MAKE AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY is an absolute must for an easy and stress free Thanksgiving! YES It’s possible to make Turkey Gravy without drippings and YES you can make it ahead of the big day. Once we learned How to Make Turkey Gravy we have never gone back to store-bought. This Make Ahead Easy Gravy Recipe is genius.
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Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
This Make Ahead Gravy Recipe is the ultimate Thanksgiving side. You’ll want to slather this all over the turkey, potatoes, and possibly everything else too.
This homemade turkey gravy is so easy to make. You don’t need turkey drippings, and you can prepare it ahead of the holiday (which always makes cooking easier). This delicious brown gravy is a must for Thanksgiving or Christmas.
Why You’ll Love This Easy Turkey Gravy Recipe
- Make Ahead recipe: You can make this gravy ahead of time, so that it’s ready and waiting on Thanksgiving.
- No Drippings: You don’t need turkey drippings for this recipe!
- Freezer-Friendly Gravy: Don’t worry, you can freeze this gravy if you want to make it WAY ahead of time.
This Make Ahead Turkey Gravy is my go to easy gravy recipe for mashed potatoes, turkey, and everything else on Thanksgiving!
Easy Thanksgiving Recipes
I’m all about making holiday cooking EASY. So along with this homemade turkey gravy, try these simple Thanksgiving recipes too.
- Instant Pot Turkey Breast
- Make Ahead Mashed Potatoes
- Oatmeal Rolls
- Homemade Cranberry Sauce
- Classic Turkey Stuffing
- Homemade Pumpkin Pie
We have lots of favorite holiday recipes, but these make a nice menu for a simple feast!
Easy Gravy Recipe
Make Ahead Turkey Gravy is the perfect easy recipe for the holidays. Thanksgiving isn’t complete without the perfect easy gravy recipe to serve with turkey and mashed potatoes.
I’m not the girl who wants to be in the kitchen all dang day while friends and family hang out for Thanksgiving. I’m just not. Never have been, never will be. So easy recipes like this Make Ahead Turkey Gravy Recipe is just the ticket for me. I can still prepare an awesome meal and feed the ones I love, but I don’t have to miss all the festivities. The more you can have done ahead of time the better!
This make ahead gravy still has all the flavor, so you won’t be sacrificing any home cooking flavor if you make it. It’s so tasty and hearty!
How to Make Turkey Gravy without drippings
You can check the recipe card below to get the full set of instructions for this make ahead gravy. But here’s a quick overview of how to make this easy gravy recipe.
- Cook turkey pieces on the stove with vegetables, then add in sherry and herbs and continue cooking.
- Pour chicken or turkey broth through a strainer into a large bowl, and shred turkey meat from the bones.
- Make the roux by melting butter in a pan and whisking in flour.
- While the roux is cooking, pour the broth into a saucepan, add in the turkey, and bring to a simmer.
- Add 2 cups of broth into the roux, whisking vigorously until smooth. Then whisk the mixture into the saucepan of broth and turkey.
- Let the turkey gravy simmer for 30 minutes until it thickens, stirring occasionally.
You can make this easy gravy recipe up to 2 days ahead of time for your Thanksgiving meal.
How long does homemade gravy keep in the refrigerator?
Homemade gravy will only keep about 2-4 days in the fridge. Bring it back to life by boiling right before serving.
Can you freeze gravy?
Yes, you can freeze this make ahead turkey gravy! If you want to make it more than a couple days before the holiday, it will keep in the freezer up to 4 months.
Gravy is best if only reheated once. So I recommend freezing it in smaller portions, or the amount you think you’ll need. For a holiday like Thanksgiving, you might want to keep a large portion ready that can serve all your guests. Otherwise, try freezing small amounts in separate containers. You can even use large ice trays to make portion-sized cubes of gravy.
What other Thanksgiving recipes can I make ahead of time?
You’ve got the make ahead gravy, here are some more recipes you can make ahead of the big holiday feast.
Best Turkey Recipes
You’ve got the best turkey gravy recipe, now you need the best turkey recipes to serve.
- Instant Pot Garlic Herb Turkey Breast
- Air Fryer Turkey Breast
- Smoked Turkey Breast
- Classic Roast Turkey Recipe
- Crockpot Turkey Breast
- Garlic Butter Roast Turkey
- Bacon Wrapped Turkey Breast
Thanksgiving Side Dishes
Add these other sides to the Thanksgiving table, along with the turkey, gravy, and potatoes.
