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French Onion Turkey Gravy

This French Onion Turkey Gravy is rich, savory, and absolutely packed with flavor because it’s made with the drippings from my Slow Cooker French Onion Turkey Breast. Instead of letting all those buttery, onion-filled turkey juices go to waste, I turned them into an easy homemade gravy—and it may be one of my favorite parts of the entire meal.

The drippings already have so much flavor from the turkey, French onion seasoning, butter, broth, Worcestershire sauce, fresh onions, and seasonings that you don’t need a long list of ingredients to make an incredible gravy.

A little butter and flour turn those flavorful turkey drippings into a silky, savory gravy that’s perfect spooned over sliced turkey and a big pile of creamy mashed potatoes.

If you’re making my French Onion Turkey Breast for Thanksgiving, Christmas, or Sunday dinner, definitely save those drippings.

You’re going to want this gravy.

Why You’ll Love This French Onion Turkey Gravy

Homemade turkey gravy is always better when you start with real turkey drippings.

But these aren’t ordinary turkey drippings.

Because the turkey cooked slowly with French onion seasoning and sliced onions, all that flavor ends up concentrated in the liquid at the bottom of the slow cooker.

This gravy is:

• Rich and savory
• Full of French onion flavor
• Made with real turkey drippings
• Ready in about 10 minutes
• Delicious over turkey
• Perfect with mashed potatoes
• Great for Thanksgiving or Christmas
• An easy way to use every bit of flavor from your slow cooker turkey

Ingredients

• 2 cups drippings from French Onion Turkey Breast
• 3 tablespoons butter
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2–1 cup chicken or turkey broth, as needed
• 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder, optional
• 1/4 teaspoon onion powder, optional
• Salt, only if needed

Save Those Turkey Drippings

When your French Onion Turkey Breast is finished cooking, carefully lift the turkey out of the slow cooker and transfer it to a platter.

Don’t pour out what’s left behind.

At the bottom of the Crockpot you’ll have a mixture of turkey juices, melted butter, broth, Worcestershire sauce, French onion seasoning, and soft cooked onions.

That’s basically liquid gold for homemade gravy.

Pour the liquid from the slow cooker through a fine-mesh strainer into a large measuring cup or bowl.

If you like little pieces of onion in your gravy, you don’t have to strain all of them out. You can even mash some of the soft onions into the gravy for additional French onion flavor.

Should I Remove the Fat From Turkey Drippings?

You can, but you don’t necessarily need to remove every bit of it.

Some fat adds tremendous flavor to homemade gravy.

If there’s a thick layer of fat floating on top of your drippings, allow the liquid to sit for several minutes so the fat rises to the surface.

Spoon off the excess, leaving some behind for flavor.

You can also use a fat separator if you have one.

How to Make French Onion Turkey Gravy

Melt the Butter

Place a large skillet or saucepan over medium heat.

Add 3 tablespoons of butter and allow it to melt.

Make the Roux

Sprinkle 1/4 cup flour over the melted butter.

Whisk continuously until the butter and flour form a smooth paste.

Cook the roux for approximately 1–2 minutes.

You don’t need to deeply brown the flour, but letting it cook briefly removes the raw flour taste and adds a little extra depth to the gravy.

Add the Turkey Drippings

Slowly pour about 1/2 cup of the turkey drippings into the roux while whisking constantly.

The mixture will become very thick at first.

That’s exactly what you want.

Once it’s completely smooth, slowly add more turkey drippings while continuing to whisk.

Gradually adding the liquid is one of the easiest ways to prevent lumpy gravy.

Continue until you’ve added approximately 2 cups of turkey drippings.

Let the Gravy Thicken

Bring the mixture to a gentle simmer over medium to medium-low heat.

Continue whisking frequently.

Within a few minutes, the gravy should become smooth, glossy, and thick enough to coat the back of a spoon.

Remember that gravy continues to thicken as it cools.

Add Broth If Needed

The amount of liquid you get from a turkey breast can vary considerably.

If you don’t have a full 2 cups of drippings, simply add enough chicken or turkey broth to make up the difference.

You can also use broth to thin the gravy if it becomes thicker than you’d like.

Add it a little at a time until you reach your preferred consistency.

Taste Before Adding Salt

This is especially important with French onion gravy.

My turkey was seasoned with French onion soup mix, which already contains salt. The broth, butter, Worcestershire sauce, and turkey itself also contribute flavor.

So don’t automatically add salt to the gravy.

Taste it first.

You may discover that it doesn’t need any additional salt at all.

I like to finish mine with freshly ground black pepper and, if needed, just a tiny bit of garlic or onion powder.

French Onion Gravy with the Cooked Onions

If you love onion gravy, don’t throw away all those soft onions from the Crockpot.

After straining the drippings, reserve some of the cooked onions.

Finely chop them or mash them with a fork.

Stir them back into the finished gravy.

You’ll end up with a slightly more rustic gravy with little pieces of caramelized, slow-cooked onion throughout.

It’s especially delicious spooned over mashed potatoes.

For a Completely Smooth Gravy

If you want a silky, restaurant-style gravy, strain the turkey drippings before making the gravy.

