Cranberry Whiskey Gravy is an easy turkey gravy recipe that’s kicked up with a touch of whiskey! You’ll want to pour this gravy on everything!
Wondering what to serve with this gravy recipe? We love pouring it over Roasted Turkey, and a side of Creamy Mashed Potatoes, and of course our most popular stuffing recipe, The Best Sausage Stuffing!
An Easy Homemade Turkey Gravy Recipe
Adding cranberry and whiskey to turkey gravy? Genius! Yeah, I’m sure it’s been done plenty of times but I’m not looking it up to find out. I’m going to keep on thinking that this was only my idea for a little while longer.
We were pouring this gravy on EVERYTHING. Our turkey breast, of course. Our mashed potatoes, of course. Our stuffing, of course. But also the next night when we had oven fries…poured this gravy all over those things.
The cranberry sauce not only gives the gravy an unbelievable flavor, but it also helps to thicken it. And the whiskey? Well that just makes everything taste better…but you know that. So be sure to save all of those turkey drippings to make this unbelievable gravy. (Save the carcass too to make homemade turkey soup!)
How to Make Cranberry Whiskey Gravy
One key step to making really good gravy is the let the drippings sit so that the grease can separate and rise to the top. If you’ve ever had greasy gravy before, you’ll know that you don’t want to skip this step.
A gravy separator works great for this, but if you don’t have one just pour the drippings into a container and use a ladle to skim the grease of the top layer.
Now in a large saucepan, melt a few tablespoons of butter and add diced onion. Let the onions cook down until they are soft and brown in color, then carefully pour in the whiskey.
Turn the flame off to your stove before you add any alcohol to a recipe while you’re cooking, always good to be safe! To make this turkey gravy recipe nice and thick, sprinkle 1/4 cup of flour over the onions and whisk to combine.
Cook out the flour for a minute then slowly pour in the chicken stock and drippings, whisking as you go until it’s all mixed together with the flour and butter.
Add a sprig of fresh rosemary, or thyme if you prefer, and let the gravy simmer for 5 minutes until it’s thickened.
Once the gravy has thickened, whisk in cranberry sauce for the final step. We use the canned kind for this gravy recipe because it’s smooth and we want a thick, smooth gravy.
Can You Make Gravy Without Turkey Drippings?
You definitely can, it won’t be AS flavorful as this turkey gravy recipe – but it’s still going to be delicious. Use chicken stock in place of the turkey drippings and add a few more seasonings to the gravy at the end.
And yes, you can also leave the whiskey out of this gravy recipe, it’s still going to be delicious. Just omit the whiskey and proceed with the rest of the instructions, or you can add a splash of white wine instead of the whiskey.
Can You Freeze Turkey Gravy?
Give me a fist bump for this one, because YES YOU CAN! We don’t EVER waste homemade gravy at our house. Usually leftover gravy isn’t an issue because there are plenty of recipes you can make with it, as detailed below.
But if you can’t get to any of these recipes then by all means, freeze it! Frozen gravy defrosts perfectly, even right in the microwave. Imagine having delicious homemade gravy on a random weeknight over a store bought rotisserie chicken?
That’s leftover magic.
PIN IT!
Recipes To Use With This Turkey Gravy:
Roasted Turkey Breast
Mashed Potatoes Recipe
Fried Poutine Wontons
Turkey Shepherd’s Pie
Sausage Stuffing
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Cranberry Whiskey Gravy
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Author:Dan
Prep Time:5 minutes
Cook Time:15 minutes
Total Time:20 minutes
Yield:10 servings 1x
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This Cranberry Whiskey Gravy is the only gravy recipe you’re going to need this Thanksgiving! Homemade gravy is actually easy to make with these few simple steps!
Scale
Ingredients
5 tablespoons butter
1/4 cup flour
1 cup onion, diced fine
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt (this will depend on how salty your drippings are so you could add the salt at the end if you like)
1 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 cup turkey drippings
1/4 cup cranberry sauce (canned)
1 sprig fresh rosemary
1 ounce whiskey (We used Jim Beam Maple)
Instructions
Melt the butter in a large saucepan over medium-low heat, then add the onions and cook for 10 minutes until softened. Don’t skip this step, the onions add tons of flavor to the gravy.
Next, carefully pour in the whiskey, whisk and cook down for one minute.
Sprinkle in the flour and whisk to combine with the butter and onions and cook for a minute more.
