How to Make Gravy
How to Make Gravy Cancel reply
Your comment may need to be approved before it will appear on the site. Thanks for waiting. First time commenting? Please review the Comment Policy.
-
Katie
I’m making a ham for thanksgiving this year – can you make gravy from ham drippings?
-
Vcf
Absolutely! Just like with roast, etc
-
Kameko
Honestly think it would be a great use for vegetables while sautéed, add in soup to give extra flavor, cooking to give it a little more hearty edge instead of butter for some recipes, depending on what meat can also be used instead of olive oil. Just a few ideas for the ham drippings because so far have been great hint for different meals for the family.
-
-
John
Incidentally I Really, Really Do like The gravy Recipe very much But the loss of volume due to evaporation in such a minimal amount of time did seem quite excessive to me
-
John
I find it hard to believe tha in making gravy while starting with your flour and drippings you would add 3 to 4 cups of liquid in roughly 5 minutes to end up with ”taking into consideration the evaperation that is occouring in 5 minutes ? ” really ? John
-
Lisa Therrien
Trying this tonight thanks!
-
Mel
Thanks for sharing this recipe my family loves it. I’ve made this recipe every year for the last 5 years. Sometimes I switch the ingredients to jerk or cajun and it comes out perfect.
xxxxxyyyyy
-
William
This is one of the best written recipes on how to make delicious gravy I have ever read. .I love its simplicity. My first attempt was good second was great . Thank you very much Elise. Liam O Brien
xxxxxyyyyy
-
Elise Bauer
Great, William, I’m so glad the instructions worked well for you. Happy cooking!
-
-
Merle
You can make a roux as suggested above or do something simple like my Momma did. Get a small jar. Put the flour and some warm water into it leaving space. Get your son (in her case, me) to shake it like heck till mixed and incorporate into the drippings. Add more water or preferably stock to desired thickness. Never any lumps.
-
Elise Bauer
Hi Merle, sometimes I make a flour slurry as you’ve described, too! Works fine. Easy.
-
John
seems very reasonable to me as i go this route quite frequently to thicken different dishes that i am cooking that i want a thicker sauce with
-
-
Leo C. Tripole
Excellent! Thanks a lot.
xxxxxyyyyy
-
Bryce
First time making gravy with a roast. I made a slow-cooker pork butt. Since I didn’t have it in a pan, I just transferred some of the fat to a pot and made the gravy in there. It really stepped up the meal! Delicious.
xxxxxyyyyy
-
Sara Bir
You sound like an old hat at gravy already, Bryce!
-
-
Johanna
Made the roast, saved the drippings and made it today. Turned out great.
xxxxxyyyyy
-
Elise Bauer
Wonderful Johanna, I’m so glad you liked it!
-
-
Laura
I’m wondering if you add water or chicken stock to the roasting pan or not while you cook the turkey? All the photos I see show very little liquid with drippings. Most directions for cooking a turkey say to add liquid to the pan but I don’t see the liquid in the gravy directions? First timer here…
-
Emma Christensen
Hi, Laura! It’s fine if you add water or chicken stock to the pan if you’re basting while roasting. But no need to add anything extra otherwise. Hope that helps!
-
-
Sallie
I want to try this with corn starch since I have been diagnosed with celiacs. The recipe for the gravy doesn’t say how much beef stock to use?? Could you please get back with me to let me know I would greatly appreciate it very much! Thank you so much in advance!
-
Carrie Havranek
Hi Sallie! Thanks for your question. The recipe is for making graving using the pan drippings of the roast, and yields about 2 cups of gravy using pan drippings. No stock needed at all! Hope that helps you!
-
-
Maggie
I was afraid to try gravy – but this worked great! I used the flour instructions, perfect, easy, not too thick or thin… I had a pork loin roast, next I’ll try a chicken or turkey! Thanks!
xxxxxyyyyy
-
Cynthia
Best gravy I ever made! For years I’ve been a Nervous Nellie knowing I had to make gravy. My turkey gravy has always been a pale comparison to my late mother’s. Too thin or too thick, often lumpy and tateless. All I could recall of her original recipe is that she used only cornstarch and never flour as a thickener. And that it was always perfect in every way. A tough act to follow.
I had pre-cooked my turkey but it was too late to make the gravy the same day so I had ended up pouring the drippings through a sieve adding the tasty brown bits from the pan and refrigerating it all.
