Thanksgiving Turkey Giblet Gravy

What is giblet gravy made of?

Giblet gravy is made using cooked giblets, neck meat, and drippings from a turkey. If you don’t have the giblets from a whole turkey it can be made using giblet broth, turkey broth or chicken broth. 

What are giblets?

Giblets are the edible offal of a fowl (poultry or bird), the heart, gizzard, liver and other organs. In the US the giblets are usually separated from the bird when it is butchered and sometimes included in a small bag, along with the neck, within the cavity of the bird.

They are used to make gravy and sometimes cooked by themselves. The liver is sometimes used to make pate. 

Ingredient Notes

See recipe card for exact amounts.

turkey giblets – these come in a little giblet bag and it’s usually somewhere inside the cavity of the turkey. Sometimes you have to hunt to find it. This contains the heart, gizzard, liver and neck of a turkey. 

onion – I use an inexpensive yellow onion.

carrots – no need to peel the carrots because we just use them for flavor and will be throwing them out after the turkey broth is cooked.

celery – go ahead and leave the leafy tops on if possible. 

flour – white all purpose flour is best. 

salt – regular salt, kosher salt or sea salt will all work. 

pepper – black pepper, I use restaurant style because it is coarsely ground. 

How to make homemade giblet stock

1. Place the turkey neck, gizzard, heart, onion, carrots, celery, salt, pepper, and water in a large saucepan. Boil over high heat, then reduce to medium to medium-low heat and cook at a low simmer for about 1 hour. Skim large amounts of foam that accumulates off the top (this is only necessary at the beginning). After 1 hour add the liver and cook an additional 30 minutes. 
2. Remove the giblets and neck and transfer to a plate. Pour the broth through a mesh strainer to take any large chunks out. You can use a coffee filter if you want every little piece out, I don’t.

How to make the best giblet gravy using pan drippings

1. Use a fat separating measuring cup or skim the fat off the top of the juice you get from roasting the turkey. 
2. Warm the turkey fat in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the flour and cook for 1-2 minutes. Slowly stir in the juice portion of the drippings and heat to a boil while whisking constantly. Continue to cook until thick and bubbly.
3. Add the chopped giblets and salt and pepper to taste. 

I roast my turkey in an electric roaster oven and always have enough fat and juice to make 4 cups of gravy (3 1/2 cups of juice and 1/2 cup of fat). I make the giblet broth as a backup and almost never use it for the gravy.

If you are short on fat you can add butter or oil to it so you have the correct amount. The same is true for the liquid, use either some of the giblet stock you made above or store bought chicken stock so you have the called for amount of broth. 

How to make giblet gravy without drippings

Buy the neck and/or giblets separately and cook them as instructed above. Then make the gravy using butter instead of the pan drippings and the stock from the giblets instead of juice from the turkey. 

Or use store-bought chicken or turkey stock instead of homemade. While this method won’t technically be giblet gravy you will end up with a tasty gravy that’ll go well with any traditional holiday meal. 

Tips

• Leave the liver in the refrigerator while the heart, gizzard and neck cooks. 
• The liquid cooks out so I start out with 8 cups of water and end up with about 2 cups of stock. If you want to end up with more stock, so you will have more gravy, then add more water as needed as the giblets cook. 
• Use as much or as little of the chopped giblets in the gravy as you want. I use only about 1/4 cup total. I originally started doing this because I didn’t want the kids to ask what the little bits of stuff in the gravy was. I figured they’d probably be grossed out and wouldn’t eat it. Plus I don’t use the tough outer parts of the gizzard and heart and don’t want to use too much of the liver. The liver taste may be overpowering and then our gravy wouldn’t be as tasty. 

Additions

• You can add two chopped hard-boiled eggs when you add the giblets back into the gravy. This is how classic turkey giblet gravy is made. I taught myself how to make this gravy at a time when I couldn’t eat eggs and just have never included them. 
• To make a creamier gravy you can add little milk. There are a couple of ways to do it; add about 1/4 cup. It will make your gravy thinner. To add milk without thinning the gravy then replace some of the broth with milk. 

Storage and reheating

Store leftover gravy in an airtight container in the refrigerator for 3-4 days. Reheat in the microwave or in a small saucepan on the stove top over medium heat. 

Try these popular Thanksgiving recipes too!

Pan Fried Green Beans

Stove-Top Stuffing

Cranberry Jello