You can make a really tasty gravy without demi-glace, flour, or a lot of tips and tricks professional chefs use, so don’t be dismayed. The key to any good gravy is utilizing all those little browned bits (fond) in the bottom of your roasting pan and scraping them up and whisking with a roux and turkey stock. There are so many ways to make gravy, but this is our basic go-to that enables you to get a quick gravy on the table for Thanksgiving. The magic in this and really any gravy is the pan drippings, as that is where all the flavor can be found.
~ drippings in pan from Dry-Brined Turkey ( recipe here)
½ cup (125 mL) white wine
¼ cup (40 g) almond flour
¼ cup (40 g) arrowroot powder, mixed with ¼ cup water
3–4 cups (1 L) chicken or turkey stock
~ salt and pepper to taste
- Remove your roast turkey from the pan, and set the roasting pan over 2 burners. If you have a ton of excess fat in the pan, pour some of it off.
- Turn the heat to medium-high, and deglaze the pan with the wine, whisking to break up all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot powder and 1 cup (250 mL) of the stock, stirring until no lumps remain.
- Slowly pour this “slurry” into the roasting pan, whisking to mix all.
- Whisk in the remaining stock.
- Once gravy starts to thicken, turn off heat and serve immediately. Season with salt and pepper.
Variations—Add some fresh thyme, sage, or rosemary for extra flavor in the gravy. You can absolutely make this just using the stock to deglaze the pan (omitting the wine) if you so choose. If arrowroot powder is not something you have on hand, replace with additional almond flour mixed in with the stock as your thickening agent.
More Recipes You'll Love
Turkey gravy turns the roasting pan's browned bits into the best part of Thanksgiving - deglazed with white wine and thickened with an almond flour and arrowroot slurry. No flour, no demi-glace, no chef tricks required. The magic is in the fond, so scrape every bit of it loose.
Pro Tips
- Set the roasting pan over two burners so the whole surface heats; one burner leaves half the fond stuck to the pan.
- Pour off excess fat before deglazing - a greasy pan makes greasy gravy that no slurry can rescue.
- Mix the slurry completely lump-free before it hits the pan; arrowroot lumps never fully dissolve once they hit hot stock.
- Pull the gravy off the heat the moment it thickens - arrowroot-thickened sauces thin out again if they boil.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I make this without wine?
Yes - the variation says stock alone deglazes the pan perfectly well.
What if I have no arrowroot powder?
Replace it with additional almond flour mixed into the stock as the thickening agent, per the recipe's variation.
Can I add herbs?
Fresh thyme, sage, or rosemary are the recipe's own suggestion for extra flavor in the gravy.
Recipe Card
Ingredients
Method
- Remove your roast turkey from the pan, and set the roasting pan over 2 burners. If you have a ton of excess fat in the pan, pour some of it off.
- Turn the heat to medium-high, and deglaze the pan with the wine, whisking to break up all the browned bits off the bottom of the pan.
- Meanwhile, in a small bowl, combine the almond flour, arrowroot powder and 1 cup (250 mL) of the stock, stirring until no lumps remain.
- Whisk in the remaining stock.
- Once gravy starts to thicken, turn off heat and serve immediately.
- Season with salt and pepper.
