Make-Ahead Turkey Gravy

I'm only giving this a 4 but I think it could be a 5 if the directions are changed slightly. I should have followed my gut feeling and reserved the separated fat to make a roux. If I would have done this there would not have been a floury taste. Do this by whisking the flour into the reserved fat over medium until golden, and then whisk back into the strained broth and drippings. I'll have to make my gravy tomorrow with my turkey drippings after all but maybe I can add this floury gravy to it. Hate to waste it but can't serve it the way it taste right now. Excellent concept with minor changes!!! Thank you!!!

If I could give this 500 STARS I WOULD 8 - ) I followed as directed almost exactly (scaled in half). I used 2 turkey thighs, a back and roasted whole garlic cloves w/ turkey and added celery to pot- oh herbs de provence instead of thyme. The only real change was as others said - I used some of the "fatty" stuff (the icky but good tasting stuff that floats to the top when it starts to cool) heated in a frying pan an added small abounts of flour at a time and a bit of chicken broth, then transfered to a jar with fitting lid with a more chicken broth and shook the heck out if it to make a thickening - then add that to pot. I did this about 3 times and used the amount of flour the recipe called for and it was not floury tasting at all or lumpy. This was suppose to be my back up gravy in case I had a holiday "melt down" or too much wine ha ha. It was so good that's what I served with dinner! Just pop it in the microwave and pour in the ol' gravy boat! Thank you for saving me the burden of gravy after cooking all day!! I've all ready given this recipe to all my freinds!!!! Cheers!!!!

I was seriously skeptical of any gravy that could hold up for a couple of days and not turn into an icky paste, but this one was awesone and took such a load off of my mind. Gravy at Thanksgiving is always such a stressful, last minute hit or miss and this one takes the worry away and delivers the great taste. The only thing I changed was using turkey legs instead of wings because I think they impart a richer flavor. Thank so much for this recipe!! A definite keeper!

This recipe is a life save on Thanksgiving day. The gravy is DELICIOUS and it takes all the guesswork out of making gravy on the big day. You can make it long ahead of time and heat it in a crock pot all day or stovetop. No one will ever guess it isn't pan roasted that day. Add some of the drippings to it before serving & you have the best turkey gravy!

Excellent recipe! One less stressful item to have to worry about on Thanksgiving! I made a few changes... I poured the pan drippings into a gravy separator; The non-fat portion of the drippings went in with the simmering wings and broth, and I reserved the separated fat to make a roux. I did this by whisking the flour into the reserved fat over medium until golden, and then whisked in all the strained broth and drippings. No floury taste this way! Very excellent, and freezes well... To defrost, refrigerate for 2 days. Reheat in saucepan, whisking often. Yumm.

This is my 3rd year making this recipe and its great. I don't stress making the gravy after the turkey is taken out of the oven, the problem is, there is never enough turkey gravy for left overs. We all love hot turkey sandwiches the next day, so this solves that problem. I prepare this "ahead gravy" 2 days before and on turkey day I boil the giblets while the turkey is in the oven. When the turkey is cooked and resting I use the roasting pan with the drippings and make a roux, etc, when the gravy is done, I then add half of the make ahead gravy to the pan and heat it up. We now have plenty of turkey gravy for Thanksgiving. The other half of the Make Ahead gravy I freeze for the Christmas turkey dinner, so I get 2 for the work of 1, and never again worry about having enough gravy left over for the day after hot turkey sandwich smothered in gravy. I don't know if anyone feels the way I do but after cooking all this food for a holiday dinner, I don't feel like eating it, so the day after the big dinner everything sounds and tastes great to me, since I am not touching, slicing, chopping, stirring, mixing or smelling the food all day long, not to mention being tired and stressed getting all the food cooked and served hot at the same time for everyone to sit and eat. Nope, the day after is MY DAY and I'm loving that hot turkey sandwich.

Yes, this gravy tasted pretty good. However, I only gave it 3 stars because I just don't think the taste was worth all the extra effort. It was nice to have the gravy done ahead of time, but next time I'll just spend the 5-10 minutes after the turkey is done making the gravy.

