Best Make Ahead Gravy Recipes

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C). Arrange a single layer of turkey wings in a large roasting pan. Scatter the onions over the top of the wings. Roast in the preheated oven for 1-1/4 hours or until wings are browned.
• Place browned wings and onions in a 5 quart stockpot. Add water to roasting pan and stir, scraping up any brown bits on the bottom of the pan. Pour the the water from the pan into the stockpot. Stir in 6 cups broth, carrot, and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat to medium-low and simmer uncovered for 1-1/2 hours.
• Remove wings from the pot and place on a cutting board. When the wings are cool, pull off the skin and meat. Discard the skin and save the meat for another use. Strain contents of stockpot through a large strainer into a 3 quart saucepan. Press on the vegetables to extract any remaining liquid. Discard the vegetables and skim the fat off the liquid. Bring the contents of the pot to a gentle boil.
• In a medium bowl, whisk flour into the remaining 2 cups chicken broth until smooth. Gradually whisk the flour mixture into the simmering turkey broth; simmer 3-4 minutes or until the gravy has thickened. Stir in the butter and pepper. Serve immediately or pour into containers and refrigerate or freeze.

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY AND GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 325°. Place turkey on a rack in a roasting pan, breast side up. Sprinkle with poultry seasoning and pepper. Tuck wings under turkey; tie drumsticks together., Roast, uncovered, 30 minutes. In a 4-cup measuring cup, mix broth, herbs, lemon peel and juice, and garlic; pour over turkey. Roast, uncovered, until a thermometer inserted in thickest part of thigh reads 170°-175°, 3 to 3-1/2 hours, basting occasionally with broth mixture. Cover loosely with foil if turkey browns too quickly., Remove turkey from pan; let stand at least 20 minutes before carving. Skim fat from cooking juices., To freeze: Carve turkey and place in shallow freezer containers. Pour cooking juices over turkey; cool slightly, about 1 hour. Cover and freeze up to 3 months., To serve: Partially thaw turkey in refrigerator overnight. Preheat oven to 350°. Transfer turkey and cooking juices to a large baking dish. Pour 1-1/2 cups broth over top. Bake, covered, until a thermometer inserted in turkey reads 165°, 50-60 minutes., To prepare gravy: Remove turkey to a platter, reserving broth mixture; keep warm. In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat; stir in flour until smooth. Gradually whisk in broth mixture; bring to a boil, stirring constantly. Cook and stir until thickened, about 2 minutes. Serve with turkey.

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY WITH ONIONS & SAGE

Steps:

• Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and saute, stirring often, for 15 to 20 minutes, until the onion becomes browned and starts to caramelize. Sprinkle on the flour and cook, stirring constantly, for 1 1/2 minutes. Stir in the chicken stock, Cognac, sage leaves, bay leaves, 2 teaspoons salt (depending on the saltiness of the chicken stock), and 1 teaspoon pepper. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 20 minutes, stirring occasionally. Set aside at room temperature for 1 hour and strain, pressing the solids lightly and then discarding them. Refrigerate until ready to use.
• After the turkey is cooked, remove it to a carving board to rest while you finish the gravy. Place the roasting pan on the stovetop over medium heat and add the wine. Bring to a boil, lower the heat, and simmer for 2 minutes, stirring and scraping up all the bits clinging to the bottom of the pan. Slowly whisk the gravy base into the pan. Simmer for about 5 minutes, until the gravy is smooth and slightly thickened. Taste for seasonings and serve hot.

CHEF JOHN'S MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Combine onion, carrots, celery, and vegetable oil in a large roasting pan and toss to coat. Place turkey wings on top of vegetables
• Place roasting pan in the preheated oven and cook until the turkey wings are browned and vegetables are caramelized and softened, 45 to 60 minutes.
• Transfer turkey wings and vegetables to a large stockpot. Place the roasting pan over a stovetop burner on medium heat. Pour 2 tablespoons cold water into the pan and bring to a boil, scraping up any browned bits. Transfer mixture to the stockpot and add 10 cups cold water, thyme, and garlic.
• Bring turkey wing mixture to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer, uncovered, until meat falls off the bone, about 3 hours. Skim off turkey fat throughout the process and set aside 2 tablespoons.
• Strain turkey stock and reserve 6 cups of stock; discard all the solids.
• Heat butter and 2 tablespoons reserved turkey fat in a large saucepan over medium heat. Sprinkle in flour and cook, whisking continuously, until it begins to smell like cooked pie crust, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly pour in turkey stock, whisking continuously. Increase heat to high and simmer until thick and warmed through, about 5 minutes. Season with salt, black pepper, and cayenne pepper to taste.

