Don't have enough drippings to make gravy for everyone? This turkey gravy without drippings is ready in 30 minutes and is enough for a crowd! It's easy, delicious and comes together in a few minutes. You don't need to wait for the turkey to be done to make a tasty gravy.
If you're looking for mouthwatering Thanksgiving recipes, you're in the right place. Some of our popular recipes are Persian spiced turkey and homemade stuffing with mushrooms. But no Thanksgiving dinner is complete without a load of homemade turkey gravy!
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About his recipe
There’s never enough gravy. We all love the turkey gravy we make from drippings but it is never enough for a big party. And if you're deep frying the turkey for Thanksgiving, there is literally no dripping to make gravy with. So, people turn to store bought gravy or gravy mixes.
The mixes might be good for an emergency gravy situation, but I'm here to show you how to make turkey gravy without a turkey. If you spend a few minutes and make this gravy a day or two before the feast, you’re not going to be stressed about having enough gravy on the actual Thanksgiving day, and that's a win in my book!
Ingredients
- Butter: Unsalted butter works best for this recipe since you can control the amount of salt.
- Flour: Regular all purpose flour works just fine. For gluten-free gravy simply use 1:1 gluten free flour.
- Spices: You need onion powder, garlic powder, dried thyme and salt.
- Turkey stock: You can use homemade or store-bought. If turkey broth is not available, simply use chicken stock.
Instructions
- Using a large sauce pan, melt the butter over medium heat.
- Once the butter is melted, add the flour, garlic and onion and stir well using a whisk.
- Stir in the thyme and add ¼ cup turkey stock to the sauce pan.
- Stir well so it forms a paste and then slowly add the rest of the stock to the base.
- Using a wooden spoon or a spatula, stir the gravy constantly until it thickens and comes to the consistency that you're looking for.
- Taste and add more salt and pepper if needed.
- Serve the turkey gravy immediately or store in a jar and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Serving suggestions
Gravy is a popular American recipe that is mostly served at Thanksgiving with roasted turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes. You can also pour gravy on any of these dishes:
This easy homemade turkey gravy gives so much flavor to other Thanksgiving dishes, everyone will come back for seconds!
Frequently asked questions
You can make this gravy recipe without drippings a couple of days in advance and simply heat it when you're ready to serve. I've found heating it in a small sauce pan over medium heat to work best.
Gravy freezes very well and can be made weeks ahead of time as well. Once the turkey gravy is ready, let it cool completely and then transfer it to a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. To serve, thaw it in the fridge overnight and then reheat it in a sauce pan over medium heat.
You sure can. All you need to do is to reduce the amount of turkey stock and use the drippings instead. So, if you have one cup of turkey drippings, use five cups turkey stock and one cup turkey drippings. Gravy made with drippings is so tasty!
Notes and tips
- This homemade turkey gravy recipe yields about 5 cups of gravy. You can easily cut the recipe in half if you're serving a smaller party.
- You can make this gravy up to 4 days ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat it.
- To reheat, I suggest using a saucepan on the stove top. If you’re using the microwave, make sure to stir it every 20 seconds so the gravy heats evenly.
- Cook the flour for longer if you like the gravy to be darker. Make sure not to burn the flour. The more flour is cooked, the nuttier it will smell and taste.
- Add the stock slowly to the flour mixture to avoid lumps. Add a little bit of stock fist and whisk to form a paste, and then add the stock slowly and stir constantly.
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Step-by-Step Recipe
Turkey Gravy Recipe without Drippings
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoon unsalted butter
- 6 tablespoon all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoon onion powder
- 1 teaspoon garlic powder
- 1 teaspoon dried thyme or 2 tablespoon fresh chopped thyme
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 6 cups Turkey stock or chicken stock
Instructions
- Place a pot on the stove over medium heat.
- Add the butter to the pot, stir until almost melted. Turn the heat to medium low.
- Add the flour and whisk well for about 5 minutes until it starts smelling nutty and changing colors.
- Add in the onion powder, garlic powder, thyme and salt. Stir to combine.
- Add ¼ cup of broth slowly to the mixture, stir well until it forms a paste. Then add the rest of the broth very slowly and stir constantly to avoid lumps.
- Once all the broth is mixed, turn the heat to medium and stir until the gravy starts simmering and has thickened to your liking, about 10 minutes.
- Serve immediately or store in a jar and refrigerate for up to 4 days.
Notes
- This homemade turkey gravy recipe yields about 5 cups of gravy. You can easily cut the recipe in half if you're serving a smaller party.
- You can make this gravy up to 4 days ahead of time and store it in an airtight container in the fridge until you’re ready to reheat it.
- To reheat, I suggest using a saucepan on the stove top. If you’re using the microwave, make sure to stir it every 20 seconds so the gravy heats evenly.
- Cook the flour for longer if you like the gravy to be darker. Make sure not to burn the flour. The more flour is cooked, the nuttier it will smell and taste.
- Add the stock slowly to the flour mixture to avoid lumps. Add a little bit of stock fist and whisk to form a paste, and then add the stock slowly and stir constantly.
- Gravy freezes very well and can be made weeks ahead of time as well. Once the turkey gravy is ready, let it cool completely and then transfer it to a freezer safe container. Freeze for up to 6 weeks. To serve, thaw it in the fridge overnight and then reheat it in a sauce pan over medium heat.
Livija Boerema
Just to note that 10Tbsp of butter is not one-and a half sticks (that would be 12 Tbsp). 10 Tbsp seems to be enough.
And if using dried thyme instedd of fresh, the recipe should say 2 tsp, not 2 Tbsp. Always use less herb if using dried.
I used 1 tsp dried thyme and 1 tsp dried sage - it was perfect.
Shadi HasanzadeNemati
Thank you Livija for sharing with us!
Liz
I used this recipe for Christmas and will be making a turkey again for Easter. Starting another batch this week to streamline my holiday prep!
Shiho
Sounds Great! I have never tried Turkey gravy before, I will give it a go this Easter. Thank you for the great recipe.