Lots of great elements here, but in New Orlean's we'd change a few thins. 1st, we always start with a roux instead of belnding in uncooked flour. Try for the color of peanut butter or darker, and if possible use rendered turkey fat as the oil. After the roux is ready, add minced onion, garlic and celery along with spices such as puoltry seasoning, sage, thyme, or savory. When veggies are wilted, add the stock, bring to a rolling boil and reduce until thick. After you cook the turker, add the pan juices and bring to desired consistency by reducing on stove or adding more stock to your taste. I use a stock, rather than a broth, using the turkey necks, old veggie and poultry trimmings I've saved in the freezer as well as any combination of carrots, turnips, rutabegas, or yams. I simmer it (one bubble every 2 or 3 seconds) at least overnight (I have electric--wouldn't do this on gas) and strain as directed in recipe. This yields a strong, dark, flavorful stock. Another option is to add the neck meat and chopped giblets if you like a giblet gravy. It's really not as much work as it seems, and the flavor intensification is incredible. Kudos aplenty for roasting your stock ingredients and "Bon chance" (good luck)! Laissez les bon temps roulle (Let the good times roll)!!!!!

I have used this recipe (but add celery and carrots) and it seems like extra work, but you can make it several days ahead of time and it is the most flavorful, wonderful gravy. You don't have to rush around waiting to get pan drippings from your turkey so it really saves a lot of time at the last minute! You'll love it!

I just got done making this and had to rush to the computer to write this review, because it was AWESOME!!! So delicious... I will most definately be making this every year! I used 3 turkey legs instead of the wings, and before roasting them I drizzled them (and the onions) with a little oil and sprinkled with salt and pepper. I also added two celery stalks and all the cloves from a bulb of garlic (peeled) to the simmering step. After the final step of adding the butter and pepper, I sieved the gravy through a mesh sieve to achieve a silky, smooth gravy. Perfection! The final result yielded 5 cups of yummy gravy! Can't wait to pour it over all my Thanksgiving goodies! Thank you for this stellar recipe!

Delicious and so much less stressful to have it done ahead. My mom, who has sworn by her recipe (also my grandmothers) forever, even took a copy because it was just as good and she wouldn't have so much to do on Thanksgiving Day.

Wow, finished this gravy today, and it is fantastic. I'm storing it in big jars in the fridge until Thursday. I did do a couple of things differently, though, and thought it might be helpful to share. I had a large package of chicken thighs in the freezer that I had gotten on sale, and decided to substitute these for the turkey wings. They worked great. I used a good quality powdered chicken broth instead of canned broth. I also added 1 tablespoon of salt to the finished gravy...I thought it needed it. After roasting the chicken & onions, I used my large stockpot with a pasta insert for the next step. I put the chicken & onions and other veggies into the pasta insert, and of course, the broth went over top of it. When it was time to take the chicken/veggies out, drain and press out the liquid, it was a snap having used this pot. Also, since I used chicken thighs, there was plenty of useable meat. I boned the chicken and put all the meat an vegetables into a casserole for supper tonight, along with some noodles and a cup of the homemade gravy, mixed with 1 can of cream of chicken soup. Tastes great! AND I have fantastic gravy ready to heat up on Thursday. I'll be doing this one again!

This is a terrific recipe. I made it just as written and the flavor was exactly right. It reheated beautifully. The one thing I will note is that I cut the recipe down to serve 8 and it produced only about 1 cup of gravy. Next time, I'll simply make it all and freeze the rest.

Lifesaver! I had a wonderfull cooking experiance for thanksgiving mostly because I didn't have to worry about the "major little stuff"! I have this recipe saved & printed and will use again! For the record...there were no leftovers even my gravy haters loved it!

I would change something for this recipe as well. I use the neck from my bird (which I always brine) so the neck is 'accessed' 2 days before Thanksgiving. Have to admit I use BIG bird so I generally have a large neck to work with. I use the neck plus the onion and add carrot, celery and some garlic all drizzled with just a bit of olive oil and roast before putting it all in the stock pan. There's really no need to add chicken broth because we want TURKEY flavor, right? If I want chicken gravy, this recipe would be fine. Add 6-8 cups water to the pot and let it go for several hours seasoning along the way. The broth should be rather dark in color (if the veggies & neck were roasted enough) and very rich in flavor. Make gravy using this stock and you'll have a great TURKEY gravy rather than mostly chicken flavor gravy. I've actually made this stock and frozen it for later use (like Christmas) when needed too. I'd make the roux with skimmed fat as well as some have said. Enjoy!

