This make-ahead turkey gravy recipe is a must for a low-stress Thanksgiving and Christmas! This homemade, no-drippings gravy is easy, delicious, and made with 5 ingredients!
Looking for more make-ahead Thanksgiving favorites? I think you’ll love my easy Giblet Gravy recipe, Make Ahead Roast Turkey and Sweet Potato Casserole.
Easy Turkey Gravy
This homemade turkey gravy is so easy to make. It does not require drippings and can be prepared well ahead of time to make your cooking and holiday even easier. It is delicious served with roast turkey, chicken, mashed potatoes, and dressing!
Table of Contents
Why You’ll Love This Easy Turkey Gravy Recipe
- No Drippings: You do not need turkey drippings to make this recipe.
- Make-Ahead recipe: You can prepare this gravy ahead of your holiday meal.
- Freezer-Friendly Gravy: You can make this easy gravy months in advance and store it in the freezer until needed.
Another reason this gravy is such a favorite lies in its simplicity. It’s as easy as it gets and only has a few basic ingredients. Since it’s so quick and easy, I find myself making it all through the year – no need to save it for just the holidays!
How to Make Turkey Gravy
You can check the recipe card below to get the full set of ingredients and instructions for this make-ahead gravy. Here is a quick overview of how to make this easy gravy recipe.
Ingredients for the Gravy
This easy gravy only has a few simple ingredients:
- Butter – I use salted butter, but you can also use unsalted butter if you prefer it.
- Salt and Pepper – Used to season the gravy as it cooks. You can add more to taste if needed.
- Flour – All-purpose flour is used for the gravy.
- Turkey stock or broth – You can make your own, use store-bought, or use chicken stock or broth if needed.
Three Steps to Perfect Gravy
- Make a roux – Butter, seasonings, and flour are cooked to the desired coloring.
- Add stock – Turkey stock is whisked into the roux to the desired consistency.
- Serve, store, or freeze – Serve immediately or follow make-ahead storage instructions.
Step-by-Step Instructions
Make a Roux
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Add salt and pepper and slowly whisk in the flour. Cook until the flour and butter are fully incorporated, reaching the desired coloring you prefer. This can range from a light blonde to a more traditional nut color.
Add Turkey Stock or Broth to the Roux
Once the roux has reached the desired color, constantly whisking, slowly pour in the turkey stock, and cook until the gravy is thickened to your desired consistency.
How to Make Turkey Stock
Place the turkey legs in a Dutch oven or stockpot. Add salt and pepper and cover with water. Cook on a low simmer, covered, until the meat is tender and the stock is thick and colorful, about 4 hours. Add more water if needed to keep the turkey covered with water while cooking. Remove the turkey legs from the stock and refrigerate them for future recipes, like turkey wraps or turkey pot pie.
Serve the Gravy or Store to Serve Later
Taste and adjust the seasonings as needed. Serve warm or follow the make-ahead instructions to store and serve later.
Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
How to Store and Freeze Turkey Gravy
To store. Prepare your turkey gravy as instructed and then allow it to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two days.
When ready to serve, reheat in a medium saucepan until it reaches a rolling boil. If it is too thick, add a bit more stock until it reaches your preferred consistency.
To freeze. Store the gravy in freezer-safe containers for up to 6 months. Then, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat at a rolling boil before serving.
Gravy is best reheated once. I freeze in smaller portions, so I only reheat what I need.
Recipe Variations
Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy with Cornstarch. You can use cornstarch to make gravy, but you’ll change the method slightly. Melt the butter, then add the turkey stock, salt, and pepper. In a small bowl, whisk together a slurry using cornstarch and water (2 tablespoons to 1/4 cup water) until smooth and slowly drizzle into the warm stock (whisking constantly) until it is thickened. Remember that the gravy will continue to thicken as it cools.
Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy with Gluten-Free Flour. You can substitute the all-purpose with your favorite gluten-free flour, such as Cup 4 Cup.
Dairy-Free Turkey Gravy. Use your favorite vegan butter or margarine.
