkey so the drippings are full of flavor. Thank you for this great recipe!

    Reply
    • Ana @ Isabel Eats says

      Posted on 1/10 at 10:47 am

      Thank you Mandy!

      Reply
  4. Angie says

    Posted on 11/16 at 6:25 pm

    Awsome recipe Isabel simple yet delicious thank you beautiful lady .

    Reply
  5. Jenn says

    Posted on 11/26 at 9:35 pm

    5 stars
    This was my first time making gravy so I was a little nervous. This recipe was so easy and it was the absolute best gravy I have ever had!! Can’t wait to make this again for Christmas

    Reply
  6. Michelle says

    Posted on 12/21 at 9:50 pm

    5 stars
    Oh my goodness! It turned out AMAZING!!!!!!!!!! Thank you for sharing the recipe.

    Reply

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