For some cooks, making turkey gravy can be intimidating. Even experienced cooks find that making turkey gravy, while hungry guests are smelling the roast turkey, can be stressful. Fear no more. I will show you how to make delicious turkey gravy that you can make a few days ahead– or even freeze. On Turkey Day, all you have to do is add extra turkey drippings and you will have perfect gravy! If you’re grilling your turkey, don’t worry if you don’t have drippings. This recipe still works!
In the past, (on Thanksgiving Day) as soon as the turkey came out of the oven, I’d jump into making the gravy. It’s a crazy time to do this, because all the other dishes are coming out of the oven, from the stove, and my guests are hungry. Finally, I read an article in a magazine about Make Ahead Gravy. Brilliant! I’ve been doing this for four years, and it’s such a blessing. Trust me.
One of my dear coworkers lamented that she can’t make gravy to save her life. I wonder why? Gravy is one of the easiest things to make. You just have to follow a few basic rules. For one, it’s that “brown stuff” that sticks to the bottom of the roasting pan that has gives gravy such great flavor. In culinary terms, it’s called fond. To me, it’s gold. Next, you want a rich and flavorful stock, and fond is what makes it happen. Water doesn’t cut it. Last, but just as important, you need to know how to thicken the gravy. This is where the lumpy gravy fear factor comes in. Oh, I’ve made plenty of lumpy gravy over the thirty plus Thanksgiving Dinner’s I’ve made. ‘Nuff said. Let’s make turkey gravy:
First, we’re going to make the turkey stock. I bought six turkey wings for less than $8.00. Place them in a roasting pan (or a Dutch Oven). Add a couple of onions, cut into chunks, four cloves of smashed garlic and a few sticks of celery. (You don’t have to bother peeling the onions or garlic. )
NOTE/ADDENDUM: Thanksgiving 2013 – This year, I did something a little different, and it worked out really well. I set the roasting pan on top of the stove, and used a little white wine (oh, say 1/4 cup– big “splash”) and some water to “deglaze” the pan (I centered it over two gas burners on high). I scraped all those brown flavor bits. I, then, strained this into a large pot. From there, I whisked together milk and flour, until very smooth. Once I began I began adding the “slurry”, it began to thicken and I added my turkey stock into it. I did not need to use butter! TASTING NOTES: Loved the white wine addition, and I got almost 7 cups of gravy.
NOTE: This gravy is good– but, once you add turkey drippings to this– wow! I have perfected this recipe, and I usually yield 6-8 cups of gravy. That means I can freeze some for another time.
So, the day has arrived to roast the turkey.
You can either placed the chilled (or frozen and thawed) gravy into a slow cooker or on the stove top on medium-low. Simply strain the drippings…
The gravy stays nice and hot in a slow cooker. Or, simply leave it on low on the stove top. You will love not having to fret about making gravy, while you’re scrambling to get the rest of the dinner out to your guests.
The additional turkey drippings gives an even richer color and flavor to the gravy.
How to Make Perfect Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
Equipment
- large roasting pan
Ingredients
- 4 turkey wings can use 2 turkey legs
- 4 ribs celery (use leaves too)
- 1 onion cut into chunks
- 4 cloves garlic smashed
- 8 cups water
- 10 peppercorns
- 2 bay leaves
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 1/2 cups turkey stock strained with fat skimmed
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar or a splash of white wine I prefer white wine (both are optional) leaving this out, still yields a delicious gravy
- Kosher salt to taste I used 1/2 teaspoon
- Fresh cracked pepper optional
Instructions
- Using a large roasting pan*, place the turkey wings in the pan. Add the celery, onion and garlic. Note: You don’t have to bother peeling the onion, nor garlic.
- Roast at 375°F for about 2 hours. *you can use a Dutch oven, if you prefer
- To the roasted turkey wings, and add 8 cups of water. Add the bay leaves.To add the peppercorns, if you have a mesh tea ball, that’s perfect. Otherwise, place them in a small piece of cheesecloth, tied with kitchen twine for easy removal. Set the roasting rack directly on the stove. Bring the water to a boil, then reduce to a simmer for about an hour.
