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This classic turkey gravy is made using roasted turkey wings. You can make it ahead and freeze it up to 3 months before you plan to serve it, meaning no frantically whisking turkey drippings at the stove during the holidays when what you really want to do is sit down and eat.

a glass measuring cup filled with 2 cups of turkey gravy. in the background you can see a ramekin with mashed potatoes and gravy poured over the top.

This is a recipe for a thick, glossy, classic golden-brown poultry gravy. It's so good with slices of turkey and pretzel stuffing, mixed into my leftover Thanksgiving pierogi, and of course, poured over heaping scoops of creamy mashed potatoes.

You don't need any drippings from a whole roast turkey to make this gravy, but we are going to borrow some drippings from roasted turkey wings.

This make-ahead turkey gravy is another Thanksgiving shortcut I got from my mother-in-law. It's pretty simple; you basically make a reinforced stock using roasted turkey wings, then thicken it with flour and butter. It makes enough gravy for a Thanksgiving dinner where all the extended relatives are invited and show up with uninvited plus-ones. But that doesn't mean you can't use this gravy at a smaller Thanksgiving dinner; just divide it up and freeze whatever you don't need for later. Souper Cubes are great for this!

a hand pours gravy from a small white porcelain pitcher over a scoop of mashed potatoes in a ramekin. the gravy is pouring down the sides of the ramekin and collecting in the plate.

When you wait to make gravy from your turkey drippings after the bird has come out of the oven, it's almost time to eat. You're tired. You've been cooking for a while, and you're ready for a break. People are hungry. The last thing you want to be doing is trying to make a roux and whisk it into hot turkey drippings.

Besides, what happens if you didn't get as many drippings as you wanted? Or if you're having a smaller Thanksgiving and you aren't making a whole turkey? How are you supposed to make gravy then?

This make ahead turkey gravy doesn't need a whole turkey or a whole turkey's worth of drippings. Just some roasted turkey wings, which are much easier to find at the store year-round. That way you don't need to do anything at mealtime to have gravy on the table except heat it up and whisk it well. It's the perfect gift you can give your future self during the hectic holiday cooking season.

the ingredients for turkey gravy measured out. — See recipe card (at the end of the post) for ingredient quantities.

ROAST TURKEY WINGS PROVIDE FLAVOR & COLLAGEN

To make this turkey gravy without drippings from a whole roasted turkey, I start by roasting turkey wings in a large, high-sided roasting pan with two medium onions that I cut up into quarters. Once they're roasted, I put them in a stockpot with enough chicken stock to cover them to make a really flavorful reinforced poultry stock.

To make sure I don't lose any of the glorious flavor from the fond (the brown bits left in the pan) on the bottom of the roasting pan, I pour a splash of water into the pan and scrape up as much as I can. Then I add that liquid to the pot along with the wings.

a roasting pan with four turkey wings and quartered onions.

a hand using a wooden spoon to scrape the brown bits off the bottom of the roasting pan with water.

a stock pot filled with turkey wings, carrots, onions, tyme, and enough broth to almost cover them.

turkey wings on a small sheet pan and a collander filled with carrots, onions, and thyme to be discarded.

I bring the whole pot to a boil, then reduce it to simmer and let it go for a good long time. Some of the stock will boil away as it reduces and absorbs all the turkey and roasted veggie flavor.

When the stock is done, I strain everything out and discard the vegetable scraps. The turkey meat is quite tasty at this point; I like to shred it and use it to taste-test the gravy at the end. Once the broth is strained, I transfer it back to the pot on the stove.

Meanwhile, in a liquid measuring cup, I whisk the remaining chicken stock together with the flour until no lumps remain. Then, I whisk this mixture into the pot of broth, bring it to a vigorous boil, and continue whisking for 3-4 minutes as it thickens.

whisking flour into chicken broth in a measuring cup. — **Why does gravy need to boil?** When flour starches reach 140°F, they will begin to swell as they absorb water. But when you bring them to a boil (212°F) and hold them there for several minutes, the starch granules burst and thicken the gravy, a process called gelatinization.

whisking a big pot of gravy. — **Why does gravy need to boil?** When flour starches reach 140°F, they will begin to swell as they absorb water. But when you bring them to a boil (212°F) and hold them there for several minutes, the starch granules burst and thicken the gravy, a process called gelatinization.