This gravy rocks! I am a big time cook and I LOVE to make Thanks Giving dinner. But, I also want to have fun and relax with my guests on the holiday. Making this ahead of time is key for me to have both good gravy, and good fun. Also, my taste tester was grinning ear to ear when I made it. (It is SO super easy to make, but don't tell your guests that.) I made it ahead of time and added my turkey drippings to it on Thanks Giving Day to get some more homemade flavor in there...doesn't need anything else though...it's heaven the way the recipe reads. (If you do add your turkey drippings to it: Put premade drippings in sause pan and warm on low heat, whisk often. Skim fat out of dippings and put the good stuff in a small sauce pan over low heat. Slowly whisk in flour to thicken, go slow so you don't over thicken or make lumps. Once you have the consistancy you want slowly whisk drippings into warmed premade gravy. Simmer for about 4 or 5 minutes to allow flavors to combine whisking often.) Don't cut this recipe in half because you need lots of gravy for leftovers. Don't add too much flour - all the reviewers that say it was too thick clearly don't know how to use flour. And finally, don't use yucky box gravy. You can do this! Its so easy and rewarding!

I’ve made this type of gravy in the past and it’s very good, I do add a teaspoon or so of poultry seasoning to up the flavor. BUT… when I plan to freeze it, I don’t thicken with flour mixture until ready to use the gravy. In the past I have frozen gravies thickened with flour, with disastrous results. When heating up the gravy it never comes together smoothly, no matter how long or well I whisk it; it always look somewhat curdled. Refrigeration doesn't seem to effect it but if you wish to thickened the gravy and then freeze, use Arrowroot powder mixed with chicken stock. Once added, cook briefly to remove the starchy flavor. Do not overcook or it will thin out again if cooked too long or at too high a temperature. Use less Arrowroot than flour; this recipe calls for 3/4 cup flour or 12 Tbsps.; web searches say 1 Tbsp. plus 1 tsp. Arrowroot per cup of liquid, others say only 1 Tbsp. guess it depends on desired thickness. Your gravy will be less cloudy than gravy thickened with flour; just looks a bit clearer. Gravies and sauces thickened with Arrowroot can be frozen and thawed with impunity and Arrowroot is the most neutral tasting starch thickener. The downside is Arrowroot is pricier, and it's not a good thickener for dairy-based sauces, turns them slimy. Bottom line freeze stock and thicken with flour when ready to use, or use Arrowroot to thicken before freezing. Hope this helps those who had the same disastrous results I’ve had, thawing frozen gravy thickened with flour.

I have made this recipe for years. I have a hard time finding turkey wings, so I always resort to turkey drumsticks or chicken wings. When I use the drumsticks I coat them with a little vegetable oil before I put them in the roasing pan (they don't seem to have as much grease as wings do ). I have also seen this recipe with a 1/2 cup of white wine added to the mix in place of some of the broth. I have made it both ways, if I have wine I use it, if not I don't. Either way it's the best gravy I have ever had, and the fact that you can make it so far in advance of your dinner is an A Plus !!! I throw the left over turkey meat ( when you use drumsticks it's a lot ) into the freezer and then take it out and throw it into my turkey soup that I make after the holidays. Nothing gets wasted that way, except the skin, which is a great reason to have a dog !! She loves it !!!

This is simply the best gravy recipe I have ever tried! The taste actually surpasses the one in my my memory of all those thanksgiving meals growing up! How many tastes can beat the nostalgic tastes in your childhood memory? I like that it takes more time--the whole process puts me in the Holiday spirit. As soon as the Halloween festivities are cleaned up, I make this ahead of time, stop before adding the flour and butter, and freeze the broth until the day before the feast. I go to the extra effort of doing up my own chicken broth for this recipe using fresh tarragon, thyme and rosemary. I made this for the first time 2 years ago, agian last year and as I write this, the wings are roasting for this year's batch. We will be having this every year and I bet my kids will make it, too! By the way, it's great to make a chicken pot pie out of the leftover chicken (from the broth) and turkey from the wings plus some of the extra broth. Sort of gets your tastebuds ready for Thanksgiving.

This recipe is amazing. Followed other's suggestions to make a rue with the fat from the turkey stock. Amazing flavor and one less thing to worry about tomorrow!

Sub a little of the water for white wine. Add 1 head of garlic (peeled & cut horizontally in half), diced onions, diced celery & whole pepper corns when simmering on the stove up to 5 hours. To eliminate floury taste, reserve separated fat & whisk into flour over medium heat until golden. Add roux to broth, bring to a boil & simmer until reduced to desired thickness. Makes 2 cups. I increase volume & enhance flavour by adding water or chicken broth to scrape roast pan bits & add to make-ahead gravy. This served leftovers for a 25 lb. turkey. Thanks Sue!

