3 homemade how to make turkey neck gravy recipe ideas are here! If you hate to waste, want to use turkey drippings in gravy plus a bit of meat this is great. This is how to make it on the stove top with boiled turkey necks meat.

brown turkey neck gravy
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You know I hate to throw food away. If you typically toss the contents inside your bird you’ll want to try making this turkey neck gravy this year instead. Last week we shared how to cook turkey necks and this time we turned the meat into a thick sauce. (affiliate links present)

Gravy From Turkey Neck

Ok so you have defrosted your raw turkey and grabbed all the stuff out of the cavity. Now what? You can make goodness out of that long “thing” shoved in there. We are here to show you how to do it, three different ways.

First thing first, you’re going to need to boil it/them to get the meat nice and tender. Just like if you were to make boiled chicken all you need is hot broth to get the protein to pull right off with a fork. The rest you in fact will discard and won’t feel guilty about doing so about that. Even if you were to use the carcass for soup you don’t want the neck bones.

A pot of braised turkey necks, carrots, celery, onion, and broth simmering gently with a hint of turkey neck gravy for added richness.

Turkey Necks with Gravy

When boiling any sort of meat you will want to season it well, adding large chunks of celery and carrots are great to throw in there too. If you are only cooking one moist turkey recipe that is okay, you will just have a little less meat. NO worries.

Ingredients

  • turkey necks were used this go around
    • you could chop the giblets and add those in the same pot if desired for neck giblet gravy
  • Onions, 1 diced, 1 quartered
  • Turkey stock, broth or drippings from turkey are best
  • 1-3 bay leaf
  • 2 stalks celery cut into large chunks
  • carrot peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1/3 tsp salt
  • Some granulated garlic or garlic powder
  • Paprika
  • Olive oil or butter
  • Tomato paste ONLY if you want a tomato base to it
    • otherwise whisk in 2 tbsp flour + 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce instead to thicken

This is two of the versions. If you want a rich tomato base flavor to it then use the paste. If you want more of a brown gravy then skip that but use flour + Worcestershire instead for richness. Served over slices of your Butterball turkey breast or mashed potatoes is amazing.

The shredded rich turkey neck gravy.

How to Make Gravy with Turkey Neck Meat

You can see what you’ll get once it is fork tender here. Quite a bit actually, more than you’d think just by looking at it raw for sure. Size will vary of course but still worth the hour to boil and make a sort of onion gravy with it.

Before you go any further or jump to the printable recipe card below you might have a few questions in mind. We have answers and if you have others just let us know below in the comments.

What is Turkey Neck to Bone Meat Ratio?

There is actually quite a bit. Typically you’ll find 45% bone & about 55% meat, plenty to make gravy with turkey meat we will share with you here. 

What are the benefits of turkey neck?

Aside from having a rich deep dark meat flavor the protein you pull off is actually high in protein and calcium. You can use it to make a rich thick gravy to serve with turkey during the holidays.

For a smoother final product you’ll want to strain the mixture and could use the boiling “broth” instead of drippings or packaged too. There are SO many ways of making homemade turkey gravy it just comes down to preference really.

turkey gravy

How to Make Turkey Gravy from Giblets

You would do the same thing as you would with the neck meat. Rinse turkey necks and cut into 2-3 inch pieces, or leave whole (or you can boil neck and giblets together for more meat).

Put them in a roasting pan or stock pot over medium heat. Add chopped celery stalks, carrots, onion halves, bay leaves and pour in your beef broth or drippings from turkey. Bring to a boil, cover with a lid and cook for an hour on low heat.

  • After 1 hour, the necks will be fully boiled and you can proceed to the next step. Remove them from the broth and separate the meat from the bones, transfer to a deep bowl.
  • Remove the remaining vegetables and bay leaves with a slotted spoon from the broth. Strain the remaining broth through a sieve.
  • Fry the diced onion for three to four minutes in olive oil on the stovetop in a skillet until lightly golden brown.
  • Add 5 tablespoons of broth, as well as tomato paste and spices (photo of that at bottom)
    • OR if you don’t want a tomato base to it instead add the flour and use that as a thickener with the fresh herbs. Whisk constantly until it is smooth. (photo of this at top of post)
    • After adding in flour cook another 5 minutes.

Transfer the sauce to the pan with the remaining broth. Add the turkey neck meat, mix and heat for 20 minutes on low heat. Taste, season with salt and pepper if you think it needs a little something and serve.

How do you thicken turkey neck gravy?

