Learn how to make gravy from turkey drippings for the best holiday meal! 15 minutes is all you need to make this Roast Turkey Gravy from Scratch.
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The holiday season is fast approaching and I’m already in turkey dinner mode! Well, to be honest, it’s because I’m Canadian and we celebrate Thanksgiving mid-October, which means we’re WAY ahead of the game when it comes to holiday dinners. Today on The Busy Baker I’m sharing my BEST roast turkey recipe AND this deliciously Easy Homemade Roast Turkey Gravy recipe that you are going to LOVE! Truly, when you know how to make gravy from turkey drippings, the dinner is COMPLETE.
When it comes to holiday dinners I really do believe that they can be easy and simple. Now, before you go and call me all kinds of crazy, hear me out. I’ve always said that the simplest foods are really the best foods, and this 4-ingredient gravy made from turkey drippings DEFINITELY falls into that category. I’ve already shared all my favourite turkey-roasting hacks with you in THIS POST, and if you add in this 15-minute gravy recipe you will be rockin’ your holiday hosting gig in no time!
Making turkey gravy from scratch isn’t as hard as it sounds. With a few simple kitchen tools and a couple pro-tips I share below, you’ll be well on your way to making the most delicious topping for your holiday dinner!
Kitchen tools you’ll need to make gravy from scratch:
- A roasting pan for collecting the turkey juices is essential – check out my favourite roasting pan with a rack here.
- A good whisk like this one or this one for making the gravy nice and smooth.
- A good sieve for getting out all those chunks and lumps.
- A gravy boat for serving all that delicious gravy you’ve made!
How to make gravy from turkey drippings
Here are all my best no-fail tips for making the BEST turkey gravy from scratch:
- Save the pan juices. Making gravy from turkey drippings is SO easy with the pan juices left over from your turkey. It truly gives the turkey gravy the most flavour.
- Use low heat. The temptation might be to crank up the heat to get your gravy on the table faster but let me assure you, low and slow is best.
- Give it your full attention. Unfortunately, this is just one of those things that’s going to require a little bit of attention, but it will be SO worth it. Whisking pretty much constantly is the key to the perfection emulsion. It helps it to stay nice and smooth.
- Add some wine. We love the full-bodied flavour that adding just a splash of wine gives to the sauce.
- Strain it. Those lumps don’t disappear by themselves! Professional chefs almost always strain their sauces and it’s truly the only way to ensure a nice smooth sauce every single time.
- Add some butter. This is an optional step, and I don’t do this every time, but adding a teaspoon or two (or three!) of butter to your strained gravy gives it the perfect sheen and shine, making it nice and glossy. For a special holiday dinner, it’s a lovely touch that gives a restaurant quality touch.
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I hope you love this recipe as much as we do! Let me know in the comments below, what’s your favourite thing about holiday dinners? I’d love to know! Looking for holiday side dishes? You’ll LOVE these:
- Easy Crock Pot Garlic Mashed Potatoes
- Easy Vegan Green Bean Casserole
- Roasted Garlic Butter Carrots
- Apple Walnut Spinach Salad
- Roasted Beet Salad with Greens
- Maple Rosemary Roasted Sweet Potatoes
- Winter Berry Cocktail (Alcohol Free Version Included)
- Rosemary Dill Roasted Potatoes
Kitchen tools I recommend:
LOOKING FOR MORE EASY STRESS-FREE HOLIDAY MEAL IDEAS AND RECIPES?
GET MY EASY NO-FAIL HOLIDAY MEALS E-COOKBOOK!
RECIPE VIDEO
Watch the video below to see exactly how I make this recipe. You can find more delicious recipe videos on my YouTube channel.
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How to Make Gravy From Turkey Drippings (Roast Turkey Gravy)
Recipe: Ingredients
- drippings from roast turkey (this recipe works for the drippings from an approx. 7 pound turkey)
- 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons white or red wine
- 2 cups low sodium chicken stock (or water)
- salt and pepper (to taste)
- 3 teaspoon butter (optional)
Recipe: Instructions
- Heat the turkey drippings in the original roasting pan (that you used to roast the turkey) over medium low heat. Once the drippings heat up, sprinkle in the flour a little bit at a time and whisk constantly.
- Once the flour is added and whisked in, toast the mixture over the heat for a few minutes to get rid of the flour taste.
- Slowly add the wine a little bit at a time and continue whisking. Cook this over the heat until the liquid reduces.
- Slowly add the chicken stock, about 1/4 cup at a time, letting the gravy cook for a minute or two between additions to thicken up.
- Once you've added about 1 1/2 cups of stock, let the gravy cook for about 5 minutes, whisking constantly.
- If the gravy is too thick, continue adding the rest of the stock a little bit at a time to thin out the gravy to your desired consistency. If you're happy with the thickness, season with salt and pepper to taste.
- Strain the gravy through a wire mesh strainer to remove any dark bits.
- Add the butter to the hot gravy and stir just to combine.
- Pour into a gravy boat and serve.
Recipe: Notes
Recipe: Nutrition
Notice: Nutrition is auto-calculated, using Spoonacular, for your convenience. Where relevant, we recommend using your own nutrition calculations.
What an easy and smooth gravy! Looking forward to enjoying this for Thanksgiving dinner and beyond! Delish!
Glad you like this recipe!! 🙂
Nothing quite makes the holiday meal as the gravy. Yours looks phenomenal.
Thank you!
Your gravy looks perfectly smooth and delicious. At my house it is one of the most important parts of the meal!
Thanks so much!!
Yum! A new favorite recipe in my house for sure!
Glad you like this recipe! 🙂
Definitely needing and easy full proof gravy for the holiday season! Can’t wait to try this recipe!
I hope you’ll like it as much as we do!
What a wonderful gravy recipe. Comes out perfect every time!! Just in time for the holidays!
Thanks Lora! 🙂
I am new to the Busy Baker , your gravy tips are great however …. there are way to many ads . It is hard to find the actual recipes ( a lot of scrolling !!!) it actually makes me just want to google a recipe instead of searching for yours .
Thanks for your feedback. Unfortunately, in order to continue bringing my readers 3 free recipes a week and avoid charging a membership fee, I have to support ads on my site.
I am going to try this recipe next time. I always use a can of ginger ale in my gravy which is also a very good recipe, the gravy always comes out very smooth also, but can’t wait to try yours. Thanks for sharing. Janet.
Great idea! Hope you like it!
How many cups of gravy drippings does a 7 lb turkey produce? I’m cooking an 11 lb turkey and am trying to do the conversion
I suggest you just double the recipe and be ready to add a bit of stock if it’s too thick or a bit of flour if it’s too thin. It’s really impossible to know exactly the quantity of drippings that comes out of a bird when roasting as it depends on a lot of factors. Happy cooking! ☺️
Looks so yummy! Could red or white wine *vinegar* be used in the same way? Or is actual wine different?
No, wine vinegar adds way too much acidity and we’d not advise you to use it the same way you’d use wine. However you can substitute the wine with 3 tbsp stock or water and 1/2 teaspoon- 1 teaspoon balsamic (preferably) or wine vinegar. Add 1/2 teaspoon, taste and add more if necessary.