I am not a gravy maker, especially attempting it at the last minute. So, in the past I purchased gravy in a jar. No more thanks to this recipe. It was VERY good, had a nice flavor, and I will absolutely make this again. Thank you for posting for us non-gravy makers!

Just made this today to freeze for next weeks Thanksgiving dinner. Like others, I couldn't find turkey wings so I used 3 turkey drumsticks and a package of chicken wings. When I chilled this to skim off the fat it was more like a gelatin (did I do something wrong?). Anyway, I went ahead and added some butter to what fat I could scrape off the top of the stock. I cooked the flour before adding the additional broth. It is pretty tasty, but I felt it needed a little something so I added a bit of poultry seasoning and a little more thyme along with salt and pepper. I plan to freeze this and HOPE it comes out good on Thanksgiving day! I will try to add some pan drippings from my turkey that day too.

The only problem that I found with this gravy is that I didn't make enough of it! I usually serve myself last and found that by the time I got to the gravy, it was nearly all gone. Huge hit with the fam! I will say that the instructions are a bit odd as far as the roux goes. Just mixing the flour with the broth will not get rid of the flour taste; it needs to be cooked out, as with any roux. After cooking down the roasted wings, etc. in the broth using a dutch oven, I pulled the wings out, strained the liquid into another pot, and returned the skin and any fat I could skim off of the surface of the broth to the dutch oven to melt the fat. Once I had melted all of the fat I could, I removed the skin and then began to mix in my flour. I did need to add a little butter as there wasn't quite enough fat for the amount of flour. After the roux became browned, I slowly poured the strained liquid back in, peppered to taste, and cooked until it thickened.

I thought it was wonderful! I just finished making it today, and on Thanksgiving my plan is to keep it warm in a small crock with a small ladle, let my guests slosh on gravy to their heart's content. I only used 4 turkey wings because that's all my store had. I added 2 ribs of celery, chopped. Otherwise I made it exactly as stated, and it is delicious. Best of all, next week when trying to get all the other dishes out and hot, the gravy will not be of concern.

I have NEVER had a more tasteful and delicious Thanksgiving turkey dinner because of this AMAZING gravy recipe!!!! Added all my 'day of' drippings, and I am still in awe... everyone raved about it and the fact that I made it the day before was just brilliant! Thank you so much!

SAVE THE SKIMMED FAT AND MAKE A ROUX!!! You will not regret it. I actually moaned when I tasted this gravy last year. It is delicious. I froze mine then warmed it in a crock pot on Turkey Day. I got many, many compliments. Thank you, SUE1956! You made me look good! :)

The only thing I do different is put in 1/4 white wine when I'm whisking in the flour mixture.

I think that it was a lot of extra work but, it was worth it. Instead of flour I use a product called "Wondra". It is in a tall light blue round container in the flour section. It is really fine flour and is great for all types of sauces and does not lump.

I just finished making this gravy. Yummy and full of flavor. I only gave it four stars because I altered it a little so can't rate the actual recipe. I used legs and thighs instead of wings. I was lucky enough to find turkey stock and used that instead of chicken. I also took the advice of one of the other poster and combined the skimmed fat with the flour and cooked it with the two remaining cups of turkey stock. When finished, added a little morethyme, some ground sage and salted to taste. It seems like a lot of work but it isn't really, just takes time more than anything. Having this done ahead of time will really take the stress off on turkey day. My only concern is will it still be thick the day of serving? I'll let you know. This is a keeper and I will make again assuming it doesn't turn to water when reheated.

The secret to a relaxing preparation of the Thanksgiving meal--if that's possible!

This saved me so much time the day I made my turkey. I couldn't find turkey wings, so used 12 chicken wings instead of 6 turkey wings. You can always add the drippings from the roast turkey pan to this gravy, but it's great on its own. I like that it made lots of gravy, far more than I ever get from the usual pan drippings. Huge time saver.

I NEVER make gravy, but, when I hosted my first Thanksgiving this year, packaged gravy just wouldn't do and anything I could get done in advance was even better! I made this two days ahead and it got awesome reviews! I subbed some of the water with white wine at my Mom's suggestion, but, otherwise kept it the same and I would highly recommend! Thanks for sharing!

Actually, I have to revise my first review. I could live with the lumps, but there were a ton of them (despite the fact that I added the flour gradually, which almost never works, I should know by now), and the gravy tasted like flour and nothing else. Had to throw this out.