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Place turkey wings and onions in a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Bake, uncovered, at 400° for 1-1/4 hours, turning once., Transfer wings and onions to a Dutch oven. Add 6 cups broth, carrots, celery and thyme. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 45 minutes. , Strain; discard wings and vegetables. (Can be made ahead to this point and stored in the refrigerator for up to 2 days.) Skim fat from cooking liquid. Add enough remaining broth to measure 3-1/2 cups; set aside., In a large saucepan, whisk flour and remaining broth until smooth. Gradually stir in cooking liquid. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in butter and pepper.

RICH MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Place the turkey wings, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic into a roasting pan, and roast until the turkey wings turn a deep golden brown color, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked wings and vegetables to a large pot. Place the roasting pan over 2 stove burners on medium-high heat, then pour the white wine into the roasting pan. Scrape off and dissolve any browned flavor bits from the bottom of the pan into the white wine; heat and scrape the roasting pan until the drippings and wine have reduced to about 1/2 cup. Pour the wine mixture into the saucepan with the turkey wings.
• Pour chicken broth and water into the pot, and season with thyme. Push the turkey wings down into the liquid; bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes. Skim off any foam that collects on top. Pour the broth mixture through a colander into a large bowl; pick meat from the wings, if desired, to add to gravy, or discard the spent wings and vegetables. Allow the gravy base to stand for several minutes for the fat to collect into a layer on top, and skim as much fat as possible. Transfer the skimmed fat into a saucepan. There should be at least 1/2 cup of turkey fat; add butter to make this amount if necessary.
• Whisk the flour into the turkey fat over medium heat until the flour mixture becomes smooth and golden brown. Gradually whisk in the broth until the gravy comes to a boil and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow the gravy to cool, then refrigerate or freeze. Reheat almost to boiling to serve.

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F. Put the turkey pieces on a rimmed baking sheet, and sprinkle lightly with salt and pepper. Roast until browned and cooked through, about 30 minutes.
• Transfer the roasted turkey pieces to a medium saucepan; scrape up any brown bits from the baking sheet, and add them to the saucepan. Add the stock, thyme and bay leaves. Bring to a simmer, then cook for 30 minutes to enrich the stock with roasted-turkey flavor. Strain the liquid into a heat-safe bowl, and keep warm.
• Melt the butter in the saucepan over medium-high heat. Add the flour, and whisk until the mixture is smooth, toasted and a deep golden brown. Slowly pour in the warm broth, whisking continuously, and continue whisking until the mixture comes to a simmer. Continue to cook, still whisking, until the gravy is thick and coats the back of a spoon, about 5 minutes more. Season to taste with salt and pepper.
• Let the gravy cool to room temperature. Transfer it to an airtight container or resealable plastic freezer bag, label and date, and freeze for up to 2 weeks.
• To serve, reheat the frozen gravy in a saucepan or a microwave. Be sure to whisk vigorously as the gravy heats up to keep lumps from forming. Adjust the seasoning as needed.

VEGAN MUSHROOM MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

Steps:

• In a large skillet, heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and mushrooms; cook, stirring, until well browned, 8 to 10 minutes.
• Sprinkle in flour and cook, stirring, until golden brown, 3 to 5 minutes. Slowly whisk in vegetable stock, a little at a time, until a smooth sauce forms. Simmer 2 to 3 minutes until thickened. Season with soy sauce, salt and pepper. Serve as is, or pass it through a fine mesh strainer.

EASY MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• In a medium saucepan, melt butter and whisk in flour.
• Cook over medium-high heat until flour is incorporated and white bubbles begin to form on the top of the roux.
• Cook the roux for 2-3 minute after the white bubbles have formed, whisking constantly.
• Gradually add the broth, whisking constantly until the gravy is thickened and comes to a boil.
• Remove from heat and season with salt and pepper.
• At this point, you can cool, cover and refrigerate the gravy base for as long as 4 days. Reheat in a medium-sized pan. When turkey is done, skim off fat and pour drippings into gravy base and bring it to serving temperature.

