The Best Thanksgiving Gravy
November 17, 2025 • 0 comments
This easy gravy recipe makes a thick, rich, robust gravy that can be made with chicken or turkey pan drippings. You can also make it with butter for an equally delicious homemade gravy. Goes great with mash potatoes or turkey.
- Cook Time:
- Servings: About 2 cups
Ingredients
- (1/4 Cup) Skimmed Fat from Drippings
- (1/4 Cup) Flour
- (2 Cups) Broth
- Salt and Pepper to taste
Directions
The best broth is homemade! If you want killer gravy, click here and make this broth ahead of time.
- The key to making gravy from pan drippings is to add broth to the bottom of the roasting pan before cooking and again during cooking as needed. You just need the surface to be covered so that the drippings don’t burn as they hit the hot pan.
- Remove the bird and the roasting rack from the roasting pan. Scrape up any browned bits from the bottom, adding some broth to help losen the bits.
- Place a large bowl or liquid measuring cup on a towel. Place a strainer inside the bowl or cup. Carefully pour the liquid from pan through the strainer and into the cup. Discard contents of strainer.
- Allow the fat to rise to the surface in the measuring cup. Carefully skim off the fat and place into a separate measuring cup. I use a small ladle to skim the fat from the surface. You'll need a ¼ cup of fat. If you don’t get enough fat from your pan drippings, make up the difference with melted butter.
- If there is more than a ¼ cup of fat from the drippings, continue skimming the rest of the fat from the broth. The broth will be your liquid in the gravy and we don’t want to add extra fat. You want to end up with about 2 cups of broth. If you don’t have enough, make up the difference with more chicken or turkey broth.
- In a medium sauce pot, add the ¼ cup reserved fat and the ¼ cup flour. Using a whisk or a electric stir stick (like a frothing stick), whisk together the fat and flour, cooking over medium heat. This is called making a roux. This roux will be the thickener for the gravy.
- Cook the roux until it has browned and boiled for at least 1 minute. Once it is a nice golden brown, slowly add broth about a ½ cup at a time while continuously whisking.
- While whisking, pour in the rest of the broth. It will be loose. Don’t be stressed!
- Allow the gravy to simmer on low until the desired consistency is reached. Don’t forget that it will continue to thicken as it cools. Taste and season with kosher salt and black pepper.
- Use immediately or you will need to reheat and then add more broth.