This gravy is so tasty. I always use turkey drumsticks instead of wings. The meat turns into a nice little treat that we get to eat the day we make the gravy.

I made 32 servings and it is perfect. We deep fry our turkey; hence, no gravy. This is a fantastic recipe.

Absolutely out of this world gravy! I couldn't stop eating it after I made it :) It really saves a lot of stress from the big turkey day. To avoid any lumps in your gravy, completely dissolve the flour into the soup mixture before you start adding it into your turkey stock. Also you can use a fine mesh strainer at the end of the process to get a completely smooth finish. I would absolutely recommend this to anyone, it's an excellent recipe!

I made this yesterday, and finished it today ... a bit of work, but well worth the end result! It tastes delicious, and my gravy is all done for the big day! The only thing I did differently, was after straining the broth, I refrigerated it overnight, making removal of the fat simpler. Definitely 5 stars, and I will make this again. Thanks for this time saving recipe! ♥

This is the best gravy I've had! I did modify slightly based on other comments. First change is I bought a package of wings containing 2 large wings, which was plenty and more cost effective. Second, I strained the water and broth as the recipe indicated, but I set it aside. In a heavy bottom large pot, I melted 8 tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of flour (equal parts flour and butter) and let that toast for about 1 minute to remove any flour taste. I wisked that into the wonderfully reduced wing liquid. It was rich, smooth and delicious. Thank you to the recipe author for sharing this!

Been making this gravy for years now. Started making 'make ahead' dishes for my Thanksgiving meal back when I had to work on the holiday (nurse). That way when I came home we were ready to eat! This gravy is exceptional! My family loves it. You get so much creamy smooth, flavorful, beautifully colored gravy. I follow the recipe exactly as written. I honestly can't say enough about how much I love this gravy! Now that I'm retired I still 'make ahead' this gravy, my mashed potatoes, my cranberries, sweet potatoes, and corn casserole! That way when my family comes I can enjoy them because I'm not running around in the kitchen!

What a disappointment. The only thing I did different was to use turkey legs - I could not find wings. The gravy tastes like flour. Don't waste your time.

This is SOOO good! I did not have wings, so I used 3 drumsticks and about 1.5lbs of chicken hearts/gizzards. It didn't give me as much gravy as I was hoping for, but this was so good, I will make more. I also added a few TBLSP of fresh parsley. I think it gives the gravy a nicer look. I also made a roux and did it that way. this was my first real attempt at a gravy, and it turned out wonderful. This is definately going to be my go to recipe. To make a roux: use some fat (I didn't have much, so I used the 2 TBSP of butter in the pan as well) and warm it up. Then continue adding a little bit of a flour at a time, until all 3/4 cup of flour is gone. I also had to add some broth the more flour I added. The roux is a thick consistancy and then I added it slowly in to my other pan over medium heat and stirred very frequently for about 5 minutes. Update: I had frozen the gravy in a ziplock container. I put it in the fridge the night before Thanksgiving. In the morning after I got my turkey in the oven I took the gravy out and put it in the crock pot. Put it on low for a few hours, then an hour and 1/2 before dinner was served I put it on high, and just asked anyone who walked by the crockpot to stir it. It came out PERFECT. It was creamy, not thin, and there weren't any lumps. It made the final part of Thanksgiving much less stressful. I actually remembered the rolls early on and didn't burn them because I wasn't fussing over the gravy.

...and I thought that I made really good turkey gravy... This is wonderful, but very rich! I made it a little less rich by adding some more chicken broth and tightened it back up. When I use a thickener without a roux, I simmer for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. I initially made this because my hubby is deep frying a turkey this year and I wanted gravy, but I think I will always make my gravy this way now. Thanks for the recipe!

I just made this yesterday for Christmas dinner. It makes the most delicious, smooth turkey gravy! (I used Wondra flour as that dissolves easily and makes very smooth sauces/gravies. Many people complained of a floury taste. Do EXACTLY as the recipe says and boil for several minutes (I boiled for 5 minutes) and the floury taste disappears. It's in my freezer now all ready for Christmas dinner and I'm happy to have that out of the way.

I just found this recipe TODAY and I made it...ITS THE BEST GRAVY I'VE EVER MADE IN MY LIFE!!! Takes a little time, but is so worth it! I had to use poultry seasoning instead of the thyme. One less thing to do on Thanksgiving! Thank you!