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY WITH PORCINI MUSHROOMS AND MARSALA WINE

Steps:

• Heat vegetable oil in a large stockpot over medium-high heat. Brown turkey necks in hot oil, about 6 minutes per side. Add the onion, celery, and carrots; cook until the vegetables begin to soften and brown, 5 to 10 minutes. Pour in the Marsala wine, and scrape and dissolve any browned meat and vegetable bits off the bottom of the pan. Raise heat to high; cook until liquid is reduced by half.
• Stir in 2 quarts of cold water, bay leaf, garlic cloves, and 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms. Bring to a simmer, and turn heat to low. As stock simmers, skim and discard any foam that comes to the top. Cover partially, and simmer on very low heat for 4-5 hours. Strain out solids, and set broth aside to cool.
• In a bowl, cover 1/4 ounce dried porcini with 1 cup hot water; allow to rehydrate for 10 minutes. Remove mushrooms from water, and chop fine. Heat 1/4 cup butter in a large saucepan over medium heat, and brown mushrooms, about 10 minutes. Stir flour into mushrooms and butter, and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 3 minutes. Whisk in broth, about 1/2 cup at a time, and raise heat to medium high; bring gravy to a boil.
• Reduce heat to a simmer, and cook gravy until reduced and thickened, about 30 minutes. Stir often. Just before serving, stir in cream, and season with salt and black pepper.

MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

Steps:

• Melt butter in a large saucepan over medium-high heat. Cook onion, celery and thyme until vegetables are very soft and golden brown, about 5 minutes.
• Stir in flour and cook until just beginning to brown, stirring constantly, about 3 minutes.
• Gradually stir in 2 cups broth. Cook, stirring frequently with a whisk, until thickened and smooth, about 3 minutes; cool. Refrigerate gravy base and remaining 2 cups broth up to 2 days before serving.
• When turkey is finished roasting, remove from pan to let rest. Skim fat from pan drippings. Add turkey pan drippings to refrigerated gravy base in a medium saucepan; heat over medium heat, stirring frequently. Add reserved broth 1/4 cup at a time until desired thickness. Simmer until heated through and serve.

MAKE-AHEAD MARSALA TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oil in a Dutch oven over medium-high heat. Place turkey necks in the Dutch oven and cook until golden brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Stir in onion, celery, and carrot; cook and stir until onion is soft and slightly brown, about 5 minutes.
• Pour Marsala wine over turkey necks; increase heat to high and bring to a boil while scraping the browned bits off of the bottom of the pan. Simmer until wine is reduced by half, 3 to 4 minutes.
• Stir in water, 1/4 ounce dried porcini mushrooms, garlic, and bay leaf. Bring to a boil then decrease heat to low; simmer, skimming any foam or fat that rises to the top. Cover the Dutch oven almost completely; simmer until meat is falling off the bones, 4 to 5 hours. Strain turkey stock carefully into a clean container and cool completely, about 2 hours.
• Place 1/4 ounce dry porcini mushrooms in a bowl and cover with warm water; soak until mushrooms are soft enough to dice, about 15 minutes. Drain, squeezing out excess water, and dice. Set aside.
• Melt butter in saucepan over medium heat. Add diced porcini mushrooms; cook and stir until browned, about 5 minutes.
• Stir flour into mushrooms and butter; cook and stir until flour is no longer gritty, about 3 minutes.
• Whisk in turkey stock, increase heat to medium-high and bring to a simmer. Simmer, stirring occasionally, until sauce is 1/3 reduced and thick, 15 to 20 minutes. Stir in cream, season with salt and pepper to taste.

MAKE AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat oven to 400°F.
• Arrange wings in a single layer in a large roasting pan.
• Scatter onions over top.
• Roast 1 1/4 hours until wings are browned.
• Put wings and onions in a 5-6 quart pot.
• Add water to roasting pan and stir to scrape up any brown bits on the bottom.
• Add the brown bits to the pot.
• Add 6 cups broth (refrigerate the remaining 2 cups) add carrot and thyme.
• Bring to a boil.
• Reduce heat and simmer uncovered 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove wings to cutting board.
• Save wing meat for another use if you wish, or discard.
• Strain broth into a 3 quart saucepan, pressing vegetables to extract as much liquid as possible.
• Discard vegetables.
• Skim fat off broth and discard.
• If time permits, refrigerate broth overnight to make fat skimming easier.
• Whisk flour into remaining 2 cups broth until well blended.
• Bring broth in pot to a gentle boil.
• Whisk in broth flavored mixture and boil 3-4 minutes to thicken gravy and cook flour.
• Stir in butter and pepper.
• Serve now or freeze up to 6 months.

