How to Make Gravy from Scratch {Turkey Giblet Gravy}

This truly is the BEST giblet turkey gravy, that you can make-ahead! Silky, rich, and oozing with amazing turkey flavor! This ain’t no boxed gravy my friends and much easier than you think!

This has been my go-to turkey gravy recipe for years. I love it because you can make it ahead, it comes together at the last-minute for amazing gravy, bursting with flavor and depth!

Browsing for more delicious holiday dinner recipes? Try these: Instant Pot Turkey Breast, Funeral Potatoes, Best Thanksgiving Stuffing, and Cheesy Asparagus Bake.

If you are really pressed for time, you can actually finish it ahead of time, cool completely, freeze, and then re-heat when ready to serve, if needed thinning with a little extra chicken or turkey stock. you may have to thin with a little chicken stock or turkey drippings).

PRO TIP | If you bought a frozen turkey and are in the process of thawing it, it’ll provide you a chance to remove the giblets and see whether your turkey is fully thawed!

How to prepare giblets for gravy

• Retrieve giblets; (yes, you have to get your hands dirty) place turkey in a sink on a plate and cut the package open. The neck is typically in the larger cavity while they usually put the sack of giblets in the other end.
• After removing giblets, rinse the turkey with cold water, pat dry using paper towels, dry it well, cover it in plastic wrap, place on a plate (or you’ll have turkey juice all over your fridge) and return to fridge until ready to prepare.
• Try my super easy, amazingly tender turkey recipe or this Instant Pot Turkey Breast.
• Rough chop giblets, you can leave the neck whole

Ingredients for turkey gravy without drippings

As always, these are the primary ingredients, measurements and full instructions are in the printable recipe card at the end of the post.

Turkey Stock Ingredients

• Turkey Giblets | You cannot very well make giblet gravy without the giblets! What are giblets you ask? When you purchase a fresh or frozen turkey, unless it is marked without giblets, tucked in one cavity or another, will be a bag filled with the giblets; the heart, kidneys, liver of the turkey — this is what gives this gravy the best flavor!
• Veggies | All of the best stocks begin with veggies, we’ll use the classics here; celery, carrots, onion and garlic
• Chicken Broth or Stock | Unless you can find turkey stock (which Trader Joe’s often carries during the holidays) chicken stock or broth will be just fine!
• Marsala Wine | This is the flavor kicker! But, use Sherry or even Apple juice, if you can’t find Marsala
• Herbs | Every good turkey gravy has delicious herbs, I used bay leaves, fresh rosemary and fresh sage.

Turkey Gravy Ingredients

• Butter | For this recipe, use real butter, no blends, it adds creaminess and smoothness — we don’t count calories on holidays and birthdays!
• All-Purpose Flour | You can easily swap out a good Gluten-Free All Purpose flour if trying to make Gluten-Free Turkey Gravy, I do it all the time!
• Apple Cider Vinegar | Apple cider vinegar works best, but you can certainly use regular vinegar or a wine vinegar if you can’t get ACV!

How to Make Gravy from Scratch

Step One | Make Turkey Stock

• Chop onions, celery and carrots, a rough chop is fine for all.
• I ran out of regular carrots to chop, but had some fresh shredded carrots so just decided to use a generous handful of those! It’s ok to improvise!
• Heat olive oil in a large pan, nice and hot, over medium-high heat and toss in your giblets and your veggies; stand back it’ll spit and spurt at you!

• Allow to brown for a minute, then turn the giblet pieces and give your veggies a stir.

• Once they are nice and browned and you have some browned bits sticking to the bottom of the pan, increase the heat slightly and pour in your marsala, (or sherry, I’ve used both), deglazing the pan.
• Prefer not to use alcohol? Use apple juice, chicken or turkey stock instead.

• Pour in chicken stock, stir well. Add pepper and bay leaves.
• As well as your sprigs of rosemary and sage.

• Give it all a good stir and bring to a simmer.
• Cover and simmer for an hour.
• If you are putting it together right away, strain after you’ve simmered for an hour. If you are making the gravy a day or two ahead of time, then let it sit as is overnight in the refrigerator.

Step Two | Straining the Homemade Turkey Stock

Strain through a mesh colander into a large bowl or another pot, let sit for a few minutes to allow all of those yummy juices to drip out.

DOGGIE THANKSGIVING | If you have a dog, give them the veggies and the giblets (not the neck) they can choke on the bones.

Toss the rest away and keep that homemade turkey stock, will probably measure about 3 cups, you’ll need about 4 cups, you should get another cup from the turkey drippings which you’ll add later. However; the turkey drippings are not necessary to make this gravy!

If you are making the gravy before you cook the turkey, just add chicken or turkey stock to yield 4 cups. Set aside.

PRO TIP | If you have time, refrigerate, until fat layer is solid, then using a spoon or spatula skim off the fat.

How to Make Turkey Gravy without Drippings

• Melt the butter in a large pot or saucepan over medium-high heat
• Add all-purpose flour (or sub Gluten Free All Purpose) to make a roux.

• Whisk for 1-2 minutes until slightly browned, this gets rid of the flour pasty flavor, an important step.

• Slowly pour in reserved stock whisking while you pour, which is hard to do when you are trying to take a picture with one hand and pour with the other.

