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This make ahead white wine gravy is my secret to a stress free and delicious Thanksgiving meal. Rich, smooth, and so incredibly easy, this gravy recipe can’t be beat. Made with a base of butter, shallots, fresh sage, and turkey stock, and finished with the drippings form your Thanksgiving turkey.
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Did I ever tell you about that time that I throughly failed at making the gravy for the Thanksgiving meal? It was just last year, and I was serving not just my immediate family, but my grandpa, aunts, uncles, and cousins. So over thirty people.
I was cooking out of my grandma’s kitchen, which in my defense was not anywhere near set up to cook a Thanksgiving dinner for thirty plus people. Somehow, someway, we did, but the gravy? I messed that up, and bad. It was greasy and lumpy and I still cringe thinking about it.
This year, my gravy is going to be perfect. No lumpy, greasy gravy. I’m serving the same amount of people, but cooking in my kitchen at the new studio barn. It’s going to be great, I’m so excited. I perfected the best make-ahead turkey gravy, that’s truly so delicious. It’s true, my family has already approved…because we’ve now had Thanksgiving dinner three times this past week…
Here are the details.
Start by making the gravy base. This is really just a simple mix of butter, shallots (the secret), sage, flour, and high quality broth (I use low-sodium chicken broth or turkey stock). It’s your basic roux, but it makes for the perfect gravy “base”. You can keep the base stored in the fridge for a few days, so it’s perfect to make-ahead.
When it’s ready to serve, and you’ve roasted up your holiday turkey, take the roasting pan or medium saucepan and place it on the stove. Add a splash of white wine and scrape up all those delicious browned bits from the roasting pan. Let the wine simmer and reduce slightly, then add the gravy base, whisking until smooth. Adding the base right to the roasting pan with all the turkey drippings gives you the rich flavors that your gravy needs. But without any of the stress of making the gravy from scratch. Trust me, making this gravy ahead will relieve so much stress on Thanksgiving Day. It’s a game changer. It is perfect over potatoes and stuffing.
Check out our full 2018 Thanksgiving menu here.
If you make this gravy please be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to also tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Make Ahead White Wine Gravy
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons salted butter
- 2 medium shallots, thinly sliced
- 2 tablespoons chopped fresh sage
- 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
- 3 cups low-sodium chicken or turkey broth
- kosher salt and black pepper
- pan drippings from herb roasted turkey, (optional)
- 1 cup dry white wine, such as Sauvignon Blanc or Pinot Grigio
Instructions
- 1. Melt the butter in a medium skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and cook 5-8 minutes, stirring frequently, until softened and fragrant. Add the sage and continue cooking another 2-3 minutes. Sprinkle the flour over the shallots, stirring for 1-2 minutes. Add the broth and bring to a boil, boil 5 minutes, or until thickened. Remove from the heat. Lightly season with salt and pepper. Strain, if desired. 2. Allow the gravy to cool, then store the gravy base in the fridge for up to 3 days. 3. To finish the gravy. Option 1: warm on the stove adding additional broth to think and a 1 tablespoon worcheshire or soy sauce. Optional 2: Once your turkey has finished roasting, remove the turkey from the roasting pan and strain the liquid into a glass measuring cup. Place the roasting pan over two burners. Add the wine and bring to a boil, scraping up the browned bits on the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 3-4 minutes or until the wine has reduced slightly. Reduce the heat to low and slowly whisk in the gravy base. Simmer until the gravy is smooth and thickened slightly, about 5 minutes. If needed, thin the gravy with the reserve broth from the roasting pan. Taste and season with salt and pepper. Serve warm.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Did you make this recipe? Please rate & comment below.
Thank you for this great recipe . When I add the turkey drippings it’s so delish
Hi Laura,
Thanks for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
Hi Tigehan,
Just used this fabulous recipe for my Thanksgiving dinner. What a hit! The sage made the kitchen smell so delicious that people couldn’t wait to get to the table. I will use this one again and again . . . as will my guests, who ALL asked for the recipe. Hope you had a great day with your family, and that you all have as many wonderful things to be grateful for as I do! Many thanks for your inspiring recipes,
Sherrill
Hey Sherrill,
Thanks for making this recipe and your comment, so glad it was enjoyed! I hope you had a wonderful Thanksgiving! xx
THE best gravy I’ve ever made. So simple and easy yet provides major depth of flavor! Will definitely be making this every year.
Thanks so much Lisa!! Love to hear that this recipe turned out well:) xx
If I make this recipe to completion with option 2, does the gravy reheat well the next day?
Hi Megan,
It sure does! I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Hi! Do you add the drippings back into the gravy? I see where it says to add the broth and where you drain the Turkey liquid but don’t see where it says to add the drippings. Is it only scraping the browned bits from the pan where you get those drippings back in? Thank you!
Hey Joy,
Yes, it’s going to be all of the brown bits, but you can add the juice to thin the gravy if needed:) I hope you love this recipe! Happy Thanksgiving! xT
When would the optional pan drippings be used in this recipe? I see that they are strained into a glass measuring cup. But not when they are actually included in the recipe. Just as a reserve in case it’s too thick?
Thanks!
Hi Amy,
You are going to use those when you finish the recipe in option 2, feel free to add as much or as little as you like. Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xT
Can you make this gravy without using wine?
Hi Susan,
Totally, you can use broth in place of the wine for this recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
How many does this recipe serve? I have a 17,5 oz turkey and 14 people coming for 2pm dinner and 7 leftover sandwiches. Thanks!
Hi Marsha,
It really just depends whether or not you have big gravy lovers, this recipe will make 3 cups. I hope this helps! xT
If you do option 1 do you still use the white wine? Or is that only if you use the turkey drippings?
Hi Brittney,
I just used that with the drippings because it’s going to cook down for that option. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
How much of the base should this make? I only ended up with about a cup.
Hi Sarah,
The full recipe will make 3 cups. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Can I roast a turkey breast in the oven to get the pan drippings?
Hi Ashley,
Sure, that would work for you. You can also make this recipe without the drippings:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hello! How thick would you say this gravy is?
Hi Sophia,
I would say it’s somewhere in the middle, not super thick but definitely not thin. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Has anyone made option 2 using an electric roaster?
So I did not receive any feedback from HBH and went ahead and tried to make gravy in an electric roaster. It did not work out BUT I used the base with the drippings in a saucepan and made a delicious gravy. Thank you for the recipe!
Hey Caitlin! So sorry about that! I’m so glad it turned out! 🙂 xT
Could you reheat in a crockpot?
Hi Karsyn,
Sure, that should work well for you! I hope you love this recipe! xx
Hi Tiegan! You don’t use a fat separator before you do the drippings part of the recipe? THANKS!
Hi Sarah,
You can just follow the recipe as written:) It will work great! I hope it turns out well for you! xT