MAKE-AHEAD GRAVY

Steps:

• Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium heat, then add onions. Cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are translucent, about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the flour on the onions, stirring constantly, and cook until flour is golden to brown. Adjust heat so mixture does not burn.
• Gradually whisk in 4 cups stock until mixture thickens and is smooth. If it is too thick, add liquid. Cool, cover and chill.
• When ready to serve, reheat mixture over low heat, stirring. Scrape bottom of turkey pan and add drippings or giblets to gravy. Taste and adjust seasoning, then serve.

MAKE-AHEAD MADEIRA GRAVY

Steps:

• Heat the butter in a wide saucepan over a medium heat. Sizzle the onion, carrots, bay leaves and thyme in the pan for 15 mins until the veg starts to brown. Scatter over the sugar and continue to cook for a further few minutes until sticky and caramelised. Stir in the flour until sandy. Cook for 1 min, then add the Marmite, tomato purée, vinegar and soy sauce to make a sticky paste. Pour over the madeira and bubble for 1 min.
• Add the stock, then crush the veg with a potato masher. Bubble everything together for 10 mins until you have a thickened sauce that just coats the back of a spoon. Sieve and use straightaway as a veggie gravy or as the base to a turkey gravy. Can be cooled, then frozen for up to three months.

RICH MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F
• Place the turkey wings, onions, celery, carrots, and garlic into a roasting pan, and roast until the turkey wings turn a deep golden brown color, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Transfer the cooked wings and vegetables to a large pot. Place the roasting pan over 2 stove burners on medium-high heat, then pour the white wine into the roasting pan. Scrape off and dissolve any browned flavor bits from the bottom of the pan into the white wine; heat and scrape the roasting pan until the drippings and wine have reduced to about 1/2 cup. Pour the wine mixture into the saucepan with the turkey wings.
• Pour chicken broth and water into the pot, and season with thyme. Push the turkey wings down into the liquid; bring the mixture to a boil, reduce heat to low, and simmer for 45 minutes. Skim off any foam that collects on top. Pour the broth mixture through a colander into a large bowl; pick meat from the wings, if desired, to add to gravy, or discard the spent wings and vegetables. Allow the gravy base to stand for several minutes for the fat to collect into a layer on top, and skim as much fat as possible. Transfer the skimmed fat into a saucepan. There should be at least 1/2 cup of turkey fat; add butter to make this amount if necessary.
• Whisk the flour into the turkey fat over medium heat until the flour mixture becomes smooth and golden brown. Gradually whisk in the broth until the gravy comes to a boil and thickens. Season to taste with salt and pepper. Allow the gravy to cool, then refrigerate or freeze. Reheat almost to boiling to serve.

MAKE-AHEAD TURKEY GRAVY

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a small bowl, combine 2 teaspoons salt, the garlic powder, onion powder, sage and pepper. Use to generously season the turkey wings on all sides and use any extra to season the carrots, celery and onion.
• Place the turkey wings and vegetables in a Dutch oven and bake, uncovered, 1 hour and 15 minutes.
• Transfer the Dutch oven to the stovetop on medium-high heat. Add the stock and bay leaves. Use a wooden spoon to break up any browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Bring to a low boil, reduce the heat to low and cover. Simmer 1 1/2 hours.
• Remove the turkey wings and use a mesh strainer to separate the vegetables from the broth. Use a spoon to press out any liquid from the vegetables. Use a gravy fat separator (optional, but I like to do this step because I find the extra fat can cause the gravy to separate) or skim off the excess fat.
• In the same Dutch oven, melt the butter over medium heat. Stir in the flour and cook until it starts to turn golden brown, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly whisk in the reserved broth, sherry and Worcestershire. Simmer until it thickens, 8 to 10 minutes. Taste and add salt and pepper if necessary. If you have any lumps, pass through a fine mesh sieve. Let cool completely and refrigerate or freeze until use.
• Reheating Instructions: You may need to add a few tablespoons of stock and whisk vigorously to thin out the gravy.

