Sauces and Condiments
The 3 Top-Rated Turkey Gravies, Compared (Plus How to Make It Weeks Ahead)
Three top-rated turkey gravies compared, and the make-ahead method that takes the last-minute panic out of Thanksgiving.
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Why this ranks: gravy rides along with the turkey. Google’s Thanksgiving page is full of turkey “how to” searches, and almost every plate gets gravy. Its place on the list is our editorial call, not a search number.
The top-rated originals (ratings checked Nov 2, 2026)
We read the reviews on each of these recipes and summarized the changes cooks make most, in our own words. Click through for the full original recipe. Ratings change over time.
- 3 top-rated originals
- 4,765 combined ratings
- 5 reviewer-tested fixes
- Nov 2 ratings last checked
1
Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy
Rating checked Nov 2, 2026. Ratings change over time.
A reader favorite on Allrecipes, this version holds a 4.8-star average from 466 ratings and 385 written reviews. Here is what the cooks who made it changed most often.
What reviewers change
- Cook the flour in the fat until golden before adding stock, so the gravy doesn’t taste floury.
- Roast the wings with onion and garlic. Necks, backs or thighs work too.
- Chill the stock overnight and lift off the fat before making the gravy.
- Freeze it a week or two ahead, then whisk in the drippings from the roasting pan on the day.
- Homemade turkey stock gives a better result than chicken broth.
2
Easy Turkey Gravy
Rating checked Nov 2, 2026. Ratings change over time.
A reader favorite on Allrecipes, this version holds a 4.6-star average from 643 ratings and 452 written reviews. Here is what the cooks who made it changed most often.
What reviewers change
- Use mostly turkey stock with a cup of broth, and simmer the neck in it for extra body.
- Whisk the flour into cold milk first to head off lumps.
- Let it bubble a full 3 minutes so it thickens properly.
- Stir in sautéed mushrooms; some use cream of mushroom soup.
- Cornstarch works in place of flour.
3
Make-Ahead Gravy
NYT Cooking shows whole stars only. Ratings checked Nov 2, 2026.
Pin: NYT Cooking on Pinterest
Developed by Mark Bittman for NYT Cooking, this version holds a 4-star average from 3,656 ratings and 355 reader comments. Here is what the cooks who made it changed most often.
What reviewers change
- Keep it hot in a thermos until dinner.
- Cook the onions until dry and deeply browned; an immersion blender smooths everything out.
- Deglaze the roasting pan with white wine and stir that in at the end.
- Make the stock from turkey wings or necks, and brown the flour well.
- Good store-bought turkey stock is fine.
The 5 changes reviewers make most, across all three
- Make it ahead from roasted wings. Roasting the parts first gives deep color and flavor, and frees you up on the day.
- Cook the roux until golden. A few extra minutes takes away the raw-flour taste.
- Get the fat off. Chill the stock overnight or use a fat separator.
- Finish with the drippings. Deglaze the roasting pan, with a splash of white wine if you like, and whisk it in.
- Fix lumps, then hold it hot. Strain or blend it smooth, and keep it in a thermos or slow cooker until dinner.
What you’ll need
- Fat separator, the fastest way to defatted drippings. Shop on Amazonor the new release
- Flat whisk, to get into the corners of the roasting pan. Shop on Amazon
- Fine-mesh strainer, for lump-free gravy every time. Shop on Amazon
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Ingredients
- 3 lb turkey wings (or necks and backs)
- 1 large onion, quartered
- 2 carrots, cut into chunks
- 2 celery ribs, cut into chunks
- 4 garlic cloves, smashed
- 10 cups water or low-sodium chicken broth
- 2 thyme sprigs and 1 bay leaf
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or saved turkey fat
- 2/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dry white wine (optional, for the day)
- Salt and black pepper
- Pan drippings from the roast turkey, on the day
Directions
- Heat the oven to 425°F. Roast the wings, onion and carrots on a sheet pan until deeply browned, about 1 hour.
- Move everything to a stockpot. Pour 1 cup of the water onto the hot sheet pan, scrape up the browned bits and add to the pot with the celery, garlic, herbs and the rest of the liquid. Simmer gently for 1 1/2 hours. Strain (you want about 8 cups), chill overnight and lift off the fat.
- Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Whisk in the flour and cook, whisking, until golden brown, 4 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in the hot stock and simmer until thickened, about 10 minutes. Season, cool and refrigerate up to 4 days or freeze up to 3 months.
- On Thanksgiving, reheat the gravy. Set the roasting pan over two burners, add the wine and scrape up the browned bits. Pour through a fat separator and whisk the defatted drippings into the gravy. Simmer 5 minutes and strain if needed.
FAQ
Lumpy gravy? Pour it through a fine-mesh strainer or buzz it with an immersion blender.
Too thin? Simmer it longer, or whisk 1 tbsp cornstarch into 2 tbsp cold water and stir it in.
Keeping it hot? A preheated thermos or a slow cooker on warm holds it for hours.