There are a few choices. You can create a roux with flour and butter, whisked over medium heat until you get a thick paste. Then add the thin gravy and whisk to keep smooth and boil until it is thicker. You can also whisk a little cool water with 1 tbsp. cornstarch until smooth and pour that in. Tomato paste is another option that will also add flavor.

Brown Gravy with Turkey Neck Meat

What is the Best Recipe with Turkey Necks?

I think it needs to be added into a sauce. Alone they have a strong flavor, seasoned like this tones it down to make delicious. If you wanted to make another simple Instant Pot gravy you could use these instructions. Of course since it’s a pressure cooker it will cook faster. Just add the meat once that is pulled off into the mix once this is done. Another idea is to make air fry turkey necks.

The photo below is if you omitted the tomato base. Both are great it is just preference really. The biggest part of this is getting the necks tender, directions for that is below for you. If you have your own family recipe for the base and just want to add this meat into it then by all means just follow directions up ’til that point.

How do you make turkey gravy taste better?

Seasonings are where it’s at. Diced onions, bay leaves, garlic and some Worcestershire sauce are the choices usually made in our house. You also want to make sure it is cooked long enough for the meat to be fork tender and super tender. If not it will be chewy and the texture won’t be pleasurable.

How to save leftovers

You can and should save leftovers in a jar, wait until it cools off first though. Use a sealed mason jar or container and leave in your fridge. It will save well for 3-4 days. To keep longer you should freeze in freezer bags for up to 3 months. Allow to defrost in the fridge when ready to enjoy again.

A bowl of rich gravy with turkey neck gravy, featuring tender shredded meat and vegetables, served with a silver spoon.
Tender rich turkey neck gravy over mashed potatoes on a white plate, accompanied by a fork.
5 from 2 votes

Turkey Neck Gravy

By The Typical Mom
Homemade turkey neck gravy recipe is here! If you hate to waste, want to use turkey drippings in gravy plus a bit of meat this is great.
Prep: 10 minutes
Cook: 10 minutes
Servings: 12
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Equipment

  • 1 pot
  • 1 pan

Ingredients 

  • 2 turkey necks
  • 2 onions, 1 diced, 1 quartered
  • 2 c broth, drippings from turkey are best
  • 3 bay leaves
  • 2 stalks celery, cut into large chunks
  • 1 carrot, peeled and cut into chunks
  • 1/3 tsp salt
  • 1/2 tsp granulated garlic
  • 1/2 tsp paprika
  • 1 tbsp olive oil, or butter
  • 2 tbsp flour, or 2 tbsp tomato paste, only if you want a tomato base to it, otherwise use flour + worcestershire to thicken when directed
  • 1 tbsp worchestershire sauce

Instructions 

  • Rinse turkey necks and cut into 2-3 inch pieces, or leave whole. Put them in the pot. Add chopped celery stalks, carrots, onion halves, bay leaves and pour in your beef broth or drippings from turkey. Cover with a lid and cook for an hour on low heat.
  • After an hour, the necks will be fully boiled and you can proceed to the next step. Remove them from the broth and separate the meat from the bones, transfer to a deep bowl.
  • Remove the remaining vegetables and bay leaves with a slotted spoon from the broth. Strain the remaining broth through a sieve.
  • Fry the diced onion for three to four minutes in olive oil on the stovetop in a skillet. Add 5 tablespoons of broth, as well as tomato paste OR 2 tbsp flour + 1 tbsp worcestershire sauce as a thickener (only use one) and spices. Whisk together and saute for another 5 minutes.
  • Transfer the sauce to the pan with the remaining broth. Add the turkey neck meat, mix and heat for 20 minutes on low heat.

Video

Nutrition

Serving: 1oz, Calories: 26kcal, Carbohydrates: 4g, Protein: 0.5g, Fat: 1g, Saturated Fat: 0.2g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 0.1g, Monounsaturated Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 0.2mg, Sodium: 252mg, Potassium: 91mg, Fiber: 1g, Sugar: 2g, Vitamin A: 1046IU, Vitamin C: 2mg, Calcium: 10mg, Iron: 0.2mg

Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.

Additional Info

Course: Dip, Side Dish
Cuisine: American
Tried this recipe?Mention @thetypical_mom or tag #thetypicalmom!

About The Typical Mom

Justine is the creative mind behind The Typical Mom and The Typical Family on YouTube. She began blogging about easy recipes, budget friendly activities for kids, and fun family travel destinations in September 2012.

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