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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 can’t be beat. Made with a base of butter, shallots, fresh sage, and broth, and finished with the drippings form your Thanksgiving turkey.
Did I ever tell you about that time that I throughly failed at make 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 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). 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 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.
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
Servings: 3 makes about cups
Calories Per Serving: 281 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
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
To Make Gluten Free: Use an equal amount of your favorite gluten free flour blend in place of the all-purpose flour. I recommend Cup4Cup gluten free flour.Â
Excited to try this, but have a vegetarian coming- could this be made with mushroom or veggie stock instead of turkey stock? Thank you!
Hey Annalise,
Sure, that will work well for you! I hope this recipe turns out amazing, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Wondering if the Make Ahead Gravy can be made with GF flour or corn starch?
Hey Lisa,
Gluten free flour should be just fine for you to use! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Hi Tiegan! I am on a time crunch and have to have this gravy done by tomorrow. Does it need to sit in the fridge for 3 days or will it be okay by tomorrow ?
Hi Cat,
The recipe says it can sit in the fridge for up to 3 days, so yes it will be just fine:) I hope you love it! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I’ll be making turkey and really think white wine adds a lot to the flavor of the drippings and the gravy; however, I have a friend who cannot drink alcohol. Would de-alcoholized or non-alcoholic wine impart the same depth of flavor to the gravy? As an alternative, I thought I might add regular wine to the “turkey base” recipe and cook it down for a bit to reduce the alcohol content. I appreciate any thoughts you might have on this subject.
Hey Flo,
Non-alcoholic wine would be just fine for you to use here:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Thanksgiving! xx
Hi Tieghan. I’m going to make this for a Friendsgiving this Saturday. Question about the “bits”. Will they make the gravy lumpy or give it texture, or do they dissolve into the base. I know people tend to like silky smooth gravy. Thanks for your guidance and time.
Hey Jess,
This gravy is pretty smooth:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love the recipe! xx
Don’t see how much sage in the ingredients.
Hi Catherine,
The recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of chopped sage. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Yumm. My favorite meal of the year. Any suggestion to make it dairy free? Am I better using a vegan butter, or using olive oil and a little extra broth?
Hey Samantha,
I would recommend using ghee, I think that would work best for you! Please let me know if you give this recipe a try, I hope you love it! xT
What specific wine do YOU prefer for this. Even in the categories mentioned, a wide array of sweetness and flavors. I’d love to know your preferred brand. Thank you!
Also, there is not ONE recipe of yours that we haven’t been blown away by. Each and every one we have tried are soooo good!
Hey Erin,
I’ve made this with lots of different brands of wine, a great Chardonnay that I love is Kendall Jackson. I hope this helps! Please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
I need to double this recipe. Do I double all the ingredients, including butter?
Hi Sue,
You bet! Please let me know if you have any other questions:) xT
Hi!! This recipe sounds incredible. I would love to make it for thanksgiving this year, but we will most likely be ordering the turkey so we can focus on all the sides. Is there a substitute for the drippings? I feel like that might be the most important part, so just wondering your thoughts. Thank you!!
Hey Kayce,
You will just have to skip the drippings:) I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xT
Saute a few bone-in turkey thighs with skin to get your drippings and brownen bits!
This sounds delicious. We are having pork loin instead of turkey. What changes would you suggest? Thinking thyme instead of sage.
Hi Donna,
Sure, thyme would be delicious! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hi Tieghan – I can’t use alcohol because my family’s very religious. Do you have any substitutions for the white wine? Thanks.
Hey Ari,
You can just use turkey broth in place of the wine. I hope this recipe turns out well for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Hi – sounds delicious and I love that it’s “make ahead”. How many does this serve please?
Thanks Ale!! This makes about 3 cups. I hope you love the recipe! xx
Hi!
Is it possible to not use the pan drippings from roasting the turkey? I will not be making a turkey and will not have them!
Hi Carolyn,
You will just have to skip that part, I would recommend using turkey broth in the recipe. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
I’m having 30 for thanksgiving dinner and always freeze gravy ahead. Can this base be frozen for a month? Any wait to try it and the turkey with cheesecloth! Thank you!
Hey Dianne,
Totally, you could definitely freeze the gravy! Let me know if you have any other questions:) xx
Loved this recipe. I omitted the white wine, but it still turned out to be delicious.
This will be saved and used for many more holidays to come! Thank you so much:)
Hey Olya,
Happy Wednesday!👻 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed and appreciate you giving it a try and sharing your feedback! xx