Chicken Gravy. Use chicken stock or broth in place of the turkey stock.
Frequently Asked Questions
If you have turkey pan drippings, you can use them in addition to or in place of the turkey stock in this recipe.
You can use chicken stock or broth, which is usually very easy to find. This would make chicken gravy, but it would still be delicious and similar.
You can also purchase turkey legs from the grocery store and make your own turkey stock. See my instructions to make it.
You can easily adjust the consistency of your turkey gravy to your liking by adding more or using less turkey stock in the gravy.
You can make homemade gravy and store it in the refrigerator for up to two days before serving.
Doesn’t that make the holiday meal sound easier?! I like to make cooking stress-free on the holidays by making many recipes ahead of time. You may like my Make Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes and Meal Plan for even more make-ahead ideas! I hope you find that helpful, too.
Here’s my Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Make Ahead Turkey Gravy Recipe
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter, cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups turkey stock , or turkey broth, chicken broth or pan drippings from cooking turkey, if you have them.
Instructions
- Make a roux. Melt butter in a medium saucepan set over medium heat. Sprinkle with salt and pepper and slowly whisk in flour. Cook until the flour is fully incorporated into the butter and gravy is your preferred color (from light blonde to a nut a brown color).
- Add stock. Once that stage is reached, constantly whisking, slowly pour in the turkey stock and cook until the gravy is thickened.
- Serve, store, or freeze. Remove from the heat and serve immediately or cool, pour into an airtight container and store or freeze. If serving from made-ahead turkey gravy, reheat in a medium saucepan until warmed throughout If the gravy is too thick, add more stock until it reaches the desired consistency.
Notes
How to Store and Freeze Turkey Gravy
To store. Prepare your turkey gravy as instructed and then allow it to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two days. When ready to serve, reheat in a medium saucepan until it reaches a rolling boil. If it is too thick, add more stock until it reaches your preferred consistency. To freeze. Store the gravy in freezer-safe containers for up to 6 months. Then, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat at a rolling boil before serving. Gravy is best reheated once. I freeze in smaller portions, so I only reheat what I need.How to Make Turkey Stock
You can also purchase turkey legs from the grocery store and make your own turkey stock if desired. Place the turkey legs in a Dutch oven or stockpot. Add salt and pepper and cover with water. Cook on a low simmer, covered until the meat is tender and the stock is thick and colorful about 4 hours. Add more water if needed to keep the turkey covered with water while cooking. Remove the turkey legs from the stock and refrigerate them for future recipes. Makes 3 cups.Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Brilliant recipe!! It’s ready for my dinner tomorrow and I’ll just add some pan drippings to it. I love make ahead recipes like these … especially when they are so easy AND tasty. Thank you, “Happy Thanksgiving”
Cathy, I’m so glad this make ahead turkey gravy helped you. I love to make ahead as much as I can so I can enjoy the holidays with my family, too. Hope you have a happy Thanksgiving, too.
I made this last night for our family Thanksgiving along with your cornbread dressing. We love a lot of flavor so I added extra traditional flavors like Italian seasonings, oregano and poultry seasons to it. I saved half my dressing and the rest of the gravy for our church pot luck this Sunday. Thank you so much for publishing these recipes. My mother tried to show me how to make dressing right before she passed on but she had never used a recipe so it was hard for me to follow. You’ve given me lots of confidence cooking my Thanksgiving dinner and I sure do appreciate it. As a matter of fact I have LOTS of your recipes earmarked in a folder on my desktop and pull them out fairly often.
Happy Thanksgiving from a fan of yours in your hometown!
Thank you for such sweet words, Kim. I hope you and your family have a very blessed Thanksgiving.
Use this every yr. helps so much to have a vase. Then I just add the turkey dripping to it.
This was great. No stress. I heated it up the day of and thinned it out with drippings and a little water. I added poultry seasoning, a dash of worcestershire and soy sauce.
Made this gravy last year and it was a huge hit! Making it today for next week
I am glad to hear that you enjoy it!