Slowly whisk in the chicken broth and drippings, then add the rosemary to the pan.
Bring to simmer and cook 5 minutes to thicken.
Whisk in the cranberry sauce and taste for seasonings.
Recipe Notes
If you don’t have a cup of drippings from your turkey just add in more chicken broth to equal 2 cups of liquid.
We can see there is a significant difference in the nutrition facts between the two sauces. The homemade cranberry sauce has nearly half the calories, carbohydrates, and sugars compared to the store brand. It also has more fiber as well as potassium!
Directions. Add the butter and flour to a skillet over medium heat and cook, stirring, until melted together and well combined, 2 to 3 minutes. Slowly stream in the stock while whisking and continue to cook until thickened, 8 to 10 minutes. Season with salt and pepper and stir in a little shredded turkey.
Keep adding cornflour paste 1 teaspoon at a time until the gravy reaches the thickness that you want, then simmer for a couple of minutes to cook out any floury taste. Cornflour usually has twice the thickening quality of plain flour so you may not need all of the cornflour paste.
Soft, fragrant, sautéed vegetables lend a sweet, earthy, warm flavor to your store-bought gravy. Use any combination of onions, leeks, shallots, celery, carrots, and mushrooms cooked in butter, olive oil, or pan drippings. When the veggies are sufficiently sautéed, stir in your jarred gravy and simmer on low.
Add Herbs. Try thyme, sage, chopped parsley, a teeny bit of tarragon, and some chives. When using fresh herbs, add them toward the end of cooking. Lemon verbena, lavender, rosemary, basil, and mint for simple syrups.
Dear Evelyn: I had the same problem when I first started making my own cranberry sauce. I found out that you should cook them just until they pop. Further cooking will make them bitter, and once that happens, you need to start again.
"Instead, start by stirring in one tablespoon maple syrup and one teaspoon of a sweet drink like apple juice, orange juice, or fruity white or red wine. Add more to taste. Sprinkle with a pinch of salt (in small amounts, it intensifies sweetness)."
When to Toss Cranberry Sauce. Cranberry sauce will last for two hours at room temperature. Homemade cranberry sauce will last in the fridge for 10 to 14 days.
Pour in defatted drippings (use only 2 tablespoons of those from dry-brined bird) and 2 cups stock; bring to a boil. Combine remaining 1/2 cup stock and cornstarch in a small jar, seal it, and shake to combine. Pour cornstarch mixture into boiling mixture in pan and boil until thickened, 2 to 3 minutes.
Crumble and cook sausage in large skillet over medium heat until browned. Stir in flour until dissolved. Gradually stir in milk. Cook gravy until thick and bubbly.
There is no difference. In the South, country gravy and white gravy are used interchangeably and both for the same type of thick, creamy gravy made with butter, flour, and milk. You may also hear these gravies called sawmill gravy, and some people use this recipe but add sausage for a sausage gravy.
Browning adds more flavor to the gravy and gets rid of the raw flour taste. You're basically making a roux. We find that a flour-based gravy holds up better and reheats better later, which is why we tend to prefer using flour over cornstarch to make gravy unless we have a guest who is eating gluten-free.
If your gravy is on the skimpy side, you can thicken it quickly with flour or cornstarch. But don't add your thickener directly to the gravy, which will create lumps. Instead, try stirring in three or four tablespoons of flour or cornstarch into a small amount of cold water until you have a smooth paste.
Because cornstarch is pure starch, it has twice the thickening power of flour, which is only part starch. Thus, twice as much flour is needed to achieve the same thickening as cornstarch. To thicken sauces, cornstarch is combined with cold water first, which is called a slurry.
Umami flavors are deeply savory and feel round on the palate. Spruce up the gravy with a splash of Worcestershire sauce or soy sauce (if the gravy isn't already too salty, that is). Mushrooms or mushroom seasoning also work wonders to add rich flavor to depth-less gravy.
For a lighter, brighter take, try spiking your gravy with apple cider. And if you want to get extra fancy, go for this red wine and shallot gravy. Any one of them will work wonders on your turkey and mashed potatoes.
It's great to mix butter in with the stock and the natural juices leaking into your roasting pan and baste the turkey with that, in addition to the room-temperature butter you've already rubbed under and on top of the pre-roasted turkey skin, which also helps in retaining moisture by creating a crust.
Introduction: My name is Jeremiah Abshire, I am a outstanding, kind, clever, hilarious, curious, hilarious, outstanding person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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