Name: How to Make Gravy Without Turkey Drippings
Ingredients: 4 turkey wings or other turkey parts, such as drumsticks, thighs, neck, backbone, etc.; 3 onions; 3 carrots; 3 celery stalks; handful of garlic cloves; handful of fresh herbs, such as parsley, thyme, rosemary, sage, etc.; salt, ground black pepper, to taste; 2 – 2 1/2 cups chicken broth; 1/4 cup turkey fat/butter, total; 1/4 cup all purpose flour

Silky, creamy and smooth, this turkey gravy is so flavorful without using the turkey drippings from a whole turkey. Roasting turkey wings along with other vegetables creates the traditional flavor for the holidays in such an easy way.

How to make gravy without turkey drippings.
An easy way to get the traditional flavors into gravy without roasting a whole turkey.

Even if you’re not roasting a whole turkey, you can make the most delicious, flavorful turkey gravy by roasting turkey wings with vegetables and using those drippings to make the gravy. The other plus to using this method is that you can make the gravy in advance and just reheat on the day that you’ll be serving it. Turkey wings are available in most stores year round, so they are accessible and give you an easy way to make gravy.

As the turkey wings are roasting, the juices drip down into the vegetables, which also get soft and caramelized as they bake. The chicken broth keeps the vegetables from scorching and catch all the turkey drippings as they roast. The liquid becomes packed with flavor, which will be used to make the turkey gravy.

Video of How to Make Turkey Gravy Without Roasting a Whole Turkey

Ingredients For Turkey Gravy

turkey wings and/or other turkey parts; you can usually find turkey wings, drumsticks, thighs or neck at the grocery store. You can use any of these to make the turkey gravy.
vegetables – onions, carrots, celery, garlic – all these vegetables are traditionally used to roast along with a whole turkey, so you really get the flavor passed along in the gravy
fresh herbs – you can use any herbs that you like, such as parsley, thyme, sage, rosemary, etc.
turkey fat/butter – if there isn’t enough fat rendered from the turkey pieces, just use butter to create the roux.
all purpose flour – this will be used to thicken the gravy
chicken broth – you can use vegetable broth instead
salt, ground black pepper, to taste

How to Make Turkey Gravy

Preheat the oven to 400 degrees Fahrenheit and roast the vegetables with the broth and the turkey wings until the turkey is cooked through and golden.
Set the turkey aside to be enjoyed as the entree. Strain the vegetables through a fine mesh sieve, pressing on the vegetables to extract as much liquid out of them as possible. Separate the turkey fat from the broth.
In a saucepan on the stove, heat up the turkey fat and add any additional butter until melted. Add the flour and whisk to combine until smooth.
Pour in the broth/drippings gradually, whisking the whole time.
Cook until the gravy thickens. Serve hot with mashed potatoes.

How to Make Turkey Gravy in Advance and Then Reheat

Make this entire recipe from start to finish, store the gravy in the refrigerator up to 3 days in advance. Reheat in a saucepan on low heat until it’s smooth and heated through. You may need to add just a bit of broth to thin it out, if the gravy thickens too much as it stands.

If you are making turkey gravy in advance and then roasting a whole turkey or turkey breast, you can also add in some of the turkey drippings into the already prepared gravy to add additional turkey flavor.

Storing the Gravy and Freezing Turkey Gravy

Turkey gravy should be stored in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.

It also freezes really well! Freeze any leftover gravy in an airtight container or a freezer bag for up to 3 months. Thaw and reheat on low heat in a skillet, or use in any recipe instead of cream of chicken soup/cream of mushroom soup. It’s great added to roasts (add it to the Instant Pot or slow cooker along with a roast.) or casseroles.