If you’re wanting the most scrumptious gravy for your turkey, mashed potatoes, or biscuits, you’ll love this Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy that delivers outrageous flavor! Have it ready and waiting to be warmed up when you need it by planning ahead with this delicious freezer-friendly recipe that’s made from scratch.
They’ll be no more waiting for that large turkey to finish roasting so you can grab the drippings and make gravy at the last minute if you use this method, instead. The trick is to use this recipe to make the gravy days, or even weeks ahead of time. The gravy will keep in your fridge for a short time or even longer in the freezer if you’re that far ahead of the game!
Everyone knows that gravy is what makes a turkey feast taste so amazing, right? Whether you love it over a tender and juicy sliced turkey, drizzled over your favorite stuffing, or pooling in a well of creamy mashed potatoes, gravy is that side item that’s non-negotiable during the holidays.
So it stands to reason that it shouldn’t be the last-minute cooking item that’s usually waiting on the back burner, literally. Carve out some time to make this gravy, from scratch, before the hustle and bustle of the actual holiday approaches.
Your friends and family will swoon over the rich and smooth texture as its savory seasonings elevate anything it accompanies. Make sure you have enough biscuits or rolls on hand to soak up every last bit of its tasty deliciousness.
Ingredients Needed
Turkey Legs – you can usually purchase them in a package of 3.
Vegetables – onion, carrots, and celery, roughly chopped.
Melted And Seasoned Butter – melted butter gets seasoned with steakhouse seasoning, poultry seasoning, garlic, salt, paprika, and more. It’s used to baste the turkey legs.
Flour And Melted Butter – make a simple roux to help thicken the gravy.
Stock – chicken or turkey, which will become the liquid base for the turkey gravy.
How To Make Turkey Gravy
Note: This is a summary of the recipe steps. For complete instructions, see the recipe card down below.
- In a preheated 350-degree F oven, place the vegetables in the bottom of a large baking dish. Top with the turkey legs
- Melt the butter and add the dried seasonings to it. Whisk to combine. Pour it over the turkey legs.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, or until the turkey legs start turning brown.
- Transfer everything to a large pot and add the turkey stock.
- Bring to a boil and then simmer with the lid on for an hour.
- Remove the vegetables and turkey legs from the pot.
- In a separate saucepan, make the roux from flour and butter and then add it to the stock pot. Whisk it in over medium heat until it comes to a boil and thickens.
- Season with salt and pepper, to taste, and remove from the heat.
- Serve immediately, or cool and store in the refrigerator or freezer until ready to use.
Tips
- If you prefer, you can make this recipe up to the point of adding the roux, storing it, and when ready to use, make and add the roux to thicken the gravy just before serving.
- Feel free to experiment with fresh herbs like sage or parsley for additional flavor, or color, or as a garnish.
What Do I Do With The Leftover Turkey Legs?
Remove the meat from the leftover turkey legs and save it to use in other recipes. The meat is usually pretty tough, so I find it works best for seasoning things like any greens that I may be cooking.
Can I Use Turkey Wings Instead Of Turkey Legs?
Absolutely!
How Do I Strain The Vegetables Out Of The Broth?
First, remove the turkey legs. Then, either strain the broth and veggies out by pouring it all through a colander set over another large pot or just use a slotted spoon to reach in and remove all the vegetables.
How Do I Thaw Frozen Gravy?
Let the gravy thaw in the refrigerator overnight before reheating. Or, you can place the frozen gravy in a microwave-safe bowl and use the defrost setting. Defrost the gravy in 30-60 second increments, stirring in between.
How Do I Reheat The Gravy?
To reheat thawed and/or refrigerated gravy, place it in a saucepan on the stove. Heat it over low heat, stirring occasionally, until heated through.
Storage
Refrigerator: store the cooled gravy in an airtight container or jar for up to 4 days.
Freezer: store the cooled gravy in an airtight and freezer-safe container for up to 4 months. Make sure you don’t overfill your container. Leave enough headroom for expansion as the gravy freezes.
Related Recipes
Garlic Herb Parker Dinner Rolls
Holiday Soy Sauce Brined Turkey
Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
If you're wanting the most scrumptious gravy for your turkey, mashed potatoes, or biscuits, you'll love this Make Ahead Turkey Gravy that delivers outrageous flavor! Have it ready and waiting to be warmed up when you need it by planning ahead with this delicious freezer-friendly recipe that's made from scratch.
Ingredients
- 3 turkey legs
- 1 yellow onion, roughly chopped
- 4 carrots
- 4 celery stalks
- 8 tablespoons butter, divided
- 1 teaspoon Kinders buttery steakhouse seasoning
- 1 teaspoon poultry seasoning
- 1 teaspoon garlic salt
- 1 teaspoon smoked paprika
- ½ teaspoon black pepper
- 4 tablespoons of flour
- 4 cups of chicken or turkey stock
Instructions
- Gather all of the ingredients.
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Place your onion, carrots, and celery down the bottom of a baking dish.
- Place the turkey legs on top of the veggies.
- In a small bowl melt 4 tablespoons of butter.
- Add all the seasonings to the butter and whisk to combine.
- Pour the seasoned butter over the turkey legs.
- Bake for about 45 minutes, we are not looking to cook these through or anything so no need to worry about internal temperature, we just want to get some good color on the legs and veggies.
- Transfer the legs and all the veggies and drippings from the baking disk to a large pot.
- Pour in the 4 cups of stock.
- Bring the pot to a boil and then turn it down to a simmer and place a lid on.
- Let this simmer for an hour.
- Remove the vegetables and legs from the pot.
- If you like you can pour the mixture through a strainer to get everything out or just use a slotted spoon to remove everything.
- Next, get a saucepan and over medium heat melt 4 tablespoons of butter.
- Once melted whisk in your flour until it becomes a roux.
- Carefully whisk in all your stock.
- Continue whisking over medium heat until it comes to a bubble and thickens.
- Add salt and pepper to taste.
- At this point, you can serve it or I like to put it into a container and store it in the refrigerator until I need it or you can serve it right away.
- Serve!!
Notes
Tips and Tricks
- Store this in the fridge for up to 3 days or in the freezer for 3-4 months.
- You can make this completely and store it, or you can make the stock portion of it and store it at that point before adding it to the roux if you like, both are equally delicious.
- You can add fresh herbs like sage or parsley for a pop of color.
- If you cannot find Kinders Buttery Steakhouse seasoning just substitute your favorite all-purpose seasoning.
- Don’t throw away those turkey legs, you can pick the meat off to add to your greens.
- This doubles very easily, you can add more turkey legs to the pan, or you can just simply double the amount of stock you add to the pot, and double the butter and flour for the roux.
Recommended Products
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Stainless Steel Whisk
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Slotted Spoon
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Kitchen Basics All Natural Original Chicken Stock, 8.25 fl oz
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365 Everyday Value, All-Purpose Flour, 5 lb
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McCormick Black Peppercorn Grinder, 2.5 oz
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Kinder's Organic Buttery Steakhouse Rub, Premium Quality Seasoning, MSG Free and USDA Certified Organic, 3oz
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13 x 9 Casserole Dish
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2 Quart Saucepan
Nutrition Information
Yield
8Serving Size
1Amount Per Serving Calories 498Total Fat 31gSaturated Fat 12gTrans Fat 1gUnsaturated Fat 16gCholesterol 219mgSodium 716mgCarbohydrates 8gFiber 1gSugar 2gProtein 47g