No turkey is complete with out a wonderful turkey gravy recipe. If you're making turkey for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or any celebration, one of the key parts of the process is... making gravy. So if you're looking for easy to make gravy, we've got it here, including:

• Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy Recipe (freezes up to two weeks in advance!)
• How to Make Classic Turkey Gravy from Pan Drippings (giblets optional)
• Vegan Mushroom Gravy
• Rich Make-Ahead Turkey Stock for Gravy

While you can make any of the gravy recipes on this page with chicken broth, we've included an easy make-ahead turkey stock recipe because all of these gravy recipes taste richer and, well... just plain better if you use homemade turkey stock. Your mashed potatoes and meat will never be the same! Feel like using broth out of the can? These gravy recipes taste great that way, too.

If you've always stressed over getting the gravy done while the dinner rolls bake and the turkey settles and the vegetables boil and the mashed potatoes are whipped (a lot is going on during that last half hour!), you may very well consider this turkey gravy recipe a miracle. It makes wonderful, rich turkey gravy that you can prepare up to two weeks in advance and just pop in the freezer. Don't want to freeze it? Make it up to 3 days ahead of time and simply heat it up in the microwave. Yes, making gravy really can be that simple.

If you want to know how to make gravy easy, this is it. The turkey wings called for in this recipe are generally cheap to find-- if you don't see any on display, ask your butcher. Or use a couple of drumsticks, instead. This turkey gravy recipe makes about 6 cups.

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Ingredients:
1 tbsp. vegetable oil
2 turkey wings (about 1 1/2 pounds, total)
1 lg. onion, cut into four chunks
2 carrots, sliced into large pieces
2 stalks celery, sliced into large pieces
2 lg. cloves garlic
1/2 C. good-quality dry white wine
4 1/2 C. turkey or chicken stock
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
1 bay leaf
1/2 C. flour
2 C. water

Instructions: 1. If they're not already separated, seperate the turkey wings at the joint.

2. In a large, deep skillet, heat oil. Fry wings in oil until golden all over, about 15 minutes.

3. Add vegetables and cook wings and veggies another 7-10 minutes, until browned. Stir often.

4. Remove wings and veggies from the skillet and set set aside.

5. To the skillet, add wine. Stir, scraping the bottom of the skillet to loosen browned bits, and bring wine to a boil.

6. Return wings and vegetables to the pan.

7. Add broth or stock, water, bay leaf, and thyme. Bring to a boil.

8. Reduce heat to a low simmer. Simmer wings and broth, uncovered, about 45 minutes.

9. Strain broth into a heat-safe bowl. Discard veggies and wings.

10. Let the broth/drippings sit and cool for a few minutes, allowing the fat to rise to the surface.

11. Scrape off fat, reserving 1/4 C. Discard remaining fat.

12. Heat your 1/4 C. of reserved turkey fat in a medium saucepan. Stir in flour.

13. Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until flour mixture turns a golden brown color.

14. Slowly add strained turkey broth, whisking constantly to avoid lumps. Bring to a boil, stirring, and cook until thickened.

15. Remove from heat.

16. Let gravy cool slightly, then pour into a resealable container.

17. Refrigerate (up to 3 days) or freeze (up to 2 weeks) until ready to use.

18. Reheat in the microwave or in a saucepan at serving time. If desired, you can add some of the drippings from your turkey to this turkey gravy recipe to tie the flavor in with your turkey.

If you want to learn how to make gravy, this turkey gravy recipe is just about as traditional as it gets-- and tastes absolutely divine. Once the turkey comes out of the oven, this easy gravy recipe comes together quickly and easily. As a bonus, it's a blended turkey giblet gravy recipe. So if you have any family members that claim to dislike the giblets, they won't find any little pieces floating in their gravy... and their presence can be your secret.

This turkey gravy recipe makes about 3 to 3 1/2 cups.

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Ingredients:
Giblets from one turkey (neck, gizzard, and liver), removed from bird
4 C. turkey stock or chicken broth
1 tsp. rubbed sage
1 stalk celery, coarsely chopped
1 small onion, coarsely chopped
4 tbsp. flour
1/2 C. good-quality dry white wine
water, turkey stock, or chicken broth to thin, as needed
salt and pepper, to taste

Instructions: 1. In a medium saucepan, bring 4 C. of broth, giblets, sage, and vegetables to a boil.

2. Lower heat to a simmer. Simmer, covered, 2-3 hours. It's best to do this while the turkey is in the oven.

3. When the bit of meat is starting to come away from the turkey neck bone, strain broth into a blender.

4. Remove meat/gizzards from saucepan. Chop up the gizzards and pick off the neck meat. Add to blender with broth.

5. Blend until well combined and smooth. Add flour. Pulse blender until flour is well incorporated. Set aside until ready to use, giving the blender a couple of pulses right before removing.

6. When the turkey comes out of the oven, remove it to a serving platter to settle.

7. Remove any stuck-on skin, but leave the rest of the browned bits, juice and other goodies.

8. Let drippings settle for a moment, then pour off or scoop away as much of the fat as possible-- it'll be floating on the surface.

