Food Recipes Best-Ever Turkey Gravy 5.0 (4) 3 Reviews How do you make the best possible gravy? Start with the best possible broth. By Kelsey Jane Youngman Kelsey Jane Youngman Kelsey Jane Youngman is a New York–based cook, baker, writer, and editor for Food & Wine with over 7 years of experience in food media. Kelsey has developed recipes, worked in culinary production, starred in cooking videos, and baked cookies for Cookie Monster.Expertise: recipe development, cooking, baking, food styling.Experience: Kelsey Jane Youngman has spent her life in kitchens, and began her professional training at the San Francisco Cooking School before moving to New York City to attend the Natural Gourmet Institute. She completed an externship in the Good Housekeeping test kitchen and cooked on the line at several city restaurants before joining Food & Wine's test kitchen editorial team. There, Kelsey has managed the kitchens, tested and developed recipes, written feature stories, worked as a culinary producer on multiple video series, and starred in her own series, "The Best Way," as well as several episodes of "F&W Cooks." Food & Wine's Editorial Guidelines Updated on July 20, 2023 Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Tested by Food & Wine Test Kitchen Recipes published by Food & Wine are rigorously tested by the culinary professionals at the Dotdash Meredith Food Studios in order to empower home cooks to enjoy being in the kitchen and preparing meals they will love. Our expert culinary team tests and retests each recipe using equipment and ingredients found in home kitchens to ensure that every recipe is delicious and works for cooks at home every single time. Meet the Food & Wine Test Kitchen Save Rate PRINT Share Close Photo: Victor Protasio Active Time: 1 hr 15 mins Cool Time: 2 hrs Total Time: 4 hrs 35 mins Yield: 16 servings Jump to recipe In our goal to create the best-ever turkey gravy recipe, we realized we had to start at the beginning. The base of any good gravy is a good broth, and here, you'll make it yourself: Adding roasted giblets and aromatics to a simple chicken stock with lean ground turkey makes an ultrarich turkey broth that lends this gravy a fullness of flavor. Frequently Asked Questions What is the best thickener for turkey gravy? While a thickening agent like cornstarch is a tempting shortcut, there's only one option when you want to make a really, really good gravy: roux. It's quite simple — equal parts fat (often butter or schmaltz) and flour, cooked together in a pan before adding them to a liquid. This process helps remove the floury taste, and cooking until it browns (i.e., a dark roux) can give the final product a deep, slightly nutty flavor. Making a roux also allows the starches in the flour to spread evenly in a liquid rather than lumping up. You'll loosen the roux with a hefty pour of stock before mixing it to keep the turkey gravy lump-free and silky-smooth. How do you separate the fat from turkey drippings for gravy? When making gravy, it's standard to skim the fat from the broth or drippings you're using before beginning your gravy; too much fat in the liquid can influence the look and texture and make the sauce unpleasantly greasy. You can put it to good use, though: One thing (of many) that makes this the best-ever turkey gravy recipe is that the base of the roux is some of that flavorful turkey fat. If you have the time to cool the broth, the fat will naturally rise to the top and solidify when chilled, making it easy to skim off the surface. You can also speed up this process by using a fat separator. Notes from the Food & Wine Test Kitchen This gravy is a great base for riffing on and getting creative with flavors. Some of our favorite gravy variations: Porcini gravy: In a stockpot, simmer 1/2 ounce (1/2 cup) dried porcini mushrooms and 4 cups turkey broth over low for 20 minutes. Strain the stock, finely chop the mushrooms, and reserve them. In this recipe, use porcini-infused broth in place of turkey broth and stir the finely chopped mushrooms into the gravy. Chipotle gravy: For a lightly spicy flavor, stir 1 minced seeded chipotle chile in adobo sauce into 2 cups of gravy. Pimentón gravy: For a smoky bite, stir 1 teaspoon smoked paprika into 2 cups of gravy. Make ahead Refrigerate prepared broth in an airtight container up to four days, or freeze up to one month. Cook Mode (Keep screen awake) Ingredients Rich turkey broth 4 medium carrots, peeled and cut into 3-inch pieces 4 celery stalks, cut into 3-inch pieces 2 small yellow onions, peeled and quartered 1 head garlic, halved crosswise 1 turkey neck 1 turkey liver 1 turkey heart 1 turkey gizzard 3 tablespoons vegetable oil 3/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper 3 cups unsalted chicken stock, divided 2 pounds lean ground turkey 3 cups water Best-ever turkey gravy 1/4 cup rendered turkey fat or unsalted butter 7 tablespoons all-purpose flour (about 2 ounces) 4 cups rich turkey broth, divided 1 tablespoon fresh thyme or sage, chopped 1 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon black pepper Directions Make your own rich turkey broth Preheat oven to 400°F. Toss together carrots, celery, onions, garlic, neck, liver, heart, gizzard, oil, salt, and pepper on a large rimmed baking sheet. Roast in preheated oven until well browned, about 1 hour, stirring once halfway through cooking. Transfer mixture to a large stockpot. Add 1/2 cup chicken stock to hot baking sheet, scraping up any browned bits with a wooden spoon; pour mixture into stockpot. Add ground turkey, 3 cups water, and remaining 2 1/2 cups stock to stockpot. Bring mixture to a simmer over high; reduce heat to medium, and cook, uncovered, skimming foam occasionally, 45 minutes. Using a slotted spoon, remove and discard as many large pieces as possible. Pour mixture through a fine wire-mesh strainer into a large heatproof bowl; discard solids. Return strained broth to stockpot. Bring to a boil over high; cook, undisturbed, until reduced to 4 cups, about 20 minutes. Remove from heat; let cool completely, about 2 hours. Cover and refrigerate until ready to use. Skim off rendered turkey fat from chilled broth before using; reserve for best-ever turkey gravy. Make the best-ever turkey gravy Melt turkey fat in a small skillet over medium. Add flour; cook, whisking constantly, until mixture turns golden brown, 5 to 6 minutes. Gradually add 3/4 cup turkey broth, whisking constantly, until smooth. Remove roux from heat; cover to keep warm. Bring remaining 3 1/4 cups broth to a boil in a large stockpot over high. Whisk roux into boiling stock until smooth. Reduce heat to medium-low; simmer, whisking often, until mixture thickens and no floury taste remains, 5 to 6 minutes. Stir in thyme, salt, and pepper. Originally appeared: November 2018 Rate It Print