Grandma's Turkey Gravy Recipe

Grandma's Turkey Gravy is one of those unsaid and untold sides that has to be on the dinner table.

Although it receives less attention when compared to other sides such as

Cranberry Sauce,

Green Beans Almondine,

Maple Mustard Glazed Green Beans,

Candied Sweet Potatoes,

Sweet Corn Casserole,

Ranch Mashed Potatoes

But, it is something without which you cannot have your Turkey or Potatoes.

Just a 15-minute basic recipe, that you drizzle over your turkey or potatoes and make it taste even better.

Jump to:

• Rich, Creamy, and Thick Turkey Gravy
• Ingredients
• Instructions - How to Make Turkey Gravy
• Is turkey gravy better with flour or cornstarch?
• How to store Turkey Gravy 
• Tips to make your turkey gravy even better
• Can I make turkey gravy without the drippings? 
• Also try these delicious Holiday sides
• Recipe
• Grandma's Turkey Gravy Recipe

Rich, Creamy, and Thick Turkey Gravy

Turkey gravy is the most underrated yet one the most important things in a Thanksgiving dinner. You cannot enjoy your roasted turkey without a good gravy to accompany it.

Even your roasted potatoes won't taste as good without being dipped in a thick and delicious turkey gravy.

But how to get a turkey gravy that's perfectly smooth and thick at the same time? And what should we add in it to get that great taste? It's by simply making this thick and creamy Turkey Gravy.

Ingredients

• Turkey Drippings - one of the most important ingredient for your Turkey Gravy. The fat from the turkey and the flavors that you get from Turkey drippings is simply irresistible.
• Chicken broth - Low Sodium chicken broth adds a layer of goodness to your Turkey Drippings.
• Cornstarch - I prefer cornstarch over flour to thicken the Turkey Gravy.
• Kosher Salt - I always use kosher salt to make the gravy.
• Freshly Ground Black Pepper - freshly ground black pepper adds a beautiful taste to this turkey gravy.

See recipe card for quantities.

Jump to Recipe

Instructions - How to Make Turkey Gravy

All you need to do is make a solid roux and you're good to go!

Just follow the steps we are giving you down below and you will never get turkey gravy wrong for any Thanksgiving or Christmas!

• Make Turkey Drippings - First you'll need to get turkey dripping for making your gravy. To do that simply place a large drip pan filled with a liquid of your choice (water/beer/wine/juice) underneath the turkey while it is getting roasted or being cooked. Make sure you place turkey on such a surface that the dripping can drop down into the pan. And that's it! You should be able to collect enough turkey dripping in just one go! 
• Make Roux - It's time to make roux now! Take a wide saucepan and put it on medium heat. Add your turkey drippings in it and cook until it deglazes. 
• Combine Chicken Broth - Combine chicken broth to this turkey drippings and cook until the fat starts to come over the surface. Skim all the large bits of the fat with the help of a flat spoon.
• Whisk Cornstarch - Now it's time to whisk in Cornstarch into this mixture. Keep whisking until you don't see any lumps in the gravy. If the gravy is turning out to be too thick then just add more chicken broth to balance it out. 
• Season Turkey Gravy - All that's left to do is seasoning of your turkey gravy. Add kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper to your taste preferences. Your turkey gravy is now ready to be served! 

Is turkey gravy better with flour or cornstarch?

I choose cornstarch over flour when making Turkey Gravy. This easy-to-make Turkey Gravy will come in handy for so many of your recipes. Whether you are making your Christmas Ham or Thanksgiving Turkey, this rich, thick, and creamy gravy will be something that probably no one will talk about, but, everyone will love it.

I love to drizzle it over my mashed potatoes, my green beans, my turkey, you name it!

Try this over some of my other favorite sides such as -

Creamy Mashed Sweet Potatoes,

Cheesy Green Beans,

Brown Sugar Maple Glazed Carrots,

Grandma's Sausage Herb Stuffing,

Mom's Turkey Stuffing Recipe,

Sweet Potato & Mushroom Thanksgiving Stuffing

This turkey gravy is seriously one of those sides that you need always on your hand.

How to store Turkey Gravy 

This turkey gravy will be so good that you probably won't have any leftover in the first place. But if by any chance you do end up with leftovers after your Thanksgiving dinner then don't worry!

You can just easily store away your turkey gravy for later use. Keep the following tips in mind and you can keep your leftover turkey gravy fresh for the longest time possible! 

• Choose an air-tight container to store your leftover turkey gravy. Alternatively you can also use a ziplock bag to securely keep your turkey gravy. Keep your container or the ziplock bag in the fridge. Your turkey gravy can be stored for upto 2-3 days. 
• Whenever you want to have your leftover turkey just take it out of the fridge and put it on the saucepan to reheat it.
• You can add a little chicken broth to it as the gravy might have gotten thick will it stayed in the fridge. Just let the gravy simmer for around ten to fifteen minutes and stir it occasionally to keep lumps from forming. And that's it! Your leftover gravy is now fresh as new and ready to be served! 

Tips to make your turkey gravy even better

• Just like Turkey is best eaten while it's still hot, you should always use hot turkey drippings. If they have become cold when you get started on making your gravy then simply reheat it back on stove. Just make sure your turkey drippings don't burn! 
• A good roux should be equal amount of fat and flour. So make sure you have enough turkey drippings to make your roux! 
• You can use cornstarch instead of all purpose flour to make your roux. Cornstarch will make your gravy extra thick but also extra sticky at the same time. 
• If you lean towards a smooth gravy instead of a more rustic one then strain your turkey drippings before adding them. This will remove the more chunky parts away from the final product. 
• Always serve your turkey gravy warm. If your turkey gravy has got cold then reheat it on low heat over stove until it starts simmering. 

Can I make turkey gravy without the drippings? 

If you are looking for a more healthy version for gravy then you totally have a option to forego the turkey drippings. Just replace it with turkey stock or broth for the flavour and go on ahead with your thickening agent of choice. Then just make the recipe as it is, no other changes needed!

Also try these delicious Holiday sides

• Crispy Fried Green Beans
• Crispy Carrot Fries in Air Fryer
• Air Fryer Sweet Potato Chips (just 3 ingredients)
• Best Cranberry Sauce Recipe
• Cauliflower au Gratin Recipe
• Creamed Spinach Recipe
• Spicy Hot Creamed Corn with Crispy Chicken
• Creamed Broccoli with Crispy Bacon
• Southern Creamed Corn
• Grandma's Sausage Herb Stuffing

Recipe