Easy Turkey Gravy

homemade turkey gravy in blue gravy boat with a roasted turkey in the background

5 from 6 votes

This turkey gravy recipe can be made ahead of time and is perfect with a roast turkey or roast chicken for Thanksgiving or a special occasion! Pan drippings are optional.

Prep Time5

Cook Time15

Total Time20

Course: Condiment

Cuisine: American

Keyword: chicken gravy, how to make gravy, make ahead gravy, turkey gravy

Servings: (makes about 4 cups)

Author: Natasha Bull

Ingredients

1/2 cup butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup flour
4.5 cups chicken or turkey broth (or stock)
1/2 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon poultry seasoning I use McCormick brand
1/2 teaspoon onion powder
Salt & pepper to taste

Instructions

Melt the butter in a pot or large saucepan over medium heat, then whisk in the flour. Cook, whisking almost constantly, for about 4-5 minutes or until the roux smells toasted and it's reached a nice golden/light brown color (but don't let it burn).
Whisk the broth in gradually, followed by the Worcestershire sauce, poultry seasoning, and onion powder.
Increase the heat to medium high, then cook the gravy for another 5-7 minutes (or until it's thickened up to your liking), whisking fairly often to ensure it's smooth. If it gets too thick, add a splash more broth. Season with salt & pepper to taste (add less if you plan on adding pan drippings). Gravy will thicken more as it cools (and when reheating if making it ahead).
PAN DRIPPINGS: I recommend making the gravy as instructed (can be made a few days ahead of time), warming it up, and then adding in 1/3 to 1/2 cup of the drippings to the finished gravy. Be sure to separate the fat out first! To do this, either use a fat skimmer to strain the fat out, or, if you don't have one, scoop out about a cup of the liquid from the bottom of the roasting pan and put it in the freezer. The fat will harden fairly quickly, and you can then easily scoop the fat out (discard it or use it for something else) and add what's left at the bottom to the gravy.

Notes

Poultry seasoning is a dried herb blend consisting of thyme, sage, marjoram, rosemary, black pepper, and nutmeg. It's available for purchase in the spice section of most grocery stores.
Gravy with drippings will look darker than gravy without drippings. The photos in this blog post are without drippings.
If you brine your turkey, the drippings can be very salty, so keep that in mind (you may want to add a lot less or none at all to the gravy and reduce the salt you add to the gravy).
Serving size really depends on how much gravy people decide to pour on their plates.
This recipe makes about 4 cups total of gravy, but feel free to halve every ingredient to make a half batch. The gravy will keep for a few days in the fridge, so it's great for leftovers if you decide to make the full batch.

Nutrition