• Bring gravy to boil; whisking and cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook 10 minutes.
• Stir in vinegar and adjust seasonings with sea salt and pepper.

WHY VINEGAR? | I receive a lot of questions about adding vinegar. The gravy will still taste delicious without it, believe it or not a touch of vinegar brightens the flavors of sauces and gravies. Just a touch, you don’t want to taste the vinegar. Apple Cider Vinegar may be replaced with a red or white wine vinegar, regular vinegar (start out with a little less) or even balsamic vinegar.

CAN I MAKE GIBLET GRAVY AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes! Allow to cool completely, then store in fridge until ready to use, may even be frozen up to 3 months.

When ready to serve, return to pot on stove, warming over low heat, thinning with chicken or turkey stock if too thick.

Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper if needed. Drippings from the roasted turkey are perfect to add in to continue to bring added flavor!

What can I serve with Giblet Gravy

• Roasted Tender Turkey
• Maple Apple Stuffing
• Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes or Instant Pot Mashed Potatoes
• Tarragon Carrots, Balsamic Honey Brussels Sprouts, Cheesy Asparagus Bake
• Corn Casserole a popular and to-die for recipe!

Like this recipe?
Don’t forget to give it a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️star rating in the recipe below!

Continue to Content

Yield: 4 cups

The Best Turkey Gravy

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour 30 minutes

Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes

This recipe for silky, smooth, oozing with amazing turkey flavor gravy is the last one you will ever need! Make ahead and save time on your busy holiday, while you wow your guests with this gravy.

Print

Ingredients

Turkey Giblet Stock

• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• 2 celery ribs, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 1 carrot, chopped
• 3 gloves of garlic, smashed
• Reserved giblets, turkey neck, chopped
• ½ cup dry Marsala wine, Sherry or apple juice
• 6 cups chicken broth or stock
• 1 teaspoon black pepper
• 2 dry bay leaves
• 2 sprigs fresh rosemary
• 2 sprigs fresh sage

Gravy

• 1 stick butter
• ½ cup all purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons apple cider vinegar
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

For the Turkey Stock

1. Heat the olive oil in a large pan over medium-high heat. Add celery, onion, garlic, carrot, neck and giblets; cook until well browned about 10 minutes.
2. Deglaze the pan with Marsala, Sherry or apple juice, scraping up the brown bits on the bottom, reduce until nearly evaporated.
3. Stir in the broth, pepper, bay leaves, rosemary and sage sprigs. Reduce heat to low; simmer for 1 hour, covered.
4. If making ahead, allow to cool completely, store in refrigerator until ready to use.
5. Once ready to finish the gravy, strain out the veggies and giblets using a fine mesh strainer, be sure to place a pot or bowl under your strainer.
6. Discard veggies and giblets, reserve stock, should be about 3-4 cups, you'll want a total of about 4 cups, if necessary use drippings from turkey to attain 4 cups, or chicken or turkey stock.

For the gravy

1. Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in flour; cooking 1-2 minutes. Works great with Gluten Free AP flour too.
2. Whisk in reserved 4 cups turkey broth slowly, whisking until thick and smooth. Bring mixture to boil; cook 2 minutes. Reduce heat to low and cook for 10 minutes.
3. Whisk in vinegar and adjust seasonings with salt and pepper.
4. Pour into gravy boat or bowl with ladle, serve immediately. If too thick, heat and add additional stock to thin to desired consistency.
5. Try this gravy over my Creamy Garlic Mashed Potatoes, Tender Turkey and Stuffing!

Notes

Easily convert this to Gluten Free by making with cornstarch or preferred AP Gluten Free Flour.

I receive a lot of questions about the vinegar, while the gravy will still taste delicious without it, believe it or not a touch of vinegar brightens the flavors of many sauces and gravies. Just a touch, you don't want to taste the vinegar. Apple Cider Vinegar may be replaced with a red or white wine vinegar, regular vinegar (start out with a little less) or even balsamic vinegar.

Recommended Products

As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.

• 
  KooK Gravy Boat and Tray, Ceramic Make, 17oz, White
• 
  Eddington 50002 Italian Olive Wood Cooking Spoon, 
• 
  Pampered Chef Small Batter Bowl - 32 ounces
• 
  EXTRA LARGE Organic Bamboo Cutting Board 18 x 12
• 
  Wusthof Santoku knife 5 inch; Black
• 
  Lodge EC11S33 Enameled Cast Iron Skillet, 11-inch, Caribbean Blue

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

32 ounces

Serving Size:

2 ounces
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 66Total Fat: 4gSaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 2gCholesterol: 28mgSodium: 255mgCarbohydrates: 4gFiber: 0gSugar: 1gProtein: 3g

The nutritional information is estimated and may not be entirely accurate, at times it pulls information for suggestions and options which may increase calories, etc.

Did you make this recipe?

Go ahead, MAKE MY DAY! PIN on Pinterest and Comment on the blog!

Be part of the Recipe Club!
FRESH FRIDAYS

Join Today! No SPAM ever, just great recipes!

You have Successfully Subscribed!

By clicking below to submit this form, you acknowledge that the information you provide will be processed in accordance with our Privacy Policy.