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Turkey Gravy · From Pan Drippings

Turkey Gravy from Pan Drippings

Silky gravy built on the browned bits and juices in the turkey pan, thickened with a quick roux. No drippings? The same steps work with butter and broth, so you can make it days ahead.

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Prep
5 min
Cook
20 min
Total
30 min
Serves
12 · About 4 cups
Level
Easy

Ingredients

Gravy

  • 4 cups chicken or turkey broth, warmed, low-sodium is best; the turkey pan juices replace some of it
  • ⅓ cup unsalted butter, or fat skimmed from the turkey pan drippings
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp fresh thyme leaves, or 1/2 tsp dried
  • ¼ tsp black pepper
  • kosher salt, to taste

Steps

  1. Once the turkey is out of the oven, pour everything from the roasting pan into a fat separator or a large heatproof measuring cup and let it settle until the fat floats on top.
  2. No drippings, or making it ahead? Skip the next two steps: the butter is your fat and 4 cups of broth is your liquid. Everything after that is the same.
  3. Spoon the clear fat off the top. Use up to 1/3 cup of it in place of the butter (make up any shortfall with butter) and save the dark juices underneath.
  4. Set the empty roasting pan across two burners over medium heat, pour in 1 cup of the broth and scrape up the browned bits with a wooden spoon until they dissolve. Pour this into the saved juices.
  5. Add enough of the remaining broth to the juices to make 4 cups of liquid in all.
  6. Melt the fat or butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat.
  7. Whisk in the flour to make a roux and keep whisking until it smells toasty and turns light golden brown.
  8. Pour in the warm liquid about 1 cup at a time, whisking hard after each pour so no lumps form.
  9. Add the thyme, bring the gravy to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer, whisking often, until it coats the back of a spoon.
  10. Stir in the pepper, then taste and add salt a pinch at a time. Drippings can be salty, so always taste first.
  11. Thin with a splash of broth if it gets too thick, or simmer a few minutes more if it's thin. For extra-smooth gravy, pour it through a fine-mesh strainer. Serve hot.

Tip: No fat separator? Set the cup of drippings in the freezer for about 10 minutes; the fat firms up and is easy to lift off.

Tip: For darker, nuttier gravy, cook the roux a few minutes longer, until it's the color of peanut butter.

Tip: Lumpy gravy can be saved: whisk hard, or strain it, or blend it for a few seconds with an immersion blender.

Storage: Refrigerate within 2 hours, up to 3 days; freeze up to 3 months. Bring leftover gravy to a full boil before serving.

Make ahead: Make the no-drippings version up to 3 days ahead and refrigerate. On the day, rewarm it in a saucepan over medium-low heat, whisking, and stir in any juices from the turkey pan.

Estimated nutrition per serving: 60 calories · protein <1 g · carbohydrates 3 g · fiber 0 g · sugars 0 g · fat 5 g (saturated 3 g) · sodium 310 mg. Estimate from USDA FoodData Central; not medical or dietary advice. Based on 5 of 5 ingredients.