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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
The only thing better than a perfectly roasted Thanksgiving turkey: The rich, savoury gravy that brings it all together. This easy, flavour-packed turkey gravy is made from your pan drippings! Thick, perfectly seasoned, and incredibly satisfying, it’s the ultimate finishing touch to your holiday turkey!
Who doesn’t love gravy at Thanksgiving? Especially when it’s easy to make! This stress-free turkey gravy recipe is the best accompaniment to your turkey dinner and is full of flavour. For the best results, start with my tender, juicy, and flavour-packed turkey recipe.
Make sure to serve this gravy with your Easy Thanksgiving Turkey. Also, why not learn how to make your own Cornstarch Slurry for this recipe?
Karlynn’s Recipe Notes
- Skill Level: This quick and easy turkey gravy utilizes your pan drippings and is practically foolproof!
- Total Time: This gravy comes together in just 15 minutes, making it a perfect complement to your meal.
- Tools for This Recipe: You’ll only need a few tools to make this gravy a success! You’ll need a fine mesh sieve for straining your pan drippings, and a large saucepan. I also recommend using a whisk to ensure your gravy is smooth and velvety.
What You’ll Need for Ingredients
Pan Drippings from cooking your turkey, Unsalted Butter, All-Purpose Flour, Salt & Pepper: This simple gravy uses just a few classic ingredients you likely already have on hand, especially after making your Thanksgiving turkey
Cornstarch Slurry: This is optional and used to thicken if needed.
How To Make Turkey Gravy
This is a quick overview of the recipe. The full list of ingredients & complete step-by-step instructions are in the recipe card below.
- Strain the pan drippings through a fine-mesh sieve and let them sit until the fat rises.
- Skim off the excess fat, then, if needed, add broth or water to make a total of 4 cups of liquid.
- In a large saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.
- Whisk in flour and cook until lightly browned and smells toasty, like pie crust.
- Slowly whisk in the drippings.
- Bring to a boil, then reduce the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until the mixture has thickened.
- If needed, adjust thickness with a cornstarch slurry.
- Season with salt and pepper to taste, and serve warm.
Karlynn’s Tips and Tricks for the Perfect Turkey Gravy
- Perfect Gravy Consistency Made Easy: Traditional gravy should be rich, full of flavour, and have a nice, smooth consistency. This is typically achieved by using either a roux or a cornstarch slurry. This recipe utilizes a roux for both texture and flavour—a technique that adds richness and complexity, much like in Creole cooking. However, if the gravy isn’t thick enough to your taste, feel free to make a cornstarch slurry to thicken it to your liking.
- Spice Up That Gravy Game: No matter how well you season your turkey before roasting, it’s hard to get every bite perfectly seasoned, especially with larger turkeys. That’s where gravy comes in. It adds moisture, enhances flavour, and fills in those seasoning gaps. For that reason, your gravy should be slightly on the salty side, but not overwhelmingly so. When paired with the meat, it balances out beautifully, making every bite complete.
Storage Instructions
Turkey gravy made from fresh pan drippings is best served right away, while the flavours are at their peak and the texture is smooth and velvety, but you can store your leftovers as follows.
Refrigerator: cool, transfer into an airtight container and store for up to 4 days. Reheat on the stove over low heat, stirring occasionally.
Freezer: cool, pour into freezer-safe containers and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the fridge and reheat on the stove over low heat, whisking to restore smoothness.
More Delicious Turkey Recipes
- How to Make Turkey Carcass Soup is one of the best ways to use up your holiday leftovers!
- How to Cook the Juiciest, Most Tender Oven Roast Turkey. This will change the way you cook your turkey from now on!
- How to Make Turkey Stock: Make a large batch of stock using the bones from your roast turkey dinner!
Just like that, you’ve got a foolproof turkey gravy that is rich, flavourful, and ready to elevate your holiday meal.
The gravy is my favourite part of a roast turkey dinner! Let me know in the comments below how it turns out, as I love hearing about your cooking adventures!
Happy Cooking!
Karlynn
Turkey Gravy
Ingredients
- 4 cups pan drippings , from my Easy Thanksgiving Turkey
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- salt and pepper to taste
- cornstarch slurry , to thicken if needed
Instructions
- Strain the drippings through a fine-mesh sieve. Let them sit until the fat rises to the top, then scoop off any excess fat than you can. If needed, add chicken,turkey broth or water to top up the drippings to 4 cups.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in the flour and cook, whisking continuously, until it browns lightly and begins to smell toasted, around 3-4 minutes. You need to brown the flour for the best taste!
- Slowly pour in the pan drippings, whisking continuously.
- Bring to a boil then reduce the heat and simmer, whisking constantly, until thickened, about 5-10 minutes.
- If needed, thicken with a cornstarch slurry to desired thickness.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste.
- Serve warm.
Notes
- Depending on your drippings, you might have to use the cornstarch slurry to thicken. Do not add more flour, as it needs to be toasted to have that rich flavor in the gravy.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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REGINA says
GREAT 👍 👌