Guess what, turkey gravy doesn’t have to be stressful! Especially at the holidays when you have 1000 other things to do. There is no need to wait and see if you might have enough drippings from your roast turkey to make gravy!!! This Turkey Gravy recipe is out-of-this-world delicious with layers and layers of flavor. Best part?? No dripping are required to make amazing Turkey Gravy for your feast.
You can make this one while the turkey is roasting… heck, you can even make it two days in advance!
Stress. Free. Gravy.
Set this gravy on your Thanksgiving table and let your guests pour it all over their stuffing, mashed potatoes, and roast turkey.
Layers of Flavor
There is NO skimping on flavor here! In fact, this gravy is going to have WAY more flavor than just using drippings, flour, and broth.
- Onions are caramelized in plenty of butter to start the recipe.
- Fresh herbs are added for flavor layer #2.
- Better Than Bouillon Turkey Base is the perfect secret ingredient here, it punches up the flavor with no effort.
- Use a high quality turkey broth for maximum flavor.
Flat Whisk
We love this flat whisk to make sauces and gravy. The whole balloon lays flat in the pan, ensuring a totally silky gravy!
How To Make Turkey Gravy, No Drippings
This is a quick picture overview of how to make turkey gravy without the turkey drippings. For more detailed instructions and ingredient measurements, pop down to the recipe card.
Step 1
Melt the butter in a large skillet and sauté the onions until they start to brown around the edges.
Step 2
Add the cracked garlic and herbs. Sauté another 10 minutes.
Step 3
Stir in the turkey base and then sprinkle in the flour.
Step 4
Stir around the pan for 1 minute to cook the flour.
Step 5
Pour in the turkey stock and whisk really well, all the way to the edges of the pan. Let the gravy thicken while it simmers.
Step 6
Pour the gravy through a fine mesh sieve over a bowl. Remove the solids and discard.
Step 7
Serve the gravy hot! Pour over roasted turkey, mashed potatoes and stuffing.
Making Ahead & Reheating
You can make this turkey gravy a day or two ahead of your Thanksgiving feast…. again, no waiting on those dang drippings.
To make ahead, simply prep the Turkey Gravy completely and then let it cool. Place it in an airtight container in the fridge. The gravy will congeal in the fridge, that is ok.
To reheat place in a sauce pan over low heat. Stir it often until it is liquified and warmed through. Optionally whisk in a little additional turkey stock, water, chicken stock or milk/cream to reconstitute. Taste for seasonings and then serve hot!
Turkey Gravy Troubleshooting
You and I both want your gravy to be PERFECT, and this recipe is pretty spot on… but we know things happen in the kitchen, so here are some troubleshooting tips for perfecting the texture and flavor of your turkey gravy:
- Gravy got too thick?? Whisk in some additional turkey stock, chicken stock, milk, or even water. Then re-taste for additional seasonings needed.
- Gravy didn’t thicken enough?? Keep simmering over low heat, stirring often. This will evaporate some of the liquid content and help it thicken. If that doesn’t work or you are out of time you can make a slurry of 1 tablespoon cool water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch, pour it into SIMMERING gravy, it should thicken pretty quickly. Repeat this as needed.
- The Turkey Gravy is too salty?? No problem, you just need to dilute it slightly. In this case I might recommend adding water or a low sodium broth if you have it. Milk content can also help diminish salt content, consider adding milk or half & half. Then re-taste for additional seasoning needed (poultry seasoning or dry sage will add back flavor, without adding saltiness).
- I want a little more flavor in my Turkey Gravy?? Whisk in some poultry seasoning, dried sage, and black pepper. Taste again and add more as desired.
- My Gravy got lumpy?? No problem! First run the gravy through the fine mesh sieve. If that didn’t do the trick whisk the heck out of the gravy. If that still didn’t do it, run the gravy in a blender just a couple pulses until it is smooth.
A Full Thanksgiving Menu
Make an unforgettable Thanksgiving meal that everyone will rave about for years to come. This article includes a full menu, with printable recipes.
Recipe Tips to Remember
- Use salted butter to start your gravy.
- Make sure the onions caramelize a little on the edges before moving on with the recipe.
- Use fresh herbs for the best flavor.
- Don’t skip the turkey base, it adds a lot to this gravy.
- Use a turkey STOCK, not broth, for the most flavor.
- Make sure you whisk all the way to the edges of the pan, that flour mixture can tend to get stuck in the corners of your skillet.
- Don’t forget to put a bowl under the sieve to strain the solids (I have heard of people accidentally straining the gravy into the sink 🥲)
More Gravy Recipes
We take our gravy very seriously here at Mom’s Dinner. You can make any one of these with the confidence it will turn out over-the-top flavorful!
