Servings
Font
Back
4.9 from 111 votes

Best Make Ahead Gravy for Turkey

This Make Ahead Turkey Gravy is so easy and saves tons of time and stress on Thanksgiving Day! No more running around while the turkey gets cold, trying to skim fat and whisk out lumps while everyone stares at you because you misjudged your time and they are starving. (Oh, is this just me??) 

Prep Time
15 mins
Cook Time
3 hrs
Total Time
3 hrs 15 mins
Servings: 12 Servings
Calories: 175 kcal
Course: Side Dish
Cuisine: American

Ingredients

  • 4 turkey wings or other parts 4 to 5 pounds total
  • 2 medium onions roughly chopped
  • 1 cup water
  • 6 cups chicken broth *
  • 1-2 carrots chopped
  • ½ teaspoon thyme dried
  • 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
  • 2 cups chicken broth *
  • 2 tablespoons butter
  • 1/2 teaspoon ground pepper more to taste
  • 1/2 to 1 teaspoon salt

Instructions

    Cup of Yum
  1. Preheat your oven to 400 degrees F. Lightly grease a large baking sheet. (I used foil in the photo above out of habit, but there is no need.)
  2. Place wings and other turkey parts on the pan. Scatter the onions over the pan.
  3. Roast at 400 for 1 hour, up to an hour and 15 minutes. Make sure the parts are browned on top.
  4. Remove the turkey parts to a large stock pot.
  5. Place the baking sheet over two burners on your stove and turn both of them up to medium. Add 1 cup water and use a wooden spoon to stir up all the browned bits. When the bottom of the pan is clean, scrape the water into the pot with the turkey.
  6. Add 6 cups chicken broth (or 6 cups water and 6 teaspoons turkey base.) Add the chopped carrots and the thyme.
  7. Simmer uncovered for about 1 and 1/2 hours.
  8. Remove the turkey parts and set aside. (You can pull off the meat and save it for something else, but I found that it was pretty tough.)
  9. Pour the remaining onion and carrot mixture through a colander into a bowl. (You can discard the veggies or snack on them).
  10. At this point I stuck the bowl in the freezer for about 20 minutes so that it was easy to skim the fat from the top.
  11. Pour the broth back into the pot. Bring to a gentle boil.
  12. Whisk together the flour and 2 cups broth, making sure to get out all the lumps.
  13. Slowly whisk the flour mixture into the broth. Boil for 5 minutes, stirring. Stir in butter, pepper, and salt.
  14. Taste it and see what you think. You can add more salt, pepper, thyme, or up to 1 teaspoon of turkey base.
  15. Let cool and freeze in ziplock bags. Let the gravy thaw in the fridge overnight, or just stick it in the microwave.
  16. If you are making a turkey on the day you plan to serve this gravy, add the fat-skimmed pan drippings to the gravy!

Notes

  • You can see in the photos that my roasting pan is lined with aluminum foil, but you don't need to worry about doing that since you want to scrape the browned bits anyway. I just did it out of habit. I used heavy duty foil and it worked out okay.
  • *Instead of chicken broth, I used Turkey Base from Better Than Bouillon. 1 teaspoon + 1 cup water = 1 cup broth. It has a really rich flavor and is perfect for making a very turkey-tasting gravy.

Nutrition Information

Serving 0.3cup Calories 175kcal (9%) Carbohydrates 9g (3%) Protein 13g (26%) Fat 9g (14%) Saturated Fat 3g (15%) Polyunsaturated Fat 2g Monounsaturated Fat 3g Trans Fat 1g Cholesterol 45mg (15%) Potassium 316mg (9%) Fiber 1g (4%) Sugar 1g (2%) Vitamin A 922IU (18%) Vitamin C 13mg (14%) Calcium 26mg (3%) Iron 1mg (6%)

Nutrition Facts

Serving: 12Servings

Amount Per Serving

Calories 175

% Daily Value*

Serving 0.3cup
Calories 175kcal 9%
Carbohydrates 9g 3%
Protein 13g 26%
Fat 9g 14%
Saturated Fat 3g 15%
Polyunsaturated Fat 2g 12%
Monounsaturated Fat 3g 15%
Trans Fat 1g 50%
Cholesterol 45mg 15%
Potassium 316mg 7%
Fiber 1g 4%
Sugar 1g 2%
Vitamin A 922IU 18%
Vitamin C 13mg 14%
Calcium 26mg 3%
Iron 1mg 6%

* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2,000 calorie diet.