Slow Cooker Turkey Gravy (From Drippings)
Easy brown turkey gravy from drippings recipe, homemade with simple ingredients. Silky smooth and thickened with a butter and flour roux.
Thanksgiving is not complete without gravy, and the best one includes the drippings! This recipe is full of flavor, and the texture is the best! Add this Best Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Stuffing and this Slow Cooker Green Bean Casserole to complete your holiday feast.
How To Make Slow Cooker Turkey Gravy From Drippings Recipe From Scratch?
- Make roux– By mixing together flour and butter.
- Cook– Until light brown.
- Mix in other ingredients– This includes broth, strained drippings, salt, pepper.
- Cover- And cook until mixture is thickened.
What To Serve With Best Slow Cooker Brown Gravy?
This is the perfect compliment to the classic Slow Cooker Turkey Breast or other proteins such as Slow Cooker Shredded Chicken, meatloaf, or meatballs or even this Slow Cooker Roast Beef.
It also adds so much flavor on top of Slow Cooker Baked Potatoes {In Foil}, Slow Cooker Mashed Potatoes , Slow Cooker Cornbread Stuffing Or Dressing, or even pasta or casseroles that are a little dry.
Variations For Crockpot Homemade Gravy
Onion gravy– Saute finely sliced onions, and then mix them in at the end.
Mushroom gravy– Saute the mushrooms until the excess liquid is evaporated, and then mix them in at the end.
Red wine gravy– Make the roux . Then add the wine so that it can cook down and the alcohol can evaporate before adding the other ingredients and slow cooking.
Gravy without drippings– Simply omit the drippings and use all broth instead. Please note that it won’t be as flavorful.
Flour alternative– You can use arrowroot powder, gluten free flour, in place of flour to make a gluten free roux.
Add herbs and spices– Such as parsley, basil, sage, rosemary, thyme, or paprika.
Add sausage– Mix in 1/2 pound of browned sausage meat.
Make it spicy– Add crushed red pepper flakes or cayenne pepper.
Make it creamy– Add some heavy cream near the end.
Add seasonings– Such as Mexican, Greek, or Cajun seasoning for a different flavor profile.
Turkey Giblet Gravy
I did not use giblets in this recipe, but you can include them, if you like. Giblets are the liver, heart, gizzard, and neck of the turkey. They will need to be strained properly to prevent a chunky mixture.
How To Thicken Gravy? How To Make Gravy Thinner?
To thicken it, continue cooking on High heat (uncovered) for 5-10 minutes until it reduces more and thickens to your desired consistency. To thin it, simply add a little more broth or water.
What Are Drippings?
They are the juices and fat that accumulate in the bottom of the pan when meat is roasted, cooked, or fried.
Tips And Techniques
Use low sodium broth and unsalted butter– This prevents this side from becoming too salty.
Why is my gravy grainy? How to fix it? If the flour is not cooked long enough and remains raw, it will be grainy.Make sure to add the flour in slowly and whisk it into the melted butter, and cook it for about 2 minutes to make sure it is no longer raw. It can also be grainy if it the drippings were not strained properly.
Why is my gravy lumpy? How to fix it? If the roux was not whisked the entire time, or the flour was dumped in all at once, the end result will be grainy. Make sure to whisk the flour into the melted butter gradually to prevent this, and continue whisking the whole time until the roux is smooth.
Broth vs. Stock– Either can be used in this recipe. Broth is typically seasoned, and stock is generally used to add body and has more flavor.
Alternative to using multi-functional slow cooker– Make the flour mixture in a nonstick saucepan or stovetop. The rest of the steps will be the same.
Can you make gravy with water? No, it will be tasteless and bland, which is the opposite of what we are aiming for!
Storage
Refrigerate– In a sealed container for up to 2 days.
Freeze– In a freezer safe container or bag for up to 2 months.
Reheat– In the microwave or on the stovetop with a splash of water.
More Slow Cooker Thanksgiving Recipes
- Slow Cooker Vegetarian Stuffing (Mushroom Stuffing)
- Slow Cooker Creamy Brussels Sprouts
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Souffle
- Slow Cooker Garlic Mushrooms
- Slow Cooker Candied Carrots
- Slow Cooker Sweet Potato Casserole
- Slow Cooker Cranberry Sauce
- Slow Cooker Sausage Stuffing
- Slow Cooker Mashed Sweet Potatoes
- Slow Cooker Glazed Carrots
Slow Cooker Turkey Gravy From Drippings
Ingredients
- 4 tbsp Butter, Unsalted
- 4 tbsp All-purpose flour
- 1 cup Broth , Chicken or turkey, Low sodium. If you have enough drippings, replace broth with drippings
- 1 cup Turkey drippings, Strained through a fine mesh sieve with solids discarded. Use drippings from this Slow Cooker Turkey Breast
- Salt, To taste
- Pepper, To taste
Instructions
- In a multi-functional slow cooker that has the "Saute" feature or something similar to that, heat butter until melted.
- Add flour and whisk everything together until combined.
- Cook until mixture is light brown.
- Note: If you don't have a multifunctional slow cooker, make the flour mixture in a nonstick saucepan or stovetop. The rest of the steps will be the same as below.
- Add broth, strained drippings, salt, pepper.
- Mix until smooth.
- Cover and cook on High heat for 20-30 minutes or until gravy is silky smooth and thickened. If gravy is too thin, cook on High heat (uncovered) for 5-10 minutes. Enjoy!
Notes
- Read all my tips above.
- Leftovers can be stored in a sealed container in the fridge for up to 2 days and reheated in the microwave.Â
