Easy Turkey Gravy Recipe

This easy turkey gravy is an old-fashioned Southern recipe. It’s bursting with turkey flavor and includes a secret ingredient. It’s destined for your Thanksgiving table this holiday season.

Easy Turkey Gravy Recipe (pouring onto plate).

It just wouldn’t be Thanksgiving in my family without making a version of Mama’s easy turkey gravy recipe. As mentioned, this is an old-fashioned Southern recipe because it includes one key secret ingredient… hard-boiled egg. You may be thinking, “huh?” but trust me, it adds both flavor and texture to your turkey gravy.

Now, Mama Reed used the actual turkey giblets in this and you certainly can as well. Since they are cooked with the turkey, you can simply chop them up and add them to the gravy when you add the eggs. However, Mama and I prefer to leave them out so we just add a little chopped turkey breast in their place. We also find this makes the gravy much more palatable to younger tastebuds.

The only other main ingredient (besides flour and water to make a slurry to thicken the gravy) is turkey or chicken broth. Now, some turkey gravy recipes use roast turkey pan drippings instead of pre-prepared stock. But seeing as this is an easy turkey gravy recipe, we’re just going to use broth to keep things simple. But do whatever works for you. 

Speaking of easy, the steps to make my turkey gravy couldn’t be quicker or simpler. All it takes is a little mixing on the stovetop and your gravy will be ready for your Thanksgiving table in no time at all. I’ve included some extra serving suggestions below, but pour this flavorful gravy all over your Thanksgiving dinner and you’ll wish it was Thanksgiving every day. Enjoy the best turkey gravy ever and happy holidays!

Easy Turkey Gravy Recipe Ingredients

Recipe Ingredients

  • Turkey or chicken broth
  • Diced boiled egg
  • A little bit of shredded turkey or chicken
  • Flour
  • Warm water

How To Make My Easy Turkey Gravy Recipe

Bring broth to simmer over medium-high heat.

Place the broth in a medium saucepot and bring it to a simmer over medium-high heat.

Add egg and turkey and turn down heat.

Add in egg and turkey and turn the heat down to low. 

Mix together flour and water.

In a small cup, mix water and flour together with a fork until there are no lumps.

Flour and water slurry.

Like this. 

Add flour mixture to broth and mix well.

Stir flour mixture into simmering broth and cook over low heat until thickened (about 2 to 3 minutes).

Pour turkey gravy into gravy boat and serve.

Pour into a gravy boat and you’re all set!

Easy turkey gravy recipe in gravy bowl.

This giblet gravy has graced our Thanksgiving table every year for generations.

Pouring turkey gravy over cornbread dressing on plate.

Here I am pouring this perfect turkey gravy over Grandmama’s crockpot cornbread dressing, but keep scrolling for more Thanksgiving meal ideas.

Storage

Store leftover gravy in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 2 days. Reheat it on the stovetop before serving.

Recipe Notes

  • Do you want to add more flavor? Feel free to add 1 to 3 teaspoons of finely chopped fresh herbs or dried herbs, like rosemary, sage, or fresh thyme. Another regular addition to turkey gravy is dry white wine.
  • For creamy gravy, add a quarter or half a cup of heavy cream, milk, or half-and-half. 
  • You can use turkey broth, chicken broth, or even turkey pan drippings to make turkey gravy (or a combination of broth and drippings). If you’re going to use the turkey drippings, skim the fat off the top before adding it to the recipe. 

Recipe FAQs

What do you serve with turkey gravy?

Here are some serving suggestions and popular Thanksgiving recipes that pair so well with this delicious gravy:

What if my homemade turkey gravy is too thick or too thin?

If the homemade gravy is too thick, simply add more chicken broth 1 tablespoon at a time until it’s the right texture. On the other hand, the easiest way to thicken gravy is to mix an extra tablespoon of flour with 1/4 cup of water and slowly stir that into the simmering gravy.

Can I make turkey gravy in advance?

Yes, you can make ahead turkey gravy, up to 2 days ahead in advance. Store it in an airtight container in the fridge and then reheat it on the stovetop before serving. You might need to use the steps above to get it to the right consistency.