- Carefully remove the turkey wings and vegetables. (My husband removes the meat for our pets.) Carefully pour the stock through a mesh strainer into a heat-proof large measuring bowl. You should have about 8 cups of turkey stock. Ideally, refrigerate it overnight—or for at least a few hours.
Make the gravy:
- Defat the stock, by skimming it with a large spoon.
- Be sure to have the flour, milk, cider vinegar (or white wine), salt and pepper ready to go. You want to use a whisk.
- I prefer a non-stick deep skillet or large pot. Melt the unsalted on medium-high heat until melted and bubbly.
- While whisking, add the flour evenly and whisk briskly. The flour should incorporate into the butter, and allow it to cook for 2-3 minutes, too cook out the flour taste.
- Slowly add up to 2 cups of turkey stock (reserve at least 1/2 cup of stock in case you turn your gravy into concrete), in half-cup increments, whisking all the while. The liquid should be quite thick. Add the whole milk, then the apple cider vinegar, or white wine, (this really brightens the flavor of the gravy).
- Season with kosher salt, in 1/4 teaspoon increments. Taste each time, until seasoned to your liking. Too much salt is disastrous, so just go slow and easy. I prefer to add fresh cracked black pepper, but this is optional.
- Once you roast your holiday turkey, you can add more defatted turkey drippings to give the gravy an even darker color, and for more flavor.
Notes
Nutrition
What an awesome idea Debbie… I'm starting to cook tomorrow, so I guess I'll follow your lead and make gravy ahead!
I am heading to the store at lunch and getting me some Turkey legs and wings…hopefully they will still have some:-). I love your version/tutorial because not only does this yield enough for turkey gravy, but you have leftover stock for soup afterwards. I am going to add some vinegar. Lemon would be a nice addition, too!
I am excited to try this, I love reading how you do it…my kids really love gravy and I am now not waiting for my friend to make it for me. thanks
Look amazing Im hungry!:)
The last Thanksgiving dinner I made I did a make-ahead gravy. It really is a relief to have that done. You can always add extra turkey drippings to you gravy after the T-day turkey is done for an extra flavor shot.
Tyler Florence has done the gravy on his show with smoked turkey wings. That has always intrigued me.
Having hosted a 17-person T-day dinner twice for my partially-Italian family (100% of my parents are 50% Italian) I can say you should be careful what you wish for! It's not the cooking that gets you so much as the logistics – and the cleanup!
Rich, velvety and it can be made ahead, what could be better Debby except to wish you a wonderful Thanksgiving!!!!We both need to be adopted by a wonderful Italian family!
Great idea Debbie and your gravy looks perfect. Happy turkey day
My UBER Italian family cordially invites you! Please come. 🙂
Debby, thank you so very much for this great recipe! Apparently I was "out of the kitchen" whenever my mom was making gravy and never learned. The fact that this is "make ahead"…totally brilliant!
Hi Debbie this is my first time commenting on your blog but I've been enjoying it for awhile. This is a great idea because you are actually cooking part of the turkey so you'll have all the delicious flavor. I have never used a mix and didn't even know gravy came in a can!! I'm a 'from scratch' cook and have rarely used a mix for anything. I really enjoy your blog and even though I live alone now and don't cook like I did when my family was home, I still love food!! Thanks for the great recipes you share:-)
Looks delicious – will be making gravy this weekend to use on turkey day – thanks for the idea!
I am giving this a try but bought turkey legs…there were no wings available.
Turkey legs will work just fine, Kate!
Hi Debbie, so i'm giving this a go! Just noticed you have peppercorns and bay leaves on the recipe twice. Am I supposed to add them the second time around at the end while the gravy is heating in the slow-cooker? Or after I have made the roux and whisked everything in? A little confused by that.
First, thank you for noticing the error in my recipe. I don't know why peppercorns and bay leave were listed twice! I have corrected that error. I wish you all the best in making this. Just add the turkey drippings back to this, on Thanksgiving Day. Happy Thanksgiving!