Well, it turned out that made it simple to separate the fat from the rest as the fat rose and congealed. Using this recipe as a guide I measured out enough cornstarch and drippings to make 4 cups of gravy. (I cooked a 27 lb. bird!) I made a slurry of the cornstarch with a minimum amount of cold water. I heated the drippings/fat in a pot then whisked in the cornstarch slurry. I’m very impatient as I whisk the gravy waiting for it too thicken so I added a bit more slurry. Not smart bc it thickened a bit too much so I ended up adding more broth (homemade by boiling the turkey neck in water and straining) and some additional drippings for flavor. All at once it all came together perfectly! It was smooth and creamy and needed only a bit of pepper for taste as it was perfect. I was amazed…
So tonight I served it with my turkey and trimmings. My husband couldn’t get enough of it using it on his stuffing and potatoes too! He even admitted it was better than his mom’s gravy! I knew my mom would have said it tasted just like her’s from so long ago. Who would think gravy could make a person so happy.
My husband is already planning to make leftover turkey, stuffing, gravy and cranberry sandwiches tomorrow! Best gravy recipe ever. Everything so well explained and easy to follow. Thank you Simply Recipes! This recipe is a definite keeper.
xxxxxyyyyy
-
Elise Bauer
Hi Cynthia, thank you so much for sharing! I’m so glad our instructions were helpful.
-
-
MO
Delicious! Thanks so much!
xxxxxyyyyy
I use 1 cup of butter and two containers of chicken broth, along with dried chives, parsley flakes, garlic and herb Mrs. Dash, white pepper, onion powder, garlic granules, a little of crushed pepper corns, salt, and a hint of grounded sage to cook turkey and keep it moist and personal taste that my family has been enjoying. So I end up with a great stock to enjoy for part of this recipe, and use a portion towards making my stuffing, and keep the meat from drying out once cut.
I have left the mustard out and honestly it has been the best gravy ever and has been a huge hit for everyone that has had it. Brought back memories of my grandparents holiday meals and I have never been close before and wondered what I was doing with gravy to be bland in the past.
When cooking the giblets I have also added some extra virgin olive oil with the butter and it has helped with the flavoring for me.
If don’t have time to simmer a cheat for finishing quickly is have it on high and stir. The smell and consistency will let you know when to put through sieve and I have completely appreciated the way things were done once finished when you don’t have the time for it to be simmering for hours. Probably was around half an hour once I had it boiling after adding the water on high.
Must have liver and some of the neck involved because it has that flavor that brings you to childhood. Mince everything fine for it to be robust with each bite if doing by hand. Have it have a nice crispy brown finish on almost all sides and the flavor is awesome everyone wish there was more to enjoy to the last portion.
Thank you for sharing your recipe, I appreciate your time sharing it. I never had the hint of mustard growing up and have a nack of smelling and knowing what is used or while making what is needed for it to be perfect for me and so far haven’t had any problems.
Hope this helps you too when you are trying to make it, if you had to add other spices/ingredients would love to know so I can see if that would be something to try next time.
Thank you for your time and hope you enjoy making it too!
xxxxxyyyyy
I am 65 years old & have made gravy lots of times. It usually turns out fine. But every year it has been like reinventing the wheel. I feel anxious looking at those drippings & hoping the gravy comes out. I was so so happy to find this ratio when we cooked our Thanksgiving 2020 Pandemic turkey! Where has this foolproof ratio been all my life? It tasted great. From now on, gravy need never add to my Thanksgiving meal prep anxiety. Thank you Elise Bauer!
xxxxxyyyyy
Fantastic, Deborah, you are very welcome! I totally understand your anxiety when it comes to gravy. You have to make it right there and then, while the drippings are hot and the roast is resting, right?
Making gravy for the first time. Thanks you saved the day!!!
xxxxxyyyyy
I followed the entire thing and the turkey and gravy were fantastic.
xxxxxyyyyy
What I think? I think this page is absolutely gravy – I mean GROOVY! :D I LOVE that you explain the differences between the starch and flour; I don’t know a whole lot about how to make “grand” meals. Sadly, I just never learned. I think I’ve made ONE MEAL EVER where all the foods were hot at the same time! :(
I haven’t made it yet, but will be in just a bit. I’m use to using um, well…. WONDRA! I love the stuff. But, lo and behold, my friend [whose house I’m at] HAS none here. Anyway, I think this page is truly cool as even a rookie can follow and understand/LEARN! Great job m’lady – keep up the good work.. <3