Save yourself a bunch of time with this Make Ahead Turkey Gravy! Turkey wings, vegetables and herbs roast in the oven before cooking with wine and stock, creating a delicious base to this extremely flavorful homemade gravy. Can be made a few weeks in advance and kept in the freezer or as little 3 to 4 days if kept refrigerated. This recipe will yield 4 cups.

Meet the best gravy I’ve ever made.

Last week my sister Kelly sent me a snapchat of her making gravy. She said she was making it in advance for Thanksgiving. Me being me, I immediately responded asking for the recipe. My sister then sent over a recipe she saw on TikTok, and after watching it and seeing how easy it is, I had to make it and share it with you.

I didn’t change the recipe all that much, but I did change a few minor things.

However, the base of the gravy is the same. It starts by roasting a bunch of vegetables, thyme and turkey wings before adding a little white wine and stock/broth. Once infused, the liquids are then gradually whisked into a roux and the gravy simmers until thickened.

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy ingredients

To Make This Make Ahead Turkey Gravy You Will Need:

  • olive oil
  • yellow onions
  • celery
  • carrots
  • garlic
  • thyme
  • kosher salt
  • black pepper
  • turkey wings
  • dry white wine
  • turkey stock
  • unsalted butter
  • wondra instant flour

turkey wings

This time of year you can find turkey wings at your grocery store and one package usually contains 3 wings. They are either located in the refrigerated meat or freezer sections.

If frozen, thaw completely (should take few days) in your fridge before making this recipe.

roasting pan with vegetables, herbs and turkey wings.

Preheat your oven to 400℉ (or 200℃).

Drizzle a little olive oil into a roasting pan. Then add in 2 halved yellow onions, 3 roughly chopped celery stalks, 2 large roughly chopped carrots, 1 head of garlic – cut in half horizontally, 3 turkey wings and 5 to 6 sprigs of fresh thyme.

seasoned with black pepper.

Lastly, drizzle with more olive oil and season with a few generous pinches kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper.

roasted vegetables and turkey.

Roast (uncovered) on the middle rack of your preheated oven for 1 hour.

deglaze the pan with white wine.

Remove the roasting pan from the oven and deglaze with 1/2 cup dry white wine. I recommend using a chardonnay or sauvignon blanc – one that you like to drink.

pour in turkey stock.

After that, pour in 6 cups turkey stock. Quality store bought is fine or maybe you have this homemade version on hand?

return the pan to the oven for 45 minutes.

Return the pan back to the oven for an additional 45 minutes. It should have reduced by almost half.

reduced broth in roasting pan with turkey, vegetables and thyme.

Smells like thanksgiving!

strain broth.

Use tongs to transfer the turkey wings to a carving board. Feel free to pick of the meat and use in soup or discard. Place a mesh sieve into a large bowl. Pour the cooking liquids and all the vegetables through the sieve.

press vegetables to squeeze out any liquids.

Press on the vegetables with a metal or wooden spoon to extract any and all of their juices.

strained turkey broth.

This right here is liquid gold.

turkey broth in fat separator.

Pour the liquids into your fat separate and allow the fat to rise to the top. Pull the stopper out so the liquids come up the spout (and the fat will stay at the top).

melting butter in a saucepan.

Meanwhile, in a sauce pan, melt 4 tablespoon unsalted butter.

whisk in flour.

Whisk in 6 tablespoons of Wondra flour.

What is Wondra Flour?

Wondra is an instant flour. It’s a low-protein flour that has been precooked and dried. This ultra fine flour dissolves instantly which helps keep sauces and gravies lump free. It can also be used as pastry flour or to bread meat, fish and vegetables for a crisp exterior when pan-fried.

pour in a little of the turkey broth.

Once dissolved, slowly pour in the turkey stock.

more turkey broth.

Continue whisking while pouring in all that liquid gold.

simmer, whisking often, until thickened

Bring to a simmer over medium heat then reduce to medium-low and continue whisking while the gravy simmers.

thickened gravy

How Long Will It Take Homemade Gravy To Thicken?

This could take 45 to 1 hour. Or if you’re like me and don’t want to wait that long, after about 30 minutes, make a cornstarch slurry and whisk it in. For a thinner gravy, whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. And for a thicker gravy (what we like!) I use 3 tablespoons of each.

Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if desired.

Once thickened, cool completely before storing.