MAKE-AHEAD BISCUITS & GRAVY BAKE

Steps:

• In a large skillet, cook sausage over medium heat until no longer pink, 6-8 minutes, breaking into crumbles. Remove with a slotted spoon; discard drippings, reserving 1/4 cup in pan. Stir in flour until blended; cook and stir until golden brown (do not burn), 1-2 minutes. Gradually whisk in milk. Bring to a boil, stirring constantly; cook and stir until thickened, 2-3 minutes. Stir in sausage, pepper, paprika and chili powder. Pour into a greased 13x9-in. baking dish. Cool completely., Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix baking mix, sour cream and melted butter until moistened. Turn onto a lightly floured surface; knead gently 8-10 times., Pat or roll dough to 3/4-in. thickness; cut with a floured 2-1/2-in. biscuit cutter. Place biscuits over gravy. Refrigerate, covered, overnight., Preheat oven to 400°. Remove casserole from refrigerator while oven heats. Bake, uncovered, until gravy is heated through and biscuits are golden brown, 22-25 minutes., Freeze option: Cover and freeze unbaked biscuits and gravy. To use, partially thaw in refrigerator overnight. Remove from refrigerator 30 minutes before baking. Preheat oven to 400°. Bake as directed, increasing time as needed until gravy is heated through and biscuits are golden brown.

MAKE-AHEAD THANKSGIVING GRAVY

Steps:

• To make the stock: Peel and quarter the onion into wedges and cut the carrot and celery stalks into several large pieces. Chop each chicken wing into three pieces using a heavy chef's knife or cleaver.
• Heat a large heavy pot or, better, a wide Dutch oven over high heat. Add the oil and brown the wing pieces thoroughly. Remove to a plate or bowl.
• Place the onion wedges cut-side down in the bottom of the pot and scatter the carrots and celery around. Cook, without moving, until the surface of the onion is dark brown. Then flip and cook the other flat side in the same manner. As the onion is cooking, move the carrots and celery so that they brown as well, but the important thing is browning the onion.
• When the second side of the onion is dark brown, add the thyme, sage, and peppercorns and return the chicken to the pot. Deglaze the pot with the red wine, stirring for about 15 seconds and scraping up the browned bits from the bottom of the pot. Add the water and bring to a boil over high heat. Cover tightly, reduce the heat to medium-low, and simmer for 1 hour. (If steam starts belching out from under the lid, turn the heat down a bit.)
• Kill the heat and let the pot sit, still covered, for 30 minutes. Then strain the stock through a colander set over a tall, medium saucepot. You should have approximately 5 cups of liquid. Discard the solids as they've given their all.
• Bring the strained stock to a boil over high heat yet again, then reduce to medium and simmer for 30 minutes to reduce and concentrate the flavors. After this you should be left with about 3 cups. Strain through a fine sieve into a fat separator and cool long enough for the fat to settle on top. Then pour off the stock into another container, seal and refrigerate. The stock can be kept chilled for up to 2 weeks or frozen for up to 3 months.
• To make the gravy: Whisk the miso, Worcestershire sauce, dark brown sugar and the 1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper into the 2 cups of stock.
• Melt the butter in a saucepan or saucier over medium-low heat. When the foaming, subsides whisk in the flour. Continue to cook, whisking, until the foaming stops and the roux darkens slightly to light blonde, 3 to 5 minutes.
• While whisking constantly, slowly pour the stock mixture into the roux. Boost the heat to medium and whisk until the gravy gently bubbles and thickens, about 5 minutes. At this point it should heavily coat the back of a spoon. Taste and adjust seasoning with salt and more black pepper.
• If there are any signs of lumps, strain through a fine sieve into a gravy boat to serve or another vessel to cool and store. You may need to use a serving spoon to push it through the sieve. The gravy can be cooled and refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for up to 3 months then reheated gently for service or, as mentioned above, kept hot in a thermos.

MAKE-AHEAD ROASTED TURKEY GRAVY - TYLER FLORENCE

Steps:

• Heat the oven to 400 degrees F.
• Heat 3 tablespoons olive oil in a large stock pot over medium-high heat. Add the wing, onion, carrots, celery, garlic, and herbs, and cook for 5 minutes.
• Place in the oven and roast for 30 minutes.
• Remove from the oven and place over medium heat.
• Remove the wing and set aside.
• Add the flour and let cook for about 1 minute.
• Add the stock and simmer until it has reduced by about 1/4, about 15 minutes.
• Strain the sauce and adjust the seasoning with salt and pepper.