This was one of the best gravys I have ever tasted. My family loved it. Instead of the wings I used Jeanio breakfast links (turkey). I also tried making 1/2 of this recipe and it served 5 people nicely. It was so nice not to have to make the gravy at the last minute. Highly recommened.

I followed the recipe with a few tweeks, based on a comments by others. I created a rue with the turkey drippings and flour before incorporating this into the broth. The gravy looked good but tasted like flour. No flavor. My suggestions to others would be to season the turkey before baking it. Also, adding a packet of dry turkey gravy mix to the broth might help. This was too much work for the resluts. Will not try it again.

This is amazing! I will never make turkey gravy any other way. It takes extra planning and time a few days ahead, but was so worth it not to be making gravy at the last second. I used 3 large turkey legs because thats what the store had. I seasoned them a little before roasting, and drizzled with olive oil. I added celery to the pot when boiling as well. I followed other reviews, and took the broth after cooking, allowed to set up in the fridge, and then removed the fat from the top. I used the fat as well as a little butter to create a roux with the flour and then slowly added the broth to it. I was afraid it wouldn't reheat well 2 days later, but it was perfect! My husband suggested next time I add the meat from the turkey legs to the gravy as well. Thanks!

Fantastic! I used 2 large turkey backs instead of wings and cornstarch about 3/8 cup, instead of flour and it turned out great!! Refrigerated it overnight and it was delicious for Christmas dinner!! Thanx!

This is the BEST gravy recipe ever!! I'm making it today with turkey drumsticks and using it as abase for soup......The gravy was absolutely heavenly!! You wont be disappointment!!

Man oh man! This is one great recipe! This year for Thanksgiving I'm making everything from scratch. Every minute spent making this is well worth it - thanks for sharing.

Fantastic flavor! I made it just as written and it turned out great! What a lifesaver when you have so many last minute preparations with a big meal...one less thing to worry about. Thank you!

This recipe made Thanksgiving a little bit easier. I took the gravy out of the freezer in the morning and placed it in the crockpot. It was perfect by dinner time and I just added a few choice drippings from the roasting whole turkey so not to waste them. Tasty and easy.

Couldn't buy turkey wings so used the wings off turkey I had and bought a package of 7 chicken wings - worked great.

What a great idea!!! No scrambling at the last minute to make the gravy. Followed the recipe as is and enjoyed GREAT gravy.

Didn't have much flavor in my opinion. Will try again and adjust rating if needed.

I thought this was more work for a gravy that wasn't any better than the traditional recipe I have always followed. The reason for the high rating was I loved being able to have one more chore done before the big day arrived. Update: I read reviews and made again making a roue with the flour and butter and this was fabulous, the best turkey gravy I have ever had or made myself, for sure. Thanks friends, all these tips are soooo helpful. It is a definite 5 now.

Soooo yummy and easy to make. I couldn't find turkey wings at my local Super Walmart, but they did have 3 large turkey drumsticks ($3) which I substituted. The great thing is that you can use the drumsticks to eat for a lunch or something. The only thing is that my onions burned on the baking sheet, but that was not a big deal-I just discarded them after the baking.

If I could give this recipe ten stars I would! This was hands down the best gravy I have ever tasted. This was my first attempt at making gravy and it was a homerun! I followed the recipe to a t, except I used Wondra flour instead of regular flour. Wondra flour makes gravies and sauces really smooth. My boyfriends mother tasted it as it was reheated and proclaimed it divine, then demanded the recipe. I made this two days in advance of Thanksgiving and just kept it in the fridge. It reheated beautifully. This will be my Thanksgiving recipe for the rest of my life!

Great recipe....very tasty. I love making the gravy ahead of time!

I made this last night for our dinner tomorrow, it is absolutely awesome. The only thing I did different was I used 3 wings and 3 thighs. The house already smells like thanksgiving. Thanks for sharing this amazing recipe...Happy Thanksgiving!

Just finished making this right now. Delicious. Tastes just as good as anything I've made in the past with NO STRESS. I did add about 1 tsp of garlic, and a few shakes of garlic salt. Kept the fat too. Absolutely divine and a huge relief for the big day. Try this -- you'll be glad you did!

Excellent flavor, but a lot of trouble. Made exactly as written, so I can't offer any suggestions. This will be made again come Thanksgiving.

If I could give this recipe more stars, I would! So easy and the end product was simply awesome! I did leave out the carrots because I think they tend to make recipes too sweet. Thank You SUE1956, for this fabulous gravy recipe.

