Don’t let that turkey carcass go to waste, use it to make a turkey broth mixed with a few other ingredients to make an easy turkey gravy.
Jump to RecipeYou all know I love making things from scratch whenever possible. And that’s just what we did with this turkey gravy. I made a whole turkey in the instant pot recently and used the carcass to make a delicious gravy. I’ve made a few other types of gravy recently (Brown Gravy, Southern Fried Chicken Gravy) but this was by far our favorite.
Since I don’t like to waste things until I’ve used them as much as possible, this was a great way to use the carcass from the cooked turkey. Justin helped me pull all of the meat off the bones, then I made gravy.
The only thing I don’t like about this is it takes a while, so it isn’t easy to make with the turkey. Since you need the bones, the turkey has to cook first. But, if you are making the turkey ahead of time, you can let this gravy simmer while you prepare everything else for the meal.
Turkey Gravy Step by Step
Ingredients
- bones/carcass of one cooked turkey
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 carrot (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 1 head garlic (halved crosswise)
- 6 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Preparation
In a large stockpot, add the turkey bones, chicken broth, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 hour.
Strain the broth through a mesh strainer and discard the solids. NOTE: At this point, you have turkey broth. So if you aren’t looking to make gravy, you can save this broth for future use. Return the liquid to the pan and bring to a boil.
In a small bowl, whisk the flour and water together and mix into the broth. This will help to thicken the gravy.
Bring to a boil again and reduce to medium-low for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally. Stir in the salt and serve warm.
On this plate: Instant Pot Turkey, Turkey Gravy, Creamy Homemade Mashed Potatoes, Candied Yams
Turkey Gravy Leftovers
Storage: Let the leftover gravy cool to room temperature. Store in a sealed glass jar in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Reheating: To reheat, pour into a saucepan and heat over low, stirring often, until it returns to the same consistency.
Freezing: You can also freeze the gravy for up to 3 months. Allow to thaw in the refrigerator for 1 day before reheating.
Recipe
Originally Published On: October 5, 2020
Last Updated On: June 30, 2023
Turkey Gravy
Ingredients
- bones/carcass of one cooked turkey
- 8 cups chicken broth
- 1 yellow onion (chopped)
- 1 carrot (chopped)
- 2 stalks celery (chopped)
- 1 head garlic (halved crosswise)
- 6 tbsp flour
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 tsp salt
Recommended Equipment
Instructions
- In a large stockpot, add the turkey bones, chicken broth, onion, carrot, celery, and garlic and bring to a boil
- Reduce the heat to low and simmer until reduced by half, about 1 hour
- Strain the broth through a mesh strainer and discard the solids
- Return the liquid to the pan and bring to a boil
- In a small bowl, whisk the flour and water together and mix into the broth
- Bring to a boil again and reduce to medium-low for 5 minutes, stirring occasionally
- Stir in the salt and serve warm
All nutritional information is based on third-party calculations and should be considered estimates. Actual nutrition content will vary based on brands used, measuring methods, portion sizes, and more.
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I know I am in the minority but I just am not a fan of gravy! HOwever, my dad loves to make it so I am sending him your recipe because I know he is always looking for new ones for the holidays.
Oh man, I love all kinds of gravy 🙂 But, everyone has different tastes, so I appreciate you sending this one on to your dad!
I’m very impressed. I love to cook but to make that gravy from scratch is extra for me. I wouldn’t discard all those delicious veggies, they’d go in a hearty soup. Yummy! 🙂 <3
I usually throw them in the compost after being used for something like this. I find that when trying to add them to soup they break down since they’ve already been cooked so long.
I actually just learned how to make gravy from scratch the other day! I need to try out this recipe.
There are so many ways to do it! I’ve had fun experimenting with a bunch of different recipes.
Gravy makes everything better! I’m not traveling for Thanksgiving this year and am already gathering recipes to make! This is on the list for sure.
I agree, I love gravy! We will definitely be making some again for the holidays, too.
I love how easily you have set out the instructions here. I can relate to what you say about not being a fan of how long this can take, but you can really feel a wonderful sense of satisfaction when you are enjoying this with those you care about. Can’t wait to give this a go the next time we have turkey.
I’ve never made turkey gravy from scratch but i will definitely try this year using your recipe. Thank you for sharing.
omg so yummyyyy. I love gravy with chips or pasta. Thanks for sharing with us.
Thankyou for sharing this, I love cooking and trying out new recipes are so much more fun!
Nnniiiiccceeeeee….I haven’t tried turkey gravy before. It sounds lovely, reading it from here! I should give it a try.
I love making things from scratch too like this Turkey gravy. I know for some people, they’d think it’s too much of a hassle and takes more time but I enjoy the process. Makes me feel good thinking I made things from scratch
I love this! The other types of gravy you made like Brown Gravy or Southern Fried Chicken Gravy are also great.
Thanks for sharing your recipe. I need to bookmark this since I can’t really make things from scratch
Wow, this looks awesome. Would love to try a new recipe and this is seem something I would want to try. Thank you for sharing!
This looks like a useful recipe for folks eating meat this Thanksgiving! I’ll pass it along.
I am not a big gravy person but they are members of my family who absolutely love it. This will certainly come in handy.
My grandma always made her gravy (everything, actually) from scratch. So much better than a jar or packet.
I like how every part of the turkey became useful because of this gravy recipe. My mom also has her own gravy recipe that i always love to pair with fried chicken and mashed potato.. I don’t know what she put in her gravy though but it always has a distinct buttery flavor to it.
Thank you for sharing this gravy recipe
I always use a ready-made packet to use as gravy coz I don’t know how to make it. Thanks for this recipe! I will try it.
I love gravy but never made Turkey gravy yet, With your helpful article, I might as well have to make one soon. Thank you
Made a double batch for an office party. It was also my first making a gravy from scratch. I would definitely use this recipe again! Thank you for making the directions so easy to follow.