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Make Ahead Turkey Gravy Recipe – This easy, delicious turkey gravy is essential to a holiday menu! Simple to make on the holiday or any time, but perfect to make ahead of time too!
Gravy is such a tasty addition to so many meals – especially to a holiday meal. I serve two alongside the turkey for my family’s Thanksgiving meal – both Giblet Gravy and this simple, delicious Turkey Gravy. I grew up with Grandmother Earlene’s Giblet Gravy as a staple on our Thanksgiving table and I’ve continued that tradition with my family meal. In addition to that gravy, I’ve make this easy turkey gravy too. While it only takes a few minutes to make, sometimes time is precious when preparing a large holiday meal. That’s is just one of the reasons that this Make Ahead Turkey Gravy is such a timesaving favorite!
Another reason this gravy is such a favorite lies in its simplicity. It’s as easy as it gets and only has a few very 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
This easy gravy only has a few ingredients:
- Butter
- Salt and Pepper
- Flour
- Turkey Stock or Pan Drippings from the turkey
To make it, I melt my butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat. Then, I sprinkle in my salt and pepper and slowly whisk in the flour and cook until the flour and butter are fully incorporated and it reaches the desired coloring you prefer. This can range from a light blonde to a more traditional nut color.
Once that stage is reached, whisking constantly, I slowly pour in the turkey stock or pan drippings and cook until the gravy is thickened.
Now either serve immediately or follow Make-Ahead instructions.
Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
Prepare your turkey gravy as instructed and then allow to cool completely. Store in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 2 days.
When ready to serve, simply reheat in a medium saucepan until it reaches a rolling boil. If it is too thick, add a bit more stock until it reaches the consistency you prefer.
If you need to make it even farther in advance, simply freeze it in a freezer-safe container for up to 6 months. Then, thaw in the refrigerator overnight and reheat at a rolling boil before serving.
It’s purely scrumptious drizzled over Roast Turkey, Mashed Potatoes or Cornbread Dressing – or some on all three!
Doesn’t that just make the holiday meal sound easier?! I like to make cooking stress-free on the holidays by making many recipes ahead of time and detail that step-by-step in my Make Ahead Thanksgiving Recipes and Meal Plan.
Here’s my Make Ahead Turkey Gravy recipe. I think you’ll love it!
Make Ahead Turkey Gravy Recipe
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup salted butter cubed
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
- 1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups turkey stock or pan drippings
Instructions
- 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 nut brown in color.Then, whisking constantly, slowly pour in the turkey stock and cook until thickened.
- Remove from the heat and serve immediately or cool, pour into an airtight container. and refrigerator for up to one week. 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
Enjoy!
Robyn xo
Made this gravy last year and it was a huge hit! Making it today for next week–I was thinking of using white wine to scrape up all the yummies from the baking sheet. What do you think???
I’ve not made this with wine before Sasha. I am glad to hear that you enjoy 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.
Use this every yr. helps so much to have a vase. Then I just add the turkey dripping to it.
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.