How do you get rid of gravy lumps?

There are a couple of ways you can get rid of lumps in your gravy: blend the prepared gravy in a blender for 30 seconds or pour it through a mesh strainer. However, because the lumps, in this case, are pieces of turkey and egg, we kind of want to keep ’em in there, ya know?

Here are more recipes featuring gravy:

Crockpot Hamburger Patties With Ketchup Gravy

How To Make Sausage Gravy

Chicken Fried Steak Recipe With Gravy

Southern Cubed Steak and Milk Gravy

Chicken with Sour Cream Gravy

Garlic Cream Biscuits with Bacon Gravy

Easy Turkey Gravy

This easy turkey gravy is an old-fashioned Southern recipe. Bursting with turkey flavor and a secret ingredient, enjoy it this Thanksgiving.
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Total Time: 25 minutes
Course: Dressing
Cuisine: American
Keyword: gravy, turkey
Servings: 4
Calories: 87kcal

Ingredients

  • 2 cups turkey or chicken broth
  • 1 diced hard-boiled egg
  • 1/2 cup shredded turkey breast
  • 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup warm water

Instructions

  • Bring broth to a simmer over medium-high heat.
    2 cups turkey or chicken broth
  • Stir in turkey and egg and reduce temperature to low.
    1 diced hard-boiled egg, 1/2 cup shredded turkey breast
  • In a small cup, mix together water and flour with a fork until there are no lumps.
    2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, 1/2 cup warm water
  • Stir this slurry into the simmering broth and cook over low heat until thickened (about 2-3 minutes).
  • Pour it into a gravy boat and serve immediately.

Nutrition

Calories: 87kcal
Tried this recipe?Mention @southernplate or tag #southernplate!

 

 

Similar Posts

25 Comments

  1. My husband always said he hated Giblet gravy until he had my Texas Momma’s! The secret to adding the giblets is to chop them up real fine and always leave out the liver! Oh how I miss this recipe! My MIL uses a packet mix, ugh! Thanks so much for posting this Miss Christy!

  2. Christy, I am curious if you know the origin of the addition of a hard-boiled egg to gravy. I am a mid-western girl from Missouri and that is something I am not familiar with. We certainly like gravy in these parts, white, brown, sausage, hamburger, chicken, turkey, you name it we like it! 🙂 But nothing with eggs in it 🙂

    BTW I am particularly fond of your recipe for gravy made with bacon grease. A true delight over biscuits!

    1. 5 stars
      I believe that it originated with poorer folks in the south (South Carolina/Georgia.) It added more protein which is something not often affordable to poor people. But they were able to raise their own chickens, they were cheap. It also adds a wonderful yellow color and taste to the gravy.

  3. Thank you so much for the gravy recipe . My mother never wrote her recipe down , and I couldn’t remember all of it. My big children will be so happy to have Grandma Nalley’s gravy again

      1. I was lucky to learn to make my mom’s giblet gravy at a young age. No recipe and still don’t have it written down nor her cornbread dressing. Make both once a year. My mom’s gravy is different in that she made a milk gravy and added the giblets to it. I learned to cook from my 2 grandmothers also. I use a recipe for cakes and cookies, otherwise, it’s a “throw it into the pot” kind of cooking I do!!! Have a blessed Thanksgiving everyone!!

  4. Hi, thank you for sharing. My Mama went to her grave with her recipe. Going off my memory…..I think I remember her using cornstarch to thicken. Is that right? I remember seeing pieces of grizzards. But it was so good on her dressing!!!

    I love your recipes and you are an awesome person.
    Thank you

  5. Well, I guess all the “stuff” in the gravy would hide the fact that my gravy had lumps! I have never had gravy with anything in it but, well, um, gravy! Never actually knew it existed. Always an education around here (in the wild west).

    1. Christy , girl , u have done it again , brought us more good old time recipes like our grandmas use to made.And man , do i ever miss my grandmas , their both gone , but they both cooked just like your mom does.U got 2 love them old time recipes.God bless u girl.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.

Recipe or Post Rating