How To Make the Best Gravy, According to Chefs

Picture this: Your turkey is cooked to perfection, your mashed potatoes are fluffy and lump-free, and your sides are perfectly seasoned. The entire family is waiting, rather impatiently, while you rush to make your gravy "à la minute."

All eyes are on you while you hope and pray the mixture doesn’t go lumpy. I never quite understood the saying, “It’s All Gravy.” Clearly, the person who came up with it has never scrambled to make gravy with their entire extended family looking on!

However, fear not! After many years of trial and error, I finally have this process down to a science. I even reached out to a few top chefs to get the scoop on making the best gravy so you can sit back and relax this year; it’s your time to shine!

Let’s Talk About Drippings

Gravy is nothing without the gorgeous fond (brown bits) that forms on the bottom of the roasting pan as your turkey roasts. I boost the flavor of the drippings by adding roughly chopped onions, carrots, and celery to the bottom of the roasting pan.

Make sure the roasting pan you use encourages browning. I use a stainless steel roasting pan because, with nonstick, you won’t get as much delicious fond.

For a chef-approved way to get even more brown bits into your gravy, try this tip from Chef Joey Campanaro of Little Owl in Manhattan. “I use all the turkey innards, seasoning them generously with salt and pepper, then sear them in a skillet until browned. I deglaze the pan, remove the innards once the liquid evaporates, cool them, chop them finely, and add them back to finish the gravy.”

You can also just brown the innards in a skillet to collect a little extra fond, then deglaze the pan with stock, and strain that liquid into your collection of pan drippings.

What Is Deglazing?

Once you’ve worked hard to develop all that flavor, you don’t want to lose a drop of it. After transferring your roasted turkey to a carving board to let it rest, add some sort of liquid to the bottom of the hot roasting pan and scrape it with a wooden spoon to lift all the flavor and fat off the bottom.

Water or stock work well, but I prefer dry white wine or vermouth for the flavor. Campanaro deglazes his pan with brandy or Madeira to add body and richness to his gravy. If you are using alcohol to deglaze the pan, return the pan to the oven for a few minutes to allow the alcohol to cook off a bit.

After deglazing my pan, I pass everything through a fine mesh strainer to ensure I start with lump-free drippings.

Don’t Rue the Roux!

Roux is a mix of fat and flour that thickens your gravy. The majority of the fat used in turkey gravy is the rendered turkey fat that collects in your pan drippings. I usually fortify this fat by adding some butter.

I make my gravy roux with equal parts fat and flour. Campanaro takes the flavor of his roux one step further with this easy gravy upgrade: “To make the roux, I toast the flour, which gives it that warm, holiday feel we all crave.”

You can toast flour on a rimmed sheet pan in a 350°F oven for about 10 minutes, or in a dry skillet on the stovetop for four to five minutes or until golden brown and nutty-smelling.

Take your time when making the roux; slow and steady is best here. For gravy, you want to cook the roux to a deeply golden blonde hue. This usually takes three to four minutes, but your eyes and nose will be the best judge. Cook it until it is the color of toffee and smells nutty.

Stock Options

Once your roux is perfect, it’s time to add stock. Homemade is the best option here (though there are some excellent store-bought options), not only will it have the best flavor, it will contain the most collagen, which will give the gravy a velvety texture.

Chef Harold Dieterle, Chef and Owner of Il Totano in Manhattan, cleverly leans on his slow cooker to make homemade bone broth the night before Thanksgiving. He says, “I like to make my stock the night before using a slow cooker.”

When adding the stock, start slow. Once your roux is golden, slowly stream in warm stock, whisking all the while so it doesn’t seize up. Once the mixture is smooth, you can add the stock a little more freely until you’ve reached your desired consistency, keeping in mind the gravy will thicken up slightly as it simmers and even more once transferred to the gravy boat.

Troubleshooting

You did it! If it’s not perfect, don’t worry. I’ve got you covered!

• For bland gravy: I like to add a drop or two of soy sauce to my gravy to boost umami notes. Campanaro takes his gravy to the next level by using “plenty of sage, parsley, and a bit of brown sugar.”
• For gravy that's too salty: Sometimes gravy turns out too salty because of the brine or seasoning added to the turkey. If this happens to you, grab a little lemon juice or vinegar and whisk it into the gravy. It will help to neutralize the salt and will not leave your gravy tasting like lemon or vinegar. All you need is a drop or two. I start with about a teaspoon.
• For lumpy gravy: “If you use a thickener in your gravy, always strain it through a sieve to keep it smooth,” Dieterle advises. If your gravy is too thick to pass through a strainer, whisk in a bit more stock to thin it out just enough to strain out the lumps. Then, once it is super smooth, you can thicken it up by cooking it for a few more minutes.
• For thin gravy: Make a slurry of cornstarch and cold stock (start with one tablespoon of cornstarch thinned with one tablespoon stock) and whisk it gradually into the gravy (you may not need it all). To activate the slurry's thickening properties, bring the gravy to a boil for about one minute. You can repeat this process until your gravy reaches your preferred consistency.

So, I guess it really is all gravy? Let these tips and tricks be your guide for your best holiday gravy ever!