Make Ahead Gravy
Ingredients
- Kosher salt
- Freshly ground black pepper
- 4 tablespoons canola or vegetable oil
- 1-2 pounds bone-in turkey pieces a mix of neck, leg, wing pieces
- 2-3 stalks carrots peeled
- 2-3 celery ribs with leaves
- 1 medium yellow onion outer skin removed, quartered
- ¼ cup dry sherry or dry white wine optional
- 8 cups homemade turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth
- 5 sprigs fresh thyme
- 8 parsley stems with leaves
- 2 dried bay leaves
- 1 stick 8 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
Instructions
- Sprinkle the turkey pieces with salt & pepper. In a large Dutch oven or large saucepan, heat oil over MED-HIGH heat. Brown the turkey pieces 3-5 minutes on each side then add the carrots, celery and onion. Cook another 5 minutes, turning once, until vegetables have begun to caramelize and have some golden brown color. Turn heat to LOW, cover and cook for 15-20 minutes. Stir every 5 minutes.
- Scrape the pan, while slowly adding the sherry or wine, to deglaze the pan. Continue scraping the pan and add the chicken broth, stir continuously.
- Add herbs, turn heat to HIGH and bring broth to a boil. Reduce the heat to LOW and simmer, uncovered, for 30 minutes. Skim excess foam off the surface as needed.
- Pour broth through a fine-mesh strainer over a large heat-resistant bowl. Shred the turkey meat from the bones, and (if desired) reserve ¼-½ the meat for the gravy. Freeze the remaining meat, in a freezer bag, for later use. Pour the broth back into the large saucepan, and bring it to a low boil.
- To make the roux, melt butter in a medium saucepan over MED-LOW heat and whisk in flour. Cook, stirring continuously, until the flour mixture is fragrant and nutty brown, 10-15 minutes.
- While whisking vigorously, slowly add 2 cups of the hot broth to the roux (flour/butter mixture). Whisk until the mixture is smooth and there are no lumps. Whisk the roux mixture into the simmering broth in the large saucepan.
- If making gravy with the reserved turkey meat, add it to the gravy now.
- Season the gravy to taste, and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low, stirring often, and keep at a simmer until gravy has thickened or about 20-30 minutes.
- Cover and set aside to cool to room temperature. You now have turkey gravy. Cover & refrigerate or freeze until ready to use.
- Enjoy!
Last step! Don’t forget to show me a pic of what you made! Upload an image or tag me @thecookierookie on Instagram!
Nutrition Information
I roasted turkey breasts for Christmas dinner and didn’t think I would have drippings for enought gravy. I made this up to the step of making roux, a few days ahead using turkey wings. On Christmas, I made my roux in a large saucepan and started stirring in the saved broth. It turned out perfect! We had more than enough gravy and it was up there with the best gravy I’ve ever had (sorry, Grandma!).
Thanks for sharing!
I have a question about reheating the gravy. I know when I make gravy, then put it in the frig for a later day, it is always very very thick. I am having my first friends giving, and HAVE to make my gravy ahead of time. I plan on re-heating in the crockpot, will it thin out as it cooks? If so, this is a winner! Please let me know. Thanks
It should!
Hi how much gravy will it yield? Can I just double or triple? How will that impact cook time?
Stupid autocorrect. Not chucking, chicken. Obviously. ????
Q: We usually purchase a Greenberg turkey and I’d rather not have a smoky flavor dressing. Could I use a rotisserie chucking or something instead of turkey pieces? So excited to try your delicious looking recipe!
You can always try substitutions! Let me know how it turns out!
What do I do with the remaining two cups of stock?
I’m rewriting the recipe now to make it simpler. Should have it up in a few minutes.
What do I do with the remaining 2 cups of broth?
Hi Becky. I’m making your gravy recipe. I’m a bit unclear about the two cups reserved broth out of total 8 cups. After boiling and straining the boiled broth, do I add the unused 2 cups to this broth? Or boil it in a separate saucepan to be added to the roux? Wondering how to make the gravy smooth with turkey added to it. Sorry I’ve not made gravy before and it would help if you clarified that.
Becky I just wanted to touch base and let you know that we all enjoyed the gravy so much. I was able to freeze the gravy and use it at for another time. I loved the flavor and making it ahead was such a great relief that I was able to just reheat it without having to start to make it right after I made the turkey. I made your Crock-Pot potatoes recipe too. It was So nice to have another time saver recipe. Both recipes were terrific. The best part was no matter what time I emailed my questionS to BECKY SHE took time to RESPOND BACK and she responded fast.
You are so sweet Shari! I’m SO glad these worked out and that you enjoyed them! Makes my day to hear that. I’ve enjoyed chatting!!! Have a wonderful Christmas <3
I’m sorry to keep bothering you. I’m making the stock. I was curious to know if ANy of the veggies had to be cut in smaller sizes besides the onions?
Thank you
No they don’t need to be :)