When To Make “Make Ahead Turkey Gravy”?

Make this as early as a month in advance and freeze – thaw before reheating. Or prepare this make ahead gravy 3 to 4 days in advance and keep it refrigerated in an air-tight container.

How To Reheat Make Ahead Turkey Gravy:

The day of, add the gravy to a sauce pan and reheat on low until hot. If the gravy is too thick once reheated, add a few splashes of turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth to thin it out.

Pro tip:

While the gravy is warming, I fill the gravy boat with very HOT water. Then when it’s time to serve the meal, I empty the gravy boat and quickly wipe it out before filling it with the gravy. This will keep it nice and warm.

Enjoy! And if you give this Make Ahead Turkey Gravy recipe a try, let me know! Snap a photo and tag me on twitter or instagram!

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy
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Yield: 4 cups

Make Ahead Turkey Gravy

Save yourself a bunch of time with this Make Ahead Turkey Gravy! Turkey wings, vegetables and herbs roast in the oven before cooking with wine and stock, creating a delicious base to this extremely flavorful homemade gravy. Can be made a few weeks in advance and kept in the freezer or as little 3 to 4 days if kept refrigerated. This recipe will yield 4 cups.

Ingredients

  • olive oil
  • 2 yellow onions, halved, skin left on
  • 2 carrots, washed, unpeeled and chopped into 2-inch pieces
  • 3 short stalks celery, coarsely chopped into 2-inch pieces
  • 1 head garlic, cut in half horizontally
  • 1 package (of 3) turkey wings, thawed if frozen
  • kosher salt
  • freshly ground black pepper
  • 6 sprigs thyme, about 4 to 5-inches long
  • 1/2 cup dry white wine, like chardonnay or sauvignon blanc
  • 6 cups turkey stock, or sub with chicken stock
  • 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
  • 6 tablespoons Wondra instant flour, or sub with unbleached all-purpose flour *see notes beforehand

Instructions 

  • Preheat your oven to 400℉ (or 200℃).
  • Add a littel olive oil to the bottom of your roasting pan. Add onions, carrots, celery, garlic, turkey wings and thyme.
  • Drizzle more olive oil over top and season with a few pinches kosher salt and some freshly ground black pepper. Roast uncovered for 1 hour.
  • Deglaze the pan with wine. Pour in the broth and return the pan to the oven and continue roasting for 45 more minutes or until the liquids have reduced by half.
  • Remove turkey wings to a cutting board. Use the meat for a recipe (like soup!) or discard.
  • Strain the broth through a mesh strainer set into a bowl. Press the vegetables before discarding to get any liquids from them as well.
  • In a saucepan, melt the butter. Once melted, whisk in the flour until dissolved. Then gradually pour in the hot broth.
  • Bring to a simmer over medium heat then reduce to medium-low and continue whisking while the gravy simmers. This could take 45 to 1 hour. Or if you’re like me and don’t want to wait that long, after about 30 minutes, make a cornstarch slurry and whisk it in. For a thinner gravy, whisk 2 tablespoons cornstarch with 2 tablespoons water. And for a thicker gravy (what we like!) I do 3 tablespoons of each.
  • Taste and season with more salt and pepper, if desired.
  • Once thickened, let cool before storing.
  • Make this as early as a month in advance and freeze – thaw before reheating. Or prepare it 3 to 4 days in advance and keep refrigerated in an air-tight container and reheat the day of.

To Reheat:

  • Thaw completely if frozen.
  • Add the gravy to a sauce pan and heat on low until hot.
  • If the gravy is too thick once reheated, add a few splashes of turkey stock or low-sodium chicken broth to thin it out

Notes

*If using unbleached all purpose flour for thickening, use only 4 tablespoons and cook it with the butter for 1 to 2 minutes before pouring in the hot turkey stock.
Pro Tip: While the gravy is warming, I fill the gravy boat with very HOT water. Then when it's time to serve the meal, I empty the gravy boat and quickly wipe it out before filling it with the gravy. This will keep it nice and warm.
Nutrition Disclaimer: All information presented on this site is intended for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and any nutritional information shared on SimplyScratch.com should only be used as a general guideline.
Serving: 2tablespoons, Calories: 171kcal, Carbohydrates: 9g, Protein: 13g, Fat: 9g, Saturated Fat: 3g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Cholesterol: 39mg, Sodium: 216mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 3g