Make Ahead Gravy – The Best Make Ahead Gravy

This is my favorite make ahead gravy! It’s easy and makes the day of Thanksgiving simpler with less dishes. This make ahead gravy is packed with flavor and tastes incredible when heated to serve on Thanksgiving.

I have to say that Thanksgiving is all about the gravy.

This make ahead gravy is easy to make, tastes absolutely amazing and relieves some of the pressure on Thanksgiving day. The flavor is unbeatable and once you know how to make it ahead of time, you can have gravy on hand at all times!

I call that a win. 

I come from a long line of professional gravy makers.

By professional, I mean that on the actual holiday they babysit the gravy and absolutely flip if anyone else tries to touch it. It is THEIR JOB.

And it can’t be made any other way! 

While I do make gravy the day of Thanksgiving with the turkey drippings, there have been many many years where I’ve made it ahead of time. And it is so darn good. 

My mom would probably argue that gravy made ahead of time is legitimately better than gravy made fresh right before serving. 

It has so much flavor and as it sits and hangs out in the fridge, the flavor gets even stronger! 

But here’s the thing: making the gravy ahead of time still takes time. It’s still a little high maintenance and it’s a process you want to follow for the best gravy. But once you do it, it’s easy. You’ll see how simple it is. 

In fact, I usually make my gravy and stock on the same day, in order to kill two birds with one stone. Not to use a horrible pun around Thanksgiving, but it is what it is. I like to knock this out on the Tuesday before Thanksgiving to make my life easier, create less dishes during the big meal and give it the optimal flavor it deserves!

I roast some turkey wings/legs/parts and some veggies for the gravy and stock, and then make both. Bonus points if you use a dutch oven that can transfer from the oven to the stovetop!

Here’s how I do it: 

First, I buy turkey wings or legs. This is what I use for both stock and for the drippings to start the gravy. You will get all the delicious flavor from these, so make sure to season them well. I roast these with some aromatics and vegetables until they are deeply golden and charred. Think carrots, onions and celery. 

I remove the turkey parts and veggies from the pan, but leave all the drippings! All the brown goodness – that is where the flavor is. From there, I build the gravy. 

It all starts with a roux – so I add a tiny bit of butter to the drippings, let it sizzle and then whisk in the flour. Getting allllll those flavor spots off the pan. My mom’s best gravy uses a slurry, which is my preferred way of making gravy the day of serving. But if we’re making it ahead of time, I like to make a roux like this. 

Also, using stock to make the gravy is key. I promise it will be the best gravy you’ve ever had. If you don’t have homemade turkey stock, then I highly suggest using store-bought chicken stock. This will add so much more flavor! And if you must use water, then be prepared to add in lots of salt and seasoning for flavor. 

When it comes to gravy, it’s all about the stirring. It’s important to stir the gravy so it doesn’t burn on the bottom and doesn’t get lumpy. I like to whisk constantly until I have the consistency I like – which means you want to have a good amount of stock on hand. 

Once the gravy is made, you have to let it cool completely. Let it cool, place it in a sealed container and then stick it in the fridge or freezer. 

When cold, the gravy will solidify and get a bit gel-like. If you’ve ever made bone broth, it’s similar to that. 

It is very easy to reheat! However, I do suggest adding in some liquid to reheat it. Place the gravy from the fridge in a saucepan, add in some additional stock, cover it and heat it over low heat. 

As long as you follow the steps above, it should be completely perfect. Be sure to whisk it to smooth it out, and then there should be no lumps. Silky smooth gravy, ready for Thanksgiving! 

My Favorite Make Ahead Gravy

Make Ahead Gravy

Prep Time: 1 hour hr

Cook Time: 30 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

This is my favorite make ahead gravy! It’s easy and makes the day of Thanksgiving simpler with less dishes. This make ahead gravy is packed with flavor and tastes incredible when heated to serve on Thanksgiving.

• 3 to 4 pounds turkey wings or legs/drumsticks
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 2 stalks celery, chopped
• 1 onion, quartered
• 2 tablespoons olive oil
• kosher salt and pepper
• ¼ cup turkey drippings
• 2 tablespoons butter
• ⅓ cup all-purpose flour
• 4 to 6 cups turkey stock

• Preheat the oven to 450 degrees F.

• Place the turkey wings, carrots, celery and onion pieces in a large dutch oven. Drizzle with the olive oil. Season all over with salt and pepper.

• Roast the turkey wings and vegetables for 30 minutes. Flip the wings and toss the vegetables. Roast for 30 minutes more. The wings should be golden brown and the veggies charred.

• Remove the dutch oven and place it on your stovetop burner. You can let this cool until it’s easier to work with. Remove the wings and the veggies – you can put these in your turkey stock pot to make more delicious stock! Keep the drippings in the dutch oven, or if you are making the gravy on another day, scrape all the drippings out into a glass jar and refrigerate until ready to use.

• Heat the drippings in the dutch oven over medium heat. Add the butter. Once sizzling, whisk in the flour, scraping all the brown bits from the pan. Cook the roux until it’s golden and fragrant, about 3 to 4 minutes.

• Slowly stream in the stock while stirring. To start, I do this about 1 cup at a time as I find it helps the gravy to thicken nicely. Make sure to stir the entire time. Start with the 4 cups of stock, allowing the mixture to simmer once all 4 cups are in. If you would like the gravy to be thinner, add the additional cups of stock.

• Simmer the gravy for 5 to 10 minutes, whisky constantly. Turn off the heat and let the gravy cool for 1 hour. Transfer it to sealed containers and place it in the fridge (for 3 days) or freezer (for 3 months) until ready to use.

• To reheat, place the gravy in a saucepan over low heat. Add a splash of stock (about ½ cup) to help it along. Cover and heat until the gravy is liquidy. Whisk well to bring it together. Now it’s ready to serve!

Course: Side Dish

Cuisine: American

Author: How Sweet Eats

Kinda want to dip in a fry in that.