Making Turkey Gravy From Drippings is the most flavorful way to make homemade gravy! It only takes minutes to make with the drippings from your turkey and it can be poured on top of just about everything on your dinner plate.

Why You’ll Love Turkey Gravy Made From Drippings
Not only are we excited to share how to make Turkey Gravy From Drippings with you, we have lots of helpful tips and details to ensure success!
However, if you’re ready to dive right into making this homemade turkey gravy, scroll down to the recipe card or click the “jump to recipe” button above the first photo.
What Are Turkey Drippings?
Turkey drippings are the juice and fat that collect in your roasting pan while your turkey is in the oven. There’s nothing that beats the flavor of drippings added to a gravy recipe so don’t throw them away! We start off with our simple Roast Turkey Recipe every year, and the drippings are delicious every time.
You’ll need to degrease the fat from the drippings before using it in your gravy. A gravy separator is a really easy tool for this, but if you don’t have one just pour the drippings into a glass dish or bowl and let the grease rise to the top for a few minutes. You can see where the grease has separated from the juice to easily ladle it out and discard it.
For a gravy recipe without drippings, of you don’t have any, try our popular Brown Gravy Recipe!
How To Make
Easy step by step with photos here, but for the complete recipe scroll down to the recipe card below.

- Make sure that you degrease your turkey drippings first by pouring them into a gravy separator. If you don’t have a gravy separator, you can use any glass bowl instead.


- Make a roux: Add butter to a pot and let melt. Sprinkle in flour while whisking to make a roux. Let the roux cook out for a minute or two, we’re looking for a slightly brown color to the roux.
- Add drippings and season: Slowly whisk in the turkey drippings (make sure you degreased the drippings first) and bring to a simmer. The gravy will need to be brought to a hard simmer to thicken properly. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
Can You Make Gravy Ahead Of Time?
You will need the drippings from your turkey to make the gravy, so this recipe isn’t something that you can do the day before. However, a large roasted turkey covered with heavy duty aluminum foil will stay hot for 1 1/2 – 2 hours out of the oven.
This is often the time that most people (with only one oven) will pop in their sides while the turkey is resting. This is the time that you can make your gravy, cover it and let it sit until the rest of dinner is ready.

Variations
This turkey gravy recipe is our favorite because it’s basic and easy to make. You can flavor this recipe up however you like though, like we’ve done with our Cranberry Bourbon Gravy.
Any kind of herbs, dried or fresh are wonderful in gravy. You can also start the recipe by cooking up onions and garlic to add even more flavor.
Some recipes even call for a touch of cream at the end to make it even more rich and creamy.

Tips For Success
Even though this turkey gravy recipe is easy to make, there are a few tips to ensure that it tastes it’s best for your Thanksgiving dinner!
- Degrease The Drippings: This is probably the most important step, no one wants a greasy gravy. Even letting the drippings sit for 5 minutes and skimming the grease off makes a big difference.
- Taste For Seasonings: The drippings that you use to make this gravy are going to vary depending on what recipe you start with for the turkey, so this is also an important step to take.
- Supplement With Stock: If you don’t have enough drippings, you can supplement the drippings with chicken or turkey stock. Use a good quality stock for the best flavor.

Looking For More Thanksgiving Recipes?
We know it can be overwhelming, there’s so many Thanksgiving recipes out there to choose from! We’ll narrow it down here for you from main courses to side dishes.
Main Dishes:
- Beef Wellington
- Brown Butter Baked Ham
- Beef Stuffed Shells
- Classic Lasagna Recipe
- Roast Turkey Breast
Side Dishes:
- BEST Sausage Stuffing Recipe
- Easy Stove Top Mac & Cheese
- Whiskey Glazed Brussels & Sprouts
- Homemade Creamy Caesar Dressing
- The Best Roasted Brussels Sprouts
- Bacon & Brussels Sprouts Casserole
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Turkey Gravy From Drippings
- Prep Time: 5 minutes
- Cook Time: 5 minutes
- Total Time: 10 minutes
- Yield: 2 cups 1x
This homemade turkey gravy from drippings only takes minutes to make! A creamy, thick, delicious gravy recipe for your entire turkey dinner!
Ingredients
- 3 tablespoons butter
- 3 tablespoons flour
- 2 cups degreased turkey drippings (see note)
- Kosher salt and fresh black pepper to taste (if needed, it will depend on how your drippings are seasoned)
- Chicken or turkey stock if needed (see note)
Instructions
- Melt the butter in a pot over medium. Sprinkle in the flour, while whisking to make a roux. Cook the roux for 1 minute until slightly brown in color.
- Pour in the (degreased) turkey drippings while whisking and bring to a simmer. Simmer the gravy for 2 minutes until it’s fully thickened. Season with salt and pepper to taste. The amount of seasonings needed will depend on the flavor of your drippings, so season at the end.
- Turn the heat off and cover until ready to serve.
Recipe Notes
Degrease the drippings first: Make sure that you pour your drippings into a gravy separator to remove most of the grease. If you don’t have a gravy separator, pour your drippings into a cool glass bowl and let them sit for at least 10 minutes. Then use a ladle to spoon the top layer of grease off of the drippings.
If you have more drippings: You can easily double this gravy recipe if you have more than 2 cups of drippings.
If you’re short on drippings: Add enough turkey or chicken stock to equal 2 cups. OR if your gravy turns out too salty because your drippings were salty, add a splash of stock to even out the flavors.
Store: This homemade turkey gravy will keep in the refrigerator for 3 days.
Reheat: Reheat turkey gravy on the stove top in a small pot or quickly in the microwave until warmed through.
- Category: Side Dish
- Method: Stove Top
- Cuisine: American
Simple and perfect. The better your drippings, the better the gravy. Use this every Thanksgiving!
This is a really good recipe. Most turkey gravies are very thin. This is exactly what my mom used to make when she was living. Thanks! Happy Thanksgiving 👍
We’re so glad you liked it! Happy Thanksgiving to you too!