This thick creamy old fashioned turkey gravy is made with turkey drippings is the perfect addition to your holiday meal . It is great poured over potatoes or dressing.

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No holiday dinner is complete without Old Fashioned Turkey Gravy like Grandma used to make.  The only big secret I can share with you about making gravy is the turkey drippings make the best gravy ever. All the yummy flavors used to season the turkey will be incorporated into the drippings and make this gravy rich and savory. Growing up I thought my Mother had special powers in making the Thanksgiving gravy , it was so delicious and dreamy. Turns out it is pretty simple and now my kids think I have the same powers.  They don’t know how quick and simple this really is , from beginning to end it takes about 15 minutes.

What you will love about this Easy Turkey Gravy:

• Rich Homemade Flavor-Made from real turkey drippings and a butter roux this is better than anything from a packet or jar .
• Quick and Easy-From start to finish this only takes about 15 minutes
• Versatile and forgiving – If you don’t have enough turkey drippings you can mix in a little chicken broth . If you want a thicker gravy add a cornstarch slurry to the simmering gravy .
• Add your choice of Herbs-The flavor is up to you your can add fresh or dried herbs of your choice like sage , rosemary, and even poultry seasoning .

What you will need to make easy Old Fashioned Turkey Gravy :

• 3-4 cups of turkey drippings from a roasted turkey. If you don’t have enough stir in chicken broth and deglaze the warm roasting pan
• Wire mesh strainer
• Butter and Flour to make a roux
• Salt and Pepper and extra herbs if your turkey wasn’t seasoned well
• Small saucepan
• Wire whisk tap HERE for my favorite

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Do I really need Turkey drippings?

Yes and no…

A turkey gravy can be made without the drippings. There are seasoning packets and even roasted turkey base that be be mixed with chicken broth and a gravy be made from all of these things. Is it acceptable ? Yes ..Is it as good? NO

Turkey drippings are pure gravy gold and this is why holiday turkey gravy is always so good and is so special. I always say this gravy is “plate lickin good” .

Let’s Make some classic turkey gravy!

If it doesn’t look like you have 3-4 cups of turkey drippings in your roasting pan pour chicken broth in there and deglaze the pan

Pour warm turkey drippings into a large measuring cup or bowl and skim the fat off of it

• 1-In a saucepan on medium to high heat melt the butter and add flour
• 2-Once the roux is bubbling let it toast to a golden color , it will smell nutty
• 3-Add salt , pepper , parsley , amd thyme.
• 4-Slowly add the turkey drippings whisking with a wire whisk to prevent lumps

Bring the mixture up to a slow boil and then turn down to simmer .

Serve this Thanksgiving Turkey Gravy warm over mashed potatoes , dressing and turkey.

If you like this recipe check out these :

• Smoked Turkey breast
• Southern Candied Sweet Potatoes
• Creamy Mashed Potatoes
• Sweet Potato Pie
•  Puerto Rican Turkey

Old Fashioned Turkey Gravy

No holiday dinner is complete without Old Fashioned Turkey Gravy like grandma used to make. This thick creamy gravy is perfect poured on everything.

3.95 from 18 votes

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Prep Time 5 minutes mins

Cook Time 10 minutes mins

Course Condiments/sauces, Holidays

Cuisine American

Calories

Ingredients

  

• 4 Tablespoon Butter
• 1/4 cup all purpose flour
• 3-4 cups Turkey Drippings * see notes
• 1/2 teaspoon Salt
• 1/4 teaspoon Pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder
• Pinch of Fresh chopped parsley and thyme optional

Instructions

 

• If it doesn’t look like you have 3-4 cups of turkey drippings in your roasting pan pour chicken broth in there and deglaze the pan
• Pour warm turkey drippings into a large measuring cup or bowl and skim the fat off of it
  3-4 cups Turkey Drippings * see notes
• In a sauce pan on medium to high heat melt the butter
  4 Tablespoon Butter
• Once the butter is melted add the flour to make a basic light roux stirring with a flat spatula
  1/4 cup all purpose flour
• Once the roux is bubbling stir and let it toast slightly . It will smell nutty.
• Add salt , pepper , thyme and parsley .
  1/2 teaspoon Salt, 1/4 teaspoon Pepper, 1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder, Pinch of Fresh chopped parsley and thyme
• Slowly add the turkey drippings whisking with a wire whisk to prevent lumps
• Once all the drippings are added and the lumps are out bring the mixture up to a simmer .
• Allow the gravy to simmer and thicken up
• Serve warm

Notes

I usually have enough drippings from  14-16  pound turkey in the bottom of the roasting pan . After removing you turkey from the roasting pan and there isn’t enough dripping you can always  deglaze the pan to get 3-4 cups of drippings. 

This recipe should yield 3-4 cups of gravy , if the gravy is too thick it can be thinned with chicken broth . It is easy to thin it but much harder to thicken , if you make it too thin it will have to be cooked longer thicken it back up 

Pour a cup of water or chicken broth in the bottom of your pan when roasting your turkey for best results 

If you don’t bake a turkey here are some suggestions to make a turkey broth. Sometimes you can buy turkey legs or wings, boil those along with the neck to make a broth.

Another solution is Better Than make a roasted turkey base that taste great , make a broth using that. 

Keyword Old Fashioned Turkey Gravy

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