After the gravy has thickened, you can even pour it through a fine-mesh strainer one more time.

This removes any remaining pieces of onion or flour and gives you an especially smooth finish.

How to Make Gravy Without Lumps

The trick is adding the liquid slowly.

Once you’ve made your butter-and-flour roux, don’t dump all of the turkey drippings into the pan at once.

Add a small amount first and whisk until completely smooth.

Then add a little more.

Continue gradually adding liquid while whisking.

It’s much easier to create a smooth gravy this way.

What If My Turkey Gravy Is Too Thick?

Easy fix.

Whisk in additional turkey broth, chicken broth, or reserved turkey drippings.

Add just a few tablespoons at a time until the gravy reaches the consistency you like.

If you’re reheating leftover gravy, you’ll almost certainly need to add a splash of broth because gravy thickens considerably after refrigeration.

What If My Gravy Is Too Thin?

First, give it a few minutes.

Flour-thickened gravy needs to come to a gentle simmer before you’ll know exactly how thick it’s going to become.

If the gravy still isn’t thick enough after simmering, you can make a quick slurry.

Mix:

• 1 tablespoon cornstarch
• 1 tablespoon cold water

Whisk until completely smooth.

Slowly add a small amount of the slurry to the simmering gravy while whisking.

You may not need all of it.

Continue cooking until the gravy reaches your desired thickness.

Can I Make It Without Butter?

Yes.

If your turkey drippings contain plenty of fat, you can use that fat instead of butter.

Allow the drippings to separate and spoon the turkey fat from the top.

Use approximately 3–4 tablespoons of turkey fat to make your roux.

Whisk the flour directly into the turkey fat and continue with the recipe.

This gives the gravy even more turkey flavor.

What to Serve with French Onion Turkey Gravy

Obviously, this gravy was made for my French Onion Turkey Breast, but it’s delicious with all kinds of comfort food.

Serve it over:

• Slow Cooker French Onion Turkey Breast
• Mashed potatoes
• Turkey and stuffing
• Homemade biscuits
• Dinner rolls
• Roasted potatoes
• Chicken
• Pork chops
• Open-faced turkey sandwiches
• Leftover Thanksgiving turkey
• Turkey and mashed potato bowls

For me, the perfect plate is French onion turkey, creamy mashed potatoes, plenty of this gravy, green beans, and a warm dinner roll.

Make an Open-Faced Turkey Sandwich

This gravy is especially good the next day.

Toast a thick slice of bread.

Pile warm leftover French onion turkey over the bread.

Add a scoop of mashed potatoes if you have leftovers.

Then pour hot French onion turkey gravy over everything.

It’s one of the best ways to turn holiday leftovers into a completely different meal.

Can I Make Turkey Gravy Ahead of Time?

Since this particular gravy relies on fresh turkey drippings, you’ll need to wait until the turkey is finished cooking to make it.

But once the turkey comes out of the slow cooker, the gravy only takes about 10 minutes.

You can make it while the turkey rests before carving.

If you need to hold the gravy for a little while, keep it warm over very low heat and whisk occasionally.

Add a splash of broth if it starts becoming too thick.

How to Store Leftover Turkey Gravy

Allow the gravy to cool and transfer it to an airtight container.

Store it in the refrigerator for up to 3–4 days.

The gravy will become very thick when cold.

That’s normal.

How to Reheat Turkey Gravy

Place the gravy in a small saucepan over low to medium-low heat.

Add a splash of chicken or turkey broth.

Whisk as the gravy heats.

Continue adding small amounts of broth until the gravy becomes smooth and pourable again.

You can also reheat it in the microwave in short intervals, stirring between each one.

Recipe Notes

The exact flavor and saltiness of your gravy will depend on the drippings from your turkey.

Because French onion soup mix and broth can both contain quite a bit of sodium, do not add salt until you’ve tasted the finished gravy.

If you have less than 2 cups of turkey drippings, add chicken or turkey broth until you have 2 cups total liquid.

If you have more drippings, save them. They’re wonderful for reheating leftover turkey.

For a smooth gravy, strain the drippings before making the recipe.

For a rustic French onion gravy, finely chop some of the slow-cooked onions and stir them back into the finished gravy.

Gravy thickens as it cools, so don’t make it excessively thick while it’s still on the stove.

Don’t Throw Away Those French Onion Turkey Drippings

After cooking my French Onion Turkey Breast low and slow, there was no way I was throwing away everything left in the bottom of that Crockpot.

Those drippings had been collecting flavor for hours.

They had the juices from the turkey along with butter, broth, French onion seasoning, Worcestershire sauce, seasonings, and all those soft onions that had been cooking underneath the turkey.

Turning them into gravy was the obvious thing to do.

And because the drippings are already so flavorful, you don’t need to do much to them. A simple butter-and-flour roux transforms them into a thick, silky French Onion Turkey Gravy that’s perfect poured over the tender turkey and mashed potatoes.

If you’re making the French Onion Turkey Breast, save every drop from the slow cooker. The gravy alone is worth it.