I have always hated making gravy, but I thought I would try this so if it didn't work out I would have enough time before Thanksgiving to do something else.. This gravy turned out great and the only change I made was to use turkey thighs instead of wings. I also cooled the stock overnight and skimmed off the fat which I used for the "roux".. This was relatively easy and definately worth it!!!

The turkey wings were difficult to find, so next time I'll use 3 turkey legs. I added a gravy ladle of turkey drippings when I reheatied it. Yum.

Very time consuming, but worth it. I'll be using this again next Thanksgiving.

Extra work, but having the gravy done ahead of time is worth it! I am cooking Thanksgiving dinner for 40 people. With plenty to keep me busy on Thanksgiving Day, having the Gravy reay ahead of time and staying warm in a crock pot is greatly appreciated. And not only that, it's delicious! A smooth and flavorful turkey gravy.

One more thing that doesn't have to be made on Thanksgiving day...hooray! I was pleasantly surprised at how well this turned out. There were some reviewers who said this tasted like chicken gravy, so I opted to use turkey broth (available in those quart boxes). I'm doing a recipe this year that calls for boneless turkey breasts, so when the butcher boned the breasts, he gave me the turkey bones. I cooked the bones with the broth, which I believe enhanced the turkey flavor. I also made a roux before adding the broth, so that eliminated any flour flavor you would have by just adding flour to the broth. And the side benefit--I now have enough meat picked from the wings for a nice pre-Thanksgiving casserole tomorrow night! Winner in my book and going into my Favorites folder. Thanks Sue for this great recipe.

This was perfect! I made it ahead and froze it for Thanksgiving. On the day, I had forgotten to leave it out ahead of time to defrost, so I heated it slowly over a very low heat. Thought it would get lumpy and I would have to whisk or strain it, but it turned out perfectly and was delicious!

Great Gravy! I cooked this the Saturday before Thanksgiving and froze it until Weds. I followed recipe as directed, but used 2 very large turkey wings, it came out perfect. When unfreezing I put in the crock pot on low for a few hours. It will appear lumpy, but a quick wisk will fix that immediately. Taste was just like out of a jar/packet, but better. Nothing fancy-very simple, just great gravy and it got rave reviews. Worth the time if you're poking around the house.

this was perfect, and reduced the chaos. highly recommend this, and stick it in the crock pot to keep warm

it was good but too much work, it took for ever to make

This is awesome! Hardly knew what to do after the turkey came out of the oven since I didn't have gravy to do!We played a few more games while the turkey was resting

I made this recipe last year for the first time. I always got so frustrated being in the kitchen making gravy while everyone else was having fun! It is EXCELLENT. The only thing I changed was that I used 2 turkey wings instead of 6. I left the rest of the recipe as is. I also shredded the turkey meat and put it in the gravy at the end. It is outstanding! Last year I used what was leftover and put it into turkey soup. It was the best turkey soup I have ever made. Excellent recipie!!!

Have used this recipe for years. Life saver with one less last minute chore..and it is delicious! The meat makes great turkey tacos! I added 3 celery stalks to the broth along with the carrots.

If you're like me, you're looking at this recipe so you don't have to stress in front of your company about the coveted gravy for Thanksgiving! I made this the Tuesday before and refrigerated. Pretty easy except for the hardest part (at least for me) the dreaded thickening. I tried the flour, it lumped. Then I remembered a trick from my mom, corn starch mixed with cold water then added a bit at a time into the boiling mixture and stir, stir, stir. It worked. I don't think it made enough for 32 servings, hence 4*. And to think I was considering buying the gravy from a restaurant!

The gravy was very good, but a lot of advance time and effort. I don't think the 10 minute time saving on turkey day was worth it.

I've made this several times and my family loves this.

This is hands down the best gravy I have ever tasted. It was so nice being able to prepare it the day before and not having that last minute stress on Thanksgiving day. This year we fried two turkeys in the deep fryer outside so this is a great recipe to go with that since you don't end up with any nice drippings from roasting a turkey in the oven. DEFINITELY will make this every year!!

Simply to avoid the last minute stress this recipe is worth it. Really its the same thing but on a smaller controlled scale. Make a rioux then add it to the broth, bring to a boil and simmer. Also, I added 1 packet of McCormick's to enhance the flavor.

Such a relief to get the gravy done ahead of time and everyone really liked it. Not too greasy like sometimes happens when made with drippings. I used wondra instead of flour and added a little kitchen bouquet to darken the color.