First of all THANK YOU!!! You just improved my life immensely. I am from that BIG Italian family you wish for and I have 20+ people coming for Christmas and I am always harried making gravy at the last minute…. NO MORE… I am going to buy me some turkey wings 😀
I Must say THANK YOU!!!! You have changed the way I will make gravy forevermore. I am from that Italian family that has 20+ people at my table and this Christmas I will no longer be harried making gravy at the last minute. I am heading out to get me some turkey wings today 😀
I know I am late to this discussion, but I'm wondering if I can freeze just the fond for several days or weeks and then bring it out to make the gravy when ready? Thoughts?
The gravy gets flavor by deglazing the fond from the pan. So, in order to remove and "save" the fond, I would think this is not a time-saver. Bottom line, just take a few extra minutes to deglaze the pan and make the gravy. In the long-run, you'll have a finished gravy that you can taste and season to your liking. Then, go ahead and freeze it. I hope this helps.
Thanks for the recipe ! I just tried it and it does look lovely. I have a question: Do you cover the roasting pan when doing the turkey thighs and veggies initially ? I roasted them without the cover and found that they stuck to the bottom of the pan and the fond also becme hard and quite dark , almost burned. I could not scrape the bits from the bottom of the pan. Next time I would lower the temperature to ensure I get the lovely brown bits to incorporate into the gravy. Thanks !!
I am going to try this. I can't make gravy to save my soul. I've tried so many times, including this past Sunday. Always horrible, or close to it. I'll be doing Thanksgiving this year and I really need to figure this out. Thanks for all the pics and details. Wish me luck – I'm going to need it.
I made this last year and it was incredible and such a relief to be able to do the day before. I used white wine instead of apple cider vinegar and added the defatted turkey drippings when heating it up. Huge hit!
Adding white wine is a great idea. I forgot about that, as I did that with a Martha Stewart turkey & gravy recipe, years ago. Thanks for reminding me! I'll do the same, this year…and thanks for your feedback.
Hi Debbie,
This looks like a great time saver, and super delicious as well. I may have missed it, but when did you add the 1/2 C. milk? I assume it's right after the butter and flour stirring and right before the stock.
Thanks for helping us all through the holidays. Kaaren
Dear Kaaren,
I've included a printable recipe card, at the end of the post. Instructions on when to add the milk is included there. I didn't include a photo of it, because it's hard to whisk and photograph at the same time! If you have any further questions, please email me foodiewife@gmail.com
Good luck!
Making gravy for 20, husband family pours it over everything. Sister-in-law who usually makes gravy is not coming this year. Ingredient Portions please . Cheryl
Dear Cheryl:
There is a printable recipe card, at the end of the post. In BIG RED LETTERS I explain why you might not be able to view the recipe card and I provide a link, if you can't. Or you can email me at foodiewife@gmail.com
Goodness! I wouldn't share a recipe without the directions!
It's the day before Thanksgiving 2013 and I'm making the stock right now, with my roasted turkey bones!
We roasted a 19 lb bird over night @ 250° for 7 hrs in a bag. Let it cool and by 9:00 am had it completely deboned and lovely whole breast and thigh pieces to slice and arrange in TWO 13 x 9" dishes. I found meat I never knew existed. There was at least 5 cups of au jus in the bag (well, both in and out of the bag – thank goodness I used a large deep roasting pan). I ladled a good amount of juice back over each dish of sliced turkey and stored in fridge until re-heating for tomorrow's meal. The cooking method is from Christy Jordan's Southern Plate website: http://www.southernplate.com/2008/11/overnight-turkey-easy-delicious-and-always-moist.html
Now it's 11:20 am and I'm loving that this task is complete. I'm resting my aching back in front of my computer while stock is being created on the stove. Oh! Timer – an hour is up… Wow! It really is already, in just an hour or so, delicious stock. Can't wait to make the gravy!
Thanks so much for the recipes and great instructions. ;^)