Once the gravy has boiled and thickened, I stir in the butter and adjust the salt and pepper to taste. The butter adds richness, flavor, and shine while the salt and pepper enhance the flavor.

a ramekin with a heaping scoop of mashed potatoes sits on top of two plates. gravy has been poured over the top and is dripping down the sides pooling in the plate below.

Practical notes and tips

It helps to use two medium-large (6-8 qt) pots for this recipe. If one of your pots has a steamer basket insert, use that pot as the second pot. The first pot you'll use to make the reinforced stock. Then use the steamer basket or a colander in the second pot as a strainer to pour the broth into the second pot to reduce and thicken the gravy, removing all the herbs and veggies quickly and easily.
Save the turkey meat from the wings for taste testing. Turkey wings are big and sturdy enough that boiling them for an hour and a half results in perfectly cooked, tender turkey meat that still has plenty of flavor. Shred the turkey meat and dip in the gravy to adjust for seasoning in the final step. Anything that's left, well, I'd say "that's just gravy" but it's not — it's turkey. And it's very good in a sandwich.

📖 Recipe

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy (No Drippings!)

Servings cups

Author Rebecca Eisenberg

This classic turkey gravy can be made ahead and frozen up to 3 months before you plan to serve it, meaning no more frantically whisking turkey drippings on Thanksgiving day to make gravy when what you really want to do is sit down and eat.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 3

Total Time 3 30

Recipe Notes

Liquid expands when it freezes, so make sure you leave about half an inch of room between the gravy and the lid so it doesn't pop off in the freezer.
The best way to defrost turkey gravy is to stick it in the fridge a few days before you plan to serve it. Give it a good stir on the stove before serving. If you're in a rush, you can defrost it in the microwave in 60-90 second bursts, stirring in between.
If you only have one pot, strain the reinforced stock into a bowl, wipe out the pot, and pour the broth back into the same pot.
You may need slightly more or slightly less than 6 cups of chicken stock when you first submerge the roasted turkey wings. It's okay if some of the wing tips are sticking out of the water, you just want to get them mostly submerged.

Ingredients

3 lbs turkey wings (bone-in, skin on)
2 medium onions (peeled and quartered)
1 cup water
8 cups chicken stock (divided — save 2 cups for the end of the recipe!)
1 cup whole baby carrots
10 sprigs fresh thyme (or 2 teaspoon dried thyme)
¾ cup all-purpose flour
2 tablespoon butter
½ teaspoon pepper
1 teaspoon salt (+more to taste)

Instructions

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Preheat oven to 400°F.
Pat dry turkey wings and arrange in roasting dish with onion segments. Roast for about an hour or until well browned (you may need an additional 15-20 minutes).
Transfer wings and onion quarters to a large pot. Use 1 cup water in the bottom of the roasting pan to help scrape up any brown bits and add them to the pot as well.
Add carrots and thyme to the pot with the turkey wings and fill with 6 cups of the chicken stock. Use additional water if needed to ensure the turkey wings are mostly submerged (it's okay if a few tips are sticking out above the water).
Bring to a vigorous boil, then reduce to a simmer. Let simmer, uncovered, for 1½ hours.
Remove the wings and set aside — once they're cool enough to handle, shred the meat off to eat.
Strain the liquid into a smaller pot to remove the carrots and herbs, squeezing as much liquid out of them as possible. Those can be discarded. Return the pot of broth to the stove, skim any fat off the top, and bring back to a boil.
In a separate bowl or large measuring cup combine the remaining 2 cups chicken broth with the ¾ cups all purpose flour. Whisk well to combine and break up any lumps (you can sift the flour first to be really sure you won't get lumps, but you don't have to).
Whisk in the chicken broth and flour mixture into the turkey stock. Use a small wire strainer/skimmer/spider or spoon to remove any lumps of flour that float to the top. Bring to a boil and keep whisking for 3-4 minutes until quite thick.
Stir in butter, pepper, and salt. Dip shredded turkey meat into the gravy to taste and adjust salt and pepper as needed.

TIP: If you need to thicken the gravy even more, remove a portion of the gravy to a bowl (about 1 cup), and whisk 1-2 tablespoons of flour into that until no lumps remain. Then you can stir it into the gravy. That way you don't end up with lumpy gravy!

Make ahead turkey gravy will stay good in the fridge for 1 week, or in the freezer up to 3 months. When reheating from fridge or freezer make sure to whisk well before serving.

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This post was originally published on 11/9/2020.

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