I did make this a couple of days in advance and was glad on Thanksgiving morning. It did cut down on the worry as I am not a wonderful gravy maker. But I was very happy with this and the amount that it made and I will use this as my go to recipe. Thanks.

Been making this recipe for years and everyone loves it. I roast the carrots with the turkey to give it a deeper flavor and use gluten free flour so family who have this intolerance can share in the gravy.

There is never enough turkey gravy for hot turkey sandwiches on the day after Thanksgiving. This recipe solves that dilema. PERFECT! Definitely 5 stars!!! We will make this gravy every time we roast a turkey. Thank you for sharing.

Gravy turned out well, but it took hours to finish. Not at all certain it is worth the effort.

Gravy was good but not exceptional in light of all the work is was to prepare ahead of time. I prefer cornstarch base to the flour, this seemed a bit heavy to me. I think I spent more effort making gravy than baking the turkey. Next time I will go back to my pan-drippings and make the usual gravy.

Had to use other turkey parts in additioin to wings. Worked fine. Cooking time listed is a little off, It takes way more than 2.5 hours, but is worth it to have done ahead of time. I deglazed the pan with chardonay instead of water and seasoned the turkey parts with poultry seasoning before roasting. Also added two stalks cut up celery for the simmering part of the process.

Good Heavens! This gravy is exceptional. DH is a turkey hunter. The wild birds have zero fat and therefore no gravy. I decided to give this a try and the results were fantastic. This smooth, flavorful gravy made the house smell divine. True turkey taste and easy to make. After straining the contents of the stock pot in step 3 I let the liquid cool and froze it. When DH got his bird I pulled it from the freezer, thawed and then continued with step 4. Perfect!

I have made this gravy for the past three Thanksgivings. It is DELICIOUS! I find that using chicken wings and a couple of chicken thighs gives it the best flavor. I make it thick enough so I can thin it with some of the pan drippings from the turkey (I use wine & butter to baste my turkey). I will never leave gravy until the last minute again!! I love this recipe!

the very best gravy I have ever made

Excellent, since now on, I am in charge of the family gravy.....

Great as written, which is how I did it the first time. Now I us turkey tails instead of wings (more fat=more flavor). I wait until the day I want to use the gravy and skim off the fat, use that to make a roux which I cook long enough to get rid of the raw taste. Then I use the drippings from the turkey aong with the made-ahead broth. My aunt says the gravy is why she looks forward to Thaksgiving dinner!

I have to agree with another review. The gravy is quite good, however the added time and expense preparing this was not worth the effort. Even for gravy-phobics, making good gravy is not a science....Too-Knorr makes a pretty good mix if all else fails! I'll go back to my standard "last minute gravy" for the next go-around!

The best gravy I have ever had. I don't normally like gravy but this was incredible. I followed recipe as written and put gravy in a small crock pot on Thanksgiving. Everyone raved about the gravy more than any other part of the meal. Thank you!

I just made the make ahead turkey gravy from this site and although it was a 3 hour process to roast and simmer, it was TOTALLY worth it! So for those of you who are hosting and hate the last minute prep rush before serving on Thanksgiving day - go buy turkey legs and make this tomorrow!!!! It turns out really well. Mmmmm gravy....

Here I am a week before Thanksgiving and I am making the gravy! It is not so much that making gravy is time consuming or difficult, but there are so many dishes that are a part of our Thanksgiving dinner that need to be put together at the last moment that having this done in advance brings down the stress level. More importantly, this is good! I use turkey legs rather than wings simply because they are more readily available in my area. Today, I'll roast the legs and create the stock. The rich, slowly simmered stock is what I think makes this gravy so good. Tonight I'll put the stock in the fridge. Tomorrow, I'll have a top layer of fat to skim off and create a roux. Once the roux is well browned, I'll add the strained stock to make the gravy. The completed gravy will go into a Ziploc freezer bag to be stored in the freezer until Thanksgiving day. On Thanksgiving it will simmer in backburner pan, one less thing to worry about. =D This year there will only be 10 of us but I expect the recipe will get the same rave reviews that last year's larger group gave it.

Excellent!! Love this idea and the gravy really was very smooth and delicious. I also add a clove or two of garlic while roasting the legs (in place of wings). And I always use corn starch in place of flour in thickening my gravy. The color stays more vibrant and the flavor is more velvety. (I think flour makes gravy taste a bit pasty and it's murky looking.) Try the corn starch and see what you think. A chef gave me this tip years ago and it makes a pretty big difference (for the better!).

this is a great recipe.