5 Shortcuts to Easy, No-Stress Thanksgiving Gravy

Gravy is so delectable because it's a fatty, salty, umami bomb. Usually, Thanksgiving gravy is made with drippings and stock from turkey. Both are ultra-concentrated and bring a deep poultry flavor. But on the biggest cooking day of the year, not all of us have time to clarify turkey drippings and spend hours nursing a pot of bubbling stock just to make gravy. Moreover, the stock needs to be made before the turkey is carved, which means you’ll need two turkeys or at least another bird’s worth of bones. If your palms are getting sweaty just reading this, don’t worry. Here are five shortcut ingredients that will give you that rich, savory flavor in a fraction of time and effort.

How to Make Basic Turkey (or Chicken) Gravy

Miso

Miso may be fermented, but its flavor profile leans much more in the umami direction with salty, savory notes. Just half a teaspoon of miso can boost the lip-smacking quotient in your gravy, not to mention add more body and a silky mouthfeel. Don’t worry; it won’t taste like miso soup–in fact, you won’t taste it at all, but just know it’s working hard behind the scenes. 

Soy Sauce

Another traditionally Asian ingredient you’re probably surprised to see for Thanksgiving gravy is soy sauce–like miso, it packs an umami punch. If you’ve cooked with soy sauce before, you know its primary flavor is salty, but the deeper soy flavors are surprisingly similar to the browned meaty flavors in poultry drippings. A teaspoon of soy sauce in your stock will give your gravy an instant “browner” flavor.

Worcestershire

Worcestershire sauce is basically concentrated umami flavor. It’s made from fermented anchovies, vinegar, tamarind, salt, molasses, and more. It’s no secret that this funky sauce goes well with meats; you’ve probably used it in meatloaf or marinades. However, its salty, meaty tang is the perfect secret ingredient to liven up a bland gravy. Start with a dash of Worcestershire in your gravy, and build to taste.

Nutritional Yeast

When you think of yeast, you probably think of bread. Nutritional yeast couldn’t be more different. With just one whiff, you’ll know why it’s perfect for gravy. It has a distinct nutty, umami flavor; the first time I tried it, I was convinced it was the powder from a packet of instant ramen. Perplexingly, these little yellow flakes contain almost no sodium. Start with a tablespoon of nutritional yeast per quart of stock in the gravy.

Boxed Chicken Stock + Beef Bouillon

I once worked at a restaurant that served a turkey dinner in the fall. We were serving the turkey on the bone, so we obviously couldn’t use the bones to make stock, and while serving 300+ guests per night, it just wasn’t cost-effective to buy extra turkey bones to make the gravy. But the chef wasn’t willing to sacrifice that luxurious, meaty flavor, so she devised this genius combo. She heated a mixture of our house-made vegetable stock with store-bought chicken stock until it had reduced slightly and then stirred in a heaping helping of beef bouillon paste. The result was a poultry gravy with the umami factor cranked up more than any turkey gravy I’ve ever had. At home, simply simmer a 32-ounce box of store-bought chicken stock for about 15 minutes until it’s lost some volume, and then add in a hefty tablespoon of beef bouillon paste.