Turkey Gravy Recipe without Drippings + Video
Ingredients
- 8 tablespoon Salted Butter
- 1 large yellow onion - sliced
- 3 cloves garlic - smashed
- 2 sprigs fresh rosemary - leave whole, don't chop
- 2 sprigs thyme - leave whole, don't chop
- 1 stem fresh sage - leave whole, don't chop
- 2 teaspoon turkey base - Better Than Bouillon is great
- ⅓ cup (heaping) all purpose flour
- 3 ½ cups turkey stock
- kosher salt and pepper - to taste
Instructions
- In a large skillet over medium-low heat melt the butter, I use a stainless steel skillet.8 tablespoon Salted Butter
- Once the butter melts add the onions and simmer, stirring occasionally until the onions begin to brown around the edges, about 15 minutes.1 large yellow onion
- Stir in the cracked garlic and herbs. Continue to simmer until the onions are a deep caramel color, about 10 more minutes.3 cloves garlic, 2 sprigs fresh rosemary, 2 sprigs thyme, 1 stem fresh sage
- Mix in the turkey base until it melts into the onion mixture.2 teaspoon turkey base
- Add the heaping ⅓ cup flour into the onion/butter mixture, stir constantly for 1 minute.⅓ cup (heaping) all purpose flour
- Pour in a little of the turkey stock and scrape up bits from the bottom of the pan. Then whisk the rest of the turkey stock into the flour/onion mixture, making sure to get all the flour from the edges of the pan whisked in.3 ½ cups turkey stock
- Increase the heat to medium and simmer the gravy, it will thicken as it cooks.
- Taste for seasoning. Give the gravy a taste and see if you want to add some kosher salt & pepper.kosher salt and pepper
- Strain the gravy. Place a fine mesh sieve over a bowl and pour the gravy through the sieve. Use the whisk to stir the solids making sure you get all the flavor and gravy through the sieve. Discard the solids.
- Serve the gravy hot!
MAKE AHEAD OPTION – can be made a day or two ahead.
- Prepare the gravy completely and let it cool.
- Pour into an air tight container and pop in the fridge. The gravy will congeal in the fridge, that is ok.
- To reheat place the gravy in a sauce pan over low heat, stirring frequently, until it is liquified.
- Taste for seasoning. You can also add a little extra broth, stock, or milk if it is too thick.
- Serve Hot
Recipe Tips and Notes:
- Gravy got too thick?? Whisk in some additional turkey stock, chicken stock, milk, or even water. Then re-taste for additional seasonings needed.
- Gravy didn’t thicken enough?? Keep simmering over low heat, stirring often. This will evaporate some of the liquid content and help it thicken. If that doesn’t work or you are out of time you can make a slurry of 1 tablespoon cool water and 1 tablespoon cornstarch, pour it into SIMMERING gravy, it should thicken pretty quickly. Repeat this as needed.
- The Turkey Gravy is too salty?? No problem, you just need to dilute it slightly. In this case I might recommend adding water or a low sodium broth if you have it. Milk content can also help diminish salt content, consider adding milk or half & half. Then re-taste for additional seasoning needed (poultry seasoning or dry sage will add back flavor, without adding saltiness).
- I want a little more flavor in my Turkey Gravy?? Whisk in some poultry seasoning, dried sage, and black pepper. Taste again and add more as desired.
- My Gravy got lumpy?? No problem! First run the gravy through the fine mesh sieve. If that didn’t do the trick whisk the heck out of the gravy. If that still didn’t do it, run the gravy in a blender just a couple pulses until it is smooth.
Martha says
I made this receipt for Thanksgiving and it was a success, so much I had to make more for the leftovers. I agree that too much thyme can be a bit much. I used the discarded spices from my strainer for my soup.
All in all it’s a great receipt.
Patty says
If there were more stars available, I would happily fill them.
I’ve long relied, sadly, on store-bought packets to rescue my ill-fated Thanksgiving gravy tries. I’m not sure what magical forces steered me to Mom’s Dinner videos this year, but I’m beyond thrilled for that happenstance.
The gravy video was so helpful for me to know what to expect as the process unfolded; plus, it introduced me to “Better Than Bouillion” — wonderful.
We even added re-heated gravy leftovers to the next morning’s breakfast to bring wonderfulness to the turkey sausages.
Thank you, thank you, thank you. Such a positive game-changer!
Susie Weinrich says
This review wins the day!! Thank you so much, Patty.
Dan says
OMG!!! Never had gravy this good, 5 stars highly recommend, it’s the best!
G.Hollop says
This recipe was the BEST gravy without the drippings!
I could not find the turkey base Better than Bullion or turkey stock so used chicken for both, and was still excellent!
Susie Weinrich says
Wonderful!! I am so glad you loved it and thank you so much for leaving a comment and rating 🧡
Rhonda says
Outstanding recipe! Thank you!
Susie Weinrich says
Great!! You will be the “gravy person” in your family now .
Tracy says
Will this gravy thicken with gluten free flour?
Susie Weinrich says
Yes, that should work just fine! You can always use 1 Tbsp of cornstarch mixed with 1 Tbsp cool water and add it to the gravy while it simmers, if you need extra thickening.