If you’re hosting Thanksgiving dinner, I’m going to share my favorite Thanksgiving tip – make the gravy ahead of time! You can make this a couple base DAYS before you need it! This is a time and stress reducer! I had no idea this was possible until a couple years ago. I thought you had to have the turkey drippings to make the gravy. Wrong.
You make up the base of the gravy ahead of time, then whisk in the drippings after cooking the turkey. This is brilliant!
A chef from King Arthur Flour did a reel on Instagram, and I was sold! It’s super simple to make and is so delicious! Here’s the recipe:
Gravy Base
- 4 Tbl butter
- 1/2 Cup flour
- 2 cups Chicken Stock
Melt the butter in a medium-sized sauce pan. Whisk in the 1/2 cup flour slowly and incorporate it into the butter. It will be very thick. Slowly add the chicken stock and whisk constantly until all stock is added and the base is smooth. Turn to low and cook 25 minutes. Do not season. Stir occasionally.
Store in fridge. I froze mine, then thawed it out the morning I needed it.
To make the gravy – Add the base to pan drippings. Whisk to keep it smooth. Skim off fat. Season with salt and pepper as needed.
If you’re like me, you’ll be so glad you did this come Thanksgiving Day!
Let me know in the comments if you’re going to make your gravy ahead of time this year!
RefreshHer 
Denise, about how much drippings did your turkey produce? My daughter Carrie wants to try this tip but her turkey usually produces 4 to 5 cups of drippings.
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I know we have already chatted about this on Instagram, but I’ll answer it here in case anyone else needs the answer. I would double the gravy base for that amount of drippings.
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I am trying this sounds great. Thank you
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Let me know how it goes! I was so impressed with how easy this was!
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I’m definitely my gravy ahead with the same method! It’s such a big help on Thanksgiving!
The last 7-8 years I have make Ina Garten’s Make Ahead Turkey. It’s so moist and delicious. Have you ever tried this? Highly recommend ! I don’t think I’ll ever go back to making it the day of.
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I can’t wait to try this!! Thanks for sharing!
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