The Best Turkey Gravy
Flavorful, easy and homemade, the Best Turkey Gravy recipe is the only gravy that you will need this holiday season!
A DELICIOUS HOMEMADE GRAVY RECIPE
What are the holidays without turkey and gravy? I think gravy is one of the most important parts of the meal because it’s so versatile. It can be poured on your slices of turkey, mashed potatoes and even stuffing. This turkey gravy recipe is meant to compliment my recipe for Roast Turkey. This is hands-down my go-to recipe. It uses ingredients from the turkey itself (that usually get thrown away) to create a thick, rich and delicious gravy. If you want a tried and true recipe, look no further and make the Best Turkey Gravy!
FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS:
If you aren’t using my recipe for Roast Turkey, you might be wondering why I mention using the onions and lemons from inside the turkey. I am trying to get the most flavor from every ingredient I used to make sure nothing goes to waste but also adds amazing depth of flavor.
If you didn’t use my recipe for roasting turkey, you can use fresh. I would just use one fresh onion and one fresh lemon.
I like to use a tomato as a natural thickener for poultry gravy. It also adds a delicious background flavor that you can’t taste as a separate ingredient but adds a lovely richness to the gravy.
However, if you like it even thicker, feel free to add a tablespoon of flour in the beginning when you are sautéing the ingredients. It will begin to thicken when you start bringing the gravy up to a simmer.
You probably are not going to get 3 cups of drippings from your turkey unless you had a really huge turkey. So, we will supplement those turkey drippings with chicken stock. We need a total of 3 cups to include drippings and stock.
Inside of your purchased turkey, there will be a packet of giblets. They are also sometimes called “offal”. The packet usually contains the turkey neck, gizzard, heart and kidneys. There is a lot of flavor in those extra little bits. Just set it inside of your refrigerator until ready to use for your gravy. They do not need to be rinsed off before using but some people prefer to rinse them first.
It’s basically a thick part of the bird’s stomach that helps grind up food.
Once the gravy has cooled completely, add to an airtight container and store in the refrigerator where it will keep for up to 4 days. This can also be frozen. Pour into a freezer safe container and freeze for up to 3 months. Let defrost in the refrigerator overnight and then reheat on stovetop.
INGREDIENTS NEEDED: (FULL RECIPE AT THE BOTTOM OF THE POST)
- packet of giblets from turkey (turkey neck, gizzard, heart and kidneys)
- sage
- rosemary
- thyme
- parsley
- onions
- lemon wedges
- beef tomato
- turkey drippings
- salt and pepper
HOW TO MAKE THE BEST TURKEY GRAVY:
Add giblets to a large heavy bottomed skillet. Note: if you are using a stainless steel skillet, I would add about a tablespoon of oil to the skillet first. Then add sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, chopped onions, lemon wedges and chopped tomato. Cook on a medium heat for about 10 minutes.
Add the 3 cups of turkey drippings (that have been combined with chicken stock) and bring to a slow rolling boil. Turn down the heat and cook gently for 30 minutes.
Pass through a sieve (strainer) to remove all the ingredients leaving just the gravy.
Taste and add salt and pepper to your preference. Add to a gravy boat and serve warm with your meal.
WANT MORE DELICIOUS RECIPES? YOU MUST TRY THESE!
The Best Turkey Gravy
Ingredients
- 1 packet giblets (from inside the turkey) (usually contains the neck bone, gizzard, kidneys and heart)
- 4 leaves fresh sage
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
- 2 sprigs fresh thyme
- 4 Tablespoons chopped parsley
- 2 onions from inside turkey, roughly chopped
- 2 lemon wedges from inside turkey
- 1 large beefsteak tomato, chopped
- 3 cups turkey drippings (combined with chicken stock to equal 3 cups)
- salt and pepper, to taste
Instructions
- Add giblets to a large heavy bottomed skillet. Note: if you are using a stainless steel skillet, I would add about a tablespoon of oil to the skillet first.
- Then add sage, rosemary, thyme, parsley, chopped onions, lemon wedges and chopped tomato. Cook on a medium low heat for about 10 minutes, stirring occasionally.
- Add the 3 cups of turkey drippings (that have been combined with chicken stock) and bring to a slow rolling boil. Turn down the heat and allow it to gently cook for 30 minutes.
- Pass through a sieve (strainer) to remove all the large ingredient bits, leaving just the gravy.
- Taste and add salt and pepper to your preference. Add to a gravy boat and serve warm with your meal.
Notes
- You can use a fresh onion and and fresh lemon wedges if you do not use them in your turkey.
- If you do not have enough turkey drippings add chicken stock to compensate.
- This can be frozen, see my tips above.
Nutrition
Nutritional Disclaimer
“The Country Cook” is not a dietician or nutritionist, and any nutritional information shared is an estimate. If calorie count and other nutritional values are important to you, we recommend running the ingredients through whichever online nutritional calculator you prefer. Calories and other nutritional values can vary quite a bit depending on which brands were used.
Such a tasty gravy! It worked great and your instructions were so easy to understand. My daughter helped me make everything and she was pretty much able to do all of this on her own with your website up on her iPad. Everyone really enjoyed it so thank you!
I’m really confused about the onions from inside the turkey/chopped onion. What am I missing?
It’s all up in the FAQ 🙂