9. Place roaster on the burner over medium heat, add wine, and bring to a boil, whisking constantly to scrape off all the browned bits. Reduce slightly, about 5 minutes (or reduce more if you have thinner drippings-- you want nice, dark drippings for the best flavor).

10. Pour contents of blender into a medium saucepan. Add reduced drippings.

11. Stirring constantly, bring to a simmer over medium heat. Thin with more broth or water if needed.

12. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Note: Depending on the amount of drippings you have, your gravy may be thicker or thinner than you'd like. For too thick gravy, simply add water or broth. If your gravy is too thin, simply mix flour with cold water and whisk into your simmering gravy until you get the consistency you'd like. If you don't know how to make gravy or have never done it, this can seem a little intimidating... but once you do it once, you'll see how simple it is. If you don't know how to make gravy, it's a good idea to get some practice in before the big day. Try this same turkey gravy recipe with chicken to practice.

If you're serving vegetarians or vegans this Thanksgiving or Christmas, vegan gravy recipes can be hard to come by. After all, the whole idea of gravy is, well, thickened meat drippings and juices. Not exactly a vegetarian-friendly recipe.

This vegan gravy recipe, however, is. Using vegetable broth and mushrooms for flavoring, it's rich and delicious. Vegans and meat-eaters alike will enjoy this rich sauce, so be sure to make plenty. Want to do something really special with this non-turkey gravy recipe? Use mixed wild mushrooms in place of the crimini mushrooms.

Recipe makes about 4 cups. We have more Vegetarian Thanksgiving and Christmas Recipes here!

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Ingredients:
3 C. vegetable broth (the richer the better)
1/3 C. flour
1/4 C. olive oil
1/2 C. minced onion
3 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
2 1/2 C. thinly sliced crimini mushrooms
1 tsp. dried thyme
1 tsp. salt, or to taste
1/2 tsp. freshly ground black pepper
1/2 C. dry white wine
3 tbsp. soy sauce
1/4 C. nutritional yeast
1/4 C. soy milk

Instructions: 1. In a medium saucepan, cook onion and garlic in the olive oil until semi-tender, about 3 minutes.

2. Stir in mushrooms, thyme, salt, and pepper. Cook until mushrooms begin to release their liquid, about 5 minutes.

3. Add flour. Cook, stirring, until flour begins to color, about 3-4 minutes.

4. Slowly whisk in vegetable broth. If you're worried about lumps, bring broth to a boil before adding to flour/veggie mixture.

5. Add soy sauce and wine.

6. Bring gravy to a boil. Lower to a simmer. Simmer about 15 minutes, allowing sauce to thicken and flavors to combine.

7. Stir in nutritional yeast until fully dissolved.

8. Stir in soy milk. Bring your vegan gravy back up to a simmer.

9. Remove from heat and serve hot. If you have a mixed group, this is wonderful served alongside one of the traditional turkey gravy recipes here.

Much as I hate to use the word "carcass" in a recipe, that's exactly what you need to make this homemade turkey stock recipe. If you plan to use turkey stock for your Christmas or Thanksgiving dinner (it makes any turkey gravy recipe taste incredible), simply make a turkey for dinner (maybe try testing out a new turkey recipe for the holidays, like our wonderful dry brined turkey recipe) a few weeks or a month ahead of time, remove all of the meat, and save the carcass. Then follow the recipe below.

Believe me, if you use this stock in place of broth in your usual turkey gravy recipe, you'll never go back to canned chicken broth. It's just too delicious. It's also wonderful in stuffing!

Makes about 8 cups of stock, and freezes well for up to a month. Works well in our make ahead turkey gravy recipe, above.

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Instructions:
1 leftover turkey carcass
16 C. water
2/3 C. sliced celery
2 lg. carrots, peeled and thickly sliced
2 unpeeled yellow or brown onions, cut into quarters
1/2 C. Italian parsley springs, packed
1 tbsp. whole peppercorns
2 tsp. dried thyme

Instructions: 1. Strip your leftover turkey of any last bits of meat. The stock will taste best if you make it within 24 hours of eating the turkey.

2. As you take off any extra meat, break the turkey carcass into pieces, breaking bones if necessary. Place bones in a large stock pot as you go. Also place any inedible parts of cooked turkey, such as bits of skin, etc. Reserve any meat for soups, sandwiches, or whatever you like.

3. Pour water over bones and bits. Bring to a boil over high heat.

4. When water comes to a boil, add celery, carrots, onion, parsley, peppercorns, and thyme.

5. Reduce heat to a very, very low simmer.

6. Simmer stock for 3 or 4 hours, stirring occasionally. You'll want your stock to reduce to about half its original volume for best flavor.

7. Allow stock to cool slightly, then strain through a fine-meshed strainer. Throw away bones, veggies, etc.

8. Cover and refrigerate stock several hours. Scrape off any solidified fat. Freeze stock for later use, or use immediately in a soup, stew, or your favorite turkey gravy recipe.