All-Purpose Gravy Recipe

Suitable to adorn any turkey or mashed potatoes on any Thanksgiving table.

By
Joshua Bousel
a photo of Joshua Bousel, a Contributing Writer at Serious Eats
Joshua Bousel
Joshua Bousel is a Serious Eats old-timer, having started sharing his passion for grilling and barbecue recipes on the site back in 2008. He continues to develop grilling and barbecue recipes on his own site, The Meatwave, out of his home base of Durham, North Carolina.
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Updated May 22, 2024
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The first time I smoked a turkey I was so excited to make gravy out of the drippings—I thought the smoke would add another dimension to an already excellent sauce. Unfortunately, I was left sorely disappointed. The smoke overpowered the entire thing; I ate my bird sans gravy, an utter shame.

After that incident, I vowed to find a gravy that could deliver the deep flavors pan drippings produce, but without the drippings, which is what led me to a Cook's Illustrated recipe for an all-purpose gravy.

There's a lot right here with developing a complex flavor profile, starting with browning a mixture of vegetables; their deepened flavors are later picked up by the gravy. Then both chicken and beef stock are used, along with additional seasonings of bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns.

This gets 30 minutes of cook time to let all of the flavors combine and the sauce to thicken. What comes out is a rich gravy suitable to adorn any turkey or mashed potatoes on my Thanksgiving table.

Oh, and the best part is this can be made ahead and refrigerated or frozen, making it an excellent do-ahead for the big meal.

Recipe Details

All-Purpose Gravy Recipe

Active 20 mins
Total 40 mins
Serves 24 servings
Cook Mode (Keep screen awake)

Ingredients

  • 1 small carrot, peeled and chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)

  • 1 small rib celery, chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces (about 1/2 cup)

  • 1 small onion, chopped into rough 1/2-inch pieces (about 3/4 cup)

  • 3 tablespoons unsalted butter

  • 1/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour

  • 2 cups low-sodium chicken broth

  • 2 cups low-sodium beef broth

  • 1 bay leaf

  • 1/4 teaspoon dried thyme

  • 5 whole black peppercorns

  • Kosher salt

  • Freshly ground black pepper

Directions

  1. In food processor, pulse carrot until broken into rough 1/4-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses. Add celery and onion; pulse until all vegetables are broken into 1/8-inch pieces, about five 1-second pulses.

  2. Heat butter in large heavy-bottomed saucepan over medium-high heat; when foaming subsides, add vegetables and cook, stirring frequently, until softened and well browned, about 7 minutes. Reduce heat to medium; stir in flour and cook, stirring constantly, until thoroughly browned and fragrant, about 5 minutes. Whisking constantly, gradually add broths; bring to boil, skimming off any foam that forms on surface. Reduce heat to medium-low and add bay leaf, thyme, and peppercorns; simmer, stirring occasionally, until thickened and reduced to 3 cups, 20 to 25 minutes.

  3. Strain gravy through fine-mesh strainer into clean saucepan, pressing on solids to extract as much liquid as possible; discard solids. Adjust seasonings with salt and pepper. Serve immediately or store in an air-tight container and refrigerate for up to a week or freeze; reheat before serving.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
23Calories
2gFat
2gCarbs
1gProtein
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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 24
Amount per serving
Calories23
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 2g2%
Saturated Fat 1g5%
Cholesterol 4mg1%
Sodium 101mg4%
Total Carbohydrate 2g1%
Dietary Fiber 0g0%
Total Sugars 0g
Protein 1g
Vitamin C 0mg1%
Calcium 3mg0%
Iron 0mg1%
Potassium 31mg1%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.
(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

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